tamz273

The title gives you an idea of my question.

I'm the second owner of my 2004 MT 8. Shes at 67k miles, and last oil change was about 1000 miles ago. Before that she went about 12k without an oil change. I was running 5w20 since 44k miles, now running 5w30.

I only have an Injen short ram intake on it, but am about to spend quite a bit of money prepping it up. My question is, should I spend so much money on it in mods or should I just drive it out until it dies? I really want to know how much I have left on the engine. I never drove a brand new one, so I dont know what it should feel like, or if my 8 feels right or not.

I already bought a Greddy SP2, and a RP Midpipe that I havent installed. Im looking to order a BHR Clutch + Flywheel, and an AP Pulley along with an AEM CAE.. Im also looking to get an Cobb AccessPort.

Those things will add up, and I have the money to spend on them and on installing them, but I want to know if it will be worth it or not.. I dont want to spend all this money to have my car fail on me in a few more thousand miles..

What do you guys think?

dozer

iTrader: (3)

its never too late to mod, your engine will last long if you maintain it right

tamz273

Maintain it right = oil changes ever 4k miles + plugs coils and wire every 20k? Thats what I have planned..

dozer

iTrader: (3)

oil changes ever 3k

tamz273

Oh alright.. Any idea of the range of miles that the engines put on? How long before they die? do most of them make it past 100k?

dozer

iTrader: (3)

of course silly! just maintain it right, there are people on here with engines that have hit 150k miles and still going

tamz273

haha, just reading around the forum, I see endless amounts of engines going down! My warranty is over, and I have the first year model of the car. Only makes me believe more and more that my engine will die very soon!

dozer

iTrader: (3)

you have a 100k mile/8yr warranty on the engine itself

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

That's simply because people tend to only post problems and not "my engine is running fine", which my '05 most definitely is.

dozer

iTrader: (3)

my 04's doing great, its sitting at 57k miles right now

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

dozer nailed it on a few different ocassions here.
Take car of your car and it'll take care of you. Oil changes, plugs, wires, coils are all items that need your attention at certain intervals.

My '05 is at around 62,000 miles and is running better then ever.

maxxdamigz

iTrader: (1)

12k without an oil change??? Seeing as you can't change all the oil in the system in one shot, you have oil in your engine that's ~13k miles on it. If somehow my car went north of 5k miles between changes, I'd do a double oil change (drain the oil, replace, drive a couple miles to cycle it and then change the filter/oil). Other than that, modding doesn't really depend on engine life. I generally try to keep my finances such that if the engine went on a car (any car) I could fix it. Other than that, mod it up. When the engine dies, you can buy a new one. And then the mods get to function on a fresh engine.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

12k without an oil change?
I would be worried about your OMP, you should have gotten a low oil light by then.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

rotr8 has what.. right around 100k miles? and he is supercharged.

tamz273

Ok thats reassuring! I did keep topping off, so I see why I never got an oil light.. Whats my OMP though? And is the 8 year/100,000 on any engine if it goes bad? Last time I was at the dealership they told me my warranty was over and they only replaced my CAT for free..

dozer

iTrader: (3)

yes if your engine is bad, they have to replace it, but only the the engine itself (rotors and housing)

tamz273

Ah I see.. And what will they ask for? Any proof/evidence etc...? Im just weighing out my options.. Should I put in all this money, and get an engine replaced if something goes wrong, or should I just lay back and let the car stay stock..

Any way of telling how well the engine is running? Other than a Dyno?

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

compression test.

04RX8man

keep modding like others have said...and get that oil changed ever 3-4k miles.....my 04 has 54k miles on it and still running strong...had some problems with coils and plugs a month back and srs light this weekend but got both fixed and running strong....

and i easily live "a redline a day keeps the carbon away"

Oh and ur OMP is your oil metering pump....(pumps/drips engine oil onto each corner of the apex seals to lubricate it) many ppl including me premix to help the center of the seal with lubrication....possibly something u should look into to help keep the motor alive longer

Flashwing

Looks like a pretty good mod list. I would make one suggestion. Ditch the AP pulley as it's a waste of money and doesn't make any real improvements. I drove with one for 2 years, took it off and honestly didn't notice a thing. You could have lied and told me it was on there and I would have believed you.

There are plenty of other things to spend the $100+ on.

Nubo

From that list, you don't have an engine, you have a hobby. Nothing wrong with that!

But it means just consider the eventual engine replacement/overhaul as part of the plan. Renesis can go over 100K miles; some fail at 10K. Study the forum for best practices and enjoy your car.

tamz273

Thanks for all of your replies guys! Thats awesome and really good facts! Ill just keep up with my oil changes then, and buy performance sparks wire and Yukon coils on my next "big oil change".. As for the AP Pulley Flashwing, I'm not expecting it to improve any HP as they claim it does, but I'd be looking at it to improve my throttle response. I havent really asked around on the forums, or posted any threads, but has anyone here had any experience with an AP Pulley? Good/Bad/Neutral?

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

Mod it like you stole it [wtf that means].

PBlue

iTrader: (1)

plugs and coils every 20k seems a bit much. Im just over 35 and haven't done that yet. Not really sure what the timeline is, but I thrash it every time i drive it, over 25 autox events and 4 track days, and other than oil changes and dot4 brake fluid and redline gear/diff oils... havent done a thing and i haven't felt any loss of power.

tamz273

Well good for you, thats good to hear.. Im not sure how im feeling about my car, some days it runs real nice, and others it runs pretty shitty.. Feels like its stuffed or its struggling to give out what it can give..

Ill keep buying parts and let my gut instinct decide if I wanna go on with it or not..