Our recent RX-8 engine rebuild experience
01-29-2014, 10:40 AM
#1
New Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Our recent RX-8 engine rebuild experience
Hi everyone,
I am new to this web site but I hope to be a part of this group for a long time, to learn from everyone, and perhaps to contribute to the wealth of knowledge and experience that exist here. I’d like to share our recent experience with a 2004 RX-8 with you. Hopefully, someone new to this vehicle can draw from our experience, benefit from it, and get good results in their future work involving the RX-8s.
Earlier this year my wife and I decided to get my son a car. We wanted not only to get him something that he likes but that it would also give him an opportunity to learn some car-repairing skills. Personally, I wanted a project that we could work on together before he heads off to college. So the deal was this: he could get the car he likes but it had to be broken! (Yes, I know… we were cruel!). The thinking for us was that he would get the car he likes, but because of the work he would have to put in to get it running again that he would learn a valuable lesson on hard work, attention to details, good engineering, and from that he would appreciate and value his car.
Beware of what you ask for, you say? Yes, I got more than I bargained for. He picked a broken RX-8. We kept our promise! When we purchased it, it had very low compression. It started but consumed lots of oil and was barely able to idle, and it put out tons of smoke out of the tail pipes. The owner was upfront about the engine required a rebuild and the price was fair for the condition of the car. I have some experience with conventional engines but nothing on rotary engines. This was going to be a learning experience for both of us.
The first decision we were confronted with was whether we should do the rebuild ourselves or pay someone to do it. I can imagine this is a topic of much debate here. After a period of research, I decided on the latter. Working in an engineering environment and working with many people in mechanical shops, I came to the realization a long time ago that nothing beats experience. Nothing beats an old timer working on something his whole life. I learned to listen to these old timers and more often than not, they were right. I knew my son and I would be able to buy the rebuild kits and the how-to rebuild video, watch Youtube videos, and labor through the rebuilding process. But, I also knew something would not be done correctly… and the more I read, the more it appeared to me that the intricate rotary engines were not the forgiving type. Also, it would be too much for us to take the engine in and out if we messed up. Anyway, I did some research online and contacted Kevin from the website rotaryresurrection. As it turned out, this was an excellent decision for us. Kevin has a ton of experience and was very straight forward. When I asked for information, he usually gave me more than enough. I think you would agree that for those that just got involved with rotary engines, having good, sound advices are very important. We decided to take the engine out ourselves and let Kevin performs the rebuild. Also, I was able to work out a deal with him so that we could come to his shop and observe the final engine reassembly process. That was important to us because we wanted to be a part of the engine rebuilding process. What confirmed to me that I had made the right decision was when Kevin pointed out to me the issues with the chrome layer with the various parts of my engine. My first advice to the newbies who want to do rebuild themselves is that unless you are working with someone who has experience, you are better off leaving it to the professionals. As we know now, the chrome layering is something very specific with rotary engines. If we had done it ourselves, we would have missed these problems (not to mention the other gotchas). Kevin took his time and explained all parts of the rebuilding process. My son got some hands-on work at Kevin’s shop. What a crazy but fantastic engine this is, very simple and elegant. My son enjoyed it so much he chose his senior project to be “The Future of Rotary Engines”. Kevin’s price was reasonable. One thing I have learned is if you get involve with an RX-8, you will pay some $ for repairs and parts. It is the nature of the beast but I thought Kevin’s price was reasonable. Plus, if you work with him, he can give you good recommendations on replacement parts. You can choose to go with new or re-usable parts. That was important for us because we were working on a budget. My second advice is actually my recommendation for Kevin at rotaryresurrection. We are very happy with his work. Honestly, if you need a fair-price rebuild from an honest guy, check him out.
Taking the engine out and putting the rebuilt one back in was challenging but rewarding for us. My son and I learned a ton of great information. We put the engine back in over the Christmas holiday break. I had to get some advices from Kevin a couple times during the re-installation and he was very accommodating. My third advice is to replace all the fuel hoses. Yes they are expensive, but it will give you peace of mind. The critical task here is to make sure the fuel connectors engaged all the way in. At one point, we thought the connectors made up correctly already only to find out later they were not. I have read some horror stories about car fires, and I could see how these connectors could contribute to this (personally, I think Mazda over-engineered this part). Just be careful and thorough, and don’t cut corner here.
We were thrilled when the car started. It took about 2 weeks for the engine to break in completely. It is running strong and smooth now. Per Kevin’s recommendation, we are running it with a small portion of 2-cycle oil mixed in with the gas. If you have some good experience and recommendations on this, I would like to hear about it, especially about the ratio of oil/gas.
Overall the experience was great. We drove to TN to drop off and pick up the engine at Kevin’s place so we got a chance to visit TN in the fall. Very nice!
Thanks for reading. I hope our experience helps you out. Best of luck with your future endeavors involving working on your RX-8s.
H. Nguyen
Augusta, GA
I am new to this web site but I hope to be a part of this group for a long time, to learn from everyone, and perhaps to contribute to the wealth of knowledge and experience that exist here. I’d like to share our recent experience with a 2004 RX-8 with you. Hopefully, someone new to this vehicle can draw from our experience, benefit from it, and get good results in their future work involving the RX-8s.
Earlier this year my wife and I decided to get my son a car. We wanted not only to get him something that he likes but that it would also give him an opportunity to learn some car-repairing skills. Personally, I wanted a project that we could work on together before he heads off to college. So the deal was this: he could get the car he likes but it had to be broken! (Yes, I know… we were cruel!). The thinking for us was that he would get the car he likes, but because of the work he would have to put in to get it running again that he would learn a valuable lesson on hard work, attention to details, good engineering, and from that he would appreciate and value his car.
Beware of what you ask for, you say? Yes, I got more than I bargained for. He picked a broken RX-8. We kept our promise! When we purchased it, it had very low compression. It started but consumed lots of oil and was barely able to idle, and it put out tons of smoke out of the tail pipes. The owner was upfront about the engine required a rebuild and the price was fair for the condition of the car. I have some experience with conventional engines but nothing on rotary engines. This was going to be a learning experience for both of us.
The first decision we were confronted with was whether we should do the rebuild ourselves or pay someone to do it. I can imagine this is a topic of much debate here. After a period of research, I decided on the latter. Working in an engineering environment and working with many people in mechanical shops, I came to the realization a long time ago that nothing beats experience. Nothing beats an old timer working on something his whole life. I learned to listen to these old timers and more often than not, they were right. I knew my son and I would be able to buy the rebuild kits and the how-to rebuild video, watch Youtube videos, and labor through the rebuilding process. But, I also knew something would not be done correctly… and the more I read, the more it appeared to me that the intricate rotary engines were not the forgiving type. Also, it would be too much for us to take the engine in and out if we messed up. Anyway, I did some research online and contacted Kevin from the website rotaryresurrection. As it turned out, this was an excellent decision for us. Kevin has a ton of experience and was very straight forward. When I asked for information, he usually gave me more than enough. I think you would agree that for those that just got involved with rotary engines, having good, sound advices are very important. We decided to take the engine out ourselves and let Kevin performs the rebuild. Also, I was able to work out a deal with him so that we could come to his shop and observe the final engine reassembly process. That was important to us because we wanted to be a part of the engine rebuilding process. What confirmed to me that I had made the right decision was when Kevin pointed out to me the issues with the chrome layer with the various parts of my engine. My first advice to the newbies who want to do rebuild themselves is that unless you are working with someone who has experience, you are better off leaving it to the professionals. As we know now, the chrome layering is something very specific with rotary engines. If we had done it ourselves, we would have missed these problems (not to mention the other gotchas). Kevin took his time and explained all parts of the rebuilding process. My son got some hands-on work at Kevin’s shop. What a crazy but fantastic engine this is, very simple and elegant. My son enjoyed it so much he chose his senior project to be “The Future of Rotary Engines”. Kevin’s price was reasonable. One thing I have learned is if you get involve with an RX-8, you will pay some $ for repairs and parts. It is the nature of the beast but I thought Kevin’s price was reasonable. Plus, if you work with him, he can give you good recommendations on replacement parts. You can choose to go with new or re-usable parts. That was important for us because we were working on a budget. My second advice is actually my recommendation for Kevin at rotaryresurrection. We are very happy with his work. Honestly, if you need a fair-price rebuild from an honest guy, check him out.
Taking the engine out and putting the rebuilt one back in was challenging but rewarding for us. My son and I learned a ton of great information. We put the engine back in over the Christmas holiday break. I had to get some advices from Kevin a couple times during the re-installation and he was very accommodating. My third advice is to replace all the fuel hoses. Yes they are expensive, but it will give you peace of mind. The critical task here is to make sure the fuel connectors engaged all the way in. At one point, we thought the connectors made up correctly already only to find out later they were not. I have read some horror stories about car fires, and I could see how these connectors could contribute to this (personally, I think Mazda over-engineered this part). Just be careful and thorough, and don’t cut corner here.
We were thrilled when the car started. It took about 2 weeks for the engine to break in completely. It is running strong and smooth now. Per Kevin’s recommendation, we are running it with a small portion of 2-cycle oil mixed in with the gas. If you have some good experience and recommendations on this, I would like to hear about it, especially about the ratio of oil/gas.
Overall the experience was great. We drove to TN to drop off and pick up the engine at Kevin’s place so we got a chance to visit TN in the fall. Very nice!
Thanks for reading. I hope our experience helps you out. Best of luck with your future endeavors involving working on your RX-8s.
H. Nguyen
Augusta, GA
Last edited by RIWWP; 01-29-2014 at 11:09 AM. Reason: removed all the blanket color and font formatting, added line breaks
01-29-2014, 10:36 PM
#4
Rotors-over-pistons
Me = "I bought the car! It's a Mazda rx-8"
Stepdad = "Is that a sports car? Does it have a V6?"
Me = "It has a rotary engine-"
Stepdad = "A what?"
Conversation = done
haha good for you, getting your son involved in the car, not just buying him something and leaving him to his own devices. Teach a man to fish.....
Stepdad = "Is that a sports car? Does it have a V6?"
Me = "It has a rotary engine-"
Stepdad = "A what?"
Conversation = done
haha good for you, getting your son involved in the car, not just buying him something and leaving him to his own devices. Teach a man to fish.....
01-30-2014, 09:36 AM
#5
Registered
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Mid(dleofnowhere)land, Texas
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Awesome story and glad you guys got to learn from the experience together! I'm new to the rotary family as well, thanks to inheriting the maintenance processes from my fiance. At first, we were skeptical of even keeping the car. After doing the research and taking the time to actually read both the horror and success stories here, we've come to terms with the maintenance requirements and decided to keep the car. It'll be a learning experience for sure!
Your son is lucky!
Your son is lucky!
01-30-2014, 11:52 AM
#7
SARX Legend
iTrader: (46)
Welcome aboard. Kevin is a stand up guy and deserves the praise.
This is a good story and funny to me because I grew up working on vehicles with my dad. My first car was an 83' Mazda 323 that I received broken. May dad handed me the keys and said, "If you want to drive it, fix it". It wouldn't start. He didn't help me at all and I suspect that he knew what the problem was all along. But I tore the carb apart with the help of a service manual and rebuilt it and she ran like a champ. It was a great experience and 22 years later my father and I still spin wrenches on a regular basis
This is a good story and funny to me because I grew up working on vehicles with my dad. My first car was an 83' Mazda 323 that I received broken. May dad handed me the keys and said, "If you want to drive it, fix it". It wouldn't start. He didn't help me at all and I suspect that he knew what the problem was all along. But I tore the carb apart with the help of a service manual and rebuilt it and she ran like a champ. It was a great experience and 22 years later my father and I still spin wrenches on a regular basis
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
N0P1st0ns
Series I Aftermarket Performance Modifications
4
07-30-2015 09:45 AM