Common discussion will always refer to a 'dead' battery as one that is too low to turn the starter at sufficient speeds. Even if it is still turning the starter, people will call it 'dead'.

There is no semantically correct usage of the term 'dead'.

 

errr ok

u do know that for a regular car battery, anything lower than 11.89v is considered as "dead" , right ?

 

I accept that argument, when I first responded I was basing my answer on low. however there is a difference between low and dead. Low battery you can push start the 8, and many other cars out there. However if your battery is dead it's not going to work. That is the only point I am trying to get across. Trying to rationalize it based on what people "consider dead" does not change this fact.

 

well, it's not just "what people consider dead", it's from battery manufactures.

a "no current" battery is beyond dead, it should be called "malfunction/broken"

 

ok Guys, Alternators have a inner and outer coil. The inner coil adjusts voltage sometimes as low as 4 volts that I've seen to produce the 13.8 for the car. But they require at least some voltage to start the process. even 0.1 volts would probably do it.

Older cars have generators which have a small magnet to excite the coil and produce a little voltage to jump start the whole process.

So if the battery has any power at all a newer alternator will produce use able voltage for the vehicle to run. But if you remove the battery even while running they will almost always die.

If you have a older car with a generator it will not need a battery to start or continue running.

I went almost a month with a low battery in my 8 I just parked downhill and popped the clutch to get her started. luckely I have a pretty steep driveway and it will work in reverse.

 

I wish we had an update from this guy. I would like to know what happened.

 

We know what happened. What always happens when you rev to 10,000RPM on the regular on a bucket built "bridgeport".

 

Actually 9k the car still runs when push started. Still has full power all the way to redline. I switched out a wobbly crank shaft pulley with teeth and that seem to help the situation a little. The car wants to crank over but doesnt. It gives out small puffs of smoke but never turns over as where before it just cranked with no signs of life.

As far as the bucket bridge port job comment..... So if I built my motor on a engine stand and had this problem would you say the same thing? Or a table ? etc. There is no rule as to where you build your rotary. And for your info it was taking apart over a bucket so I wouldn't have any oil draining out on my garage floor.

My RX-8 is my fun car, I have a life so sorry I don't dedicate my time or life under the hood 9k.

Over the Christmas break I plan on pulling the motor and rebuilding.

 

Have you done a compression test?

Because those are all signs of bad compression.

 

Full power to redline? Maybe on your butt dyno.

This is the result of a combination of a half assed build and revving it to 10k. I tried to warn you about revving it that high. And it's cool if you are not worried about it, there is no sense in crying over spilled milk. That is the right attitude to have. I just hope next time you do it right and have a real professional with Renesis experience build it.

 

Bro what was half assed about it? Brought all new Mazda seals, new housings etc? Car started up right after the build. This build lasted exactly 24k miles to when she shut off on me in July, half of the miles i racked up commuting to and from work 5 days a week. 110 miles round trip. Motor lasted 1 year and 4 months. With pushing her to 10k rpm on the daily. The other miles where from taking trips back and forth to Atlanta, Tennesse, etc.

To me half assed would be building it, and the car explodes the very next day, week etc. I got good use out of it,it put a smile on my face , it was a hopeful experiment that worked for the most part.


Yeah Shade , she is running low compression.

 

Hey man, if you are happy about getting 24k out of an NA engine with new housings, seals, etc, then I don't what to say.

So if it's not the build then it was your abuse that killed it then? I just don't get your logic, rebuild and engine with mostly new parts without balancing the rotating assembly but then take it to 10,000RPM daily?

And I do consider a bridgeport VIA drill holes in the irons and bucket building bench top assembly half assed. Just my personal opinion though.

 

9k you do know that many rotaries are built on buckets right? Its nothing new and people have been doing it since the birth of the rotary. Engine stand , bucket or workshop table, pick your poison.

Drilling holes is called a cheese grate bridge port. Its for street use, you do know a full bridge creates tremendous heat for daily use. Even with a thicker core radiator, lower thermostat , the cheese grate bridgeport creates more heat than a full N/A motor. In N/A form I run about 190-205 degrees, with that port I was running a constant 212 degrees, getting on it on the highway would increase the temp to 222 degrees. I wouldn't want to run a full bridge as I don't think the car would be deemed useful for weekend use, it would be great for going down the drag strip IMO. The temp of the motor with FL's heat would do the motor in instantly.

MM was shocked that my motor lasted so long, most bridgeported Renesis go boom after being built, some the next day, some the next week, etc. Like I said it was a fun experiment while it lasted.

My next build or rebuild, option 1, buy a used motor with low miles and open her up , put fresh seals back in from gaskets to apex seals. And call it the day. Option 2 , salvage this motor , send the housings to Goopy performance to resurface the housings. Put back in the factory Mazda apex seals, fresh gaskets, make sure the irons are salvageable, put in lighter Racing Beat rotors and hardware to attain 10k rpms without harming the motor. Option 3 , skip the Renessis motor all together, put in a 3rd gen turbo motor running a Haltech ECU and associated hardware.

In December the motor comes out, Ill take pics.

 

im having the same problem but i think its cause of an vac leak.

 

Not trying to be d*ck, but what is your obsession with 10,000 rpm? Whatever floats your boat but I just don't see why you concentrate on that? If you don't go ported and you're looking for power, just stick a turbo on it and live with 250-320 hp. I'd rather do that than spend a fortune on lightweight rotors just to hear it scream at 10,000 rpm. But whatever floats your boat, good luck!

 

Update:

Side seals damaged on front and rear rotors, hair line fractures on the rear apex seals. Rear springs were weak, and he showed me a new spring compared to my old one. Housing are still good. E shaft and bearings are still in spec. Getting new intermediates and getting a new port job. This time its at a "professional shop" 9k rpm. Rohtech in Orlando is building my motor. Motor will be pre built for turbo application as well, running a Haltech system to control it all.

Rohan the owner and installer of many rotaries commented and said this. The port job does work(the little holes), mine was very ruff looking, he said he could of done the same but more precise and had the holes to flow better. He actually said my previous builder actually did an ok job. He said it wasn't the port job that caused the motor to fail, but the Atkins seals. He said Atkins seals are not the best application when your going to make power and especially pushing 10k rpms. He said I should of used Mazda seals or RA super seals. He never uses Atkins products when he builds any of his clients car, he said Atkins use to make some great parts before 2000, he said now there stuff just breaks or prematurely fails. Every car he comes across with Atkins the seals have worn out faster than OEM Mazda seals. He recommends to forget about 10k rpm and focus on making power which he believes he can do with his tune and build.

He just finished a Turbo Rx-8 with a Haltech system and it sounded incredible! 1 turn of the key and she fired right up.For the price of the rebuild, port work with templates , and the Haltech install, he also dyno tunes it before he hands the keys back to me. And he stands behinds his work. I have to wait about 1 month as he has other project in queue, a 3 rotor version D that he has to install in a FD and a RB25 in a 240.