A follow up to "Help!!!"

[Fendamonky]

Originally Posted by JL1RX7

If you where to buy another car for 5ish grand you would be buying someone else's problem. You would need to put at least a grand into it for tires,clutch,brakes.

So getting it sent to Kevin Landers of Rotary Resurrection for a rebuild and refresh. You should be able to get all the work done and back to you for under the 5k.

After that you have relatively new car. New engine on top of all the other stuff you have replaced.

Once the motor is broken in and such all it will need is regular oil changes. Plugs and coils about 20 to 30k and it should give you years of trouble free driving.

Sometimes the animal you know is easier than learning a new one.

+1 to everything said here. I would opt for sending it out to a local shop (Rotary Resurrection) that will be able to go over the car, isolate the problem, and fix the problem BEFORE resorting to a new/rebuilt engine.

If the problem is not due to a blown engine, than swapping in a different/new keg will just cost more money while still having to deal with the old issues.

[Pete_89T2]

Originally Posted by Nicole

Hi everyone, several weeks ago I posted my first thread about the problems I have been having with my 2004 RX8. I received many replies and lot of help, and I was very grateful for that. There really is not much to update, as we still are trying to figure out if the car simply has electrical/coil issues or needs a new engine completely.

Who/what shop do you have sorting this out for you? How long have they been trying? Just curious, because figuring out if the engine is toast or not shouldn't take them too much time... a rotary-specific compression test done correctly with the right test equipment will quickly answer that. OTOH, if the engine is diagnosed as healthy (i.e., good compression & mechanically sound), then the troubleshooting of all the ancillary stuff (i.e., all the electrical & mechanical stuff that manages fuel & spark) will take some time and serious skills to sort out.

Originally Posted by Nicole

I would like some more opinions today. Simply put, my parents have volunteered to put a brand new engine into the car for me, which of course is extremely generous, or just buy me another car for $5000. This is all assuming, of course, the the final verdict is that I need a new engine.

What I would like to know - if this was your situation, would you go for installing a new engine or scrapping it and buying a different car?

So, in your opinion, if you were me in my situation, should I go for it and replace the engine or get rid of it for something more reliable (and boring!).

I'd say fix the RX8, on the basis of the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Buying a different $5K car is most likely going to result in buying someone else's high-mileage car problems.

Originally Posted by JL1RX7

If you where to buy another car for 5ish grand you would be buying someone else's problem. You would need to put at least a grand into it for tires,clutch,brakes.

So getting it sent to Kevin Landers of Rotary Resurrection for a rebuild and refresh. You should be able to get all the work done and back to you for under the 5k.

After that you have relatively new car. New engine on top of all the other stuff you have replaced.

Once the motor is broken in and such all it will need is regular oil changes. Plugs and coils about 20 to 30k and it should give you years of trouble free driving.

Sometimes the animal you know is easier than learning a new one.

^What he said. +1 on Kevin Landers/Rotary Resurrection; he's among the best budget rotary engine builders out there, although I'm not too sure if he's the go-to guy for troubleshooting difficult systematic problems, which you'll need to do anyway if the engine is found to be mechanically healthy. For that service, I'd recommend seeing Dave Barringer (sp?) at Speed1 in Lenhartsville, PA. Probably a non-starter for you due to the distance, but he's "DA MAN" for that sort of thing.

Originally Posted by Fendamonky

If the problem is not due to a blown engine, than swapping in a different/new keg will just cost more money while still having to deal with the old issues.

^Very true, hence my question about who is diagnosing the problem now? Any decent mechanic with a rotary compression tester should be able to tell her if the engine is mechanically sound in short order.

[Nicole]

I had a compression check done back last year and they said it was low, which meant it needed to be replaced eventually. The problem is that it is running terrific - when it runs, and I keep getting varying opinions from different people that just because the compression is low it doesnt mean I have to get a new engine. Which just doesn't sound right to me. Low compression = replace the engine. At least that is what I thought. Im uploading a copy of the paperwork from the dealer that did the compression check.

[RETed]

The receipt does state that it's "low," but it doesn't mention any numbers...
That's kinda lame.
I find it hard to believe that a ~100k engine is already in need of replacement?!?
Maybe this is just a totally difference beast than a 2nd gen non-turbo...

I am, too, working on a customer's '04 model, and I have to agree what others have already mentioned...
Fix as much things as cheaply as you can and...dump the car.
I know at least these first year model have a lot of headaches.
It's going to take a combination of a lot of money, time, and a competent mechanic to address all of it.
Is that worth it to you?
i don't think so if it entails a $5k replacement engine...

If you REALLY love the car, then by all means keep it...
But from an economical point of view, it isn't.


-Ted