Buying a RARE Mazda RX-8 'R3' For $2200 SIGHT UNSEEN at Salvage Auction!

Today we buy a rare 2009 Mazda RX8 "R3 package" for only $2200. This is equipped with the loved/hated Renesis 13b rotary engine. We bought this car sight unseen at salvage auction as a non running project car after it got in a crash. This was by far the cheapest R3 in the USA. Will we be able to get this car running after its been sitting for 7 months and after flooding it? Should we straight pipe it? This will be a fun rebuild!

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[imnotiwanthomas]

My advice is don’t miss a single oil change, there is a lot of friction in rotaries it’s what killed these cars off.

[AutoAuctionRebuilds]

I’ve had 2 of them from copart on my channel. Bought the 1st one for $375 and it ran and drove. Love these cars!!

[benfrancis]

Nice buy, gents. Hope you enjoy it.

As a former RX-8 owner couple of tips; definitely do not touch the throttle during startup. Also, a common saying amongst owners, "a redline a day keeps the rebuild at bay". Don't got above about 4krpm until warm but once it is warm make sure to let it rev out and don't shift till the beep where you can. It'll help keep her healthy.

Last thought on the exhaust; if you wanna shoot flames ditch the cat.

Enjoy!!

[alliedcomp]

Remove the plugs, remove the fuel injector fuse (number 36) under hood, add few drops of MMO in leading spark plug hole, crank for 30 sec, if plugs are wet buy new ones or blow out with compressed air. Works like a charm. Pray it’s only stuck apex or side seal. A redline a day keeps the carbon away.

[Benji_]

I was not expecting an RX-8 and I'm not complaining!!

[thelightspeedd]

It’s more than likely stuck seals. After cranking it they freed up.

[gwilliams]

New spark plugs and coils are a must, the BHR kit is the best, and last the longest, . And be sure it has had ALL the RX8 recalls which are free forever from any dealer. RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30, 000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60, 000:
...all 30, 000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90, 000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90, 000:
...all 30, 000, plus any 60, 000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system and cat is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.

[fermindg]

The dorito was the perfect rotatory engine example.

[MakisKammakis]

Rx8 S2 don't need premix... Only series one needs . S2 models have one more oil injector and it helps lubricate the engine without premixing.

[plugbryan]

It isn’t even my car and I was so pumped it started

[phdw]

Pushing accelerator to floor on start cuts fuel, does the same thing as unplugging fuel pump. Oil check needs to be done 5 minutes after shutdown.

[poncho]

I've had my rx8 for almost 10 years has approximately 110k and has been very reliable besides regular oil change I've only had to replace a bad solenoid that costed $25

[skyjammer]

I bought a gen2 car that wouldn’t run...ignition system had been neglected. New plugs, wires, and coils...and it fired right up. Good choice on the Idemitsu! Motorcycle size engine....V8 fuel economy...recipe for fun. The deflood procedure is crazy....but it works. Gotta have a good battery and good ignition.

[itsyaboi]

Yes cranking it while holding the gas is what you want to do to deflood it. I own an 09 and I've been through a few problems. I can answer some basic questions if you have them. You don't have to disconnect the fuel pump just hold the pedal down for future reference and you want to deflood it until you get a constant sound.

[seanlu]

Another home run! Nice to see that y'all actually had to research the issue on this one instead of a turn key home run. Nice work, looking forward to updates.

[gwilliams]

Never just fill the oil to just halfway on the dipstick with a rotary. You ALWAYS keep it full. The oil in the twin oil coolers is a major component of the engine cooling . Less oil, less cooling. FYI, I have owned seven rotaries and driven over a million rotary miles on track and street. RX3, two RX4, all three generations of RX-7 (all turboed and one race built by Racing Beat that did 185mph on the banking at Pocono), and a 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX-8 still going strong with some performance and cooling mods. Cheers

[x_Aspect_x]

i had a manual rx-8 and the most fun thing was being able to rev it up to 8-9k rpms. plus the fact that the car would thrive on 5-6k rpm shifts was super intriguing. love to see that a rotary has come to the channel! i’ve also heard that you should hold the rpms at 3k for about 7 seconds and then turn off the ignition while it’s revving to properly turn it off so the engine is empty of any fluids while leaving it sitting.

[GermanEliteTuning]

Way to stick with it. The apex seals were probably seized and you got them loosened up. Make sure to swap in new plugs.

[stephenb]

Hi, to de flood don't unplug anything, push the clutch and accelerator pedals all the way down crank over for 10 secs wait 30 secs do it again then on the third time slowly lift on the accelerator pedal, if it trys to start after 10 15 secs try and start it normaly . Pushing down both pedals cuts the fuel

[colinrinker]

I have the same problem with my car, I’ve replaced almost every sensor under that hood and was about to give up and part it out, but I’m gonna try this