http://earthlink.com.com/2100-11389_...part=earthlink


I thought it was designed to burn oil.

 

The reason why it's "designed" that way is because there's no other way to cool and lubricate the rotors and apex seals. Oil from the crankcase is sprayed on them to do so.

If you search on the rx7club.com forums, you'll find many owners disable the pump that sprays the oil, and just mix 2 cycle oil with the fuel. Then it barely consumes as much oil.

I'd be interested to see this guy's new design.

 

The amount of oil used seems to vary from engine to engine - those that use little oil also seem to have better gas milage and better overall construction - 04s more prone to problems than 05s, don't know much about 06s...

 

not always. it varies, but my old auto had worse mileage and barely used oil. in my manual i get better mileage but must add oil every so often.

 

Obviously it's designed to burn oil.

The "it burns oil" comment, which you hear a lot, has always bothered me. It's one reason some have a negative perception of the RX-8, IMHO. And it's such a perfectly crafted little putdown—Karl Rove himself couldn't have done better. Because while the statement "the rotary burns oil" is technically correct—the 8 does burn oil—saying an engine "burns oil" has a very clear meaning in ordinary useage that, in the case of the rotary, is simply not true. To say an engine "burns oil" means the engine is flawed in some way (poor design, bad head gasket, poor quality control, etc.). An engine designed to burn oil, on the other hand, is not flawed.

 

Very well said. And while we're on the topic, I'd like to add some comments on my own RX-8 (my 2nd rotory vehicle). When I bought my new '04 RX-8 I was well aware that by design the engine used a bit of oil. So, it came of no suprise that I would have to add oil between changes. It was also of little surprise that I often got a whiff of burned oil as I exited the car moments after pulling into my garage. Well, my 8 just turned 10k miles and I've noticed that the burned oil smell is long gone. Also, I've noticed that the engine is using less oil between oil changes.

1.3L

 

"That's not a flaw, that's a feature."

 

why dont they just say the engine is oil-injected. that makes it sound much more purposeful

 

Cant....make....another.....oil...burning.....thre ad................................................ .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .!

 

blasphemy.

 

+1. I like Oil Injected too! I've about 1,500mi on my 06 GTMT and I'm always checking the oil. To this day, it remains perfectly at the same level since I bought the car. All the "oil burning" threads has me worried that my car is not injecting the oil it's SUPPOSED to.

I heat the car, turn it off & wait about 5min. Then I check but the oil is not going anywhere. Is this abnormal?

 

No, it's perfectly normal for the car to not use any oil in five minutes.

After 5000 miles of ownership, I'm amused that I actually carry a quart of oil in the car, and that carrying one is such a big deal in discussions here. Adding oil is just never a big "gotta do it now...need emergency oil supply" deal.

Not like it was when I was a kid driving $50 junkers...the "fill the oil and check the gas" kind.

Ken