RX-8s with rebuilt engines
Discussion
...I have been hankering after an RX-8 for years but worries about the engine always put me off, so I was wondering whether just buying one which has had a rebuild is the way to go?
two questions, 1) is there any indication how long these rebuilt engines last for? Does the rebuild remove any of the weaknesses which came from the factory engine?
2) Anyone any experience with the firm on Ebay, Rotorymotion from Calne Wilts, who sell RX-8s with rebuilt engines cheaply and with a guarantee. Looking at one just now on ebay for £2550 with a rebuilt engine and thinking that surely it wouldn't be a huge risk at that price and that recent after a new engine rebuild would it?!
two questions, 1) is there any indication how long these rebuilt engines last for? Does the rebuild remove any of the weaknesses which came from the factory engine?
2) Anyone any experience with the firm on Ebay, Rotorymotion from Calne Wilts, who sell RX-8s with rebuilt engines cheaply and with a guarantee. Looking at one just now on ebay for £2550 with a rebuilt engine and thinking that surely it wouldn't be a huge risk at that price and that recent after a new engine rebuild would it?!
Engine life? Bit of a gamble, but it really depends how you treat them. Hint: be kind but firm.
Coming from RX7 experience, but I don't imagine there's all that much difference:
1. Change every single bit of the cooling system that involves plastic for a metal alternative. The engine bay will get hot, the plastic will get brittle and crack, and without coolant your engine is proper toast.
2. Run a bit of 2-stroke oil in your fuel. I used to stick in ~150mL with every full tank. Some agree, some don't, but it's the way the engines are designed to operate: the OMP does this anyway, you're just giving a helping hand.
3. Ring its neck every time you drive it. I don't mean drive everywhere like a cock-end in 2nd gear at 9000rpm, just pick a time when you're cruising on a dual carriageway, clutch in and rev it until it beeps a few times. Helps burn off any deposits on the rotor housing that may otherwise cause issues with the apex seals.
4. Just suck up the fuel costs and drive it a lot. From my (albeit limited) experience it's the 1500 mile per year garage queens that have all the issues. I used my RX7 as a daily driver, probably 12k miles a year, and it never once let me down.
5. If you start the engine let it FULLY warm up before you switch it off again, even if you're just moving it off the drive. You risk flooding otherwise.
6. If you think it's flooded, hold the accelerator pedal to the floor and turn the ignition. There's a switch somewhere towards the end of the accelerator travel which cuts the ignition. The engine will turn on the starter motor and should push out any fuel sat in the engine. You will most likely have to leave it 10-15 minutes to let the plugs properly dry out as well, but the alternative is call a mobile mechanic who will charge £££ for roughly the same procedure.
Oh, and Rotarymotion appear to have a very good reputation. Well done on the find. I'm still looking for the same up in Scotland but nothing's caught my eye yet.
Coming from RX7 experience, but I don't imagine there's all that much difference:
1. Change every single bit of the cooling system that involves plastic for a metal alternative. The engine bay will get hot, the plastic will get brittle and crack, and without coolant your engine is proper toast.
2. Run a bit of 2-stroke oil in your fuel. I used to stick in ~150mL with every full tank. Some agree, some don't, but it's the way the engines are designed to operate: the OMP does this anyway, you're just giving a helping hand.
3. Ring its neck every time you drive it. I don't mean drive everywhere like a cock-end in 2nd gear at 9000rpm, just pick a time when you're cruising on a dual carriageway, clutch in and rev it until it beeps a few times. Helps burn off any deposits on the rotor housing that may otherwise cause issues with the apex seals.
4. Just suck up the fuel costs and drive it a lot. From my (albeit limited) experience it's the 1500 mile per year garage queens that have all the issues. I used my RX7 as a daily driver, probably 12k miles a year, and it never once let me down.
5. If you start the engine let it FULLY warm up before you switch it off again, even if you're just moving it off the drive. You risk flooding otherwise.
6. If you think it's flooded, hold the accelerator pedal to the floor and turn the ignition. There's a switch somewhere towards the end of the accelerator travel which cuts the ignition. The engine will turn on the starter motor and should push out any fuel sat in the engine. You will most likely have to leave it 10-15 minutes to let the plugs properly dry out as well, but the alternative is call a mobile mechanic who will charge £££ for roughly the same procedure.
Oh, and Rotarymotion appear to have a very good reputation. Well done on the find. I'm still looking for the same up in Scotland but nothing's caught my eye yet.
Thanks for these answers. The RX-8 has a poor reputation, but in terms of the capacity to ruin your wallet, I suspect its better than something like an early Boxster, which if the IMS bearing goes, will cost £6K for a rebuild.
Rotorymotion advertise rebuilt engines for under £2K, so you could buy a really cheap car with highish (80K) miles for, say £1.5K and then get a rebuilt engine if the existing one went, or buy one of their cars; the one I am looking at is only £2.5K on Ebay with a 2 year warranty on its engine and 44K miles under the wheels. At that price It really is a very cheap car compared with what else is out there for the same period....I was just interested to know what rep Rotary Motion have and how good their engines are....
Rotorymotion advertise rebuilt engines for under £2K, so you could buy a really cheap car with highish (80K) miles for, say £1.5K and then get a rebuilt engine if the existing one went, or buy one of their cars; the one I am looking at is only £2.5K on Ebay with a 2 year warranty on its engine and 44K miles under the wheels. At that price It really is a very cheap car compared with what else is out there for the same period....I was just interested to know what rep Rotary Motion have and how good their engines are....
I had a terrible experience with my RX8. Not necessarily the cars fault although the engines do have a limited lifespan. I gave it the best care during my ownership and still had problems. In addition to the good maintenance advice given above, a few things:
- Do not buy one that has been rebuilt using Atkins apex seals.
- Beware of blocked Cats, if the car feels sluggish above ~4k revs this could be a sign, also secondary air pump CEL's are an indicator. The Toyosport decat pipe is an easy driveway swap, this will prolong engine life as the car does dump a tonne of fuel into the cat on cold starts.
- Make sure you buy one with a compression test, and test again 3 months in to make sure it hasn't dropped significantly
- Do not buy one that has been rebuilt using Atkins apex seals.
- Beware of blocked Cats, if the car feels sluggish above ~4k revs this could be a sign, also secondary air pump CEL's are an indicator. The Toyosport decat pipe is an easy driveway swap, this will prolong engine life as the car does dump a tonne of fuel into the cat on cold starts.
- Make sure you buy one with a compression test, and test again 3 months in to make sure it hasn't dropped significantly
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