jd62

Mine is an earlier VIN (2178) that probably doesn't have the newer baffles in the oil pan, so I get an oil level light at high speeds when it's down a bit.

I put in 1/2 quart at 1300 miles, and the other half at 2600 miles to keep the light from flashing.

Puppy1

But you can "RIDE" your RX-8 whenever you want and it never has a "headache."

1cobra1

I happened onto this thread while looking for something else and thought I'd chime in.

All rotarys use oil. But not in the way it other internal combustion engines do. It's part of the process and completelty normal. The amount you use particularly with the 12a-20b rotary's depended on how much throttle and specifically how much gas you put through the carb/fuel injectors. I'm out of the loop now and have little first hand knowledge of the Rx 8 but I suspect it is th same.

In my case I put about a quart in a week not beacuse it wasn't running well but because it was. I ran a 600 cfm holley 4 bbl on a heavily ported 12a. I noticed the consumption was particularly high when it was run over 8,000 rpm. Mileage was generally 18-20 but could drop to 14.

Have fun!

Michael Strunk
Director of Racing Operations
Rotary Performance Center
(formerly of Napa Ca)

Deslock

- Added 1 quart at 2000 miles
- Added 2/3 quart at 3300 miles

Approx 85% city, 15% highway. Mostly spirited driving, but nothing abusive.

DViOuS

on track i burnt oil from slightly below the high mark to the low mark after 2 30min sessions... during these times the rpm was always between 6-9k. Filled it to the high mark before the 3rd session and about 1/3 was gone after that session.

daily driving, i dun recall, i just know i gotta check and fill it every 2000-2500 miles...

1cobra1

Oh,

The other thing about the rotary is you need not run preimum. early rotary development was done on low 80's octane 82-85. If you are running super you are wasting your money. I would still avoid Oxygenates (mtbe in particular) as they are not good for the seals and are robbing you of mileage.

1cobra1

Here's how mazda explaines the oil injection process...

Cooling and lubrication are vitally important to an engine producing the power of the 13B REW. Both rotors are kept cool by splashing them internally with oil. Internal lubrication is via an electronically controlled metering system that reduces oil consumption by 25-50 percent compared to the previous method of supply to the intake and trochoid chamber combined.

Lubrication is fed under high pressure to the eccentric shaft bearings via a high-efficiency multi port rotary pump. The heated oil is then sent through two oil-coolers (one in each of the nose vents) before being reused. A lightweight aluminum and plastic radiator, fully shrouded and slanted sharply to lower the Mazda RX-7's nose was fitted up front. Maintaining the correct temperature is a pair of three stage thermo fans and keeping the flow is a lightweight aluminum water pump.

buzzwordenabled

At delivery, my car was at the 3/4 mark. Since that time, I've checked oil every 300-500 miles. At 1500 miles it was down to the bottom tick mark, so I added a quart based upon the owners manual description of the top and bottom tick marks being 1.5/1.7 (quarts, liters, whatever). Ha. In reality, per my experience and other posts, the indicators seem to be about 1 quart apart. Adding the quart of oil brought me from the bottom mark to the top mark.

I enjoy the revs in my car so the consumption doesn't seem out of line based upon other experiences. I keep a quart of oil in the trunk in a rubberized nylon "shaving" bag along with a rag and a screw-on spout. A small consideration for this much fun.

Boilermaker

I've had to add a quart at 2100 miles and just passed 4000 and had to add another quart. My driving is 90% city. Somewhat hard driving.

alamike

I used to own an 80 RX7 and its manual recommended that you ***** the top of the oil filter with an awl prior to removing it. If doing so makes you uncomfortable, you can contact your service advisor or Mazda directly. The only harm to the car that I can see that you can do if you started it up after you pricked the hole.

Reaper Man

2100 miles- a tad above the first hash mark

bigfatpop

2200 miles. I finished my first quart of oil today to top it off.

mdekkers

I do about a 1 litre every 750 miles or so. get about 22 MPG when the sun is out.

This is on par with almost any other high performance car ou there. Just do it!

Wurmfist

Hmmm....maybe it's just because I drive my car hard or I have a problem because I use about a half quart of oil every two fuel fill ups which would be around every 360 to 400 miles give or take. and I have about 2700 miles on it. I use Valvoline Energy Efficient II 5w-20.

Added: And I don't think you would want to use any heavier oil unless you live in really hot climates because of the oil injectors and what not, and the fact that this engine mixes a small amount of oil with the fuel.

Scotty RX8

Ive driven mine for 8000 miles, been through two oil changes, the dealer said that they did not have to add additional oil. When I check myoil every other tank, it is always at the half way mark! I just stopped checking after doing this for 6000 miles. My milage is 19 mpg mixed city/highway, and I go up to 90+ mph on a daily basis on a highway stretch to and from work. Oil light has never come on with hard driving.

SpacerX

I don't drive very hard, RPM-wise. I occasionally send the engine into the higher RPMs both for the fun factor and because I think it's probably good for cleaning out the chambers (according to a lot of info I've gotten here and elsewhere...)

When I got the car, the dealer had it full to the top line (maybe a little higher), and I didn't add anything until I changed the oil at 3K, adding in about 4qts. About 1K later, I had added almost another qt. I was curious, but then it dawned on me: I had jacked up the driver's side in an attempt to get a greater drain from the system and put in a fresh, larger (M1-110) filter, so I wondered if I hadn't ADDED ENOUGH during the actual oil change.

Sure enough, I just changed the oil again yesterday at 5K, and added about 4.25qts. Switched back to the spec-sized (although more filter area) filter (this time a PureOne PL14612), and then I ran the engine for about 5 minutes. Let it cool a bit and then checked again: I added another 0.75 qts.

Conclusion: I can't really say that I've used an appreciable amount of oil, over and above what's been changed out. Finally, after changing the oil, I highly recommend the above "extra step" of running the engine to let the new oil circulate in the system, then checking to top off.

Ciao!

Butch Brown

6 spd manual 2500 miles 21 - 22 mpg. 6/10 of a quart of oil to fill to upper level. I drive 35 miles to and from work on country roads, cross two small 1500 ft. mountais windy and rolling hills averaging about 60 - 65 mph unless traffic slows me down.

mfreilly

MT, avg. 19 mpg mixed driving. 1 qt of oil in 3000 miles.

Wurmfist

The best gas milage I ever have gotten out of my car was 16.7 miles to the gallon on an average of two tanks of gas. So, my question is, Is my car screwed up or are you guys with the better milage driving like grandpas? (Sorry, no offense to Grandfathers out there.)

I just can't see how people are getting 22mpg out of these things.

SpacerX

Forgto to post some mileage figures earlier. In fairly mixed driving, she's averaging ~19.5 mpg currently. Early on, she was getting ~18. Haven't gotten the newest "L" or "M" computer updates yet -- apparently they improve low-end response as well as mileage. Build date was early Dec.

Atacdad

just added 1/2 quart of oil this weekend. 2000 miles.

I get 16-18 MPG and I don't drive like a grandpa....

SpacerX

Forgot to post some mileage figures earlier. In fairly mixed driving, she's averaging ~19.5 mpg currently. Early on, she was getting ~18.

I normally use 3500 rpm as a "cruisin' 'round town" shift point. I take it close to rev limit at least once a day (usually on ramps). Half my commute is interstate driving at ~80 mph.

Haven't gotten the newest "L" or "M" computer updates yet -- apparently they improve low-end response as well as mileage. Build date was early Dec.

TwoZooms

At 1,700 miles, the oil level has dropped only a bit -- not nearly enough to justify adding oil. I'll be going in for an oil change soon (I've had the car almost six months and will change as a factor of time rather than mileage), so adding oil will probably not be an issue for me.

Last three tanks have averaged just under 22 mpg.