Shinka Gamecock

was told by a former rx8 owner ( a girl if that matters) that this car requires alot of engine maintence...she said that every time you take the car out you have to get it up to roughly 100 mph in order for the engine not to lock up...is there any validiity to this? and if not..do you guys know of anything special you have to do with the engine/daily driving?

expo1

Ask her what exactly is " Engine Lock Up " ?

I have 70,000 miles on my RX-8

Change the oil every 3,500 miles
Check the oil level every 2nd fill up
Hit 8,500 rpms at least once a day. ( you can do this in 2nd or 3rd gear )

I do other maintenance things also, but those things are because my 8 sees about 20 hours a year of track driving.

poorman

I don't see anything that really different that we need to do to our cars except let it warm up and check oil a bit more frequently.

I figure if you don't hit the beep once a day your not enjoying your car lol

samyv2

Well that is a very big question. I'm no tech goro. But the RX8 rotary engines in general require regular oil checking and maintence as they burn a lot of it. I would also recommend you chnage the oil more frequently as the engine seems to wear it out faster. As for driving you really should bring it up to red line at least 1 time every drive. This will keep the carbon from building up in the engine. Also you should change the radiator fliud more frequently as the engine runs a lot hotter them other engines.
Personally I change my oil about every 2 months and the radiator fluild every year. I aslo drive it hard at least once a day.
A well maintained rotary engine will last a very long time. Run a search and then judge for yourself.

mlx8

Just a guess, but the woman wouldn't have been a blond by any chance?

Just thank your lucky stars the Rx8 doesn't have On-Star yet, or she might still be locked inside...... doing 100 mph in the vain hopes of escaping

mysql101

Wear out faster than what? What do you mean by "seems"?


That's one of the dumber things I've read about the RX-8. And that's saying something.

As already pointed out, the car does burn oil (intentionally). Most people seem to burn a quart every 3k miles. If you're changing your oil every 3k, you basically just have to put in a half quart every 1500 miles. It's really not a big deal.

You also do need to warm up the engine before you thrash it. The rotors and the housings are made from different metals. They expand at different rates. Because the spark and ignition is done at one part of the engine, it takes time for that heat to fully transfer across to the entire engine. The result is that if you start driving to redline while the engine is cold, you can damage it. But like the checking oil thing, this is true for ALL cars. It's just a little more required on the RX-8 due to the 9k redline and that it's a rotary.


The third thing is to remember to not turn off the car till it's warmed up. If you have to move the car, let it idle for a minute or two before turning it off, this will help prevent the car from flooding. You can search the forum for much more detailed threads about this subject.

tiggerlee

She's on crack.

VBprogrammer666

Let's assume that you did need to take the RX8 up to 100mph every time you drove it to avoid the dreaded lockup (whatever that is). Then I would think that there would be very few 8's left out on the road due to all of the cars being impounded by police or due to the accidents they were in.

What a truly idiotic statement.

mysql101

100 mph only avoids primary lockup.

The *real* problem is that the car needs to go to 171 mph to avoid the secondary lockup, which is why all the non turbo cars are going to get locked up shortly.

don't even get me started on tertiary lockup. Even if you have a PhD in lockup physics, it's hard to comphrehend.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Do you think that would get you out of a speeding ticket? Just wishful thinking.

zoom44

and then of course we havent even mentioned yet the maintenance ont he flux capacitor. its a bitch geting it out every month. they could have made it a little easier

cornrowdpantha

I knew it would show up sooner or later....

expo1

Anyone that needs a new there is one listed on Ebay

Nubo

swoope

iTrader: (5)

^^^^^^

wow,

you guys are harsh!!!!!
a bunch of haters you are.

beers

Ryan34

Don't mind me, I'm completely new.....but wouldn't it seem more likely for the engine to be at certain speed not the car itself? I mean the engine will still be at the same RPM at 100 mph per hour as say it is at 55 in first(made up numbers). I would just assume that speed related issues would occur with the tranny and rear, while RPM related issues would be with the engine.

expo1

Your puting more logic into your post than the starter of this thread.
Us oldtimers get tired of telling people to seach so when we see a new ridicules item like
"to get it up to roughly 100 mph in order for the engine not to lock up"
we pounce like a lion on a zebra. But if you want to read a thread about why frequent redlines is a good thing, here is one https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/removing-carbon-deposits-90488/

Shinka Gamecock

glad to see you guys like to make this forum environment like a family....you guys are ********.....
every other car forum ive been to (350z related) has been nothing short of helpful. sometimes search functions are a pain and some friendly help would be appreciated...but no...we have geezers who have the 8 for a midlife crisis but oh thank god theres a backseat to cart the kids to daycare to please the wife of 15 years with

.....thanks guys.....alot

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

No problem ! Anytime !

Please come back with more

"Search will find answer but Im too dumb to do so"

kind of question(s)

100 mph .... use some common sense please.

Nubo

Sorry dude, I was still a bit wired from my daily 100mph drive.

You got a number of serious replies, and some good-natured kidding. Then you come back flaming. Relax. And you need to pick up some critical thinking skills

daily 100mph needed = unlikely

15-year marriage with daycare-age children = unlikely

middle-age <> geezer

expo1

YEA ! I have only been married 11 years and the bus picks up my son.

EyeBall Fixer...(o)(x)

Old Mid-Life Geezer Here...

Yes we all know how nice and helpful the 350z forum members are...

Welcome to our club! Please come back anytime with you inspirational questions.

I'd like to stay and talk more with you but I have to go and get my child out of the back seat of my 8.