So, after not being a problem I could fix. I had a rotary specialist come over. Dudes crazy... i mean smart. He's working on this rotary that uses a plasma spark to ignite combustion with like a wave shape rotary with something like 38 chambers and a bunch more stuff I almost didn't understand. Well anyways, he says I got a bad apex seal and instead of trying to clean the rotary housing and knock the seal, the best thing is to just take out the engine and fix it up right. I didn't want a temporary fix so I'm going along with pulling the engine. It's nothing to him anyways, he's fast and a great at this stuff. He says it'll make the car run just perfect and like new so thats great. he says he needs about 8 hours for the labor and that will run $40/hr and then $350 for the new gasket set. What do you guys think? I just want my baby running good again. This guy is crazy with rotary's, you should see and hear the stuff he's put together and done. Well let me know what you guys think, cause I really do want some input on if this is a good thing or not. thanks guys

 

The RX-8 has an 8 year 100k mile warranty on the engine core for North America...

Where are you located, what year, how many miles, etc?

 

^yeah go for warranty(free) if you're in NA...if not then the prices don't seem bad...40/hr for labor is at least half of what mazda is(not sure what rates are there)

 

That is pretty cheap. Whenever I was going to get my RX-7 rebuit/streetported, I was expecting ~2k bucks from the local Rotary Guy. So 40 x 8 = 320 dollars plust 350...that's much less than a grand, so that's an AWESOME deal.

Although, like was said, warranty ftw.

 

^oh of course free>costing money haha.......but hell should see if that guy knows how to port...street port the renesis for like 300 bucks....now that would b a hell of a deal

 

Mazda rates by me are $105/hr

 

Yeah I thought they were around 100..so i'd take 40 over 105 haha

 

Sounds like someone acting like they know stuff.

 

^u talking bout the 40/hr labor rate?

 

you are where?

8 hour motor change can be done. but lots of talent is involved..

gaskets dont fix a blown motor..

and 40 bucks and hour for someone that talented.

there is your sign.

beers

 

5 of us during the season finale at VIR, pulled a bad motor/tranny combo, a good motor/tranny combo out of our spare car and installed in the new car, gassed and fired up in 1 hr 28 minutes! Got it all on video too.

But anyways, still for someone to only charge 40 bucks an hour makes me really wonder the guys talent.

 

name?

If this guy is any good, his name should ring a bell.

 

sorry,

that was in a race car??? maybe..

lots of stuff missing to connect in a race car correct?

like silly clamps that connect the wiring harness to the bottom of the lower intake manifold that you may or may not have!!!!

just saying. stock motor replacement.. if you can do it in 8hrs. including swapping all the stuff from motor to motor.

like injectors, mop. flywheel.. and that damn pesky wiring harness..

let me know..

beers

 

I was only f'ing with ya man. You've seen our engine bays so you know how easy it would be.

But 8 hrs is a reasonable amount of time, our old crew chief Steve did a complete swap of a stock 8 with one of his guys at his shop. So, I know it can be done.

 

really,

i know that..

the really talented techs can get it done it. ~ 8hrs.. i watched it!

but wow.. every move was detailed.

beers

 

The dudes names is Jason McDonald. He owned a mazda rotary shop in SoCal until rotarys became extremely exclusive and he couldn't make money doing it and he worked with mazdaspeed on some stuff. I would like to go for the free motor from mazda since my car is still under the warranty but I hear how hard it is and how mazda is good at bullshitting you out of it. I told the guy too that should I just go for the free motor but he says mazda will say a bad apex seal would be my fault. Cause a rotary with 71k miles is going to have bad apex seal and what not. Should I still try to get the free engine or what? Let me know cause I would be fine with that. Also, we were talking about putting in a piggy bak turbo and tuning the **** out of my 8... what do you guys think? The guy said he can get me taking vettes all day. Just wondering you know. Would be fun lol

 

I glanced through the thread titles and thought this said "Bad Sex Appeal" at first. haha

 

Mr. Jason is just trying to get you to buy his rebuild. He's bullshit you, not Mazda. Mazda has the 100k mile warranty for a while, and if it's a bad apex seal and you prove that you have been doing the oil changes and what not, they will replace the engine.

 

well I have only had the car since last Feb, had two oil changes thus far and I did the last one... do you think that will be okay? what can I do?

 

Everyone is telling you to go to Mazda.

Do it, stop posting.

 

I just called mazda and I have to pay for a regular diagnostic, then pay to take apart the engine if thats what needs to be done. Then they need to find out what caused it and THEN call mazda to see what will be covered. I mean really, Pay for all that and then get no engine. will i get a new one? or are they just going to bullshit me? they already sound like dicks over the phone.

 

This doesn't sound right to me at all.

 

It's this stuff that makes me fear doing any maintenance work or anything out of the Mazda spec with the car. I would so afraid of something going wrong with the engine and then Mazda telling me too bad because you did your own oil change or didn't do it at a mazda dealership or something..

Good luck to you.

 

yeah this does not sound right.....U prob will have to pay diagnosis but they can EASILY tell it's an apex seal with a compression test....if it's truly that bad ur compression will b low....take it to mazda.....don't let the bullshitter bullshit you

 

If I'm not mistaken, they charge you first off for the compression test. Then if they find it's under spec, they DON'T charge you, and replace the engine.

I've never heard of a dealership taking apart an engine to find out what's wrong. They usually go, "Yup, it's bad, lets get another one in here."