Exactly what I did with my RX8. Bought it at 72,000. Rebuilt around 87,000 (just because I was curious of the condition and how the engine works). Rebuilt it myself, fresh seals, runs perfectly. I have never done a compression test, probably wont ever. But it is such a smooth reliable car. (Broke down once because my coils failed. When I broke down I was actually on my way home to replace coils that were already waiting to be installed....)
mine broke off the head of the spark plug and now it lost all compression on front rotor.... the car is all about luck.... mine was unlucky (spark plugs oem ngk)
@@perfectmazda3538 I wonder if the spark plug lost the washer that comes on them. Bc that few millimeters would cause the spark plug to interfere with the rotor
@@bas1C_tv_ nah it was all there, the washer i mean... i dunno what happened, just unlucky situation, anyway now i'm under selling it since i don't have money for another 5000euro, since i changed the motor just 2 years ago...
I own a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 (only 1000 made like this in the world) . I bought it new in 2008 and now it is insured as a Classic Car for 150% of what I bought it for new in 2008, full value, no depreciation. I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since the 70's; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of the RX7 with two of those RX7 modified by Racing Beat for the track. I easily have over a million rotary miles on street and track . Yes I have upgraded and improved my RX8, cooling modifications with Koyo-Rad radiator, Pettit Racing closed system, Racing Beat hoses, low temp thermostat, oil cooler low temp thermostats , low temp fan control, upgraded water pump, ; Mazdaspeed CAI, high performance BHR ignition coils and wires, upgraded starter, performance Cat and mid-pipe from Rotary Performance, BHR clutch pedal assembly, Series Two fuel pump upgrade, new clutch and engine (from Mazda warranty, no cost to me), new engine mounts, and a few other things. I also upgraded to Conti Contact DWS06+ tires. I will be keeping my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 forever. Wish I could have kept them all. Nothing drives like a rotary. FYI, I use 5W-30W non-synthetic oil and yes I pre-mix. Cheers and best to you.
Owned my rx8 for nearly 15 years, at one point used it for work as a regional bowling tech here in the UK, covering 1000 miles some weeks, the cars suffer a little more here due to the shorter journeys and stop start driving, mine has had rebuilt engines (my builder at one time was world renown and has been building rotaries of all makes since the 80s, Citroen, NSU, Mazda plus others) I have never been left at the side of the road, I do all my own maintenance and modifications and have helped out others on the UK offenders forum. These cars are easy to look after, but that doesn't mean cheap, cheap parts as you say are the quickest way to failure.
exactly. they are as easy as 4 cyl honda engines but require their specific diets and need as close to optimal conditions more so than a traditional engine imo. always quality parts
Keeping your RX8 maintained: RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule. 30,000 miles: - Replace Ignition coils - Replace Plug wires - Replace Spark plugs - Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor) - Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor) - Reset ESS profile - Clean power steering connections - Clean battery terminals and clamps - Replace transmission fluid - Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended) - Replace air filter - Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line) ~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly. every 60,000: ...all 30,000, plus... - Clean all chassis electrical grounding points - Replace accessory belts - Clean OMP lines - Replace rear differential fluid - Replace thermostat - Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins - Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins - Inspect catalytic converter - Clean / Inspect intake valving - Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early ~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly. 90,000: ...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus... - Replace coolant bottle - Replace radiator hoses - Replace radiator - Replace front O2 sensor - Replace motor mounts - Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks ~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly. At 100k, anything original in the cooling system and any original cat are really suspect and failure prone. They represents the biggest threat to your engine. Replace.
This is THE BEST RX8 video online. Im 45yrs old. I'v owned 2 RX7's back in the day. A RX8 7 years ago that was wrecked in a collision... Miss that car. Reason I found this video is.. My son picked up a 2004 RX8 with 60,000 original miles on it. Stored in a garage for a while. Original family 1 owner car. The woman was 68 years old. So... I needed a refresh course on the old RX8 and searched this video. Very informative! Loved it dude! Cheers
RX-8 apex seals don't break on their own. Usually side seal spring breaks down from exhaust heat due to clogged cat caused by worn out coil packs. Side seal is sent inside and breaks the apex seal. So, upgrade or replace OE coil packs every 25k miles, spark plugs every 10k.
@Maxst33le not MeisterR. Assembled in UK. Meets Euro specs. Wins Touring races in UK. Rode hard 3 years on my NC and was still handling well like new. Single piece bullet aluminum body. Light, strong, adjust from damper lower body. Mono tube and offers extra strength springs. Running them on my R3 for last 3 years
Thank you, RP - superb presentation. My previous RX-8 (2005, 231) developed hot start issues at 56,000 miles. Reading the previous owners' service schedules, most had run way beyond the recommended oil change intervals. In one instance, up to 10,000 miles. My current RX-R3 (2010, 49,000 miles) has its oil changed at 2,000-3,000 miles and is redlined frequently. An absolute delight to drive, and never an issue to date. It also helps that Mazda uprated the oil injectors and starter motor on the R3. Mazda RX-8 - nothing to touch it (except, of course, an RX-7). PS: Only about 390 RX-8 R3 still alive here in the United Kingdom.
Upgrade or replace OE coil packs at 30k miles. I used BHR. I have used OE coils with 2k miles if you want. Worn coils cause clogged cat due to unburnt fuel, kills the exhaust side seal spring, carbon chunk buildup on exhaust port shelf
insight on the RX8 spot on. Despite the unique maintenance and knowledge needed to maintain this car, it's such a FUN car to drive. even at ~ 20 years old.
I have had my rx8 for like 7 years. I have been through most of the problems you mentioned lol. The limp mode prolly hurt the most. Had a good friend help out though and got it solved. Omp went bad.
Hearing your RX8 makes me feel way better about my S2. Cold starts are maybe one full rotation of the rotors before firing right now and touch the key to start when warm. We'll see how that goes this winter as it gets colder. I didn't have it compression tested when I bought it, but it came from a family that had owned rotary engine cars since the 70s that did regular maintenance on all of them.
dude my S2 has long cold starts too 😳I'm about to replace the starter. I've replaced from the battery to the starter in ignition systems and upgrades. Found an interesting sentence in the S2 owners manual that says "Do not use either synthetic or semisynthetic motor oil. Otherwise engine starting performance could worsen." and wondering if my mineral-based synthetic blend could have something to do with it or wondering if it is talking about high mileage carbon build-up from using synthetics 🤷♂I run 10W-40 and was comparing it to my friends using 5W-20....what oil weight you using?
I use 20W50 Renewable lubricants oil now. Prior I was running VR1 20W50 Conventional The OMP injecting synthetic oil is not ideal. The combustion chamber doesn't get hot enough to burn it off like a conventional
I made a hot start video of mine a few hundred miles after I bought it so I'd have a baseline to refer back to th-cam.com/video/LuRUaoK7QTc/w-d-xo.html
bought mine a year ago. all it neededwas a tune up and to change, pretty much,every single type of fluid. dropped the cat, slapped on a sohn adapter, and threw in some working temp gauges. bought to drift it (dont listen to peeps that say dont do that if you just want some seat time) . first event was a couple weeks ago and its completely capable. needs some cooling mods for now and gotta fix the rear sway bar. the factory studs tend to shear. compression is a bit below 90 psi so i plan to try out my first rebuild too. that's the story so far. love the car. cant decide if i wanna make it full track anymore though. it just nice to drive. 160k on the tach and for the most part youd never know it.
@@Soravia part of the tune up. went the easy route and replaced em with bhr's. My problem was actually the maf sensor at the time. I've added a catch can also. I did put a cold air intake on it but it was only because I tore the accordion taking the air box out and that piece alone was like 275 dollars. At the time aem was 300 so yeah.
I love that there still are new videos popping up about this car, I'm curious whether the prices will start climbing because of this, as they have with other fun cars that the internet started focusing on. Right now they are an incredible deal for what you can get them for, Especially out of the US where you can't easily find fun RWD cars for cheap
Looking into getting my second RX8! first one I had went 130k miles with original engine ( lost it in a flood) anyhow love your content and you’ve made me feel really good about pulling the trigger on my second !
Every time I watch your vids bro I learn something and I love how much you enjoy this car. It's very niche but so neat. They're misunderstood and were tainted by trying to make them a civic alternative to the consumer. It's a great weekend good weather car and should have been sold as such. This car is no worse in reliability than an STI so I don't know why people hate.
Great content. At this point in the RX-8's lifespan there are a lot of new rotory owners because the FD and FC are expensive to most. We have 2 RX-8's and 2 FD's between my wife and I so we kind of know the importance of what you explained to everyone. I am glad that you were able to clear up almost everything new owners will ask. Keep up the good work.
Great video with no nonsense advice. I bought a fairly cheap one upgraded the suspension, tyres, clutch and brake pads and it has now had many fun track sessions. Actually have one at Phillip Island Australia on Wednesday. I also ended getting rid of the cat too as with a heavy dose of premix and high track RPMs it just killed it.
Hello Rad Ranch! Love the video and always love the content. Best RX8’s out there, based on my experience paired with my friends’s experiences, is the Series 2’s. They feature higher oil pressure (they also moved the oil filter location to front cover, oil comes out nice and burning all of your hand like a REW lol), higher volume water pumps, 3 oil injectors per housing, faster starters with 14 teeth upgrade, revised auxiliary ports, fixes for the power steering reliability, stiffer body, and overall seems like better build quality. With both series ,the Autos only have 1 oil cooler on passenger side. Series 1 manuals are 6-port and autos are 4 port. Series 2’s, both are 6-port, the autos lack the VFAD to raise the RPMS to 9K, along with different ECU tune. Overall I love the RX8 as my daily driver. They still didn’t fix the cracking passenger dash though…I will be putting a alcantara pad on it soon to match the steering-wheel cover so no worries there. Leather seats are really stiff, but trade off is they’re heated, great for someone with a back injury like me! Another fault affecting all RX8’s are the motor mounts that need replaced at 100K, it’ll vibrate a lot at idle in gear, and will start shaking the drivers mirror.
The vfad does not raise the revs to 9k this is obtained with the apv(auxiliary port valve, this comes into effect at around 6.5k) The series 1 benefits from the ability to feed the omp with clean oil(no one has achieved this on a series 2 engine, certainly not on a commercial scale) The series 2 does benefit from some upgrades however the series 1 benefits from aftermarket parts being more readily available and also special editions. Here in the UK for instance we got the PZ (developed by pro-drive) that has far superior suspension(UK only got sport suspension on the series 1 or PZ suspension, although I believe the 40th anniversary did get a series 2 style setup)
I just bought my second RX& - An 04 yellow GT with 19850 original miles on it. It feels like a new car in every way. My other is an 05 black sport and I am keeping it despite the rust because it has given me 50k reliable miles in just 2 years and I can't say goodbye to it. I've learned so much and done so much of my own work where in my 30 years behaind the wheel I had never done anything with a wrench. These are criminally underrated for being an oddball platform that requires some understanding and maintenance routines that other cars just don't. Anyway, good info, maybe a bit verbose and overwhelming for the person trying to ascertain whether to get one....but as an enthusiast I can vouch for everything you said being reasonable and accurate. Nice work keeping this great and increasingly rare engine platform alive and well.
Not at all! The RX8 is without any doubts the worst Japanese sedan ever made with the most unreliable engine of the 21st century, the RX8 was a 3 billion dollar failure that bankrupted the company and brought the end of the struggling RX brand.
Man you’ve always got some good info. Only thing was the manual swap portion. If you have an early 04 05 auto all you need is trans, clutch, flywheel, and pedals. Yes technically lower power but not a bad deal for some. Later years yeah you’ll need the PPF and driveshaft. Currently own my moms old rebuilt 05 Shinka Auto and i manual swapped it last year. About 8k on it and zero issues, all the fun. Added bonus, it’s a 5 speed.
I owned one for about 8 years, it was and still is, the best car I've ever owned. Mine was an s1, first rebuild at 180k kms. The most fun car I have ever owned, I miss mine dearly.
Loved the renesis so much I decided to start buying parts for the NA Miata renesis swop… can’t wait to see how the upgrade works in almost half the weight ! Drove my rx8s for more than three years no issues besides one being totaled and the other I traded for a Miata … both dailies both had over 100k and one was rebuilt by Vargas ( sadly the totaled one) … but hands down I’d say the killer on these blocks are the clearancing and poor care of the car and not driving them properly and premix! Can’t stress that enough! Even if the manual says you don’t need to ! do half oz per gallon with a working omp! Much love from VA
Pretty good video! I'm familiar with some of the issues, like the crack on the passenger airbag, issue with the rear fender, had to replace the driver's sunshade and disconnected the coolant light (among others). I've bought my rx8 10 years ago in perfect condition, used it as a daily, already went through one rebuild, hope it will last some more as it's lots of fun to drive.
A big thank you RAD! For all the fun and informative videos, last month I bought my first RX8. With the help of your videos I could judge if the car was worth to buy. Now driving with a flame spitting 8 trought the Netherlands! I enjoy every smile/gallon ;)
Great video! I’m about to buy a 2007 that is cranking but not firing. He said it drove awesome and then he was leaving for work one morning and it died and now won’t start. I think, after reading all the message boards I think it may be flooded. I have a video of me cranking it and it definitely cranks slower than yours. I know the battery isn’t doing hot right now either. All he tried was checked the fuses and he did pull the plugs. Said they were wet but not “bad”. I feel like I should change those anyway. Wish I could send you the video of it cranking. You’d probably know 😅
Original owner here. Bought mine 2007. It's mostly stock except for the catless RB exhaust system. Was a daily for many years until recently where it is a pleasure use alongside my Solstice GXP and 135i. Its original engine starts fast hot or cold. I perform normal routine maintenance with it and premix. It's quite easy to work on compared to my other past and present cars. Interior is still in mind condition except for a slight buzz on the passenger door speaker on cold damp days. The RX8 on this video is obviously abused and does sound tired. Starting sounded labored too. It should fire up within 1-2 sec. It's too bad there are so many poorly maintained RX8 that gives it a bad rep or perhaps the good ones are secretly enjoyed by their owners. But this is an astonishingly fun car to drive.
purchased a 40th anniversary edition 2 months ago, only 74k km, didn’t do compression test, knew enough by just the hot start, which started up very quickly.
Same here! bought mine at 74k km, i was happy enough with the quick hot start considering it didn't have an overpowered starter, there wasn't any known historic as well. Now 85k km and no problem. I did put new coils and plugs after i bought it as a precautionnary measure though.
Hey Rad great video, I have 2 gen 1 RX8 and they were good until I sold them about 50k but I also changed my oil at 3k every time. My question is why do the first gen RX7,s last so much longer.I know people that had theirs for 160 to 180,000 miles. I had a first gen 1980 model and I never had starting problems ever . In fact I knew a guy with a gen 2 RX7 with 180k on it and it still going fine. What happened between the old rotaries and the new Renesis that they just don’t last as long ? Those older rotaries went a long long way.
04 rx8 original motor, 115k on it. (71,500 miles ). Motor pulls great. Only mods are aem intake, custom dual exhaust, hollowed out cat, and some tein springs to drop it.
Hi! I am in zone of buying one it is a 2004 model with 84 K Km. I really loved the specific model. And I know that it will bit my rear end some time. I would love to see a video of yours rebuilding an engine! :)
Fist car I ever bought with my own money was a base model 04 rx8 and one of the water jackets busted. Got a factory reman under warranty. Eventually got totalled in a parking lot by some crazy person driving way to fast. Saved up the insurance pay out and purchased a 05 GT that had just had the factory reman dropped in and hadn't even been broken in yet. I still daily drive it to this day. 132k miles bhr midpipe air pump delete aem intake Poly engine mounts Mazdaspeed wing Fortune auto coilovers Sohn oil adapter Bennett rez tank. Next on the list is wheels and playing around with versatuner
I actually bought a 6 port auto. It came engine less so I threw a manny trans and engine, came with a key without a fob so I also got the ECU and key from a manny, the pedals and cylinders, driveshaff (already have the LSD) and PPF. It was so much cheaper to do so since it was super nice and low mileage (also uncracked dash) and cheap because of the auto. It was 100% worth it.
hey man thanks for the knowledge. i just bought an 04 rx8 and it runs and drives fine but once hot i cant turn it off or ill have to wait for it to cool down. so from what i got from this video is basically i need to rebuild it and put all new seals and springs on the rotors.thanks for the videos
I just dropped my series 2 off at rotary resurrection and it’s currently being rebuilt. The guy who runs it is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ve also heard that Mazda remans have inconsistent quality in some cases not being put together as well as some rebuilders.
I plan on buying an RX8 during summer hopefully, do you check Compression while the engine is cold or warm ? You mentioned that they make less compression while warm, so just wanna make sure
@@penguinpurist1696 Hia, no, I ended up not getting one after a lot of financial thinking seeing as I am still a university student haha. I ended up getting a toyota celica 2zz instead.
Good info but makes me wonder why you don't have the stuff you talked about .you don't have the ls coils, midpipe, stock airbox (which is the best air box) and a tune where the fans come on sooner, injects more premix (or even a sohn) and a tune for the upgraded ignition dwell( check out fatti motor works. He did my ecu. My rx-8 never goes over 191 even through a drive through. Stays between 180 and 190. A normal rx-8 will def hit the temps you hit and will hit 209 to 220 on daily driving. Or even the upgraded oil cooler thermostat. All that stuff should help the engine
Nice one, You miss some problems with crankshat bearing issue,gear box already fail to(synchro)and the electrical line of the engine may be cut some time(for me on the trottle) mine works fine, rebuit it with new part(apex,spring,plates,housing)with a street port(at 90000Kms and now she got 110000),she got an extra ECU to run E85(in france 2€/L SP98 since 0.70€/L E85). but since this problem, it's the most funny car i got !❤
when bro said underdamped in the rear i fucking felt that lol, one time i went to pick up 3 family members and we stopped a block up cause the rears were tapping the tires the whole drive.
A lot of useful info!!! I usually buy em around 100k fix get drivable and sell immediately before anymore problems arise 😂. But I sorta got that itch again. Thanks for the tips!!
Not all of the 6sp 6ports came with dual oil coolers. Me and two of my friends have 2004-2005 models, all 6port, single oil coolers, I dunno if you guys in the US got that, and if so am jealous. The single cooler is not enough even on the street. Funnily enough in Australia, my Rx8 has zero dash cracks I have no idea how. Love your videos though, the single reason I bought an Rx8 was because of these videos. Mine now has 140k kms, just under 100 psi of compression and a suspected slightly cracked or worn apex seal since the rear rotor came back, high, low, low. Maybe that seal is stuck. She starts better than yours though lol, some black magic.
I Can't confirm the Dual oil coolers being USA only really. I know that all the rx8s I have seen and worked on have had 2 of them. Could probably run some nice premix and maybe some sea foam thru that engine. it could have some carbon causing an apex seal to stick a bit. Might be able to bring it back
@@RADPotential Strange, all the ones ive seen have been single coolers. And yeah I was thinking about running some sea foam or carbon cleaner and seeing if that helps. The car was premixed pretty much its whole life, or least what the previous owner told me. Could be why she starts so well and makes pretty good compression still. Though could have also contributed to carbon build up if that is the issue. Oh well, I bought her for 5k AUD lol, planning on a rebuild myself if the housings are still in decent condition.
@@RADPotential Totally, people love the rotary over here. Lots of specialists too, and Mazda were talking about releasing the MX-30 with a 40hp rotary range extender just for the market here or something. Probably won't happen though. Least all of the RX cars here are kept in really good condition. But yeah, pretty much every car meet has a few RXs around, car shows are dominated by them and there's a fair few rotary swapped cars too.
Funny enough I found your channel on an rx8 research quest as I'm considering 1 myself. Just finding out all the issues as much as possible before I buy cause here in oz rx8s start at 10k (roughly 7k usd) that's a fair bit of coin to drop on a car u may have to rebuild the engine in. Reason being is all the cool rotary's here are insanely expensive, I like rx3s n rx4s and familia 818 wagons but unfortunately u can't even get project starters for under 40k, already done up ones start at 90k which is absolutely rediculas but in saying that we probably have the biggest rotary community in the world, they're very popular in oz, prices are still rediculas lol So because of that I'm considering the rx8s before they skyrocket. Even considering dropping a 13bt ,rew or something in my old 89 Holden Commodore cause 1 I already own the car so basically it'll just be cost of engine and the conversion but even that's about a 15k operation plus a crap load of fab work to make it work in that chassis, cross member requires a lot of surgery as the front of the 13b will sit right on top it, it's been done before so that's how I know. I'd prefer the 20b but they're 10k min. Back on the rx8 and because of the popularity of rotary's here we're spoiled for choice on shops, there's around 20 shops around Australia that just do rotary's, I've got 5 here in Victoria I can go to and all have exemplary reputations within an hr of home so that in turn gives me confidence to buy an rx8 and advice like yours is extremely helpful too cause now I know what to expect going in, thanks man and keep the content coming 👍👌. My Commodore currently is a turbo buick v6 that I'll be firing this weekend after a 2 yr build ,hoping for 400bhp 🤞 just not overly happy with it which why I'm considering a rotor swap lol Also if u wanna check out the rotary Commodore I mentioned head over to yt channel low standards, dude drops a pp 10a ex race engine in it which blows up and he replaces it with a 13b bp lol it's hilarious and I think you'd enjoy it 👍
Renesis is superior in every way to previous models. BUT OE coil packs are not strong enough for high Rev duty and wear outstanding 30k miles, clogged cat, heat builds up, kill the tiny side port exhaust seal spring, throw exhaust seal to chamber and break apex in process. Get 2009-11 series 2 upgraded engine. Tune for flex fuel, to reduce carbon, if you rebuild, port down exhaust port shelf to prevent carbon chunk buildup
@@Soravia thanks for the tips but yeah they're not superior to the previous gen 13bs sorry there just not, u can't even turbo them cause it creates too much heat in the exhaust and cooks the corner seals n in turn the apex seals and rotors. From the research I've done if going Turbo it's recommended to do a hybrid, u either drill put the housing to create the old style pp exhaust port or use rew housings and fill in the exhaust ports in the irons. They're good engines apart from the exhaust ports, like everyone that builds serious rotors these days use rx8 rotors n e shafts, the rotors have higher comp than previous gens.
You should have hit me up for this video. I'd have loaned my 2009 GT for S1 to S2 comparison. And so the community could ooh and aah over its 13k mile unicornness. :)
I have over a million rotary miles on street and track since the 70"s with seven rotary cars; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of RX7 with two of them Race-Modified by Racing Beat, and one 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 . In my vast rotary experiences over five decades, a rotary specific compression is STILL BEST to know the condition of each face of each rotor. You really can't know that without that compression test. You are just doing educated guessing any other way, sorry. Just the facts. Cheers
L2Continuity bro. ALso, thanks man! good video, Been thinking about grabbing one before they start being prime for swaps! (I'd love to see one with a flat 6 twin turbo ^^) stuck between getting another 83' big boy, or one of these, I need more room so I'm leaning here. 1st gens are just a bit too small for my 6'1" 200lbs :\ as a daily...Gen 2..fk those prices, so here I am.
Thank you BFF or the detailed info. I have been deciding between the nab mx5, Toyota Runx (like the matrix but has the body shape of the Pontiac Vibe) and the rx8. Even with all the issues the rx8 may have, I still gravitate towards it. Plus I’m a masochist, so there is that lol. Is there any place I can hear a healthy rx8 turnover without the spark plugs?
Growing up in Ontario I've always seen those paintings or designs on barns and workshops while driving out in the country. Do you mind explaining their significance?
The quilt block? Off hand I have no idea other than liking the look of it. A quick Google on the history and I learned something new "Originally barns were not painted but had pieces of artwork hung on them to identify the owner and location"
I find that you have to really "want" it. You have to want the problems, the projects, the learning that comes with it, you have to want to spend the money to keep it going. I'm someone that looks forward to doing things with my hands. I'm ALWAYS looking on fb market for a good deal on these, being in Colorado they are way over priced in todays market. One with 120,000 on the clock is not worth the 4-6k people are asking. They just aren't. And someday I will have one and the first list of mods on my list are all life support. Cooling, ignition, e85 conversion (helps with essentially eliminating carbon build up), SOHN adaptor.. Just treat it like a two stroke dirt bike and it will be a happy car. Rev the piss out of it, and always make sure its getting the oil it needs.
I modded/tuned a R53 MINI Cooper S and R55 Clubman S, both extremely unreliable cars many people buy without thinking twice, and honestly I should have given the RX8 a shot. It makes more power in stock form and is probably more reliable than most crap made by BMW/MINI - coming from someone who has owned R53 S, R55 S, F56 JCW, F60 S, a F32 (435xi N55), and currently a Stage 1+ E90 (335xi N54).
Premixing is monumental stupid and only causes further damage to a healthy engine, chances are your engine is already damaged and has low compression. Don't waste your money pouring the wrong oil down the wrong filler hole and save your money for a better car!.
I went to test drive one at a mazda dealer just cause it was down the street. Battery was dead and the sales man told me he liked vipers🤣 was a series 1 auto with 23000 ran mint once it was jumped🤣
Would this be a good car if i want to learn how to work on my own car. While being something thats still fun to drive.?? I hear there very unreliable after so many miles. All i can find is 160k miles
Exactly what I did with my RX8. Bought it at 72,000. Rebuilt around 87,000 (just because I was curious of the condition and how the engine works). Rebuilt it myself, fresh seals, runs perfectly. I have never done a compression test, probably wont ever. But it is such a smooth reliable car. (Broke down once because my coils failed. When I broke down I was actually on my way home to replace coils that were already waiting to be installed....)
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mine broke off the head of the spark plug and now it lost all compression on front rotor.... the car is all about luck.... mine was unlucky (spark plugs oem ngk)
@@perfectmazda3538 I wonder if the spark plug lost the washer that comes on them. Bc that few millimeters would cause the spark plug to interfere with the rotor
@@bas1C_tv_ nah it was all there, the washer i mean... i dunno what happened, just unlucky situation, anyway now i'm under selling it since i don't have money for another 5000euro, since i changed the motor just 2 years ago...
You dissasembly engine and put new apex seals? No tolerances? Just put new pieces and run?
Help in diagnosing any RX8 issues:
Starting the Engine
• Starter
• Battery
• Engine Compression
• Grounding Wires
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
Generating Power at Full Throttle
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Air Filter
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)
Keeping the Engine at a Cruise
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)
Keeping the Engine at an Idle
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)
• Intake Vaccum
Managing Engine Heat
• Radiator
• Thermostat
• Radiator fans
• Water Pump
• Coolant Lines
• Coolant Temp Sensor (ECT)
• Oil Coolers
• Oil Cooler Lines
Managing Exhaust Emissions
• Catalytic Converter
• Air Injection Pump
• Front O2 sensor
• Rear O2 sensor
• Coolant Temp Sensor (ECT)
Changing Gears
• Clutch Pedal Assembly
• Clutch Master Cylinder
• Clutch Slave Cylinder
• Clutch Fork
• Release Bearing (Throwout Bearing, Release Collar)
• Clutch Pressure Plate
• Clutch Disc
• Flywheel
• Pilot Bearing
• Transmission Shifter
• Transmission Syncros
Bringing the Car to a Stop
• Brake Pedal Assembly
• Brake Master Cylinder
• Brake Power Booster
• ABS Junction Block
• Brake Lines
• Brake Fluid
• Brake Calipers
• Brake Pads
• Brake Rotors
Providing Electrical Power
• Battery
• Alternator
• Grounding Cables
Damn dude props
Dont waste your time,,, just buy a better car.
@@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerkeWhy are you even here dude go home and enjoy your suv
@@Leo9ine SUVs are for soccer moms... and the RX8 is for male hairdressers.
@@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerkelol a male hair dresser is called a barber…
I own a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 (only 1000 made like this in the world) . I bought it new in 2008 and now it is insured as a Classic Car for 150% of what I bought it for new in 2008, full value, no depreciation. I have owned seven rotary Mazdas since the 70's; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of the RX7 with two of those RX7 modified by Racing Beat for the track. I easily have over a million rotary miles on street and track . Yes I have upgraded and improved my RX8, cooling modifications with Koyo-Rad radiator, Pettit Racing closed system, Racing Beat hoses, low temp thermostat, oil cooler low temp thermostats , low temp fan control, upgraded water pump, ; Mazdaspeed CAI, high performance BHR ignition coils and wires, upgraded starter, performance Cat and mid-pipe from Rotary Performance, BHR clutch pedal assembly, Series Two fuel pump upgrade, new clutch and engine (from Mazda warranty, no cost to me), new engine mounts, and a few other things. I also upgraded to Conti Contact DWS06+ tires. I will be keeping my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 forever. Wish I could have kept them all. Nothing drives like a rotary. FYI, I use 5W-30W non-synthetic oil and yes I pre-mix. Cheers and best to you.
What would you recommend for cold Minnesota winters for oil?
@@adrianrichards26 5W-20W Castrol Non-synthetic
Owned my rx8 for nearly 15 years, at one point used it for work as a regional bowling tech here in the UK, covering 1000 miles some weeks, the cars suffer a little more here due to the shorter journeys and stop start driving, mine has had rebuilt engines (my builder at one time was world renown and has been building rotaries of all makes since the 80s, Citroen, NSU, Mazda plus others)
I have never been left at the side of the road, I do all my own maintenance and modifications and have helped out others on the UK offenders forum.
These cars are easy to look after, but that doesn't mean cheap, cheap parts as you say are the quickest way to failure.
Who was the builder if you don't mind me asking as also UK based?
@@zorbcck my builder was Mick Hurley in Coventry West Midlands, offer builders in the UK are rotary revs, Ryan rotary and rotary motion to name a few
exactly. they are as easy as 4 cyl honda engines but require their specific diets and need as close to optimal conditions more so than a traditional engine imo. always quality parts
Keeping your RX8 maintained:
RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system and any original cat are really suspect and failure prone. They represents the biggest threat to your engine. Replace.
This is THE BEST RX8 video online. Im 45yrs old. I'v owned 2 RX7's back in the day. A RX8 7 years ago that was wrecked in a collision... Miss that car. Reason I found this video is.. My son picked up a 2004 RX8 with 60,000 original miles on it. Stored in a garage for a while. Original family 1 owner car. The woman was 68 years old. So... I needed a refresh course on the old RX8 and searched this video. Very informative! Loved it dude! Cheers
Pineapple racing has brand new engines from Mazda Japan not rebuilt brand new for around $6500
I love this channel with my whole heart. I have a friend just like you. Nobody explains this stuff so detailed and simple as you. Thank you!
RX-8 apex seals don't break on their own. Usually side seal spring breaks down from exhaust heat due to clogged cat caused by worn out coil packs. Side seal is sent inside and breaks the apex seal.
So, upgrade or replace OE coil packs every 25k miles, spark plugs every 10k.
what coil upgrades are out there. and my understanding is that they can break but dont most of them ware down till compression is too low?
@Maxst33le not MeisterR. Assembled in UK. Meets Euro specs. Wins Touring races in UK. Rode hard 3 years on my NC and was still handling well like new. Single piece bullet aluminum body. Light, strong, adjust from damper lower body. Mono tube and offers extra strength springs. Running them on my R3 for last 3 years
Thank you, RP - superb presentation. My previous RX-8 (2005, 231) developed hot start issues at 56,000 miles. Reading the previous owners' service schedules, most had run way beyond the recommended oil change intervals. In one instance, up to 10,000 miles. My current RX-R3 (2010, 49,000 miles) has its oil changed at 2,000-3,000 miles and is redlined frequently. An absolute delight to drive, and never an issue to date. It also helps that Mazda uprated the oil injectors and starter motor on the R3. Mazda RX-8 - nothing to touch it (except, of course, an RX-7). PS: Only about 390 RX-8 R3 still alive here in the United Kingdom.
Upgrade or replace OE coil packs at 30k miles. I used BHR. I have used OE coils with 2k miles if you want.
Worn coils cause clogged cat due to unburnt fuel, kills the exhaust side seal spring, carbon chunk buildup on exhaust port shelf
insight on the RX8 spot on. Despite the unique maintenance and knowledge needed to maintain this car, it's such a FUN car to drive. even at ~ 20 years old.
I have had my rx8 for like 7 years. I have been through most of the problems you mentioned lol. The limp mode prolly hurt the most. Had a good friend help out though and got it solved. Omp went bad.
Hearing your RX8 makes me feel way better about my S2. Cold starts are maybe one full rotation of the rotors before firing right now and touch the key to start when warm. We'll see how that goes this winter as it gets colder.
I didn't have it compression tested when I bought it, but it came from a family that had owned rotary engine cars since the 70s that did regular maintenance on all of them.
I should make a video compilation of cold and hot starting all my friends rx8s. Give us all an ego boost haha
dude my S2 has long cold starts too 😳I'm about to replace the starter. I've replaced from the battery to the starter in ignition systems and upgrades. Found an interesting sentence in the S2 owners manual that says "Do not use either synthetic or semisynthetic motor oil. Otherwise engine starting performance could worsen." and wondering if my mineral-based synthetic blend could have something to do with it or wondering if it is talking about high mileage carbon build-up from using synthetics 🤷♂I run 10W-40 and was comparing it to my friends using 5W-20....what oil weight you using?
I use 20W50 Renewable lubricants oil now. Prior I was running VR1 20W50 Conventional
The OMP injecting synthetic oil is not ideal. The combustion chamber doesn't get hot enough to burn it off like a conventional
I made a hot start video of mine a few hundred miles after I bought it so I'd have a baseline to refer back to th-cam.com/video/LuRUaoK7QTc/w-d-xo.html
bought mine a year ago. all it neededwas a tune up and to change, pretty much,every single type of fluid. dropped the cat, slapped on a sohn adapter, and threw in some working temp gauges. bought to drift it (dont listen to peeps that say dont do that if you just want some seat time) . first event was a couple weeks ago and its completely capable. needs some cooling mods for now and gotta fix the rear sway bar. the factory studs tend to shear. compression is a bit below 90 psi so i plan to try out my first rebuild too. that's the story so far. love the car. cant decide if i wanna make it full track anymore though. it just nice to drive. 160k on the tach and for the most part youd never know it.
What about coil packs? Worn coil at 30k is the cause of renesis death
@@Soravia part of the tune up. went the easy route and replaced em with bhr's. My problem was actually the maf sensor at the time. I've added a catch can also. I did put a cold air intake on it but it was only because I tore the accordion taking the air box out and that piece alone was like 275 dollars. At the time aem was 300 so yeah.
I love that there still are new videos popping up about this car, I'm curious whether the prices will start climbing because of this, as they have with other fun cars that the internet started focusing on. Right now they are an incredible deal for what you can get them for, Especially out of the US where you can't easily find fun RWD cars for cheap
Looking into getting my second RX8! first one I had went 130k miles with original engine ( lost it in a flood) anyhow love your content and you’ve made me feel really good about pulling the trigger on my second !
Every time I watch your vids bro I learn something and I love how much you enjoy this car. It's very niche but so neat. They're misunderstood and were tainted by trying to make them a civic alternative to the consumer. It's a great weekend good weather car and should have been sold as such. This car is no worse in reliability than an STI so I don't know why people hate.
Great content. At this point in the RX-8's lifespan there are a lot of new rotory owners because the FD and FC are expensive to most. We have 2 RX-8's and 2 FD's between my wife and I so we kind of know the importance of what you explained to everyone. I am glad that you were able to clear up almost everything new owners will ask. Keep up the good work.
Damn bro life goals right there
The couple that Braps together stays together evidently
Great video with no nonsense advice. I bought a fairly cheap one upgraded the suspension, tyres, clutch and brake pads and it has now had many fun track sessions. Actually have one at Phillip Island Australia on Wednesday. I also ended getting rid of the cat too as with a heavy dose of premix and high track RPMs it just killed it.
im impressed and mad that you did that intro, bro risking sliding on gravel
Hello Rad Ranch! Love the video and always love the content. Best RX8’s out there, based on my experience paired with my friends’s experiences, is the Series 2’s. They feature higher oil pressure (they also moved the oil filter location to front cover, oil comes out nice and burning all of your hand like a REW lol), higher volume water pumps, 3 oil injectors per housing, faster starters with 14 teeth upgrade, revised auxiliary ports, fixes for the power steering reliability, stiffer body, and overall seems like better build quality. With both series ,the Autos only have 1 oil cooler on passenger side. Series 1 manuals are 6-port and autos are 4 port. Series 2’s, both are 6-port, the autos lack the VFAD to raise the RPMS to 9K, along with different ECU tune. Overall I love the RX8 as my daily driver. They still didn’t fix the cracking passenger dash though…I will be putting a alcantara pad on it soon to match the steering-wheel cover so no worries there. Leather seats are really stiff, but trade off is they’re heated, great for someone with a back injury like me! Another fault affecting all RX8’s are the motor mounts that need replaced at 100K, it’ll vibrate a lot at idle in gear, and will start shaking the drivers mirror.
The vfad does not raise the revs to 9k this is obtained with the apv(auxiliary port valve, this comes into effect at around 6.5k)
The series 1 benefits from the ability to feed the omp with clean oil(no one has achieved this on a series 2 engine, certainly not on a commercial scale)
The series 2 does benefit from some upgrades however the series 1 benefits from aftermarket parts being more readily available and also special editions. Here in the UK for instance we got the PZ (developed by pro-drive) that has far superior suspension(UK only got sport suspension on the series 1 or PZ suspension, although I believe the 40th anniversary did get a series 2 style setup)
Series 1 5 speed manuals are 4 port. Type S = 6 speed/port
I just bought my second RX& - An 04 yellow GT with 19850 original miles on it. It feels like a new car in every way. My other is an 05 black sport and I am keeping it despite the rust because it has given me 50k reliable miles in just 2 years and I can't say goodbye to it. I've learned so much and done so much of my own work where in my 30 years behaind the wheel I had never done anything with a wrench. These are criminally underrated for being an oddball platform that requires some understanding and maintenance routines that other cars just don't. Anyway, good info, maybe a bit verbose and overwhelming for the person trying to ascertain whether to get one....but as an enthusiast I can vouch for everything you said being reasonable and accurate. Nice work keeping this great and increasingly rare engine platform alive and well.
Not at all! The RX8 is without any doubts the worst Japanese sedan ever made with the most unreliable engine of the 21st century, the RX8 was a 3 billion dollar failure that bankrupted the company and brought the end of the struggling RX brand.
Man you’ve always got some good info. Only thing was the manual swap portion. If you have an early 04 05 auto all you need is trans, clutch, flywheel, and pedals. Yes technically lower power but not a bad deal for some. Later years yeah you’ll need the PPF and driveshaft.
Currently own my moms old rebuilt 05 Shinka Auto and i manual swapped it last year. About 8k on it and zero issues, all the fun. Added bonus, it’s a 5 speed.
I owned one for about 8 years, it was and still is, the best car I've ever owned.
Mine was an s1, first rebuild at 180k kms.
The most fun car I have ever owned, I miss mine dearly.
Loved the renesis so much I decided to start buying parts for the NA Miata renesis swop… can’t wait to see how the upgrade works in almost half the weight ! Drove my rx8s for more than three years no issues besides one being totaled and the other I traded for a Miata … both dailies both had over 100k and one was rebuilt by Vargas ( sadly the totaled one) … but hands down I’d say the killer on these blocks are the clearancing and poor care of the car and not driving them properly and premix! Can’t stress that enough! Even if the manual says you don’t need to ! do half oz per gallon with a working omp! Much love from VA
Pretty good video! I'm familiar with some of the issues, like the crack on the passenger airbag, issue with the rear fender, had to replace the driver's sunshade and disconnected the coolant light (among others). I've bought my rx8 10 years ago in perfect condition, used it as a daily, already went through one rebuild, hope it will last some more as it's lots of fun to drive.
Excellent video, I just, purchased 1, knowing nothing about rotary engines, , you have answered many questions I had, thank you
A big thank you RAD! For all the fun and informative videos, last month I bought my first RX8. With the help of your videos I could judge if the car was worth to buy. Now driving with a flame spitting 8 trought the Netherlands! I enjoy every smile/gallon ;)
Great video! I’m about to buy a 2007 that is cranking but not firing. He said it drove awesome and then he was leaving for work one morning and it died and now won’t start. I think, after reading all the message boards I think it may be flooded. I have a video of me cranking it and it definitely cranks slower than yours. I know the battery isn’t doing hot right now either. All he tried was checked the fuses and he did pull the plugs. Said they were wet but not “bad”. I feel like I should change those anyway. Wish I could send you the video of it cranking. You’d probably know 😅
Original owner here. Bought mine 2007. It's mostly stock except for the catless RB exhaust system. Was a daily for many years until recently where it is a pleasure use alongside my Solstice GXP and 135i. Its original engine starts fast hot or cold. I perform normal routine maintenance with it and premix. It's quite easy to work on compared to my other past and present cars. Interior is still in mind condition except for a slight buzz on the passenger door speaker on cold damp days. The RX8 on this video is obviously abused and does sound tired. Starting sounded labored too. It should fire up within 1-2 sec.
It's too bad there are so many poorly maintained RX8 that gives it a bad rep or perhaps the good ones are secretly enjoyed by their owners. But this is an astonishingly fun car to drive.
purchased a 40th anniversary edition 2 months ago, only 74k km, didn’t do compression test, knew enough by just the hot start, which started up very quickly.
Same here! bought mine at 74k km, i was happy enough with the quick hot start considering it didn't have an overpowered starter, there wasn't any known historic as well. Now 85k km and no problem. I did put new coils and plugs after i bought it as a precautionnary measure though.
Hey Rad great video, I have 2 gen 1 RX8 and they were good until I sold them about 50k but I also changed my oil at 3k every time. My question is why do the first gen RX7,s last so much longer.I know people that had theirs for 160 to 180,000 miles. I had a first gen 1980 model and I never had starting problems ever . In fact I knew a guy with a gen 2 RX7 with 180k on it and it still going fine. What happened between the old rotaries and the new Renesis that they just don’t last as long ? Those older rotaries went a long long way.
SUPER under-rated car for the price! That won't last long, people will realize eventually that the last few years they were made they were gems
Luckily rebuilds in these rotaries are easy
Honestly the best video I’ve seen on what to look for buying these cars. You’re a gangster
underrated channel
Got a mazda rx8 with 157k miles on the original seals and everything, i premix it every fillup, and still runs like a dream 👍
04 rx8 original motor, 115k on it. (71,500 miles ). Motor pulls great. Only mods are aem intake, custom dual exhaust, hollowed out cat, and some tein springs to drop it.
Love driving my '05 Shinka. Great handling.
Hi! I am in zone of buying one it is a 2004 model with 84 K Km. I really loved the specific model. And I know that it will bit my rear end some time. I would love to see a video of yours rebuilding an engine! :)
Hey Rad, where are you? My dad has a 93 FD and im getting another 8 soon. In KY...
Fist car I ever bought with my own money was a base model 04 rx8 and one of the water jackets busted. Got a factory reman under warranty. Eventually got totalled in a parking lot by some crazy person driving way to fast. Saved up the insurance pay out and purchased a 05 GT that had just had the factory reman dropped in and hadn't even been broken in yet. I still daily drive it to this day.
132k miles
bhr midpipe
air pump delete
aem intake
Poly engine mounts
Mazdaspeed wing
Fortune auto coilovers
Sohn oil adapter
Bennett rez tank.
Next on the list is wheels and playing around with versatuner
I actually bought a 6 port auto. It came engine less so I threw a manny trans and engine, came with a key without a fob so I also got the ECU and key from a manny, the pedals and cylinders, driveshaff (already have the LSD) and PPF. It was so much cheaper to do so since it was super nice and low mileage (also uncracked dash) and cheap because of the auto. It was 100% worth it.
hey man thanks for the knowledge. i just bought an 04 rx8 and it runs and drives fine but once hot i cant turn it off or ill have to wait for it to cool down. so from what i got from this video is basically i need to rebuild it and put all new seals and springs on the rotors.thanks for the videos
There’s a new shop opening in California that specializes in rotaries. I believe they’re gonna cnc new rotors and housings
I've been looking for a RX8 around NC. The info is much appreciated!
I just dropped my series 2 off at rotary resurrection and it’s currently being rebuilt. The guy who runs it is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. I’ve also heard that Mazda remans have inconsistent quality in some cases not being put together as well as some rebuilders.
Rebuild cost ballpark?
@@13beeRx8 cost me 7k ish. But I got everything replaced
Sucker! Thats more than double what that POS car is worth!
I plan on buying an RX8 during summer hopefully, do you check Compression while the engine is cold or warm ? You mentioned that they make less compression while warm, so just wanna make sure
Did you get one? If so how'd it go?
@@penguinpurist1696 Hia, no, I ended up not getting one after a lot of financial thinking seeing as I am still a university student haha. I ended up getting a toyota celica 2zz instead.
@@zuzutm3391 probably for the best
Thanks for the video. I picking up my new RX8 tomorrow :o According to your dog, they are not good cars haha!! :D
Thank you very much for the explanation, was thinking to buy RX8 but hard to get a good mechanic in Malaysia if needs rebuild the engine
Good info but makes me wonder why you don't have the stuff you talked about .you don't have the ls coils, midpipe, stock airbox (which is the best air box) and a tune where the fans come on sooner, injects more premix (or even a sohn) and a tune for the upgraded ignition dwell( check out fatti motor works. He did my ecu. My rx-8 never goes over 191 even through a drive through. Stays between 180 and 190. A normal rx-8 will def hit the temps you hit and will hit 209 to 220 on daily driving. Or even the upgraded oil cooler thermostat. All that stuff should help the engine
I was just about to buy an auto to swap to manual. Is it that hard to do for an experienced shop? I’m thinking of K swapping it now after seeing this.
Nice one,
You miss some problems with crankshat bearing issue,gear box already fail to(synchro)and the electrical line of the engine may be cut some time(for me on the trottle)
mine works fine, rebuit it with new part(apex,spring,plates,housing)with a street port(at 90000Kms and now she got 110000),she got an extra ECU to run E85(in france 2€/L SP98 since 0.70€/L E85).
but since this problem, it's the most funny car i got !❤
That’s cool I didn’t realize all the manuals were “sport” and had different brakes and oil coolers. I just assumed they were all the same.
when bro said underdamped in the rear i fucking felt that lol, one time i went to pick up 3 family members and we stopped a block up cause the rears were tapping the tires the whole drive.
Watching this has made me reconsider buying an RX8. Maybe I will
My clutch pedal broke and I bought a reinforced one from BHR, 45k miles on the new pedal and still holding strong
What's up radd Daddy
A lot of useful info!!! I usually buy em around 100k fix get drivable and sell immediately before anymore problems arise 😂. But I sorta got that itch again. Thanks for the tips!!
Don't forget Brian out in New Mexico! The goat
Rotor Rehab. I haven't met him in person but I will at some point!
Not all of the 6sp 6ports came with dual oil coolers. Me and two of my friends have 2004-2005 models, all 6port, single oil coolers, I dunno if you guys in the US got that, and if so am jealous. The single cooler is not enough even on the street. Funnily enough in Australia, my Rx8 has zero dash cracks I have no idea how. Love your videos though, the single reason I bought an Rx8 was because of these videos. Mine now has 140k kms, just under 100 psi of compression and a suspected slightly cracked or worn apex seal since the rear rotor came back, high, low, low. Maybe that seal is stuck. She starts better than yours though lol, some black magic.
I Can't confirm the Dual oil coolers being USA only really. I know that all the rx8s I have seen and worked on have had 2 of them. Could probably run some nice premix and maybe some sea foam thru that engine. it could have some carbon causing an apex seal to stick a bit. Might be able to bring it back
@@RADPotential Strange, all the ones ive seen have been single coolers. And yeah I was thinking about running some sea foam or carbon cleaner and seeing if that helps. The car was premixed pretty much its whole life, or least what the previous owner told me. Could be why she starts so well and makes pretty good compression still. Though could have also contributed to carbon build up if that is the issue.
Oh well, I bought her for 5k AUD lol, planning on a rebuild myself if the housings are still in decent condition.
Good Score for 5k AUD. Its CRAZY how much rotary stuff sells for over there! Love that it pushes the builds to be much higher quality than over here
@@RADPotential Totally, people love the rotary over here. Lots of specialists too, and Mazda were talking about releasing the MX-30 with a 40hp rotary range extender just for the market here or something. Probably won't happen though. Least all of the RX cars here are kept in really good condition.
But yeah, pretty much every car meet has a few RXs around, car shows are dominated by them and there's a fair few rotary swapped cars too.
@@RADPotential until you do the conversion of the au to us. Not that much difference.
Hopefully this is edited soon, letting yall know i got my rx8
Your videos are such educational experiences!!!
Masterpiece Presentation
Funny enough I found your channel on an rx8 research quest as I'm considering 1 myself.
Just finding out all the issues as much as possible before I buy cause here in oz rx8s start at 10k (roughly 7k usd) that's a fair bit of coin to drop on a car u may have to rebuild the engine in.
Reason being is all the cool rotary's here are insanely expensive, I like rx3s n rx4s and familia 818 wagons but unfortunately u can't even get project starters for under 40k, already done up ones start at 90k which is absolutely rediculas but in saying that we probably have the biggest rotary community in the world, they're very popular in oz, prices are still rediculas lol
So because of that I'm considering the rx8s before they skyrocket.
Even considering dropping a 13bt ,rew or something in my old 89 Holden Commodore cause 1 I already own the car so basically it'll just be cost of engine and the conversion but even that's about a 15k operation plus a crap load of fab work to make it work in that chassis, cross member requires a lot of surgery as the front of the 13b will sit right on top it, it's been done before so that's how I know.
I'd prefer the 20b but they're 10k min.
Back on the rx8 and because of the popularity of rotary's here we're spoiled for choice on shops, there's around 20 shops around Australia that just do rotary's, I've got 5 here in Victoria I can go to and all have exemplary reputations within an hr of home so that in turn gives me confidence to buy an rx8 and advice like yours is extremely helpful too cause now I know what to expect going in, thanks man and keep the content coming 👍👌.
My Commodore currently is a turbo buick v6 that I'll be firing this weekend after a 2 yr build ,hoping for 400bhp 🤞 just not overly happy with it which why I'm considering a rotor swap lol
Also if u wanna check out the rotary Commodore I mentioned head over to yt channel low standards, dude drops a pp 10a ex race engine in it which blows up and he replaces it with a 13b bp lol it's hilarious and I think you'd enjoy it 👍
Also apologies for the long comment.
Renesis is superior in every way to previous models. BUT OE coil packs are not strong enough for high Rev duty and wear outstanding 30k miles, clogged cat, heat builds up, kill the tiny side port exhaust seal spring, throw exhaust seal to chamber and break apex in process.
Get 2009-11 series 2 upgraded engine. Tune for flex fuel, to reduce carbon, if you rebuild, port down exhaust port shelf to prevent carbon chunk buildup
@@Soravia thanks for the tips but yeah they're not superior to the previous gen 13bs sorry there just not, u can't even turbo them cause it creates too much heat in the exhaust and cooks the corner seals n in turn the apex seals and rotors.
From the research I've done if going Turbo it's recommended to do a hybrid, u either drill put the housing to create the old style pp exhaust port or use rew housings and fill in the exhaust ports in the irons.
They're good engines apart from the exhaust ports, like everyone that builds serious rotors these days use rx8 rotors n e shafts, the rotors have higher comp than previous gens.
I have the auto,and it's a great car...yes,less power and don't Rev as much,but I do t see any other "negatives" you could say about auto
You should have hit me up for this video. I'd have loaned my 2009 GT for S1 to S2 comparison. And so the community could ooh and aah over its 13k mile unicornness. :)
Great Video!! Thank you! I'm looking to get an RX8.
Is there a piston engine to replace it with, in case I have issues?
I have over a million rotary miles on street and track since the 70"s with seven rotary cars; one RX3, two RX4, all three generations of RX7 with two of them Race-Modified by Racing Beat, and one 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 . In my vast rotary experiences over five decades, a rotary specific compression is STILL BEST to know the condition of each face of each rotor. You really can't know that without that compression test. You are just doing educated guessing any other way, sorry. Just the facts. Cheers
L2Continuity bro. ALso, thanks man! good video, Been thinking about grabbing one before they start being prime for swaps! (I'd love to see one with a flat 6 twin turbo ^^) stuck between getting another 83' big boy, or one of these, I need more room so I'm leaning here. 1st gens are just a bit too small for my 6'1" 200lbs :\ as a daily...Gen 2..fk those prices, so here I am.
What.. we brothers.. I have all my lights on my rx8 dashboard too 😅.. thanks for the power stearin tip I need to fix that
Great video, thanks
Thank you BFF or the detailed info. I have been deciding between the nab mx5, Toyota Runx (like the matrix but has the body shape of the Pontiac Vibe) and the rx8. Even with all the issues the rx8 may have, I still gravitate towards it. Plus I’m a masochist, so there is that lol.
Is there any place I can hear a healthy rx8 turnover without the spark plugs?
My 2010 never had the dash crack.
Growing up in Ontario I've always seen those paintings or designs on barns and workshops while driving out in the country. Do you mind explaining their significance?
The quilt block? Off hand I have no idea other than liking the look of it. A quick Google on the history and I learned something new
"Originally barns were not painted but had pieces of artwork hung on them to identify the owner and location"
I find that you have to really "want" it. You have to want the problems, the projects, the learning that comes with it, you have to want to spend the money to keep it going. I'm someone that looks forward to doing things with my hands. I'm ALWAYS looking on fb market for a good deal on these, being in Colorado they are way over priced in todays market. One with 120,000 on the clock is not worth the 4-6k people are asking. They just aren't. And someday I will have one and the first list of mods on my list are all life support. Cooling, ignition, e85 conversion (helps with essentially eliminating carbon build up), SOHN adaptor.. Just treat it like a two stroke dirt bike and it will be a happy car. Rev the piss out of it, and always make sure its getting the oil it needs.
Fantastic video, thank you for making this.
Disconnect the coolant level sensor plug and the light will go away
I modded/tuned a R53 MINI Cooper S and R55 Clubman S, both extremely unreliable cars many people buy without thinking twice, and honestly I should have given the RX8 a shot. It makes more power in stock form and is probably more reliable than most crap made by BMW/MINI - coming from someone who has owned R53 S, R55 S, F56 JCW, F60 S, a F32 (435xi N55), and currently a Stage 1+ E90 (335xi N54).
U didn't mention about adding oil in the gas or what u recommended for that? I was wondering what ur opinion is on that
Premixing is monumental stupid and only causes further damage to a healthy engine, chances are your engine is already damaged and has low compression. Don't waste your money pouring the wrong oil down the wrong filler hole and save your money for a better car!.
bro that was most detailed video about Rx8
I went to test drive one at a mazda dealer just cause it was down the street. Battery was dead and the sales man told me he liked vipers🤣 was a series 1 auto with 23000 ran mint once it was jumped🤣
33:03 doggo would deff drive an rx8
hi rad nice viedo what year model rx8 have a 13b
What’s the brand name of the red 6-point strut tower? Thank you! Currently looking for my 3rd RX8… preferably another R3 :)
its an autoexe brace
What if there is blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and it’s a fresh ish rebuilt car
How bad do you want it, cause in my eyes it's a great car for a ls or 2j swap hell maybe even a 4g63. Still will be a lot of work
Would this be a good car if i want to learn how to work on my own car. While being something thats still fun to drive.?? I hear there very unreliable after so many miles. All i can find is 160k miles
How can I get in contact with you guys??? Have some RX7 questions.
2004 rx8 owner here, dash still hasn't cracked. I'm I just one of the lucky ones?
Never put in synthetic engine oil.
i just bought a 2006 with 251k and the compression is coming out through the coolant res.
any advice? The car itself is in great condition.
Kind of a nitpick but the rx8 never came with a 13b, they came with the renesis
Looking to buy an 05 RX8 it goes for 9,500 but it has 51k original miles is it worth it?
Im confused. My 2009 auto revs to 8500 rpms. I wanted a manual but long story
So there are no more brandnew rotaries?
Production ceased June 21st 2012 and the factory was demolished in 2013.
Thank you for this video …
How does one slow the water pump down for track days?
Pulley
Hey how about 256k miles on an '04?
Original engine without rebuilt? Max i have heard is around 235k miles.
what is the diffrence between a rx7 engine and a series one rx8 engine
Nothing, they are both unreliable piles of junk.!
I must be lucky because mine starts cold/hot in 1-2 sec 😊