Borrowing a Rotary Compression Tester this Saturday - SoCal / Orange County
 

I know it's short notice, but would anybody located in or near Orange County have a Rotary Compression Tester I could borrow for a day? I'm looking at a RX-8 this Saturday and would like to compression test it to make myself feel better before purchasing it.

I'm in Irvine but could drive to the surrounding area to pick it up. I would also be happy to give you some beer/coffee/money/etc. in gratitude for letting me borrow it. Let me know with a reply or DM, and thanks for reading!

I think you should've titled the thread differently.
Maybe something like "Can Someone Test an RX8 In SoCal, OR Loan Tester"

I personally wouldn't loan mine to anyone, but I would do it for someone.

Ah, good point. I was thinking what would be easiest for the loaner, but wasn't thinking about me just being a random person on the internet.

If someone does see this and wouldn't mind performing the compression test, the car itself is located near Ontario and I'd be happy to pay. Alternatively, I'd also buy a compression tester from someone nearby since I'll end up getting one eventually anyway.

Did you ask the owner about getting a compression test at a dealership?
You could ask him if he'd split the cost, or offer to pay the full price if it passes.

If you can't get a test soon enough, you could try the 'hot start' method.
Test drive it, be sure you get it to operating temp, then when you're finished, stop it, then immediately try to start it again.
If it doesn't start immediately, pass on it.

This isn't 100% reliable, you can have a failing engine with no hot start issues, but you'd have some time to save up for a rebuild down the road.

If it's an automatic transmission, don't buy one without a compression test period.
They're not worth the expense to rebuild imo.

Yeah, I checked on the dealership. It's both $390 in cost, and it's done by a specialist that is only around sometimes.

The car is a manual, so I guess I'm going to hot start it and hope for the best.

Thanks for your help. I did try calling a Mazda dealership; rotary compression tests are running $390, and its tricky to schedule as its on limited days when a specialist is available.

The seller unfortunately had to cancel, but I'm hoping to see it soon. I just went ahead and ordered a Rotary Compression Tester so I can have one of my own for testing this and future rotaries.

Thanks again.

That' $150 more than I would've thought.
If you plan on getting an 8 and that's what tests are going for, then getting a tester is a good idea.

Good luck.