So here is my situation right now. I have bought a 2009 r3 rx8 220000km with tested compression. it has flooded once but I think it's due to bad maintenance and lacking the knowledge on how to prevent flooding

front rotor is an average of 80psi

back rotor has 2 faces of 70psi and one in the 60s



my questions are:

Is a rebuild still viable with these compression number(especially an uneven number with a 60 mixed in) what are my chances that the rotor housing and rotor itself is f***ed and if so how long would have I left if I do a good enough rebuild/how much Psi should I expect once I finished it?

I see that there are rebuild kits on Atkins with varying costs so I'm here to ask whether typically you need to swap out everything (gaskets and such) with the master rebuild kit if you're doing a rebuild or just buy a basic engine closing kit with new apex seals and it is usually fine. the costs are almost double if I'm going with a master kit( I know technically you gotta take it apart and then see) but I'm just here to get an estimation on the cost and wear.

Lastly, is 3.5k USD a good price for what I have gotten myself into? the vehicle overall is in good condition apart from low compression



Any help would be greatly appreciated and hopefully, I can post some pics once the rebuild is done

 

3.5 isn't terrible, though with those readings it more a question of whether you want to headache than the money cost.
I wouldn't rebuild your engine, chances that big parts are ij good condition are low. Get a known good rebuilt from a rebuilder or Mazda (although Mazda seems really expensive lately).

 

Was the car sitting for a while? There might be a slim hope of freeing up the seals by doing the automatic transmission fluid soak. Your neighbours won’t be happy with the smoke but, it’s worth a shot to delay the inevitable.

 

no not really the previous owner has used it, but its also a manual transmission so I don't know how it would work lol

 

Uhh I saw alot of people online saying that a rebuild is viable though since its not doomed and you can get quite a bit more life out of it, but from what ur saying the chances are quite low and not worth the risk. So i'm quite torn here on what to do

 

To do this you pull the spark plugs and fill each chamber with ATF. You’ll have to rotate the engine by hand. The ATF soaks in the combustion chambers. It can free up carbon locked seals. Worth a shot and cheap to do.

 

You can rebuild it, but then you have to painstakingly measure a lot of parts to make sure they are reusable, and if the big pieces like the housings and plates are not reusable? That's a lot of money that makes the rebuild economically pointless.

Also, if this is your first time doing it, chances are high that you do something wrong along the way and your rebuild lasts a few thousand kilometers. Rotaries are simple in theory, but they aren't nearly as simple from an assembly standpoint.

Don't listen to the Facebook bros, leave it to the real pros.

 

New housings alone are $2k and with almost 140,000 miles, buy new ones. With your compression results I'd drive it until it dies, it still has some life left in it.

 

Keep driving it until it starts stopping on it's own or won't start anymore.
In the meantime, try to prepare a budget for an eventual engine rebuild/replacement.

Most of us have been though it.
It's part of ownership, sooner or later.
It's worth it, imo.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...ilders-265177/