RX8 Rebuild & Improvement

But it's just some Mazda!

Same brand, sure, but this is in no way comparable to your $3,000 Marketplace Mazda3. This is a 2008 Mazda RX-8, designed back when MPGs and emissions mattered less, and when Mazda's commercials ended with "Zoom-Zoom." The final successor to previous Mazda legends like the RX-7 FD and the Le Mans-winning 787B race car, it's the closest one can get to uniting the rev-happy and lightweight Wankel engine in a reasonably modern and affordable car. Rather than being a halo car or a purpose-built race car, the RX-8, with it's naturally aspirated 13B-MSP Renesis, four doors, and $26,000 MRSP, was designed to be enjoyed by the average enthusiast. Mazda made every effort to optimize and "domesticate" the 13B's various quirks, including the relocation of exhaust ports from the rotor housings to the side plates, eliminating port overlap (and thus the iconic "brap" sound), the VFAD and SSV systems to improve low-end torque, and even a carbon-fiber driveshaft to squeeze every bit of performance out of the car, resulting in a naturally aspirated engine with only about 50 less horsepower than the RX-7 FD's 13B-REW from the factory. With a chassis stiffness comparable to the Porsche 911 GT3 of the time, 50/50 weight distribution, andd a rated 238 hp at 8,500 RPM, Mazda succeeded in creating a dynamic and engaging driving experience at an attractive price.

Sadly, their efforts in making the 13B more suitable for the average consumer did not pan out. The 13B-MSP is just as tempermental as other rotary engines despite the attempts at improving reliability. Thinner-than-sane oil recommendations, excessive heat from the side exhausts, optimistically wide tolerance ranges for engine seals, and a demanding maintenence schedule along with insufficient apex seal lubrication mean keeping an 8 running takes a lot of special care, attention, time, money, and the willigness to get dirty. As a result of these quirks, along with its proletarian appeal as a cheap, "practical" sports car, most RX-8s suffered neglectful care, leading to their reputation as an unreliable, even "disposable" car. It is not uncommon at all to find blown RX-8s with way under 100,000 miles on the odometer, some even already on their second or third engines, listed on your local marketplace for $2-3,000.

No, this isn't just some Mazda. This is the last hurrah of the Wankel engine, innovative yet archaic, beautifully designed yet flawed.

My Car

My RX-8 is a manual USDM 2008 car, making it just about my age. It has just shy of 90,000 miles on the odometer, and has absolutely no options - fabric seats, no sunroof, no wing, no front lip, no navigation screen. Appropriately, it's painted in plain old silver, whose clear coat has been peeling for years under the sun. I obtained it on April 1, 2025 for $2000. It had been passed around since last registered in 2017, eventually coming into the hands of a local mechanic who had it at the back of his shop since 2020. The car had been sitting for years, and his business was booming, so he never had time to get to it, and the ten or so other random cars sitting along with it in the back lot. DMV records show CHP penalties and 3 years (at least) of DUI penalties, so that should say something about the previous driver.

Mechanically, most of the car was fairly sound. Brakes, transmission, differential, suspension, all in excellent shape. No surprise, given the low mileage and relatively recent manufacture date. However, the engine bay was a different story. First, I found the engine was a reman engine, from 2014. Though the reman engines got better with time, especially by 2014 in the last phases of RX8 warranty coverage, they are still very poorly built compared to what they ought to be. In the time since the car ran last, someone had rooted around in the engine bay, cracking some hose fittings and losing a few vacuum hoses. Many cables were unplugged, and lots of soot, dried fruit from the tree growing above it, and other dirt and debris was all over the place. Worst of all, it was springtime - spiders lived inside the interior, and their babies had just hatched.

So, with an uncertain baseline, I set out to get it running. College applications were done, I had just accepted my offer to UCLA Physics, and I could not care less about school. One last summer of freedom before the grind resumed. What I did not expect was that it would take another summer to get it runnning.

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