How long do rotary engines last

What or where can he find the best resource of info for the care and feeding Only if you don't take care of them. No synth oil, and wind the hell outta them. Right just rev it to maximum to increase the oil pressure and burn the most oil possible. Even without synthetic you are dumping money into it either way lol fuel and oil, or repairs.

But yes, very true. The nice thing about them is the simplicity and few moving parts. Tim Rodie. Chef Simonetta. A rotary engine with a worn apex seal tends to run underpowered due to poor compression…. So, here are some of the most common compression related symptoms that may indicate a cracked or damaged apex seal. If you mean a typical american product, yes parts will be more expensive. If you mean typical import, most parts will be comparable in cost but rotary specific parts will be higher in cost.

Rebuilding a Wankel at miles is typical, and earlier than most piston engine need such exhaustive work. Rotary engines have a low thermal efficiency as a result of a long combustion chamber and unburnt fuel making it to the exhaust. It has a great engine, it makes a good noise and it is one of the easiest cool sports cars to drive fast! You can push it to the limit and it will fight back. The guy who was running Mazda used to race cars, and it kinda shows this is actually one of the top sports coupes!

As for only occasionally changing the oil, the Mazda rotary engine injects engine oil into the combustion chamber to help lubricate the rotors and apex seals.

NSU was the first to market in , but it destroyed its reputation over the next decade as frequent engine failures sent owners into the shop again and again.

The problem was the apex seals—thin strips of metal between the spinning rotors' tips and the rotor housings. NSU made them out of three layers, which caused irregular wear that made them grenade. Mazda figured out apex seals by making them out of a single layer, and introduced its Wankel in the Cosmo sports-luxury car.

In the early 70s, Mazda envisioned an entire lineup of Wankel-powered cars, a dream that was smashed by the oil crisis. But the rotary became the sole power plant for three generations of sporty Mazda RX-7s from though , a period that made the Wankel engine both revered and reviled.

Car enthusiasts have always had a soft spot for an engine that, aside from burning gasoline internally, hardly resembles a conventional piston engine. The rotary delivers power linearly all the way to 7, or 8, RPM, depending on engine specifics, and that flat power band sets it apart from rev-happy piston engines that too often pour on the power at high RPM while feeling gutless at low RPM.

Carmakers also liked the rotary for its smoothness. Rotors spinning around a central axis make for a sweet lack of vibration compared to a piston engine, whose up-and-down piston motion is more jarring. But an unusual engine is an unfamiliar animal, which is why the polarizing Wankel also inspires its share of loathing among car fan and mechanics. It's a simple design — no timing belt, no camshaft, no rocker arms — but unfamiliarity creates mistrust, and the Wankel has quirks that cry for attention.

The rotary burns oil by design, pumping small amounts of motor oil into the combustion chambers to lubricate the rotors, creating a customary stream of blue smoke puffs out the tailpipe when you crank the car. Frankly, it freaks people out—blue exhaust smoke is a distress signal when it comes from a piston engine.

Gas in the chambers cannot cross-contaminate or enter into the incorrect chamber. While the apex seals attempt to keep the gas out of the incorrect chamber, it does not always happen. While combustion is always on just one side, there will be a huge temperature differential that can cause issues. The metal will expand and doing that will make it difficult to create a great seal. Perhaps this is the biggest problem with the rotary engine.

With this engine you are burning significant amounts of oil, while it is also a challenge to seal off the different chambers. And it has a low thermal efficiency too. Generally speaking, the Mazda Rx8 engine can last about 60, miles.

It is important to keep in mind to maintain your engine and make sure that you take your car into a mechanic when you have issues. We combed the Internet and found significant issues with the Mazda Rx8 engine! Advisor asked the owner to have the engine diagnose.

There was an extended warranty on this car — however Mazda never informed us. This car has had transmission replaced x3 all at our expense. Never buy a Mazda again.