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Mazda to recall every RX8 ever made

6K views 30 replies 20 participants last post by  Robotech 
#1 · (Edited)
#2 ·
The revolutionary rotary engine gets like 15 MPG.

Truly revolutionary.

Sky Performance + Rolls Royce Miles Per Gallon.
 
#5 ·
As Larry the Cable Guy says, "I don't care who ya are, that there is funny."
 
#6 ·
Well, when ya burn through 4 1/2 quarts of oil in 12,000 miles, and the Mazda dealer tells you either "you're crazy" or "that's normal for a rotary..."


...ya gotta know SOMETHING isn't right.

(a friend's RX-8, this happened to. They thought it odd when the "low oil light" came on :eek: .... turns out it REALLY was low...)
 
#7 ·
What I find interesting is that the problem is that the oil is interfering with the catalytic converter. Did I read that right? So the engine is fine, but the government-mandated emissions gizmo gets whacked by oil blowing through the engine...

Don't cars burn a lot cleaner now than they did in the '70s when they were introduced? Isn't there some other technology available? Why do we still look at the Catalytic Converter as the savior of the green planet after more than three decades?
 
#8 ·
They DO burn cleaner, but the requirements have gotten more strict too. A clean car (meaning that the majority of stuff coming out of the tailpipe is CO2, N2, and H20) REQUIRES a cat. converter to get there.

Even the cleanest of the cleanest engines still have partially or unburnt hydrocarbons, and produce SOME level of Nitrous Oxides, which require a Catalytic Converter to help convert them to N2 and the hydrocarbons to complete the combustion cycle.

THEN, this is only when the fuel delivery is set to maximum cleanliness - but that is NOT the best setting for optimum torque and power. The instant you alter an engine to power enrichment (about 12.2:1 ratio) a higher level of unburnt hydrocarbons and NOx is produced, and there's no way around it.

The largest gains in emissions came with the ability to deliver fuel with more precision, and that is STILL the area for best chances of improving emissions. In the 70's, fuel injection was exotic, now there are no carbureted cars being built - because you can't really get a carbureted engine to perform at the emissions level of even the roughest throttle-body injected engines. The next step in fuel delivery is direct injection, which has the promise of higher gains in emissions and more power from a smaller package by allowing more lattitude in spark optimization....

Unfortunately, catalytic converters are here to stay.
 
#9 ·
Well, I sure am glad I don't own one of these puppies--The article also states plant in NC that will "rebuild" the returned engines--In other words, when you get an engine replaced it will be a "rebuilt engine" not a new one--Does not sound promising. If they rebuilt with the same junk won't it crap out again or do the same thing--Mazda needs to now switch to a 4-banger and can the wreckel--:lol:
 
#15 ·
The Protege had a Ford engine I thought? The rotary is an ENTIRELY different animal. By design the rotary uses oil...it's just not supposed to use THIS much. I've had a few friends go through rotaries, now one of them has a V8 under the hood and another is on his 3rd engine in 40k miles :lol: The price you pay to go fast with an RX7 I guess.
 
#16 ·
Hi, former 1st (FB) Gen and 3rd (FD) Gen "Rex" owner here.

Those motors are NOT that bad, they just require a LOT of upkeep.......and oil lol - you have to be anal to keep a rotary.

Ironicly, the newer they got.......the LESS dependable they got - FB, FC, FD, SE they got less and less dependable - save for the series 7 and 8 FD RX-7's that were released in Japan from '99 - '02 those were the BEST they ever made.

My FB (1st Gen) was bought for a whopping $200 and she had 96K on her, it was sitting for about 5 or 6 months so I had to give it some "TLC" meaning I had to fill the motor with ATF to get to Apex Seals going again, etc she was a fun little ride.......for only $200 lol

My FD (3rd Gen) was bought for 7K and she had 97K on her, it was owned by an older asian gent who wanted to sell it for a nice DP on a RX-8 Shinka this thing was BEAUTIFUL it had NOTHING but dealer installed Mazdaspeed COOLING parts (oils cooler, diff cooler, etc) the only Speed Mods were a boost controller and CAI + Pipes all Mazdaspeed stuff and also strut bars, etc. this thing was done right and it was driven about once a month I guess and had NO SIGNS of failure anytime soon even had the OG sticker and ALL recipets.......god what I would give to get 5 min. alone with the drunk that hit me :brentil:
 
#17 · (Edited)
no doubt those cars are FAST when tuned. There is also a yellow fully caged one that tears up our local autox course. My friend gave me a ride in his RX7 TT it was amazing how fast that car cornered and the brakes OMG. I remember coming up to an intersection I thought we were going to go straight and he turns the car 90 degrees and gasses it, that puppy STUCK. I have driven or rode in many nice cars, vettes, NSX, Bimmers, and NOTHING cornered like that car. Granted it wasn't stock though.

He wound up selling it becuase of all the up keep and got a Lexus IS300 (totalled after 1 month). I told him not to drive the IS300 like it was an RX7, didn't listen.

I think the imports aren't keeping up for once. The Miata isn't so great, the only "imports" I think get respect currently are the S2000, G35, and the 350Z.

From what I'm reading the Japaneese sports cars will be making a comeback when the new Supra, NSX, and Skyline hit the streets in a little over a year. Then the Celica, MR2, and RX7 will hopefully follow.
 
#18 ·
the supra, nsx, and skyline are all upper tier automobiles....$40K +

For that price, there's a lot of domestic competition that frankly outperforms it. Granted, not too many of the domestics can corner like some of the imports, but across the board, i believe the domestics in that price range have them beat. The foreign car makers are finally beginning to give american vehicles some well deserved credit.
 
#21 ·
1st and 2nd Gen Supras, yeah they are.

3rd Gens, they sorta are.......they have a lot of stuff that goes wrong but you can live with it and still drive for years.

4th Gen, I have yet to hear of one even thinking about giving up the ghost.......100K miles? - **** that's O.K., turn up the boost!!! :lol:
 
#23 ·
And GM can't make a reliable pushrod. :lol:


GM recalls trucks over engine fire concerns

Hoping to avoid its own version of the Ford truck fire fiasco (pictured), General Motors and the NHTSA are ordering the recall of 38,439 General Motors SUVs and pickups because of a potential fuel leak that could result in an engine compartment fire. GM is recalling the 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, 2004-2006 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500, 2006 Chevrolet Kodiak, 2004-2006 Chevrolet Silverado, 2004-2005 Chevrolet Suburban, 2006 Chevrolet Suburban 1500, 2004-2006 GMC Sierra, 2006 GMC Topkick 6500, and 2004-2006 GMC Yukon XL.
Filed in "General Motors, Chevrolet",

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/08/09/gm-recalls-trucks-over-engine-fire-concerns/
 
#31 · (Edited)
And GM can't make a reliable pushrod. :lol:
GM 3800 Pushrod V6 has been voted one of the 10 best engines in the last 100 years. Stock blocks are running 9s in the quarter. Without modification these engines have ran well over 200,000 miles with standard maintainence. Cruize set on 70 getting an average of 28 MPG is not unheard of. The engine has been around and only slightly modified since the 1960s. In addition the engine will not die. Due to my own mistake I chipped a piston in my Grand Prix (3800 S/Ced). I changed the plug and the car motored on. I chipped it again after a different modification caused a major tunning issue and this time the debris hung a valve open in the head. Car still drove 30 miles and got me where I needed to go. So far I have only been left on the side of the road once (broken axle which probably had come out of a damaged car and was cracked when I got it) which is far less than I can say about some of the import cars I've owned.

Yes, MX-5 sales are up...after a year of production issues that resulted in a very low production model year.

Yes, GM is hurting as is every major domestic auto manufacturer becasue they have hung their hat on the SUV bandwagon and now that gas prices have gone through the roof SUV sales have plummeted. GM is attempting to rebirth itself and the Kappa line is just a beginning. Whether or not it works remains to be seen.

Reality is that each manufacturer is having it's own issues and own high points. You point to Mazda yet they've been in cahoots with Ford for a very long time. Both companies bring something to the table to make both product lines better.

Domestic vs import is so outdated these days it's not even funny. Welcome to the global ecconomy.

And this is nothing against imports...I've owned a pair of Honda's and my mother owns a LS400 which is very nice...but I bring this up to point out that Domestics have gotten a bad rap because of their former disposableness. This is certainly not true today.
 
#25 ·
^ ^ ^ HAHAHA!

you guys just got owned by the TRUTH.

Imports are always going to be a step ahead I don't care how fast your domestic is in the 1/4 mile.
Japanese cars, German cars, etc.,will always outperform, outLAST and outappreciate ANYTHING american.

Yes, the RX-8 rotary is a turd.

But don't be an azz and generalize that "imports are crap".

You guys should know better.
 
#27 ·
That sort of thing makes the 2 week hold on Redline production a bit easier to bear:)
 
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