Albmw

...how's that saying..."there's lies, then there's damn lies and then there are statistics"??

robrecht

Interesting. Does this mean that using Diesel fuel (cf rumors re: 16x) would have more of a problem with carbon build-up?

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

diesel oil is great stuff--i use it myself in the winter months---but there is one thing to keep in mind. it does not like heat, So if you are seeing oil temps over 225F you may want to use the Valvoline VR1 20W/50. It also has increased P/Z levels and that heat range does not bother it at all.
RG is absolutely correct---its the gas that creates the carbon --not the oil.

FazdaRX_8

iTrader: (1)

I fully respect other peoples decision. maybe I don't know enough about oil.
I think 20w50 sounds like alot of work for the oil pump to send it through two oil coolers.

bse50

Not noticeably more than any 10w40 oil

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

10W40 seems really thick, if your in really hot places you might as well buy 5W-40 to help your oil pump

bse50

It is a so subtle difference that it would still be pointless
The hot viscosity would still be the same too, that's what matters the most imho since your engine oil won't stay cold forever!

Also keep in mind that our manual states to change the cold viscosity but not the hot one. 5w30 or 10w30 depending on the temperatures, need I say more?

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

And the hot viscosity would not change the same since its going up no? 5W-40 Royal Purple would be a better choice for Texas weather than 5W-30 since it has a higher Viscosity rating of 40 instead of 30, thicker oil doesnt necessarily mean better protection but a thinning oil is a bad thing, and besides we all know Royal Purple makes a good oil so no worries there... maybe im getting something mixed up...

Also...

the manual says alot of things that are not correct, need I say more?

bse50

Since you were referencing some unkown theories about oil pump loads etc and the problems of running a 10w oil i just pointed you out to our euro manual.
It clearly states to move the cold viscosity up to 10w but not the hot one (from 5w30 to 10w30). I'm not saying that it's not smart to use an oil with a higher hot viscosity, hell i'm running it myself, just that all this paranoic "high" viscosity drama is plain ol' bullshit.

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

Im not doubting you at all, Im just stating a higher viscosity can be a good thing, but as we ALL know, S1 engine is designed to fail...

bse50

That's why we all tend to tweak them one way or another

rotarygod

At operating temperatures the difference between a 20W oil and a 50W oil is less than 10 cSt. Your oil pump isn't going to notice that considering your oil may vary in viscosity by more than 60 cSt depending on it's temperature between cold and hot. Your oil viscosity is most noticable during startup until operating temps are reached. Keep in mind that your oil NEEDS to be thicker below about 160*F due to the fact that the viscosity modifiers don't really start to work until above this temperature. When cold you RELY on viscosity to protect your engine. When warm you rely on the additive package.

For each 15*F of oil temperature above 160*f, your oil life gets cut in half. 185* has half the usable life as 160*F. 200*F has half the usable life as 185*F and a quarter the life of 160*f oil and so forth and so on. The hard part is in saving what that life span actually is. Different oils breakdown faster than others. You can see that higher oil temps really start to kill your oil faster and faster.

SCurves

I have a 2007 RX8, purchased with 13K miles on it. It had a slow oil leak in coming from the pan.
The car was using synthetic oil. When I got the car I wanted to used Regular Dino oil and change it as needed but what the hell I went with what was in there.

First oil change - full synthetic - The car leaved like a sieve.
I ran it hoping it would stop but no such luck - inspection of the oil pan gasket (installed) showed no real obvious issues.

Finally, I decided to change it back to Dino Oil. Put the car on a lift, Drained the oil pan and Oil Coolers. Put in Regular Oil. The Leak slowed and after 2 weeks stopped completely.

Anyone on this site understands that a Rotary is a completely different Animal from a piston engine. The amount of oil required in a rotary system is higher than in a piston configuration. Heat issues (anyone else keep their coffee warm in the Center console cup holder?) are there, and the extra capacity and oil coolers are there for that reason.

My guess is that the oil seals aren't swelling correctly with synthetic. Why else would a leak stop with Dino Oil?


BTW you haven't really sweated until you try to drive an 8 without AC in July.

bse50

Your "guesses" go against oil analysis, evidence of several rebuilt engines and the word of somebody that rotarygod thoroughly quoted somewhere.
That's the problem with guessing something

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

There is no oil pan gasket. If the pan was leaking it has nothing to do with the type of oil you are using. The pan only uses silicone as a gasket, very easy to fix or replace.

SCurves

I crawled under it today, there is still a little oil coming from the same spot.
It's under warranty to November so to a dealer it will go....

It did leak like crazy when the synthetic was changed, then slowed considerably when regular oil was put in.

one of the reasons regular oil was put in was to avoid and dealer BS from having synthetic in in the first place.


NO MORE GUESSES!!!

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

rofl.

Nassau County huh, so you're in Long Island.

what im suggesting is that you should bring your car to Wayne Mazda. its a bit far I know, but I can tell you 100% is worth the trip.

Dont even bother with any dealerships in NYC. they will feed u a load of BS then try to get money out of your pocket.

Synthetic oil is not the problem. your pan has a leak, the pan probably hit something and u don't know it. or it could be a broken gasket. it can happen

and that "oh it leak less when I switch back to Dino" its just utter bs.

if what you said is true, I should see oil on my floor everyday.

most Mazda dealerships are loaded with morons who can't even tell you how rotary engine works. It's very sad I know, but it is also true. hell I don't even know that much, still learning, but I'm dare to say I can challenge most of them and I will win.

xShinka666x

that is beyond true...my engine was replaced a few thousand miles ago and i noticed that they left out the stabilizer bar in the engine compartment thats right above the engine (the one the engine cover sits on) i went back to the dealer to have them put one back in because i needed it there to run a power cable to amp both the service department manager and mazda tech swore up and down there is no such bar that goes across there...took em out to the car and showed them where the bolts where that had loose nuts on them, then asked them to go get one of the rx8s off the lot and look at the engine...the bar is back now =)

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah my dealer is pretty good for the most part but there are some idiots there and around other dealers. My dealer actually told Grungepup that his MS CAI was messing his car up and that it could void teh warranty, We have a local member (great guy) here who is a tech at a Mazda dealership and does engine replacements. etc. He has about 6 months (maybe a year) on the job and no formal training. He may know a little now after being thrown into the fire but when he was hired he knew about as much about fixing the RX-8 as the guy down at the Jiffy Lube. They hire whoever, whenever.

Another local member had his engine replaced and they forgot to tighten the oil pressure sending unit and AC compressor bolts. The AC bolts backed out and interfered with his steering so he could not turn correctly (could have been very bad) and oil spewed all oil his engine bay due to the loose sending unit. We just fixed it but it shows the attention to detail that some losers have.

Rarely does a shop ever touch my car and when they do, I watch every step of the way.

Oh, and Rotella T6 5W-40 for $22.00 a gallon at Advance Auto parts FTMFW!!!!

rotarygod

I don't believe anyone who claims a modern car leaked badly with synthetic but not much with conventional. The fact that it is leaking at all is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

A dealership can't give you crap about synthetics if you don't tell them it's in there! There is absolutely positively no way whatsoever they can know or even test to determine if you are running a synthetic oil. If they ask you what oil you use, act ignorant and say something like 5W20. They won't really push you much past that but don't ever volunteer info that you don't need to.

buteman

I've had my 2007 RX8 for about nine months now and I've put @ 18 thousand kilometers on it. A Hell of a machine, not a problem whatsoever, and at my age ( 64 ) the most comfortable car I have ever owned as previous vehicles I have owned I needed a back support on longer trips.
My 8's a GT model, it really has everything in a car I've always wanted, the best tip I got was from an 8 owner at the Mazda dealership just after I bought mine. He told me to keep it well maintained, follow the scheduled maintenance and don't be scared to drive it hard as the 8 needs the high revs.
Initially I had asked the service department to do an oil change and to use synthetic oil, the service manager advised that this was not a good idea as there had been some warranty issues regarding owners using synthetic in their 8's. No problem I have used the recommended grade and high quality engine oil since then.
I'm wondering why I'm receiving unsolicitated e-mail's from Mazda Canada telling me how wonderful synthetic oil is and how it will do wonders for my car and I should bring it in and have an oil change at the " attractive price " of $ 53.99,,,,,,yeah sure I'll be right there !!
No need to e-mail them back asking for clarification, they never respond, and yes they have my name and e-mail address and they are well aware of what model of Mazda I drive,,,,,,,,,,,go figure !!

yiksing

Cool...

rotarykillz

iTrader: (1)

because 99% of the cars they sell do recommend synthetic....so they just group 8 owners in with that 99% b/c its easier to market that way.

I can see, however, being new to the rotary game how you see this, but for most of us who've been doing RX7s/8s for 10-15 years now, we understand and know that our machines are a little different and most people don't understand them.

If you continue to buy rotary, get used to it b/c it likely won't change in the next 10 or 15 years! Just be glad the service guy knew better to warn you away from synthetic...most probably don't.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

There is nothing wrong with Synthetic. Its the morons who don't know **** will say Synthetic is bad for Rotary engine.

bse50

+1 unless you own an old 10a or 12a engine =)
The important thing is how the engine mixes with fuel, not if it is mineral or synthetic.