Which would be more cost effective? Just buying a whole new engine, or buying it piece by piece and doing it myself?

 

Most cost effective, buy a remanufactuted engine
Most fun/expensive/time consuming/problematic/etc, building one yourself.

Oh yeah, prepare to be flamed

 

I built my own and have about 600 miles on it currently.

Don't try to be ultra cheap with it. Buy the tools needed to do it well. A precision straight edge. Step wear tool, precision v blocks. I could have bought a engine for cheaper, but I know what is in mine.

I ported it, upgraded coils and wires, new housings, all new seals, bearings, a expensive clutch/lightweight flywheel, cobb ap, sohan and tank, radiator flush, and new hoses. It was still cheaper then paying Mazda to put in a remanufactured one in it.

But first Buy a video. There's 2 or three online. I think I bought Atkins.

 

Thanks guys, I just got injured at work, so I've got some time off for awhile, I figured I'd have a project.

 

a Mazda reman is $2001+$1000 core and if you price out the whole thing piece by piece you will come in much higher than that.

so if you want a NEW engine, the cheapest way is to buy a reman, pull it apart and replace anything they didn't

 

and if you don't have a core most renesis engines even on craigslist go for about $500 in unknown condition. i NEVER take anyone's word that an engine sitting on the ground is a running engine.

so $500 plus $1k in rebuild parts= $1.5k to do it yourself. $2k for a mazda reman and close to that for remans from independent shops. are you a gambler? because you're gambling that the $500 savings is worth the risk of possibly not getting something right.

most of the large engine parts go for $500-700 a pop. 3 irons alone is roughly $2k by themself, another $1200 for rotors, $1500 for rotor housings, $175 for e-shaft, $250 for stat gears, $500 for other misc bits and pieces and you see that a brand new engine easily goes beyond the $6k mark quite quickly.

 

I know this is a old thread but I am just wondering where you can get a reman engine for $2000. The cheapest I have found so far is $2600 and mazmart is asking $3225 and that seems to be the most common place I see people buying the remans from.

 

I don't know about 2k but Rotary Resurrection and a place in Texas called OJimports offer affordable rebuilds and they both have good reputations.

 

Plan on rebuilding anything you buy from anyone other than a reputable builder and expect incidentals.

My leap from a 4 port to a 6 port was a major PITA. You're pretty much screwed without a core and god forbid your donor has bad rotors / plates / etc. That **** really gets in the way of a rebuild. I got lucky with my eBay motor and was able to salvage everything but the clutch.

 

I too would love to know where a $2000 reman is available.

I'm a long time RX7 guy looking to jump into the RX8 game buy scooping up one of the blown motor cars in my area.

I've never had a 13B shortblock apart before but a DIY rebuild is on my list of options. I'd prefer a reman if one can be had for $2000. Rotary Resurrection's website has the RX8 rebuild listed as 1600 but that assumes you need no hard parts. I'm sure if you need two plates, an housing, and a rotor that number jumps pretty quick - at no fault of RR.

You have the same issue with a DIY rebuild but at least your saving the labor cost ... but In my case it's a leap of faith ... but you have to rebuild your first at some point.


I wrote all this to say "How bout them $2000 remans? - Where are they at?"

codesterb91 - Where did you find the $2600 reman?

 

here is the link it is from a dealership in ohio...
2004 Mazda RX-8 Parts - Discount factory (OEM) Mazda parts and accessories at Park Mazda OEM Partsn
This is the cheapest I have found so far

 

Prices change. Mazda increased the list price of the series1 6-port reman from $2,001 to $3,300. So yes, the old price is an old price, and no longer valid. A lot of stuff used to be cheaper.

Gas used to be cheaper, for example

 

ok that makes sense, I was just curious where the best place to get reman engines is for a reasonable price.

 

In that case, the answer is Mazmart. Some dealers will sell you the engine at the same price, but Mazmart is the only one you can reliably go to that you know isn't slamming a big markup on it. And then there is the fact that most dealers will happily sell you an engine, but then insist it's never their fault for selling you a bad engine... "you must have installed it wrong". That has happened more than a few times. I'm confident that if Mazmart accidentally sells you a bad engine, they will at least work with you to make it right at minimal cost, rather than the shaft that the dealer will give you.


But it's worth calling around to dealers near you, to see their prices. Local does save on shipping.

 

I would personally rather buy a reman engine from a reputable builder or supplier rather than take a gamble on a lower priced unit elsewhere. Either way you look at it a new engine isn't a cheap item, but spending the money to buy a quality product is the best solution.