Getting a new engine....is it weird that I'm happy?
 

Went to the dealer today with some vibration and performance issues. Long story short, the tech said I need a new engine and that they just ordered me one. Even better, it's all covered under the warranty.

I'm actually really happy because I'm basically resetting my miles pretty much.

Anyway, has anyone here gotten their engine replaced? If so, did you notice a difference performance-wise?

No it's no weird :) I got a new one at 22,000 miles and another one at 96,000 miles :) 3 engines FTW!!

i want 4! one this winter, one winter 2012. one winter, 2013. i mean why not have a new engine while its just going to be sitting there waiting for the snow to go away

Just make sure you break it in hard. I've seen dyno comparisons of cars that are broken in hard vs babied, and the hard ones always put out 5% more power. It's a pretty substantial difference.

As soon as you get it in, rev it all the way up. The first few times you run it is the most important.

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so don't follow the break in procedure and your engine will produce 5 percent more power. That's the kind of advice that's just pure awesome.

no
drive slowly till oil temp is up, then progressively increase shift rpm till hitting redline.

Do not listen to this guy. Beodude, if you are going to post up, please make sure you post up useful and correct information (or at least try too). Having watched a few RX-8 dyno days, I can say I have never seen a gain that has been attributed to engine break in. That would be pretty hard to do unless you had two stock cars or new cars with different break in methods that were dynoed on the same day on the same dyno.

Listen to these guys.

http://www.racingbeat.com/RX8%20Break%20in.htm

lol where exactly does that 5% come from / get lost to if you dont break in the engine properly is my question.

I just got a new one last week.
I was having vibrating/power-loss problems with mine.

I took it to the Dealership, they did a diagnostic test... and the VDI code popped up. So, they replaced that part, took it on a test drive...and the 8 still lost power..
Make a long story short- i got a new motor put in last Friday!
I made it right before the warranty ran out to, 99,003 miles.... tell me that's not luck! :fingersx:

Now, that I have her back. She runs great!

Best of luck, with your new motor :)


*Just remember to drive a LOT*

:lol: You beat me, I got my current motor at 96,000 miles.

^ :lol:
Hey, that's pretty close as well... not gonna lie.

Yeah I made it in right under the wire. Had it failed after 100k I would have been pissed.

I was told the same thing by the head mechanic when I had mine installed this Summer. Drive it like you stole it my friend. It makes sense, you are told time in and time out to rev these engines hard. Why would you baby it when breaking it in?

Oh yeah, I would of been... beyond mad...

But, I lucked up somehow :smoker:

Yeah I am sure your head mechanic knows more about the rotary engine than Racing Beat does :rolleyes: Ask the real race car guys running the series 1 engine and they will tell you there is no point in going to redline. The dealer techs typically don't know shit about rotaries, they just fix them by the replacing parts until the problem is fixed.

I've followed the mechanics recommendations and had zero problems. I'm not going to get into a pissing match as to who knows more about the rotary engine the head mechanic at Turnersville Mazda or racing beat. All I know is the mechanic I dealt with has owned numerous rotary powered cars and has worked for Mazda for 20+ years. I have researched the rotary engine alot myself as you should and what he told me seemed to make sense. As always to each their own.

There is no pissing match. The faults of the series 1 engine are thoroughly documented and one only needs to look at the changes to the series II motor to get a good idea as to why the Series I engines die prematurely (in my opinion). Running a good synthetic or Dino oil, changing it like clock work, redlining daily, etc. will not overcome the design flaws of the series I engine.

How did I form my opinion? Well my first engine died at only 22k, had on time oil changes, by the manual break in procedure, was always warmed up properly before hitting the road, and it was redlined daily during my 70+ miles daily commute. Stalling started, power loss, then I got a new motor.

Second engine was installed, followed Racing Beat break in, did the first oil change at 1500 miles, the engine saw Castrol GTX 10W-30 every 3,000 miles (usually less)for the rest of it's life. It was redlined daily for most of it's life until the last 20k or so when I started reading some of Eric Meyers posts regarding redlining and began reading heavily about the engine and about premixing. So for the final 20k or so i premixed and stopped red lining all the way to above 9k (factory tach is off 500RPM at red line BTW). After 74,000 miles the stalling started, power loss, then I got a new motor with 96,000 miles on the odometer.

Third engine was installed, followed Racing Beat break in, did the first oil change at 1,000 miles or so to GC 0W-30, then installed the BHR ignition, SOHN adapter pulling 2 JASO FC stroke, started premixing every tank of gas as well, and soon after went with a catless midpipe and switched to 40W synthetic. Since then I have installed a single 28" Fluidyne oil cooler, Mazmart oil pressure mod, BHR walbro fuel pump upgrade, BHR midpipe, Cobb AP tune, etc., and sustained my OCD maintenance approach. I have had the oil tested regularly and all seems good. I will get a compression test soon with about 20k on the motor and see how it is doing. Either way, if it fails again then I will still rebuild and keep the car, I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.

I have read a few books on the rotary, tuning, etc. that have been recommended to me and I have learned a lot and have a pretty good understanding of the rotary after all these years of ownership.

We can all have opinions but I have seen plenty of guys post up about how they have done this and that and their engines are still running fine and then a month later they are posting about getting a new motor. My personal opinion is that many typical drivers (people likely not here) drive around with low compression motors and don't even know it. Carbon lock can be an issue if you do not drive the motor somewhat hard, do not make sure it is heated up properly on a daily basis, and do not maintain it properly. but regardless, we have seen meticulously maintained motors fail so nothing can overcome the design flaws. Show me a few motors with over 100k on it with solid compression numbers and my opinion will change but for now it remains because I have seen engines with close to that mileage compression tested and they all have had marginal compression or were on the brink of being below spec. So we just have to know and expect that a properly maintained and driven series I will likely only last 75,000-100,000 miles.

engine break in, if you think about it. if your car is on the dealership lot, has maybe 20 miles on it maybe 65 like mine had. Are you telling me that the drivers test driving only brought RPM's to 4k? you know right off the bat they are redlining the test drive possiby even on fairly cold engine. so there goes the break in period.. i know i didnt wait 1k to hit redline.. have hit it several times way before that.

im at 72k miles and so far no problems. ave only done wires once and plugs twice. and have had same coils for 50k miles. (mazsport)

Only way to do true break in is if the car had 0 miles on it to where no ones else would test drive. idk just my morning 2 cents..

All of this crap makes me want to just trade in the car with 5 miles on it. I love it and all but it seems like a pain in the ass. I could be wrong though.

True, I'm not saying revving it will necessarily hurt the longevity of the engine but I wouldn't go all the way to 9k either. I do know Porsches and Z06's (how its made on TV :)) are all put on a dyno and tested for power before they roll off the assembly floor and got o the dealer but they are not redlined either, they just get a good solid row through the gears.

And you are at 72k with no problems. I was at 72k with no problems on my last motor, then a month or two later I was stalling at stop lights. Just sayin'.

dont trade it in! Its just everyone is expressing there own opinions.

Congrats on getting new motor though! i really want one before the 100k lol

How long do you plan on keeping the car? If you plan on keeping it for many miles then it may not be the car for you. But if you think it is then you need to take charge and do what is needed to care for it. This is not the car for the type of person that changes their oil every 6 months and never checks the oil, air filter, fuel mileage, rotates tires, checks coolant, etc.

It always blows my mind that people buy a car without knowing how it works or anything about it.

^^ +1 My gf, wanted a rx8 also, im was like im not taking care of 2 cars! lol she ended up buying a 2011 mazda 3 over the weekend :)

I'm 20 yrs old and in college so the main thing for me is money at this point. I don't want a car that will potentially die out in a few years when the warranty is over.

When I bought this car I was fully aware of the consequences and benefits of having it. I knew that it would have to be taken care of like a baby. When I got it, I just graduated high school. My parents got it for me as part of a deal to stay at home for college and stay local. No problems there. It's just that now that I have matured from a high school kid, I'm realizing more and more that this car may not be in my best interest as far as longevity. Maybe I'm mistaken but those are my thoughts right now.

Funny, I just went through that process with my GF and she got a Velocity Red 2010 mazda 3 Touring as well. It's a real nice little car and a better fit for sure than the 8. One of the things funny enough that I love about her is that she maintains her cars really well so she could have handled the 8 but money the 3 is more practical for her.

My car is still the center of attention though :)

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