From what I understood, some car manufacturers (like Honda) put additives into the factory engine oil to help grind out the "rough edges" (whatever that was left after factory tests). And, they recommend not to change this oil until the stipulated mileage 7500 miles so that the engine will be nicely broken in by the additives. Is this true for the RX-8? I don't see that in the manual.

 

I want you to try and run 7500 miles before you change your oil....you'd be the first to do it....and the first to blow their engine in the process

 

Come to think of it, I just re-checked the RX-8 manual and ... it did say the first recommended oil change is at 7500 miles. I didn't know the RX-8 manual would recommend something that will blow the engine?

 

it will not blow the engine, i change my oil every 7500 miles, which is what all car maker recomed. all car maker recomend at less 7500 oil change. i had my first rx7 (GTU 86). i change the oil every 10000 miles. i was 18 years old, i did not have that much money at the time and the car ran great for four years and this was in puerto rico (temperture 70 to 110). remember that you are putting new oil every two or three month, depending how hard you drive your car.

 

The recommended times should be noted as optimal conditions... no: uphill... extremely hot or cold temperatures... city miles (or km).... stop and go...


That is a good question and I believe there is a coating on some of the internals on the engine they have from the factory to prevent rust. Haven't heard of one to speed up the break-in process.

I changed mine after the first month of having the car as the oil that was in it was from the factory and it had sat on the lot for a while...

 

I think a better question is what kind of oil comes in the rx8? Obviously you need to top it off with something before even your first change... but with what? The dealer told me to top it with mobil 1 synthetic 5w-20, at 2000 miles i've already topped off with a whole quart of the stuff and am kind of worried that the dealer told me bullshit.

 

wow,
same post from the other side... as i posted over there... where did you get this info from... could you post it here or post a copy of the owners manual you are writing about????

beers

 

I change mine every 7500 miles, and I have no problems. Manufacturers (mainly US) generate a lot of revenue from their parts (including oil and filters). Modern engines are much more efficient in the use of oil and do not need to be changed every 3500 miles like they did in 1972.
You should not use synthetic oil in a rotory, as they inject oil into the combustion chamber for lubrication. Syntheic oil has different buring characteristics than regular oil and it can gum up the valves from not burning completely. A rotory engine is a different animal... you must always remember that.
Q

 

i hope it does not gum up our valves..

beers

 

that could be why my tappets are starting to rattle

 

but my pistons are creaking

 

Ya synthetic will also prematurely kill your timing belt!

 

Synthentic Oil is evil ......

The day u use it, your rotary will die ....

 

5-20w is correct but you should never use synthetic oil with rx-8. Also, the oil additives are mostly used for cars that use ordinary synthetic oils and you should never use it with rx-8. The only additive that could be used is injector cleaner and this only when necessary as it could cause a CEL to go on.

 

You're new here so I'll forgive you for that but please do some research here on the topic. We are crawling with it. The synthetic I've been running trouble free in my RX-7 for the past 6 or 7 years will thank you for it.

 

I don't believe in additives to oil. If your oil needs an additives, you need a better oil. As far as additives being needed for synthetic oils, that is untrue.

 

I'm with you on that. Modern oil already has additives in it. That's why we can go so long between oil changes. Among other factors, they put in enough stuff to absorb/neutralize the combustion products that blow by. Not sure how that works out for rotaries - is there blow-by into the crankcase from the side seals?

Saw an interesting bit on Pat Goss's segment on Motorweek this weekend. I don't remember the brand of oil he was showing, but it came in three different mileage ratings. The point of his bit was that if your car maker said 7500 mile oil changes, you should get the version that was good for 7500 miles. Wish I remembered the brand - I wonder if the 3000 mile stuff is still labeled for service SM.

Ken

 

Too many

"My mom's sister's brother's friend's neighbor's son said Synthentic is No good for Rotary, why? Cuz he said his cousin's friend's teacher's friend's friends said so"

Me, So many other people, use Synthentic without problems.

The catch here is that, you have to pick the right oil. NOT ALL OILS ARE CREATED EQUAL.

and if you think Dino is good for you, good. But dont spread bullshit about Synth oil being bad.

Keep that in mind. Jesus.

 

mobil was the oil... the only syn oil mazda has mentioned by name. and not in a good way..

beers

 

Ah - Mobil. Their web site recommends their synthetic for the 8.

For cheapskates, they also recommend their 5000 mile oil.

My faith in the API rating system is now shattered. Their 5000 mile oil is rated SM, which exceeds Mazda's SL requirement. Yet they say it lasts 5000 miles, while Mazda specifies oil changes at 7500 miles.

Nice disconnect.

I'm really glad that a bit over 40 years ago, when I got my first car, I decided that Castrol was good stuff, and that 3000 miles was about right for changes. With the decision made, I pretty much don't have to think about it, or wonder about newer technology.

Ken

 

5W-20 is only specified for the US and Canada. Everywhere else it is 5W-30.

After all the problems with high temperatures, I am going to be putting dino 5W-30 in my RX-8 from this point forward since it will lubricate a better at higher temperatures.

 

Ha! Not long ago their website used to say NOT to use their synthetic in rotary engines. Which, of course, was used as "proof" that synthetic oil was bad for rotaries. But now I know with confidence I can use it in my *cough* "2-cylinder, 1.3L" engine.

 

From what I've read all the engine failures in vegas are using NON-Synth oil.

Doesnt matter anymore, Im a bit sick of this

 

2 things are causing issues. Driving habits, and improper oil cooling.

 

Even though I'll stick with dino for engine oil and synth in transmission/differential, I think selective synth use in the RX-8 would be okay. I think RP would be the way to go using synth. Heck, go by it on eBay, it brings it down to reasonable.

I'm not sure there is much difference in major maker dino oil as long as it meets SM and GF-4 standards, etc. etc. If one changes their oil every 3-4K miles, it probably won't make much difference.

I think this whole engine recall is largely poor engine design and bad ECU programming exacerbated by environment and some driver choices. I would say that 5W-30 would be better for those in 100F plus climates though from what I have read on here.