Apex Seals

[Rotary06]

I have a 2006 RX8 with 44,000 miles on it. I take great care of the car and have it serviced on a regular basis. No one at the dealership has been able to answer my question. "What is the life span of the Apex seals"? I'm still paying on my car and I hate to think that once I have it paid off, I'll have to replace the motor which I hear is another $6,000.00. I don't race the car but I have been told to rev it at least once a week to burn off the carbon build-up. Can someone please give me some advise on how to properly take care of my Rotary engine?
Thanks! :-)
Douglas

[djmtsu]

They should last a long damn time. When I sold my RX-8, it had 160,000 miles on a reman engine. Compression was still great.

Also, $6000 is a major rip off. You can get a reman from Mazda for less than $2k if you know who to talk to. That is just for the short block, but that is all you would need.

Well, that and some beer and a friend to help.

[Rotary06]

Thanks for your response! That's great news! When the dealership said $6,000.00 for an engine should I ever need one, I just about dropped a load!!!! That's a lot of money for such a small engine rotary or not! Thanks again!

[willnordacgreen1211]

maintain good oil levels. let her warm up before driving and once or twice a week.... drive it like you stole it. itll last a long time that way



sry officer i had to go 140 or my motor would blow! lol

[Nutsid]

People complain about rotaries a lot, but a properly maintained rotary will last you a while. It takes more involvement to keep up with the maintenance, but I find that to be part of enjoying the car more honestly. Proper oil levels. Making sure it doesn't over heat. Don't beat on it when it is cold if you must drive it when it is cold. Drive it hard to break loose carbon build up (I'd go even further and say once every time you drive it for any significant period of time but maybe that is just due to me wanting an excuse. )

It is just basic and simple care, it is just more of it than your standard engine in today's society.

[Rotary06]

Thank you everyone for your helpful information. I don't always trust what the Dealership tells me because they need to make money and they've made plenty off of me. I would rather find out from individuals with Rotary experience. Thanks Again :-)

[Sephitrask]

Originally Posted by Rotary06

I have a 2006 RX8 with 44,000 miles on it. I take great care of the car and have it serviced on a regular basis. No one at the dealership has been able to answer my question. "What is the life span of the Apex seals"? I'm still paying on my car and I hate to think that once I have it paid off, I'll have to replace the motor which I hear is another $6,000.00. I don't race the car but I have been told to rev it at least once a week to burn off the carbon build-up. Can someone please give me some advise on how to properly take care of my Rotary engine?
Thanks! :-)
Douglas

Something that cannot be stressed enough is the "taking care of" with this car. As several people have already mentioned, this car REQUIRES a good beating regularly. The #1 cause of failures of the early rx8's were automatics, and it was from them being "babied", people using them for daily drivers, letting the car shift before 4000rpm. What basically happened was that since the engine was not revved up high enough to burn off the carbon that resulted from the combusted oil it built up on the rotor and side seals, killing compression. The only thing the rotor is good for at that point is a boat anchor .

I have seen countless threads were people have done this to their cars, thinking that "babying" the car was helping it, when they were in fact giving it a slow death. Let it properly heat up to operating temperatures EVERY TIME you drive, checking oil levels first, then drive it like you stole it and have the entire police force behind you. Remember, this car revs to 9000 rpm; if Mazda wanted you to shift at 7000 they would have stopped it there lol.

This was my main selling point for the car. "what? The manufacturer says that I have to beat on it for proper engine health?? SOLD!!!" ROTFLMAO!

[fc3sfreak415]

btw if anyone is looking for rx8 engines 6,000 is a rip off ive got 2 engines one with 42,000k and the other with 55,000k for $1700 and one year warranty just give me a call 978-534-0477 ext 305 my name is luis

[vex]

Here are two threads which may help you in understanding how long Apex seals "last"

http://www.rotarycarclub.com/rotary_...ead.php?t=9290
http://www.rotarycarclub.com/rotary_...ead.php?t=7344