Sad to report that my 09 R3 has blown it's motor this past week. She had just turned 46K on the clock and I was getting on it to merge into traffic on my local interstate when I had a sudden loss of power and the check engine light came on. The car ran very rough but got me to my local dealer down the road. They called me later that day and said that it had side seal failure and I was getting a new motor. I didn't go into owning a RX with blinders on but I had really wanted the thing to not have a problem like this so soon. Kind of depressing.

 

It's really weird to me that all of the 09+ failures I am aware of have all been R3's. Has yours been tracked at all? The others I know of all were to some extent. Sorry but at least you get a reman S2 engine

 

No, it's not been tracked. It's my daily driver. I take it to red line many times a day. Change the coils, plugs and wires at every 24K also. The car had been perfect right up to that point without any problems and then out of the blue it just died.

 

Weird. Well the engine must have been built on January 4th after shogatsu

 

Sorry to hear.

How would the dealership know it was side seals? They are not supposed to touch the engines if they fail their tests.

 

im curious as to how they know ur engine has a side seal failure without opening the engine. super powers?

anyway, stop using 5w20, it kills engines.

 

I was also wanting to know this. I'm calling them this week to see how things are coming along and I'm asking. I was at work when I got the call before and really couldn't talk with them as much as I'd have liked.

 

Any mods?

 

**** happens.

 

1. isn't that how most Rx8 engines fail?

2. what if they just used the word side next to the word seal?

3. it doesn't matter, engine is bad either way

 

They are guessing from experience. They know if the engine failed the test, its mostly a seal problem...

 

Well that sucks for sure.

 

To the O/P

Sorry for your trouble. Let us know if they ever tell you what they found.


There is no widespread evidence to support your assertion.

Anecdotal evidence in this thread suggests that rotary lifespan may depend on something other than oil choice
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...e-club-236885/

 

redline several times a day?? 9Krpm several times a day?
Dude I am sorry this happened to you--R3's are beautiful machines.
I am also glad the warrenty is covering it---but dont do redline thing--not even ONCE a day.
Get some way to monitor temps too--
The R3 is a very special car.

 

You're the first person I can think of that has said don't redline a rotary.

 

This is really good advice.
The rotary can get very warm during some driving but a lot of the time, depending on weather and driving style it can run quite cool.
If you are not watching oil temperature then redlining just to redline may do more harm than good.
The redline a day line is a euphemism for driving the car enthusiastically and keeping the revs up.
An enthusiastic drive with revs in the 5K to 8K range, after properly warming the oil, will not hurt the engine and will put the thrill of the car back in your life.
Isn't that why we own them? If you're worried about the cost it's time to sell.

 

I used to redline my series 1 every day and didn't have side seal failure...

 

Celtic...I moved your thread to the SII specific location (I hope U do not mind?)..

It will be interesting to see "if' you get a reman or a brand new MMC Japan Short Block, I know Mazda Parts USA still had quite a few new in stock, even though they have a reman sticker plate on them (for ID # purposes), nothing is re-man in USA...
ALL new has every part as shiny new and the Japan factory guys usually use very thin (almost see through) beige masking tape stuck over intake and exhaust port holes before crating or boxing up, not any hard plastic stoppers or other tape.
MMC Japans complete Transmission and Differential Assemblies or OEM replacements also has same beige masking tape stuck over holes or drive shaft seal areas.

And Yeah, I would like to know how they (the Mazda Dealer) diagnosed a Side Seal failure without motor apart?

 

I can see that you have been a long term member and a Mazda supporter, sorry to hear about your engine failure.

If you can PM me your R3's FULL VIN Number I can/will trace some history about your engine and parts used inside of it..

I might find 'some' interesting news.

There is also no credence in the fact that all of the SII engine failures have been R3, as apart from the tyres and rim sizes, shocks and sway bars, everything else mechanically/electrical is identical to all Series II's...just way more R3's sold new...

BTW: You were the first new owner of R3?
And I agree with Jackson, use a thicker grade Engine Oil too.

 

about the redline thing---do due diligence and research the forces occuring within the engine during rpm ranges. What you will find may surprise you. Also the increased heat production between 8k and 9k is tremendous!
9K rpm is not the redline for this car. Mazda screwed up on this one trying to get as much power out of it as they could.
Now after all that --think about how does redlining an engine help it?
Sure--dont grandma it--but also--dont run it into the ground.
Most people who track this car only take the engine to 8.2K or so. And IMHO thats pushing it.
But i am old and some call me crazy So--do due diligence. then get back with us with your opinion.

 

Don't redline a rotary

 

Well I like the way you think ''old man''...

And I agree 100%, it is plainly obvious that RPM limit for Renny is too high and sustained RPM @ 8000+ and above for long periods can and will result in a failure...somewhere @ sometime. Particularly the older the engine (mileage) the higher the risk (generally).

I agree that mothering engine is also just as bad, one needs to work on a happy medium, enough to blow the cobwebs out (Spark Plugs, Intake Valves (SSV's) use), but not too much to cook engine (too hot).

Engine Oil is still a very important issue that gets overlooked, the factory recommended stuff is all for economy and emissions, not for longevity/reliability IMO.

IF you are a 3000 mile Oil changer, yes, the factory stuff is OK, but most owners go for as long as they can, with mileage and rotary fuel wash (gas) dilutes these oils way too much if used for 10,000 (long) miles.

 

Just a thought: the dealer could've pulled the sparkplugs and looked at the inside of the rotor housings using a boroscope. If they saw scoring on the side plates, that would suggest a broken side seal.

 

They have no reason to do that, they have a protocol to follow and doing that would not benefit them at all. They just follow the rules so they can be paid for the warranty work.

 

Hmm... anything else you do that Mazda advises against?