After consdering MSRP, insurance premiums, gas mileage it occured to me I was forgetting maintenance. Not being a rotor head but just a shade tree mechanic I suspect I'll be returning my car to the dealership for service. At a shop rate of $40-$60/hr. this could get costly. My question is are there services particular to a rotor that one wouldn't encounter with a conventional piston/pushrod motor? Does anyone have any insight as to what annual maintenance expenses (barring catastrophic failure) might run?

 

Shouldn't cost more to run than a piston engine. Maybe even less. Rotaries do consume oil between oil changes (its normal). Figure an extra quart of oil every 5000 miles. Spark plugs are expensive (at least they were on previous rotaries). In Canada they ran about $26 each, if memory serves, back in the late 80's. This could be changed with the Renesis, but count on expensive spark plugs. Replacing the plugs is something you can do under the shade of your tree.
Other than that, the costs should be comparable to a piston engine. Of course, the added bonus is there is 3 moving parts. Not much can go wrong if you keep an eye on the oil level.

 

Hottrodder / Grimace,

I’ve always purchased my spark plugs from MazdaTrix so I couldn’t tell you what Mazda Corp. charges for them or if they are available through outlets such as Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc.. MazdaTrix offers two types of plugs; one that resists fowling in stop-n-go traffic & one that keeps up with high revved freeway cruising. I’ve used both types many times & can’t tell them apart (perhaps because my driving consists of both stop-n-go & freeway cruising). Anyway, MazdaTrix sells both types of plugs for $7.50 US each & a total of four plugs are required so you’re looking at $30.00 US. I don’t follow a fixed replacement schedule as rotary engines are very good at telling you when they’re ready for fresh plugs. A little sluggish to start in the morning, idles a bit rough, barely perceptible “micro” backfires here & there “Ok, ok, we’ll get some fresh plugs in you this weekend”. Over the long haul, I’ve changing my plugs about every 15 months which works out to about every 18,750 miles (30,242 kilometers).

<NOTE>

The four spark plugs are not interchangeable as they consist of two leading & two trailing units that are easily differentiated by large “L” & “T” markings printed on the spark plugs. The spark plugs are located on the drivers side of the engine in the following pattern:

Top Left “T” Top Right “T”
Bottom Left “L” Bottom Right “L”

Just let “T” stand for “Top” & “L” stand for “Lower” and you’ll never make a mistake. I know first hand that it’s impossible to drink enough beer to mess it up if you just remember “Top” & “Lower”. Mechanics make mistakes too, so if you don’t change your own spark plugs, double check the work by removing the spark plug wires one at a time & visually confirming the correct “L” & “T” placement (Removing more than one spark plug wire at a time creates the opportunity to get the wires crossed up).

Keep in mind that the spark plugs are made of steel & screw into aluminum passages in the engine. Make sure that the spark plugs aren’t cross-threaded by screwing them in at least three revolutions by hand before using a wrench. If you force the spark plugs in or over tighten them with a wrench, you will damage the engine.

Sorry for the long post…I just want to make sure rotary engines receiver proper care. BTW, I’m the original owner of a 1987 RX-7 which has 253,000 miles (407,330 kilometers) on it’s un-rebuilt engine & the compression suggests that there’s plenty of life left in it. :D

 

I was just lookin at a shot of the renesis and it appears that it only takes 2 spark plugs. Is this correct? The oil filter looks like a cinch to change being that its on the top.

When i get my rx8 im gonna do every bit of maintenance except alignment and the obvious procedures you need expensive equipment for.

I dont see it being much more expensive than any piston engine.

 

If it's got two rotors then it should have 4 plugs, 2 per rotor correct?

 

You can clearly see how a rotary engine uses two sparkplugs at http://www.howstuffworks.com/rotary-engine4.htm

 

Yes but that is only one rotor chamber. Ergo with two chambers you will have 4 plugs right?

 

Correct. 2 plugs per rotor x 2 rotors = 4 plugs.
Now, if you make some kind of 3 rotor monster down the road, the onus is on you to do the math. :D

 

Another favourite link:
http://www.rotaryengineillustrated.c...nition101.html
Explains the 4 plugs.

 

Anybody tried Brisk premium plugs?

http://plugs.janmax.com/premiumtable.aspx

 

The Bosch platinum +4s are the popular ones nowadays.... probably best with sticking with those.

 

Can you even get those for a rotary?

 

I don't see why not.. spark plugs are spark plugs, they all do the same thing except there are different sizes.

 

You are right that they do the same thing, but with different results using different plugs.
You can get better acceleration, increase engine power and etc.

 

rotary spark plugs look totally different. Most people make them though.

-pete

 

They are special in that they are made so that the electrode does not contact the apex seal or rotor.

 

Hercules wrote,

Rmp_pwr & rototlewski are correct. Rotary engine spark plugs are totally different than piston engine spark plugs; their electrodes are recessed to avoid striking the rotors as they pass by. I don’t mean to beat this issue into the ground it’s just that the ramification of using the wrong plug is instantaneous & catastrophic engine failure.

 

Actually what I meant is that all they do is create the spark to ignite the gas

Size and shape always vary, even in piston engines.

 

new member here. can anyone guess why a dealership would say that the plugs would need to be changed every 6000miles when the owners manual says to change approx every 37,500 miles. car has 12,000 miles and has already needed the spark plugs changed, has anyone been having the same problems?

 

Did you recently flood it? That's the only reason I can imagine they would need to be changed that early.

 

Guess: They want to make money dishonestly? Same reason a local Toyota dealer told a neighbor he needed to have his plug replaced at 15K miles. Nothing but BS by an unscupulous dealer. With today's current electronic ignition systems, that is totally unreasonable advice. (Of couse, I'm speaking generically, not about a previously flooded rotary engine.)

 

Very nice... your rotaries are so lucky to have you... Props on your 253,000 miles. Awesome.

 

I think the OEM spark plugs for the 8 are a single electrode iridium plug and cost about $30 each

 

I can't confirm this, but I would probably say that the manual was printed before the first RX-8's made it to port. It was also at port that all RX-8's were re-flashed for EPA2 regulations. In the hasty re-flash, the a/f mixture was richened tp reduce catalytic converter temps to increase longevity. As a result of this re-flash I believe that the plugs often are subjected to coatings of unburned fuel, oil during small misfires, etc. Is it required to change your plugs ecery 7,500 miles? Probably not, but it is possibly if you car has had trouble starting in the morning when cold, or you have had other problems.

Lets hope that Mazda fixes the a/f mixture with a reflash soon.

 

Also, forgot to add....I would stick to the plugs that are recommended by Mazda. I know that there are other plugs available, and some that claim better fuel mileage, etc. I just say if its not broken, dont try to fix it. If there is a problem with you car after you use different plugs, the dealer will be more than happy to blame your non-factory plugs, and charge you $30 a piece for new plugs.