Oops. 25k miles on oil on Mazda RX-8.

[Spyder7]

25k fuel saturated oil - I wouldn't toss it too quickly as you might find a volunteer here who is hardcore (or curious) enough to do the UOA for you (StevieC would fit that mold, were he still around).

-Spyder

 

[rationull]

I'd chip in via paypal or something.

 

[kbohip72]

Today I finally got a chance to change the oil in the poor little RX8. The oil itself was almost pure black, like that out of a diesel engine. I can't say I'm surprised by that though because of all the miles on it. I know some of you wanted to see the inside of the filter so here it is:

I honestly don't know if this is bad or not as this is the first filter I've ever bothered to open. It does look VERY black and dirty though.

Something else I found out as well about this engine's oil capacity today. A complete drain and refill with the tiny oil filter is 3.7 quarts. Then I read that the difference between the L and H on the dipstick is actually 1.8 US quarts. So in other words when this car is reading low on the dipstick it's REALLY low! As in maybe 2 quarts total, and that doesn't include what's in the filter.

Sometimes my sister forgets to add oil until the low oil light comes on. When I picked the car up today from her the low oil level light was not coming on even though when I checked the level on the dipstick it was right at the L or in other words had about 2 quarts tops in the oil pan. Needless to say when I pulled the drain bolt I had a very short wait!

 

[Pesca]

Originally Posted By: kbohip72
Something else I found out as well about this engine's oil capacity today. A complete drain and refill with the tiny oil filter is 3.7 quarts. Then I read that the difference between the L and H on the dipstick is actually 1.8 US quarts. So in other words when this car is reading low on the dipstick it's REALLY low! As in maybe 2 quarts total, and that doesn't include what's in the filter.

Sometimes my sister forgets to add oil until the low oil light comes on. When I picked the car up today from her the low oil level light was not coming on even though when I checked the level on the dipstick it was right at the L or in other words had about 2 quarts tops in the oil pan. Needless to say when I pulled the drain bolt I had a very short wait!


It is weird engineering to conceive an engine which is known to use some oil during its whole life with a so small sump.

Maybe rotary engines can survive longer than conventional engines with no oil, I don't know.

Is there a way to increase the sump, by adding a complementary sump? Someone here, in this thread, was talking about that, it would be nice if he could give more information about that.

 

[f2racer]

Rotary engines are really hard on the engine oil. This is why most rotary enthusiasts keep their OCI on the short side (
Did your sister do harm to her engine? Does her car still run well? Does the coolant level drop after even short drives? Is there a plume of white smoke everytime she starts the car? These are the tell-tail signs that not everything is right with a rotary engine.

Although not related to the oil, has your sister kept up with the other maintenance on her car? Rotaries are also hard on other components such as coolant and spark plugs.

Hope this helps!

 

[BRODA]

FYI.. A manual transmission RX8 holds just over 7 qts of engine oil including two oil coolers. An automatic transmission model holds slightly less with only a single oil cooler.

 

[gomes512]

This is the auto trans?

If so, total oil capacity is actually 6.1 quarts.

3.7 quarts is how much drains out during an oil change. The rest is stuck in the plumbing for the oil coolers.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Yep, it takes two sequential changes to do anything.

 

[steve20]

write it on YOUR calendar or send yourself an email to be delivered in 3 months, to change it again before the Winter really sets in

 

[sunfire]

Is that a Motorcraft filter? Not too bad for 25K+.

 

[f2racer]

Originally Posted By: BRODA
FYI.. A manual transmission RX8 holds just over 7 qts of engine oil including two oil coolers. An automatic transmission model holds slightly less with only a single oil cooler.


3rd gen RX-7s (1993-1995) are very similar except the Base/Touring models had one oil cooler while the R1/R2 have two. I've noticed that if I change the oil with the car's front about a foot up on ramps, gravity seems to allow at least some of the oil stuck in the cooler to flow out (based on how much oil I need to add in order to get the oil level back to full on the dipstick). I know some owners drain the cooler(s), but I've never done it.

 

[cryption]

Seems like the RX-8 is just a PITA to maintain.

 

[kbohip72]

Originally Posted By: f2racer

Did your sister do harm to her engine? Does her car still run well? Does the coolant level drop after even short drives? Is there a plume of white smoke everytime she starts the car? These are the tell-tail signs that not everything is right with a rotary engine.

Although not related to the oil, has your sister kept up with the other maintenance on her car? Rotaries are also hard on other components such as coolant and spark plugs.

Hope this helps!


I asked her last night whether or not she had changed the coolant yet. She hasn't. It's the original fill from August 2003. I know the spark plugs have been changed out by the dealer though only because when the engine floods, the dealer's way of fixing getting the car started again is to put in brand new Iridium (Rotary engine only no less) spark plugs. That set her back over $200.00. That's right, Mazda makes a car that floods if you don't run it for a few minutes after starting it, then they have their dealers "fix it" by installing new super expensive Iridium spark plugs.

Personally, I think the RX8's are some of the biggest pos's on the road today. She's always had all sorts of mechanical issues and the interior is literally falling apart. To top it all off the performance of this car is poor at best. 238 hp and she gets maybe 18 mpg. Hard starting in cold weather and the oil turns white in very cold weather but according to the dealer that's normal as well. There's a big reason why rotaries never caught on.

 

[kbohip72]

Originally Posted By: sunfire
Is that a Motorcraft filter? Not too bad for 25K+.


It was a Bosch oil filter.

 

[addyguy]

What oil did you fill it with?

 

[kbohip72]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
What oil did you fill it with?


She bought regular Valvoline 5W-20 and a Purolator Pure 1 filter. If it were my car I'd be doing another oil change in maybe 1-2k miles in an attempt to flush it. I ran the car around the block after the oil change and by then the dipstick already looked like the 3,500 mile old oil in my car!

 

[sunfire]

Her punishment should be to read the owners manual. And there will be a quiz after.

 

[5sfe91]

Originally Posted By: kbohip72

So thats what 25k looks like, and being a Bosch didn't hurt either

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: kbohip72
Originally Posted By: addyguy
What oil did you fill it with?


She bought regular Valvoline 5W-20 and a Purolator Pure 1 filter. If it were my car I'd be doing another oil change in maybe 1-2k miles in an attempt to flush it. I ran the car around the block after the oil change and by then the dipstick already looked like the 3,500 mile old oil in my car!



You need another oil change, all your old oil is stuck in the coolers and lines still. Only some of it drains from the plug during the 1st oil change.

 

[f2racer]

Originally Posted By: kbohip72

That's right, Mazda makes a car that floods if you don't run it for a few minutes after starting it, then they have their dealers "fix it" by installing new super expensive Iridium spark plugs.


I know this was a problem with very early model RX-7s, but thought that it has been fixed for a long time. I've never flooded my 93 RX-7 in spite of the fact there have been plenty of times I've run the car for well under a minute just to get it out of the driveway (3 cars + 1 row driveway).

Originally Posted By: kbohip72

Hard starting in cold weather and the oil turns white in very cold weather but according to the dealer that's normal as well.


Is that white oil on the underside of the oil filler cap? Have you checked to see if there is any oil in the coolant? How much white smoke occurs after you startup bone cold?