ruete1bj

Hey guys my 8 is an 05 with 128000 on it. The car was overheating frequently for a while in stop and go traffic. This weekend when I was driving it I noticed the coolant gauge was sitting at cold and not moving at all which was weird because normally it shoots right up. Then the coolant light came on so I stopped and checked the coolant. There was plenty of coolant in the tank so I chalked it up to a bad sensor or something and got back on the road. That's when I noticed the response to the accelerator was very slow and lethargic. I started getting into an exit lane again and the car started smoking. I pulled over and popped the hood and there was so much smoke I almost called the fire department. I kept dumping coolant in the tank but it was burning off as quick as I could put it in. I got it towed to the shop and they told me the seals were shot on it and they want to drop a new renesis in it. But here's my dilema in justfying that

1. Were the seals going already and the car was overheating because of that or is something wrong exterior to the engine that's causing it to overheat and the engine blew as a result? Basically, which came first the chicken or the egg? Because if it continues to overheat I will probably just end up blowing a new engine.

2. Is it even necessary to replace the entire engine? I asked the mechanic and he said " finding someone with the talent and equipment necessary to do a rebuild will cost you almost as much if not more than a new or slightly used engine. " I find that last part hard to believe based on what I'm seeing in other threads.

3. If I sell the car as is can I still can a grand or two on it? Maybe it's just easier at this point to take what I can get and switch up cars since I'm already at 128000 and there's a good amount asthetic damage to the vehicle. But I did spend 3 grand on it 4 months ago so I don't want to this if I can't get at least half of that back.

ruete1bj

I should also mention I live in Miami so it is ALWAYS hot and there is ALWAYS traffic.

blckninja

iTrader: (1)

I'm assuming apex seals are shot? Not very clear about that.

Sorry, don't have enough knowledge about numero uno so I can't help you there, but with the other two I have some insight on.

Next issue is price and quality of a reman, rebuild or used engine. If you want to keep the car and get a new engine, one of the three options below, call around to dealerships/companies to ask about what they charge for the engine, core, and installation, and what the warranty is if they have one.

1) Reman quality has gone up, not perfect but a lot better than what it was. So that is generally going to be the safest route to go I believe, but also probably going to be the most expensive.

2) Rebuilding it depends on what parts are useable, which you won't know until the engine is picked and looked at. Not to mention you need to either A) find someone to do the rebuild which is again literally, VERY few as in about 3-4 quality shops in the country or B) rebuild it yourself which isn't easy. EDIT: Not possible since apex seals were blown.

3) Used is risky, but can pay off, literally it can save you money. Higher risk in getting a quality engine, lower cost because of risk. With used you need to check for proper compression, which you probably won't be able to get. And without knowing the compression you could just end up needing an engine in another 2-3 years.

You can definitely try to sell it as a whole or part it out if you have the time.

These are my inital thoughts/suggestions, im still new to the scene so take my words with a grain of salt. Someone may come along and correct something that i'm wrong about.

ruete1bj

ya the apex seals blew. The shop claims it was because my fiance was driving the car while it was overheated which i'm sure was the straw that broke the camels back. But I think they were going before that. It's just always hot and always traffic down here (average light time is literally 5+ minutes). It was getting to the point where I would shut off the car every time I was at a light downtown. So I don't know if that was happening because the seals were going and the coolant system just couldn't keep up with the damaged engine, or if it was the other way around and the radiator or water pump or something wasn't working properly so the engine was being damaged. That would be nice to know but there are other issues more relevant now like what you said, sell it or keep it.

Your post was helpful because it confirms for me what the shop is saying that a rebuild is probably not a good option. The car is not in good enough condition to warrant a reman for sure. I'm told that would cost me at least 5. If it was in pristine condition maybe, but it has scratched and dents, the leather seating is ripped, the fuel pump probably needs to be replaced... the list goes on. I could put a used one in but I'm really leaning towards selling it and cutting my losses at this point.

So what is the best way to do that if it doesn't even start? I know this sounds bad but is there some way ( maybe similar to some of the liquid head gasket repairs) that I can get the thing to hold out for a couple test drives? Or maybe there are shops that will buy these cars up for the parts since they are somewhat rare now?

platano47

best bet where you can make money, but very time consuming is parting it out or selling as a shell/blown motor car

platano47

if you decide to sell or part out, i get first dibs on fender. i got a cousin in florida who can pick up for me. let me know what you want to do.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Zero point in trying to rebuild the engine. If the apex seals did indeed fail, they were secondary. Overheating that bad would be warping the housings as the primary problem, and any seal damage would be resulting from that, like the warp literally let the seals fall out of the rotor tips or smashed them if a tip connected with the housing.

I would suspect that you had a cooling system failure first, not engine failure. Your needle was probably registering cold because there was no coolant at the sensor at all (though I don't know if it would respond to latent hot air or not), and the location of the failure meant that the coolant in the bottle and/or radiator couldn't be sucked into the engine to replace what was missing. Either because of a line blockage, water pump failure, or pressure problem where the pressure inside the engine was greater than the coolant bottle's pressure.

Blowing an engine from overheating usually trashes every component in the engine, usually to such a degree that you can't even use it as a core. You would be looking for a replacement engine, and you will need to completely replace every piece of the cooling system while you are at it (all 9 lines, radiator, thermostat, water pump, coolant bottle, and cap, and make sure you flush out the heater core before installing the new stuff)

surfnlow

If the Apex seals are blown, you are SOL. There is no way to "milk" it for a test drive. My advice would be either be completely honest with the buyer. Most people that will buy it will either be looking for a project or looking for a donor for their project. Even with a blown motor, you should still be able to get at least $3k with 128k miles. I got mine for $3k with 170k miles with a blown engine knowing I had to rebuild the motor and with a Rebuilt Title. The resell on these cars is awesome. Just be honest and it will go fast to the right person.

On the other hand, if you love the car and want to keep it, the cost of a rebuild is worth it in my opinion. To be honest, if the car is not running rough, it sounds like you blow a water jacket seal. When one Apex blows, it pretty well destroys the rotor and housing, so it feels like it is running on half power and you will get a CEL with a Misfire code. Get a hold of rotoryresurrection and see what he can do for you. He is a great guy and a wealth of knowledge. He will treat you right regardless of the situation.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Being in FL, Pettit is a much closer option, and the higher price of their engines is probably offset by the cost of shipping to RR. Just something else to consider.

Khurram

I am sorry to hear that... Since your car has low mileage, I think its worht replacing the engine you may be in luck and source a reman for 3200-3500 and if you can install it yourself you save that $1000..

Mine is 04 with 249k kms.. I don't think I would replace my engine cuz the car wont be worth at this point..

You should have gotten a mazmart Thermostat and have the fans turn on at lower temps. that would have helped eliminate the entire overheating issue in my opinion,. Just consider that route after you get ur engine replaced or a new rx8 :-)
All the best

ruete1bj

This may be a stupid question, but wouldn't it be cheaper just to drop a used v8 in there?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes, you could gut the RX-8's engine bay, take a cutting torch to most of the 8's firewall, and a welder to pieces of metal to make mounting points and physically put a V8 in the engine bay for probably a bit cheaper than replacing the Renesis.

The cost will skyrocket when you have to start dealing with things like suspension and steering relocation, transmission mounting, custom cooling system design, ECU wiring, RX-8 body control module integration, etc...

The cheapest possible engine replacement in an RX-8 is still just buying another Renesis. The only way I see this changing is if a future rotary from Mazda would fit in the same location, is more easily available, and the ECU communication remains close enough to the same. Even a 13b from an RX-7 requires a lot more work than you might expect, since it can't mount exactly where the Renesis does.