What’s commonly wrong with a CHEAP RX-8?

[@FabricationFather]

I look handsome as hell good job guys!

[@Boni_Bmx]

Seshhhhhhh😂❤💘I'm inlove no homo

[@DogeRAM-no8pj]

The legend himself, owner of the superior chassis

[@BuntaKnows]

Let the rx8 tax begin !!

[@kirkc9643]

Make sure Rob sorts out your rear bumper. That was disappointing to watch

[@badgeitcustomemblemsdecals7472]

i feel like isaiah slav squatting on top of his motor was the perfect video thumbnail and you missed it 😂

[@hugojeller]

I love how we had the classic "Rob Dahm ending", then we started getting somewhat normal endings, and now we are getting blue balled mid sentence.

[@omega1575]

yeah, were back to the usual dahm endings

[@snipinmonsta]

Ikr I swear to god if I didn’t love him so much I’d hate him

[@boydwright2560]

best endings on youtube😂

[@dylanzrim3635]

“It’s going to be all about COC’”

[@JWbrasser]

Fuck do you MEAN mid sentence, our mans cut that sentence MID FUCKING WORD my guy... That takes dedication and years of experience

[@tomsmith3827]

This channel should be called the reliable rotary channel

[@omega1575]

yeah, ironically the engines work, but its most of the rest of the cars that dont work

[@cartershutler44]

Ok it’s a good start but it still needs rob’s name in it how about “Rob’s rotary repair recommendations”

[@alternergysolartech]

Rob Dahm Rotaries 😥

[@BigDom1002]

I feel more like a "Rob Rob Rob Rob Rob Rob" I think that describes the channel the best way!

[@BBCMONTE34]

Kind of an oxymoron isn’t it? 😂

[@tt7hvn]

Rob: "the rule is you can't bring a rotary in unless it's running" Everyone: .......

[@ianm432]

Rob, Richard Holdener wants to get a rotory on the engine dyno at west tech performance. Get at him, you both want to play with the same things. Make it happen!

[@jaredrule1431]

That id love to see!

[@madmod]

I think hes in Cali!

[@darkblaze176]

@@madmod west tec is in LA

[@scotty305]

Good call, Richard Holdener spent a long time writing for muscle-car magazines. His youtube stuff isn't bad either. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ2Ym5luepiVnqs

[@RobDahm]

That would be fun to do the 4 or 6 rotors!

[@zacharygalla5347]

Enjoyed the Eiffel Tower engine teardown a little too much.

[@AdrianGarcia-cj7ux]

I saw it as the "Devil's Triangle"

[@adammcallister2260]

If the coolant seals are failing at the hottest part, it seems logical they're degrading due to heat. You could then replace it with a more heat resistant material that would handle it better, maybe machine out the channel it sits in to fit a more substantial seal or even look at the cooling system and see if the rad/thermostat etc could be modified to keep the engine cooler and help the seal last longer. It is a lot of effort for a job that only comes up once every 100k miles or so though.

[@08Richard98]

Good idea

[@chrishavill6458]

E85 burns cooler. You'd only go 100 miles on a tank though

[@rotaholikzhds906]

defo the cooling system is one off the let downs on these cars especially when you have a huge air con radiator system blocking the radiator,then the restrictive airflow to it all,, but hey its how the cookie crumbles i guess ahaha

[@richiebarrow9169]

It failed cause it got too 🔥 That's the result, better to fix the cause , then no need to fix the result.

[@willlong4258]

This ONLY happens on RX-8s that are very overheated. Well cared for ones don't blow coolant seals.

[@PorthosOmerta]

"Our whole channel is a commercial for Dodge at this point." Classic Rob

[@THESLlCK]

Everything is a dodge commercial

[@SakuraGarage]

I love that you guys did what most people do when looking at a renesis for the first time... ugh... woah cool, ugh... ugh... oh that's interesting... ugh

[@AndersVestlund]

This is pure gold. And putting Robs hate for the RX8 aside, you can hear his enthusiasm when the motor opens and it gets all technical! Fantastic to watch guys! 👏🏻

[@aaronbuster1989]

I left my Renesis on the engine hoist, used a ratchet strap to secure it to the legs, a custom tool to lock the flywheel to the bolt, and then did the squat with a cheater bar. That front bolt is no joke.

[@krnt13]

I wanted an RX8 so bad before knowing about rotaries, I still think they have potential, they just need a lot dahm love...

[@I_know_what_im_talking_about]

I’ve owned like 6 of them, all with 100k plus and low compression. Ran just fine with new ignition, after only a decarb and a lot of oil changes to clean them out. Sold them and haven’t heard complaints from the buyers. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Jazz-nm1kf]

@@I_know_what_im_talking_about sorry for my ignorance, I'm still new to learning about rotaries. What's decarb refer to here? A tune?

[@I_know_what_im_talking_about]

@@Jazz-nm1kf nah, de-carbing all the carbon build up on the rotors. Mostly just letting the block suck in a bunch of sea foam while HOT and then leave it to sit for an hour or so and then crank err up to burn off whatever got soaked with the cleaner. Works pretty good. Mazda has a similar factory de-carb procedure.

[@cartervezurk17]

Owned an rx8 for 2 years and put 60k on and bought it with 60k and the engine still ran fine clutch just went out and instead of fixing it im 2jz swapping it.

[@chinchy111]

Strange the rx8 is the most reliable car ive ever owned. 95k miles and never let me down. I also beat the crap out of it. I dont understand all the horror stories

[@toRONto501]

No one: Rob Dahm: " That's Reusable"

[@Dr_Xyzt]

I think the Renesis is underrated. The port is uncovered in relation to the rotor, for the majority of the rotor intake cycle. The apex seals don't have to go over an interrupted path. I think that has a lot of value.

[@TheHolyKnight932]

Wonder if Rob will ever consider doing a Hybrid rotary engine, by using Renesis irons and 13B or even 12A housings for more exhaust flow. Exhaust manifold would be a pain to build, but surely fabrication father can make it happen ✌️ Keep up the videos Rob, making me more motivated to tear down my old Rensis motor and my new one lol

[@dlpereira]

Guys vote this up, I would love to see it in action

[@juggnautbitch]

It's been done many times already. You use gsl-se housings since they have the coolant seals on the housings just like the renesis housings do. You also don't use the renesis side exhaust ports but instead fill them full of devcon and just run the peripheral ports on the gsl-se housings. Knight sports did one years ago that made 280whp na as did racing beat.

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

The cat eating from the bag, the picture on that bag looked like the cats head it well tripped me out for a second! So happy to see you guys doing a renesis I've really been wanting to know how many of your 13b tricks work on one....👍👌👍

[@joealex65]

Any RX8 owner: *"My car is broken!"* The whole internet: **ApEx SeAlS go BRRRRRRR!!!** 🤣🤣🤣

[@beautifulbeaner]

Usually

[@TheRedRaven_]

I know early models had serious oil pan leaking issues which made the apex seal situation come sooner lol

[@farcere]

@@TheRedRaven_ And they had bad tune from factory, they had recalls to get ECU reflashed to increase the oil injection

[@socks2441]

i dont get these "such in such go BRRR" jokes. what does it mean?

[@FaterialL]

@@socks2441 it's a military meme. lookup a10 warthog sound shots

[@keith_5584]

7:00 It has the Series I Renesis OMP injection Style AND the classic FD/FC style oil injection for the Series II. The problem is that the OMP is different from the Series I, so adding a 2cyl tank is VERY hard and limited to no support exsists to convert it. A 10% increase to the OMP via tune is very sufficant to prevent issues as the FD style omp setup worked just fine and this has both. I add 1qt of burnable oil to my setup when it gets changed and or it gets consumed and premix aswell. My catalyst jumped ship on its own a long time ago. Was a hell of a confusing then when the clutch was changed. No marks from someone doing it before me, so I guess it is just toast. Very little P0420 action before I disabled it also.

[@Op1zilla]

Copy/paste??

[@petek9348]

@rob dahm... what would happen if you were to put a copper wire in place of the coolant seal? like a thick one? and just wedge it in there between the plate and the damn rotor housing?

[@Ayane13b]

Wouldn't copper cause cross metal corrosion?

[@Aus.S7in]

@@Ayane13b A nail wrapped in copper will rust/corrode the most.

[@godfreypoon5148]

High temp silicone electrical wire works... don't ask me how I know.

[@petek9348]

@@godfreypoon5148 fine then, keep your secrets. lol

[@petek9348]

@@Ayane13b people do it on piston engines all the time. they machine a little oring groove into the head or block, and put in a piece of wire to help seal the head gasket. sometimes only using that piece of wire if its only got oil going through it when its not water cooled. i keep seeing that used all the time and then look at a rotary engine and think... hm.,... what if?!?

[@brent5832]

I love that you didn’t cut, “You ruined what I was about to say”, fantastic stuff.

[@amicloud_yt]

are we just going to ignore how the cat matched up perfectly with the bag?!

[@emanh4keem_san420]

Waiting for Japanese guy that make meme cat into small sculpt art

[@ThEASbO]

Pushing that RX8 with the Dodge was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time

[@booneylander]

I’m super pumped about this build. I bet at least 90% of your audience have looked at buying a cheap RX8 because it’s just about the only cheap way to get into a rotary anymore. I know that’s why I got mine.

[@VengenceOG]

I love this, seeing an s2 on an actual educational channel is what i need!

[@gniawd]

Isia is your best asset rob i'm glad you are at least trying to take care of him by letting him give this car life again.

[@brianmbillings]

Thanks for all your information Rob Dahm, I am currently looking for a second gen corvair to slap a 2 rotor in there. Not sure if I saw a corvair in your shop or not. But I just love the sound of a rotary. Keep up the good work my man! ✌️

[@beahydrated]

Ty for including some catto content in these modern videos. I really love seeing that cat warm up to you

[@rucarnuts13]

Interesting seeing the differences between a 13B REW and a Renesis. To bookend the rotary collection Rob, you now need a 12A and a 10A! So… first gen RX-7 and R100 when, Rob? xD

[@feenyx6394]

I also wish he'd get a REPU to replace that Dodge :D

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

RX2 and RX3 😍 are just forgotten about then! CarNutz I was hoping he would go into the locating dowel, main bolts and oiling mods thou, the brief taste of the Doritos difference was cool otherwise what did we learn really? 🤔

[@CowboySkeetbop]

Best part was opening the oil pan on the desk. I have moments like that all the time, very important and prevents a mess, and you’re just like, “oh yeah.”

[@pingu6618]

what rob is doing is genius, he’s building a 1000hp 2 rotor, so he can essentially copy and paste and make a 2000hp 4 rotor, genius. i love it. (i hope it’s that easy)

[@NotJo4Ever13]

Dudes this is the best content I’ve seen on KZbin all week.

[@chancecannon5777]

The key to a long life is upkeep. Watch those oil levels. Keep clean oil in it. Premix especially if you have a gen 1. Change out ignition yearly most likely depending on how much you drive. We have two 8s over here, mines basically new less than 30k original miles. My lady has a velocity red 2010 with almost 165k original miles. Still going strong! Do your maintenance people

[@Jojowel2]

The one "rotary" that you didn't have on that table so far has to be a Liquidpiston engine. Id love to see you have a collab with those guys

[@djaydeved]

hell yeah g i'd pay way to much money for that imagine a billet 4 rotor awd liquid piston engine rx7 or something, imagine what would be possible with that 1k hp from a 2 rotor, hell maby a 1 rotor if its balanced corectly, didnt lpe say that they can get significantly higher power to weight out of their engine? makes sense considering its hiting every 3rd of a rev or something (corect me if im wrong) but yeah a 4 rotor? that would be an imense amount of power shit imagine what they might be able to do if they said "all balls out lets make power to weight" and went extreme with it, 500 c.i out of a 8 rotor thrown at a dragster, how much power? 20k? probably if it can last 5 seconds.

[@MikeOrkid]

I've been looking forward to this for a while. Mainly just to watch the goofiness but to also learn the differences between the old and new.

[@thereignofdando]

8:50 - I snapped a ratchet doing this lol. Breaker bars ftw. Sweet video again, loving this channel!

[@uc79newtype]

Took me and my dad to get this shit done in like an hour or so. Fuck that crank shaft bolt

[@Oborowatabinostk]

@@uc79newtype yea dad strength and the biggest breaker bar you can find is required.

[@uc79newtype]

@@Oborowatabinostk no kidding shit was a two man job man. Smfh but it was worth to dismantle and see how my engine died. The seals broke and literally carved my housings. Mf rip.

[@socks2441]

yeah i couldnt believe he was using a ratchett to do that. i recently tried to remove my crank bolt on my toyota altezza to do a timing belt change (not rotary... or powerful..). the bolt was so tight i had a breaker bar almost 3 meters long and was jumping up and down on it almost tipping the whole car over, i also tried soaking loads of crc into it, and heat gunning it. nothing. was tempted to use the blow torch but didnt want to melt anything behind it. i gave up and just rotated the engine, inspecting the belt, it looked fine. so to this day there is still a brand new timing belt sitting in my wardrobe. someday i will get that bolt undone and replace that damn bolt. someday. not keen on removing the radiator etc again to access it if its not going to work this time though. im lazy.

[@ssplintergirl]

I love this video. Great energy on this

[@patrickmcgowan955]

my favorite thing about MSPs is the free chocolate milk as a reward for pulling the engine!

[@williamcote-dube9931]

I have the exact same problem on my rx8. I am repairing it this weekend, thanks you for this video now i wont have to buy useless parts.

[@mrbookends]

I had an FC RX-7 back when I was deep, deep into 90s Japanese car culture (and S13 240 as well, with a red-top JDM front clip and brick style headlights) and I haven't revisited rotaries in a long time - thanks for the great video, guys! And special thanks to the KZbin algorithm?

[@marsel108]

Love the rx8 content... WE NEED MORE

[@feenyx6394]

I'm kind of impressed it was still running at all, looking like that on the inside!

[@wabash9000]

I had the clutch and flywheel replaced on my S14 but the flywheel had a ring gear that was just a press fit. The starter would only turn over the engine when the clutch was cold. Something about knowing you can't kill an engine makes you kill the engine a lot more. I got very good at push starting my own car. Shoulder on the A pillar push it a few feet and then hop in and pop the clutch. I had to do it in a tacobell drive through on time, I had 10 feet before the parking lot went up hill. Got it in those 10 feet on the first try. Thankfully it was a very easy engine to start.

[@dmedwardsiii]

yall should do a renesis hybrid build. there's not a whole lot of information out there, but I got faith that you could get it done and documented, so the rest of us can.

[@EyeoftheStoner]

Rob walking out the bathroom LOL... thanks for the great content guys, I own an R3 in Canada and i couldn’t be more happy to see your channel

[@jotelxl]

watch out Rob, Izaiah is taking over your shelf space. Best video ever

[@mr.moomooman5400]

I fucking love how he got out of the car with his big man walk up too rob after doing the doughnuts 😂 the perfect duo

[@colin_g]

RX8, misunderstood by the masses, cherished by those who *know*

[@Aus.S7in]

Well said

[@thomaslavictoire]

now people are starting to get em right

[@itsreallytheo]

@@thomaslavictoiregot an auto for cheap but yes too many overpriced drift cars folks are buying up what’s left for alternatives

[@kalogias]

Robs videos bring a smile to my face.

[@1e2werks15]

ok here's a stretch idea...since most performance oils are now really thin (0W30), could the engine coolant be replaced by engine oil? I know that glycol water coolant heat transfer is much higher than oil but a few things may change to make this work. I believe that the radiator would have to double in volume. The cooling system would then be unpressurized which may help reliability. The engine would then use the cooling radiator as its dry sump. The engine oil pump would source oil from the cool side of the radiator. The water pump (now an oil pump) may have to be larger. The thermostat would need to open sooner. Benefit: reduced possibility of future engine damage...no water in oil risk. The oil changes could be extended...perhaps 3 to 4 times longer? Great videos!

[@NoobProjectCar]

as an Rx8 owner, I appreciate this video.

[@maxamoose483]

So close to 1mill 🤘😎 well deserved that milestone keep up the great work you two

[@sthefan0100]

The cat still eating his food with caution. 😅🤣

[@darealkosmo]

Me: "Maybe I can get an RX-8 to scratch the rotary itch" Then 7:12 Me: "Welp, nevermind" xD

[@aragon22155]

Rew swaps in the s1 are pretty well documented

[@AzuriteZ3]

Damn seems like no amount of premix is gonna save the coolant seals melting away from high mileage but now I know atleast I don't have to worry about the rotor bits giving out first :(

[@sublime6896]

the cat looked like it was part of the bag! i literally lol'd ... i love my rotors but cmon what would this channel be without the CAT!

[@michaelshepherd7572]

The RX-8 chassis is sooo good. It deserves a better engine option.

[@interwebuser]

Your latest's videos on the RX8 and how to make it reliable have reignited my love for the triangle, my biggest concern is buying one and it being a money sink, you've showed us that it doesn't have to be that way with a few minor changes. Thank you for what you do.

[@SimoWill75]

8:55 I sheared a Snap-On breaker bar doing exactly this. Tho it was a 13B PP not a Renesis.

[@Soravia]

Series 2 Renesis can take Clean Oil Feed. By-pass the OE crank case oil straight back to filler neck. Use an electric oil pump and mechanical pressure regulator to push premix oil at 80 PSI to the OE electric feed pumps. Problem solved for carbon build up on rotors and housing.

[@marcuseckles6651]

Dodges new commercial be like you can even use it to start you shit box of a rx8 with it🤣

[@z1catfish]

Observations, noting your build with the dowels. RX8 Rotary blows seals there because of bolt stretch because of internal pressures, forces the case apart exposing the O rings to direct heat of the combustion. Could be a detonation issue too. Detonation generates tremendous pressures against the compression stroke. Put dowel rods in it and may never happen again, or at least by the plugs. Last question anyone ever tried to love the plugs down in the housing, so not firing directly into the side of the rotor? So the flame front does actually PUSH the rotor instead of trying to shove it sideways...

[@acters124]

down in the housing?

[@z1catfish]

@@acters124 yep. those O rings are burnt. even melted, do got to be micro-movement there sure its not instant burn out , but over time the flame front eats at the o -ring, what looks like..

[@dekabwerks]

The team work brings a tear to my eye

[@mattcangie]

I LOVE the table of rotary dreams!

[@mattmartinez3298]

Rx8 front main bolt comes out alot easier with heat 🔥. MAP gas torch works well.

[@coalwagon]

I like how dahm references everything to a movie

[@schmuhf]

YES! We need a build series for that RX-8!

[@brianrobinson9979]

My 2005 RX-8 has 124,000mi on the stock engine and she purrs. The end goal for my car is, hopefully, a single turbo 20B-REW swap. In the meantime if the Renesis needs a rebuild the best thing to do to them is exhaust porting. The leading cause of failure in the Renesis is too much heat from its high compression and not enough exhaust flow to release that heat.

[@chinchy111]

Nice. 95k miles on my 2004 and has never let me down. I dont premix do you?

[@brianrobinson9979]

@@chinchy111 just a little bit to supplement the OMP for now, until I can get a Sohn kit and a tune to increase the output of the OMP. Just some added security in this hot box of a motor

[@chinchy111]

@@brianrobinson9979 did premix make your check engine light come on? Was thinking about doing it

[@brianrobinson9979]

@@chinchy111 nope. I buy some of those little like 3.2oz 2-Stroke oil bottles from Walmart. They're a good amount for premixing with a stock RX-8 to supplement the OMP

[@chinchy111]

@@brianrobinson9979 oh wow people said it makes the light come on cause the oil messes with the emissions or something. Maybe ill do it now

[@dannyg2766]

Rob is for the culture, thank you.

[@The_Opinion_of_Matt]

Coolant seal fails at the spark plug because it is that spot that sees the highest chamber pressures and the fastest increasing pressures.

[@christophergutierrez920]

Rob Dahm is the master of edging

[@drutin]

Coolant seals can also fail due to excessive heat, if the oil system is not cooling properly, hence why rotary engines have big engine oil cooler/s

[@throttleout3463]

I just lost a few years of my life thanks ROB.. love you for real tho dorito boys for life now I'm on Facebook marketplace now

[@dylanzrim3635]

I saw a video that explained one of the huge rotary problems is the lower spark plug or both firing far too early, causing the motor to kind of want to spin in reverse. I can imagine that would cause lots of stress

[@Levibetz]

Seems like what they need is a fire ring of some sort. You'd have to design a housing with smaller coolant passages, or larger overall housings to make room for a fire ring next to the coolant seal though. I bet the material between the iron and the rotor housing starts to deteriorate juuuuust enough that combustion starts touching that coolant seal causing it to fail. If this hypothesis is true then we'll see the motor shit a coolant seal out again in relatively short order.

[@ericfinch8887]

That's very cool, I had a few RX-7's in the 80's and early 90s. missing my GLS-SE 13b. It's really cool to see these differences. Especially seeing the Issue with Heat. I wonder it it's damage from after the car's run and you shut it down and the coolant drops low. Probably not, but it's interesting. The other idea is cooler plugs or perhaps a heat soak plate to pull the heat away from the plugs, like make a chunk of copper bolted to that area. Perhaps another Coolant port drilled in the housings. But really some high temp seals might be fine, either way it's a cheap fix for a DIY.

[@reycaballero2462]

That's very interesting. Hey Rob look into how the subie guys solved their head gasket problems by putting in a undercut before the cylinder and adding a brass round wire just to help seal the head gasket. If there is some room on the housing to do this this would help the longevity of the coolant seal. Specially the area close to the spark plugs.

[@icedtea5143]

“Have you guys seen the front, it’s no big deal” 🤣

[@Mombasa2k3]

Really cool seeing the tear down and how you figured out why it failed. Maybe will help Mazda in the future if they see it.

[@jessechen998]

@08:37 when you and your buddy are tag teaming that devil's triangle, or Eiffel Tower after picking up a girl

[@ThEASbO]

I waited for this video. Excited for the follow up!

[@evilbeetlekustomscreations4965]

It's pretty rare that three seconds into something I just hurt laughing I see high five embrace while using an impact 🤣

[@_Despair]

The only thing wrong with cheap RX-8's are the damn owners

[@Anon.G]

What's wrong with isaiah

[@lucaskelly4590]

Or in my case, 185,000km on the original engine

[@darc2255]

The Dahm owners

[@georgerodriguez8373]

Yea I can agree lol… I am one of those

[@kuriakoskast]

Can you make a video on the condition of the parts and what Can you reuse especially housings and Irons and how to determine if they are good or not

[@diotribe]

the movie references from Rob are strong in this one. Me likey!!

[@M3cha1cAssasin]

I think what truly inspires me about rotaries is that they sound like they are laughing at you

[@reesewilliamson3346]

Being a rotary and a dodge guy, that gold Cummins is so gorgeous.

[@PlayinWithMahWii]

I have class in the morning, and homework that I'm putting off, but this video comes first.

[@kleemanjad]

Four thumbs upp .. rob should get a phd for his research on the rotary.. might as well link up with the factory

[@RotorKartel]

Finally some half decent skids on this channel!

[@miguelneto2695]

Finally... this was the moment I was waiting for.... 👍👍👍👍

[@johannesscampo7170]

Love your content the rx8 build will help me a lot planning to buy an rx8 here in the Philippines

[@Gtsoignlabit]

I love the way all videos end LOL !

[@Me-fj8sb]

That's the same location of the exhaust port on the irons, WOW that's the reason, you need a 13b or it will happen again, or improve the exhaust port and full exhaust system, but I'll go with the 13b

[@MixTheMetal]

7:12 There is actually a way to modify a Renesis to take an RX7 housing (or vice versa) to have the Rx7 exhaust port, or even both of them im pretty sure. Read alot about it, without intentions of doing it haha.

[@willable5922]

Would love for you to test out coatings for rotor housings. WPC coatings or ceramic coatings. Would be a great experiment.

[@velociranger7891]

I’m hoping we eventually get daily content. There’s just nothing like this on any other channel, it’s great.

[@SoundBoy808]

You might like the Car Throttle RX 8 series they did with some mates of mine! kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2SWe5SLo8pnmas

[@ndyPandy]

2 pals just casually Eiffel towering a rotary. Precious.

[@lucaskelly4590]

Damn I miss my rx8. Died at 9500rpm in third with 185k on the engine :/ I'll buy an rx7 and do a build eventually, following your tips

[@jakemalone7892]

Rob can you run an rx8 motor with a carb? Would it need a distributor? Cpuld it even run one? Im looking for a cheap setup to put in my samurai but leaving it sort of less electrical and more primative

[@andycanfixit]

I'm curious why they don't use a metal o-ring to seal them instead. Those are typically used in high pressure/high temp environments and it would eliminate the failures. More expensive but it would last so much longer.