Oil level question
 

Does the 8 have an electronic oil level gage/indicator? If not, do you guys just check it constantly? From everything I've heard the rotary burns oil very fast.

it doesn't burn very fast... however, i've only had my 8 for a week. i do have plenty of experience with rx7s as i own 3 of em. the 8 has a warning light that will come on when it's low. just check every 300 miles (is this what the manual says? i can't remember) or so and you'll be fine.

FS

I check mine every week and that's babying my car too. In 12,000 mi. and two oil changes I've only added 4 quarts. The needle for oil pressure is a dummy gauge. However my understanding is that Mazda recommends you checking the oil level every other tank of gas. Each car burns different amounts of oil as well as gas. To each their own; hope this helps.

9G

No on-dash indicator (would be nice); just a low-oil light. It is recommended to check "constantly" if you call every 500 miles or so "constantly". Up to 1 quart per 600 miles is considered within normal for normal service, though most owners report significantly lower consumption than this. Difference between high and low on the dipstick is about 1.8 quarts. Under extreme service (track) oil consumption can be higher; it's based on rpm.

Really not a problem. Regular oil checks are good practice for any car. We just have to add a little more often than most.

I've added 2 litres in 8000 km.

I check mine every Monday and Thursday. Just takes a few minutes but gives me peace of mind.

well let me just say that when the light comes on your car is VERY low on oil, so don't make it practice I suppose

I have had my 8 for 1,350 miles now and I can tell you that for at least my car the oil consumption is no major deal at all. It drinks very little from what I have experienced but I too check it once a week just in case.

Like they said, Mazda recommends you check it ever-other gas stop.

Since I go 10-12 days between fill up's I just check it weekly.

1 quart every 1000 miles, about 2 quarts in between oil changes and you should never have any problems, If you see the oil light come on I would check and add oil immediately...

My cars and I have a date every Friday afternoon around 4:30 PM. If the weather is warm, out comes the car washing stuff and a few beers. Both cars get their oil checked - valuable on the RX-8, useless on my wife's Honda, but makes me feel better, their tires checked, washed and the gas tanks filled. If it's cold out, we make a trip to the carwash instead of hand washing in the driveway. Can't wait for warm weather to return! But it's just part of a weekly routine, that's all.

Make a date with your -8 for a little "love time" with it - do it every week - wash it, vaccuum it, just drive it, whatever, but then check your oil while you're at it.

As someone else stated, there is an idiot light in case you forget - but it only tells you when you're much too low.

Also, my RX-8 burns a quart every 3000-4000 miles - I'd hardly say thats "burns oil very fast".

One qt in 1000 miles sounds excessive to me. In 1000 miles my oil is about a half inch below the top mark on the dipstick. I guess that would equate to approximately one qt in 3000 miles. Based on the experience of others on the forum that seems like the norm.

really.....think I should take it in????

Oil consumption is directly related to driving habits. If you drive very hard with lots of wide-open throttle and high-rpm running, you will see faster consumption than if you baby it.

I can see the oil level drop noticably after a day at the track, versus, it takes weeks for the oil level to drop in my normal driving habits.

so you think I am enjoying the 8 too much??

I know I AM...

Please don't wait until the low oil light comes on to check the oil. Like any warning light, the low oil light is only telling you that you're close to severe engine damage. Use the light for what it was intended -- a warning of impending doom and denoting a need for action. Check your oil every other fill-up as the manual recommends. It only takes a minute.

Just my $0.02 on the subject,
Bill

Or do what I do ... make a date with your -8. She's your best mate. And she loves to have her crankcase probed.

Something doesn't sound correct
 

I have had two 8s (04/05)- neither one went through that much oil (1 qt/1000 mi?) Sounds a bit much, I would bring it in.

I've had my 8 since Dec. '04, and over the 18k miles or so I've put on her, I've averaged adding probably 1qt between each oil change. (Done regularly at 3k mile intervals).

ok, I'll take her to the doctor :(

i just bought an '04 this past weekend. i'm currently "breaking it in" using one of the methods described on this forum. but twice, my low oil level light has come on. both times i was on the highway going around 75–80 (keeping it under 4000 RPM). i checked my oil level yesterday and it was halfway between the high and low level mark, so that means i should add .9 quarts of oil. i'm just wondering if i should be worried that the light came on. it didn't stay on for very long, maybe a coupleof minutes.

what would cause our engine to use 1 quart every 1000 miles? Easily fixed or costly part?

By design. It feeds oil through crankshaft channels into the rotors for cooling and that oil flows thorugh the rotors out to the side and apex seals where it constantly "paints" a coating of oil on the seals and rotor housings.

At high RPM running, it pumps more oil. If more of your miles are spent at high RPM than average, you will burn more oil than average - that simple. If you spend a lot of time driving aggressively and covering fewer miles, you will have a higher oil use rate per 1000 miles than a guy who is cruising that 1000 miles in 6th gear at 65 mph (and a steady 3000 rpm).

Mazda will not consider your car "out of spec" until it is consuming more than a quart every 500 miles (or was it 700). Your owners manual has the common oil consumption rate listed.

If you call your dealer for 1000/miles a quart consumption they are only going to tell you it is normal.

FYI

Theres been a thousand threads on oil consumption Jenkins. Please read a few of them.

Stew

Sorry :( we were kind of on the subject :( You summed it up perfectly, Thank You.

I just searched the forum and think I might have to get my oil pan changed on my new '04. I'm gonna top off the oil and see if the light still comes on periodically, but I will probably have them replace the pan since there was TSB on it. I need to get a list of all the TSB's that were needed for the '04s.