Life of the engine after replacement
 

Hi, new member here, but have read this forum for a long time, ever since I got my rx8 about a year ago.

I have tried searching this as to not post something that isnt a stupid question (hey least I'm not asking which oil to use) but couldnt find any info about it.

My 04 8 is my daily driver, and it is currently at the mazda dealership getting a new engine. Its a MT with about 77k miles on it. I live in Texas, so its hot, not the most ideal conditions, but oh well. I keep the oil topped, check it very often, rev it a lot to supposedly blow out the carbon, and consider myself a pretty responsible owner. I do drive a lot, maybe its not the most ideal situation for an 8.

Anyway, my question is, did Mazda do anything to change how the engine is made. I know for 09 they added a new center position oil injector (which I wont get), but have they done anything for the engine in the 04 to the engine that will be installed into my car? How much life are people getting with their second engine. From what I have seen...its not much better.

If its not much more, I am going to want to sell this thing and get something else that I'm not worried about having to drop 7k or so on a new engine in a couple years.

Additionally, I also had my clutch pedal snap off at a welding point. I made a complaint to the highway safety commission and they said they are looking into it, spoke to the guy for a solid 25 mins when he called me back. I also called mazda corporate and bitched at them, threatened to sue, and they comp'ed the actual part. It saved me about 150 dollars, oh well.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

It's pretty much the same engine.
There was a reflash - that I'm sure you already had - that increased how much oil is injected into the engine. But nothing new.

only differences are going to minor, think there are a few different revisions of seals.

Clutch pedal snapping off is a known problem , if you havent read about this then you havent read enough on this forum lol. But anyways , your new engine should last as long as the first one , it all depends .. imo it doesnt sound like you're happy with your current engines longevity. How long are you wanting your engines to last? Like 200k? I think that mileage has been reached before or somewhere near that , but lets be realistic , the average owners engine doesnt last that long right? So in the end its up to you XD

There are people reaching and going over 100k so I'm not sure if anything less than that is normal or average.

It does seem like a crap shoot however.
Some people take very good care of their 8's and they die a young life.
Some don't premix and only use 5w-20 and they make past 100k.

Go figure.

I know the clutch pedal snapping off is a known problem. This is where I learned about it at first, and was recommended to make a safety report, which is what I did.

If you read the whole post you noticed I called mazda and they comp'ed the part, which saved 150 bucks for me. This info I have not seen anywhere on the forums, and since this is a known problem with the clutch pedal, figured I might be able to help out a decent amount of people, given that, since I have been reading this forum for a while, had not given advice to do this. So I can only assume most people have NOT had any help from mazda with this situation, and could possibly get some.

And yeah, 200k should be expected for most engines that are manufactured today, and in reality, most engines, if they do go out at 200k, you dont have to replace the whole thing, costing around 6-7k. It is usually a new component, like a head gasket, but the block is still in ok shape. At 200k, most cars are going to be expected to have problems, but not totally worthless, which our rx8's surely will be because the repair of the engine will vastly outweigh the cost of our cars. My wife's tdi jetta has 160k+ on it, and have had 0 problems other than replacing glow plugs. I expect well over 200k miles. Additionally, a well maintained engine manufactured today should last beyond 200k. Do you really think as many people would have bought rx8's if the dealer told them on average, they will get 65k miles on an engine and it costs 6-7k to replace once you are out of warranty? I figured since I am a responsible owner, I would beat those odds, and i got 77k. is 77k miles on an engine acceptable? Because that seems to be close to the average.

Ever heard of the word "rebuild"?

10w40 oil should be ok for texas.

you have a valid point. It would be interesting to see a corperate response. I know the 8 yr 100K mile warrenty was one response.
Rotory engine is one of a kind with one of a kind problems. Still love it.
OD

Since 2004 (Launch) of Rx-8

I think they made about 5 revision to the Rotor housing, 5 for side, and maybe 4 for Int Iron. Apex about 10 revision, Side maybe 1-2, Corner maybe 3 ? Not so sure. Rotor a few revisions too. I am too lazy to check the numbers right now :)

So if your question is did they make any "updates" to the engine then YES they did.

Is it major? not really. the revisions are probably for better balanced, cut cost, or some parts need to be stronger, etc.

the car is pretty reliable. Its just that Mazda messed up(underestimate) some requirements of the 13B-MSP. Now Things are getting better. Im on my 2nd, and I expect it to last 150K. I am not even 5K yet I know cuz my car got pwned and I dont have time to fix it yet but thats what Im aiming at.

Awesome, thank you for your response. I was also told by the mazda tech today that the PCM reflash that increased oil amount injected into the engine helped out a ton. He said he sees a lot of 04-05, and early model 06's with engine problems, but not much after that. I bought my car used about a year ago, and know the reflash wasnt done yet to it, so perhaps the damage was already there.

Premix is your friend. Do it. Doooo it. :)

yep, just like mine. I use premix it 1/2 way and it probably made my engine last "longer" than it should.

so yeah, if you getting another engine, premix right after.

and the increased oil injection rate going to help a bit, but not much, since the center of apex seals still not getting lubrication.

thanks for the info guys. Im going to be running 10w40 dino now with Idemitsu premix. Can i get idemitsu pretty easy, and if find another high quality premix.

You can purchase it by the case online from www.mazdatrix.com doesn't get easier than that IMHO.

You also forget that the rotary is just 3 moving parts so you would have to replace or rebuild it. The TDI is a diesel which doesn't even break in till 100K so that is not even a good comparison. 100K on a rotary is pretty good.

run a synthetic, not a mineral! That's an old debate i know but...