I use ARAL synthetic 0W-40 low-SAPS (low-Sulphated Ash; Phosphor; Sulphur) engine oil.
I premix with a synthetic two-stroke oil (exceeding JASO FC) from "new" (although from 7.000 miles / unfortunately I was not aware in the beginning as a new owner) additionally to the OMP which supplies too little imo ......... only a minimum amount (nowadays 1 quart at 3.000-3500 miles) of four-stroke oil. ( (especially since moderate / swift driving). I leave this as it is and compensate it with two-stroke oil (premix).
The effect of premix was instantly noticable; the engine idles and revvs surprisingly supple from day one; no side effects since then.
I am a "moderate / swift" driver, paying utmost attention to the warming up phase, only revving during warming up first max. 3.000 rpm, later max. 3.500 / short 4.000 rpm, never running too low, both cold and warm. (listen to/feel the vibration of the engine; if too low in rpm's you can feel her discomfort)
I am sceptic towards sufficient suppression of carbon deposits due to redlining (up to the rev-limiter).
I see mainly disadvantages (extreme wear, load on exccentric shaft / heat, distortion on rotor housing) by running between 8 and 9 thousand rpm; however I am regularely revving over (6.250) 7250 rpm (plus tachometer-deviation) to activate the APV and VDI in order to keep these valves free.

 

If only we could design a engine or seal that carbon buildup helped....

 

^....and if we only could make atherosclerosis be good for the heart. We all know what happens to if...

 

I think it is, and that's kinda retro, because I haven't had cause to use one in 20 years. I changed the plugs on my Toyota when it had run 75k miles with them and they still looked perfect. The odd part with the 8 is it shows normal and carbon loaded in different locations on the same plug.

 

Oh and I will have you know that I recently removed the UIM, TB, etc. to replace the OMP lines and oil injectors and the LIM looked clean as a whistle and my SSV was very clean as well. I have 120,000 on mine. I do realize my UIM and LIM have be moved twice to a new motor but my buddy (member here) is a tech there and says they don't clean anything, they just remove and reinstall.


So an OCD approach to engine warming and relatively hard driving in Hot Texas has kept those items clean.

But I do have some items for discussion. Check out my old oil injectors with 120,000 miles on them. Why are the rears so dirty? They have not been cleaned or anything after removal. Discuss.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5331811295/
The one on the left still had a dab of 2 stroke in the end.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5331811235/

 

Fronts look very clean, as are the rears at the center where oil exits.

Check out the S2 Nozzle, Note how the Oil exits on the side of the extended Nozzle Needle.

 

What is the nozzles side profile like 9K?

As for the surrounding CRUD on the Rears??, why??

 

Yeah the nozzles looked free of debris but one of them failed the vacuum test so I replaced them all just to be safe. Two of the OMP lines were clogged and very brittle and dry rotted. I am glad I premix heavy because it was a while before I really noticed my SOHN reservoir was not emptying.

The S2 nozzles still operate off of vacuum?

 

Here they are from the side. The reason for the crud? I dunno.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5331851321/

 

Perhaps that's why some people see very little oil consumption?


I'm wondering if it would be beneficial (if it's even possible?) to run the series II oil injector in a series I engine.

 

No 9K, the S2 Nozzle have no vacuum connections, just direct Oil Supply under pressure from EMOP's.

One thing I was wrong on I quoted to Charlie (I think) that the six S2 Oil nozzle supply lines were metal with Banjo fittings at either ends, they are not metal pipes but clear-ish plastic tubes with Alloy attached Banjo fittings on either end, at $30 each...So I guess over time heat and use these plastic tubes will become brittle in S2's...like S1?

 

So when (miles? years?) should one seriously think about replacing the lines? If there's some sort of consensus, I'll put it on the list in the OP.

 

I know one thing about those lines . It is FN impossible to put the tube back on the banjo . I tried shortening a line once that had a hole in it .

 

yall know that the banjo fitting on the omp lines also has a check valve in it?
You will never blow through one unless you get it open.
The rear rotor always seems to behave different from the front for some reason.

 

Hate to disappoint you Denny, But not on the S2 Nozzle Oil Feed Tubes, I can blow through at either banjo end.

N3R1-14-690

 

MOP Nozzle Lines, YES...tend to last around a decade, they either go brittle or leak or get completely blocked.

Trivia: It is the same clear tube (minus Banjo's) used decades ago on earlier rotaries, they were much longer went from MOP to base of 4 barrel Carby, two of them around 16" long each.

 

Yep, and I could blow through a couple of my lines and not the ones that were clogged. That was my scientific approach to checking them

 

Added these two points to the OP:

[x6] [Several have reported plugged (or cracked) MOP lines between the pump and intake manifold. A reported symptom is lower-than-normal oil use. For high-mileage or older cars, it may be worthwhile to pull the lines and make sure they are intact and open.]

[x7] [The short overflow hose on the top of the coolent reservoir points right at an electrical connector under the bottom edge of the stock airbox. If the car overheats, coolant can spay into this connector and cause problems with the electric power steering. While not really an engine issue, extending this hose to a point below the connector is relatively easy and definitely wise.]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

^ Good points.

 

I am glad you added this! Do you recommend replacing the hose with one 5" longer or even more?

 

I didn't measure the length (~10"), but I ran it down and back to exit just behind the front crossmember, so any overflow has a unobstructed shot at the ground. It's kinda tricky to thread it through all the obstacles, but very doable. I had a piece of clear Tygon tubing lying around and used that so if there's a problem, I can see if there is or has recently been, fluid in the hose. It can deal with higher than normal temps for plastic, but if it ends up melting I'll swap it out and use the more normal black rubber stuff.

 

I used a longer piece of clear tubing and ran it down near the front sway bar; it exits through one of the openings in the under-tray. Works out pretty well for me.

 

Just to emphasize the point about changing tranny and diff oil early (though it's not engine-related). I'd already changed the tranny oil but was running into shifting difficulties, so changed it again, this time using the group-think standard Redline MT-90 ... world of difference. Also, drained the diff oil and replaced, a good thing too since there was a bunch of magnetic crap on the drain plug already (at 21k miles). Before draining, I used the finger-dipstick method and found the level was down quite a bit. Upon measuring what came out, about 15% of the oil was gone either through evaporation or it wasn't filled properly at the factory.

 

Added a caution to the comments, [x1], about oil catch cans. My experience with venting the can to air was not a good one:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...72#post3968972

However it was interesting to see a few drops worth of oil in the bottom of the can after ~1200 miles. Oddly, it looked very clean. Probably what's happening is the oil is getting distilled by evaporation in the engine, leaving the dirt behind before it goes up the line.

 

There's a reason for using 5w-20.

If you want to run heavier viscosity for whatever reason (autocross, hot climate,etc), you would probably do well to use 5w-30 rather than 15w-30.

The reason is that 5w is much easier on the car for cold starts. 15w is quite a bit more viscous than 5w when the engine is cold. Using 15w-30 is actually likely to decrease reliability over the long run.

A good place to start reading on oil: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

I will definitely vouch for that one from personal experience.

About 3 years ago I bought a 1 owner 1989 RX-7, 86k driven by an adult female.
The car had probably never been driven over 5k RPM.

The secondary port actuators were so badly carboned up that that even after 3 days of soaking in gumout, driving the actuator rods out of the intake manifold destroyed them. Fortunately I found a local spare.

So, yeah, find a twisty road and get the revs up.

When you compare the two water pumps side by side, it's easy to see why the stock pump cavitates. For those not familiar with this, the 2nd RX7 water pump looks much like the one from Mazmart. The 2nd gen pump is not a bolt on option though.

I have an autox only FD with the Remedy water pump. In addition it has a v-mount with Koyo rad, twin 19 row oil coolers, as well as oil/coolant passage mods in the engine.

On a 96f day of autocrossing, the oil never exceeds 215 and coolant never exceeds 210. The water pump is only part of the mods, but one I consider necessary since the motor spends a lot of time above 7k RPM.