I know you need to check the oil every other fillup and idle a bit before driving in cold weather, redline every so often, but other than that...is there anything unusual that's unique to the rotary engine that I have to do to keep the rx-8 working smoothly?

I'm not going to have to check/change any other part more frequently?

 

That's about it. If you have an '04-'08 you might want to consider premixing, but that's optional.

As for idling in cold weather, that's not quite it. You don't have to idle, that's going to waste some gas, though I might do that if it's really cold. Just drive and keep the revs below about 4K until the engine temp needle starts to move up. And it's not just for cold weather, though the engine will get warm much faster in warmer weather.

 

You forgot to mention u need a rotary sticker or rx8club.com sticker on ur car or it will inevitably blow up on you from the lack of love.

 

That's about it. Although checking oil every other fill-up seems like a lot. Maybe once a month?

I don't sit and idle when cold. I just keep the revs under 3500 till the car is warmed up.

 

agreed with 636. Man he has the best input.. First the ak and now the stickers. =P

 

over fill so you dont have to add oil for a long time lol j/k

 

I have to agree here but that's based on how much you drive.
I put between 600 to 1000 miles a month on my 8 and change my oil [have my oil changed] between 2500 and 3000 or every 3 months.


I rarely need to add oil based on that.

 

If you drive aggressively, you could follow the appropriate maintenance plan in the manual where you change coolant and other fluids slightly sooner than normal.

The ignition coils, wires, and plugs need to be changed sooner than normal cars. A good mechanic can inspect the coils and tell you when they need to be replaced.

 

Spark plugs and engine decarb have been added to my yearly maintenance routine. Oil changes, premix, fluid change and tire rotation should be a given.

 

I also agree keeping an eye on coils/plugs is good to do too but really only recommended every 30-40k miles

 

Watch the oil level (monthly is fine), change it frequently (3k), and monitor the carbon buildup (exercise it - redline). Fuel system treatment on a regular basis is a plus as well.

I did new plugs and all fluids at 20k but know that was a bit ****. Still, the more frequent 'plug changes is a good idea.

The '8 is more or less as reliable as any other modern vehicle, but as you're wise to inquire there are the aforementioned rotor-specifics to keep in mind.

 

What do you mean lol? I actually do that.

Not by my own planning, but the dealer always overfills the oil. Pretty consistently up to the top of the flat on the dipstick...I'd guess about half a quart.

My understanding is that the '06's and newer have a redesigned filler neck and breather connection, so they're not prone to the oil-in-the-air-filter problem. I've never had that happen.

Ken

 

I'd say less than 15k the coils on my car have been replaced two times. After I upgrade to the BHR coil solution then I will not worry about them. I will swap the plugs once a year when I do the decarb just as general maintenance. It is cheap enough to do once a year and not have to worry about it.

 

guys, dont forget coolant flushes every other year. maybe even once a year. proper antifreeze and distilled water is essential to ensuring a properly functioning cooling system. over time poor antifreeze and non distlled water can cause internal corrosion around the coolant seals and can corrode the housings to an unuseable state! even the slightest amount of wear on the exhaust side of the seals or housings can cause overheating. the rotary is extremely sensitive to good and clean spark plugs as well as ignition timing and proper spark.

 

^oh **** forgot about that....I need to do mine considering it's never been done but coolant is still good(just tested it and is clean) but needs done...I'll just add that to the list....I think it's time to order my coils and plugs and get it done before i run into a problem...

 

i'm due for a flush in my 1980 RX-7 as well. we all forget..

 

I check clutch fluid every time I check oil, and top it off.

 

That's not necessarily a good idea. The clutch uses the same reservoir as the brakes. Fluid goes down as the brakes wear. If you keep topping it off, then when you replace brake pads you'll have to drain some of it back out. And you lose the brakes-left indication value of the fluid level.

Definitely check it, and add if it gets near or below the low line, but IMHO it shouldn't routinely be topped off.

Ken

 

^agreed next time you need brakes when u push the caliper pistons back in will push that fluid back into the resivoir and if it's already full it's prob going to overflow and just so you know

Brake fluid + Paint= bare metal!

 

and eventually rust..especially when left neglested by a previous owner:

 

Holy crap! What would cause that? What do you need to do to prevent that sort of thing from happening?

 

lol at ancient exhaust system.

 

wow that is bad....that just from brake fluid or did some winter salt and snow mix in with that! haha

 

Please forgive the super-noob question. That's not an RX-8, is it?

 

Fortunately, no.