So I did some searching but didn't really find anything relevant to this.

Whenever I try to shift into 6th, from any gear including 5th, it'll grind and then pop into 6th.

However, if I hold the clutch down fully and let go of the throttle and wait for the engine to idle and wait another few seconds, and then put it into 6th, it'll happily do it without grinding.

Also, after it grinds once, and I shift into 5th and 6th repeatedly, it won't do it again until I shift down to 4th, clutch out, and then try getting back onto 6th.


I'm probably going to take it to the dealership but I kinda wanted to see if anyone had any ideas so that when I go they don't try to feed me some potential BS about having to pay X, Y, and Z.

It's a 2009 model also, 700 miles.

Thanks

That is weird, your syncros are having trouble or something. Usually 234 wear out though and not 5 and 6. Either way in the mean time just double clutch. So put the clutch in, take it out of gear, let the clutch out, put the clutch back in and then rev then go for your gear and at the same time rev the engine to the rpm that it would be at if you put the car in gear and let out the clutch.

but yeah take it to the dealer, you shouldn't have to pay a dime, it is kind of hard to blame you for f#@$@# with 5th and 6th anyways.

Also after about 2,000 mi on the new transmission you want to change out the fluid (it will be dirty), a lot of the people here use RedLine snythetic 75W90 GL-4, works great.

Congrats on the new car, have you posted any pics?

Thanks, good advice, I'll practice double shifting today and see if it changes anything.

I hope that the dealership won't take too long to fix w/e the problem is.. >.<


Pics are here:
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?p=2639526#post2639526

Damn that is a nice car :) I wish mine had been brand new.

Going to drop it off on monday?

Thanks, there's a guy a block from where I live with a red 08 Sport.. his has a buncha dings on the body and stuff though.. shame :(

I'll go by tomorrow.. only problem is that I only get an hour for lunch and if they can't fix it then I'm a bit screwed in terms of transportation since they're only open on weekdays for w/e stupid reason.. bleh..

Also, the double clutching works every so often, though sometimes it'll still grind even if I'm real slow and tender with it.. it's rather annoying

Thanks, there's a guy a block from where I live with a red 08 Sport.. his has a buncha dings on the body and stuff though.. shame :(

I'll go by tomorrow.. only problem is that I only get an hour for lunch and if they can't fix it then I'm a bit screwed in terms of transportation since they're only open on weekdays for w/e stupid reason.. bleh..

Also, the double clutching works every so often, though sometimes it'll still grind even if I'm real slow and tender with it.. it's rather annoying

yeah it is tough, and timing is part of it too, not too fast not too slow, but bad syncros (if it is that) will fowl you up no matter what it seems sometimes. You can drop the car off and get a loaner for it, that is in your warranty.

the mating synchro/slider mechanism and possibly the gear need to be replaced

yeah it is tough, and timing is part of it too, not too fast not too slow, but bad syncros (if it is that) will fowl you up no matter what it seems sometimes. You can drop the car off and get a loaner for it, that is in your warranty.

the mating synchro/slider mechanism and possibly the gear need to be replaced


That's kinda what I'm afraid of.. I had my dad drive it, he's driven manuals for 20 years, and it grinded a few times when he tried shifting into 6th in a variety of different manners.. :(

I'm also rather miffed at how crappy 6th gear is.. I shifted from 5th to 6th at 137mph.. and even with the pedal flat it wouldn't get past 140, even tried turning A/C off.. I thought the RX8 could go up to 160 =\

yeah your 6th gear is a little more econo than the old cars, but dont drive it soo hard yet, you have to break the motor in :)

You have some balls, I gave up at 128

Well.. I didn't buy an RX8 to baby it along at 35mph all the time :P

I'm going to assume that once I pass the 3K mark, and I still can't achieve faster than 140mph.. I'll have to look into modifying the engine aye?


6th gear seems really pointless honestly.. it only cuts what.. 1k RPMs compared to 5th and seems to make the engine struggle to accelerate? >.>

^The reason for 6th is to save gas for the most part.

If you really want speed, put a turbo on it. I don't know of any public road worth driving 140 on, but if you have some nice places :)

Aren't our cars rev limited to around 140?

Ah.. that's what I figured.. prolly in 6 months or so then I'll start upgrading the car :)

Made an appointment with dealership, dropping it off tomorrow, sucks to already have to bring it in for repair when it doesn't even have a thousand miles.. bleh

Thanks guys :)

Q. How do I break in the rotary engine?

A. There are a number of suggested methods for breaking in a new rotary engine. Three techniques have been compiled:


Method #1 (from Mazda manual)

- First 600 miles: Drive at varying speeds road and engine speeds; avoid full throttle, rapid acceleration or kick-down of transmission. Do not use special “break-in” oils.



Method #2 (from Racing Beat)
- For the first 1000 miles (1609km) do not accelerate under full throttle, and do not exceed 4000 RPM.
- For miles 1000-2000 (3218km), expand the RPM upwards - but do not accelerate at full throttle.
- Over 2000 miles (3218km), full throttle and high RPM is acceptable.

Method #3 (Mazda manual + Japanese Rotary Mechanic’s Procedure)
- 0-600 miles (965.4km) Follow the Manual, but keep it under 4000 RPM
- 600-800 miles (1287.2km) Open it up a bit, vary accelerations and speed RPM < 5000
- 800-1000 miles Drive the car, enjoy it but still keep RPM < 6000
- 1000-1250 miles (2011km) Drive it as it's power curve intended it to be RPM < 7000
- 1250-1500 miles (2413.5km) Test the car frequently from RPM 6000-9000 in every gear


I am not trying to be a jerk or a smart ass, I was curious myself, just wanted to post this:) what kind of mods are you thinking of?

Unfortunately, this being my first time with a manual, I have a tendency to go near the 5-6k every so often, with that one time burst to 140mph.. otherwise I try to keep it at 3k for fuel economy and so I can get a feel of what the distance is per bar on the fuel gauge.

I've been following method #1 somewhat loosely

Trying to be as careful with it as I can, though I sometimes accidentally drop the clutch too fast and car jerks forward, spinning rear wheels before TC kicks in and cuts the gas.



Right now, any mods I might do would be purely engine-based, not exactly sure where to start, I've never, till now, looked into cars so I'm still testing the waters per se.

I think my first step would be to start poking around the engine and see which part is what and how they're currently set up.

Afterwards it seems a turbo seems to be the general direction people take.. I'll need to be sure that any modifications I make can be reversed fairly easily in the event I need to take in to the dealer for repair so that the warranty doesn't get voided.

For now I'm concentrating on getting to 1,500 miles without a single ticket, accident, or problem (well, apart from this gearbox issue). :P

holy crap, I missed the "only 700 miles" comment

get that beeotch into the dealer pronto ....

i missed the "its an 09 model".. D;

Taking it in first thing in the morning.

Might also have them check out first gear, sometimes it won't let me shift into it, and I have to shift into second or third and then go back into first for it to pop into place.. (this is with the clutch pushed down and being stopped).

Well, dropped it off this morning, they did an initial check, they said it's either in need of new syncros.. or a new tranny. So yay. -.-

So much for them doing a "thorough check-up" of the car when delivering it to me.

so what awas the verdict on the transmission problem? My 6 speed has been acting up lately with the same problem. Only it between 3rd and 4th gear. also you 8 should reach over 140. if you keep the fluids fresh and electrical ignition sources new then your 8 will run almost to 160. well mine does at least. but the car does need to be in top performance to be driving at that speed. I would not recommend it by any means.

Still waiting to hear back from the dealership, I'm rather hoping it's an easy fix.

I've haven't been able to get to 150 even, might just be because it's new though

Still waiting to hear back from the dealership, I'm rather hoping it's an easy fix.

I've haven't been able to get to 150 even, might just be because it's new though

the top speed is 148, at that point the car doesnt have enough power to overcome the air friction

the top speed is 148, at that point the car doesnt have enough power to overcome the air friction


Ah ok, that's what I had concluded, thanks

Ugh.. The tranny's shot, completely gone, syncros are busted and there's major damage to the gears apparently.

Mazda is sending a whole new tranny w/ gearbox and all.. ETA 3 weeks. They're refusing to let me take the car back in the meantime.. gah

They say it's a "factory defect."


This really sucks.

The car is drive-able, just not in 6th, and 1st is a bit wonky at times (hard to shift into sometimes). They heavily recommend me from taking it and driving it until the new transmission comes in, they suggest either a rental or carpool.. carpool isn't going to work, and public transport here is a joke.. I can get to work faster by walking then taking a bus.

So I guess rental it is (courtesy car).. I just heavily doubt they'll let me have one of the Sport model RX8s they got laying about.. would be nice though

Good luck getting another car in the meantime. Maybe you can get a speed 3 or CX7 turbo.

That really sucks to hear dude!

I got screwed out of a car for 3 weeks. I can't get another one because I'm not 21.

I'm considering just taking back my 8 and just not using 6th gear when driving, dealership said I can probably screw something else up, but only the 6th gear syncro is damaged, it's actually not dead, but it doesn't work at 100%.

They also said I can void my warranty if I decide to take my car back though that sounds like bollocks to me.. it's my car and not my fault they gave me a faulty tranny with it.. and they can't provide me with an alternate car and won't give me my old car back (one I traded in) so.. ya.. wonderful ^-^



Ah yea.. the reason they have to get a whole new tranny is because they don't have the 2009 syncros yet and they're not getting any anytime soon

Read your warranty and see if there is a clause regarding you getting a loaner car and if it stipulates that you have to be over 21, because that warranty is a contract. You paid them money and they give you a car with such and such gaurantee. Small claims court, not that you want to burn bridges :) jk

Have you talked to Mazda directly? They might have a solution...

I wouldn't drive it though, it will get exponentially worse probably, I say that cause my tranny did. First second gear was grinding and then they all just crapped out. The day I dropped it off at the dealer they couldn't get it into first and were shocked I even drove it that far. If you do choose to drive it, maybe change the fluid, that might help it for a little while.

I don't know though, can you afford a junker?

I can't afford anything, I have college to pay, insurance, monthly payments, etc.

I have exactly 100$/mo left for misc expenses and savings, the rest of my money makes up my "in case of emergency" fund and got dug into for the down payment, I've got a bit under a grand to play with but I'd rather not buy another car.

It's just annoying that this had to happen on a brand new car.. if it had 10k+ miles.. I'd be able to understand.. but 600... >.>

Now it's just sitting outside at the dealership.. its very saddening..

Going to read through the contract/warranty

Let me know.

They should be doing something more for you.

If it makes you feel better, I am in the same boat my car is at the dealer right now and I am without too.

Ah.. That sucks.. I know how you feel lol :P

My dad managed to work out a lease.. they gave us a big SUV which my dad will use and I get his SUV (we do put the SUV to use).

Drove it home just now after picking up the Mazda SUV.. It felt so uncomfortable, unstable and really rough (engine-wise) plus it felt like it was about to tip over everytime I turned or braked hehe..


I've decided I'm going to go pick up my car tomorrow and we're going to return the rental. When the part comes in, we'll return it to get fixed, but as far as I'm concerned, the problem should have been identified and addressed before they let me take delivery for it.. and it's the only car I'm actually insured for.

I also didn't find anything in the warranty nor the terms we signed that talks about compensation for when car is in the shop.

^I always hear them say that about a loaner car, but I never checked. Yeah, SUVs suck after driving an 8, well actually most cars do, but yeah.

When you get it back maybe change the fluid, it will be dirty from all the grinding, but also cause you said the other gear was giving you trouble, a good oil is RedLine MT-90 http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=46&subCategoryID=17&categoryID=7 that or get some Mobil 1, I put that in our Subaru, works well.

Three weeks is a dang long time :(

Write Mazda though, sometimes they give you a gift card for $100

^I always hear them say that about a loaner car, but I never checked. Yeah, SUVs suck after driving an 8, well actually most cars do, but yeah.

When you get it back maybe change the fluid, it will be dirty from all the grinding, but also cause you said the other gear was giving you trouble, a good oil is RedLine MT-90 http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=46&subCategoryID=17&categoryID=7 that or get some Mobil 1, I put that in our Subaru, works well.

Three weeks is a dang long time :(

Write Mazda though, sometimes they give you a gift card for $100


Yea 3 weeks is long.. I'm already feeling that horrible sink of not having my 8 :eyetwitch

Though.. you really don't realize how damn fun and smooth that wankel is till you go back to an SUV/sedan.
I am itching to get back into my 8.


I figured out the thing bout 1st gear, friend told me that every car does this, it'll refuse to let you shift into 1st until you get below a certain speed so as not to damage the engine, makes sense.

So really my only problem is 6th though if I shifted, slowly and firmly, with engine idling and clutch fully pressed, it would shift happily. So I'm quite positive the car is good to drive, and if not, I'll just avoid 6th.

I can't do 3 weeks without it though.. didn't buy the 8 to have it sit in the shop and let them waste my gas turning the A/C on to full blast and driving it around to "test" my claim.
(that always gets to me.. how they always set the A/C to full.. pet peeve.. I paid for that gas.. bleh).

I haven't yet figured out where I should go to get oil and stuff, should I just hit Advanced Auto Parts? I'll look into RedLine once I find a store to bum hehe

Thanks for the continued replies and help, greatly appreciated

Yeah, the only thing that comes close the smoothness of the rotary is my dad's V8, our four banger Subaru sounds like it is going to explode at about 4k. haha

It doesn't let you downshift into first because it doesn't want to, the dynamics of it are all wrong, the synchronizer would be pissed off if you did that and the clutch too. If you would rev match you might get it in easier, like with any gear, but first is kind of special that way. I let my brother drive my car one time and he would downshift into first at like 10mph and you would hear some uncomfortable noises. I don't claim to know everything about transmissions, but the best thing to do is let them go into the gears they want to, in the 8, if your timing is right it should just suck it into gear.

Sucks they waste your gas, dang :) try not to worry about it with an 8 though. haha

You can probably find the stuff at your auto parts store, we don't have RedLine anywhere in my town, but I am sure there is somewhere in Palm Beach with the fluid. I bought mine online, but you are short on time sorta. You basically just want to get a GL-4 75W90 Gear Oil, stay away from Royal Purple though, some people here have had issues with it. There is more info on doing your tranny fluid in the DIY section.

I would just avoid 6th, you don't really need it anyways

Yeah, like I said, I can relate to your situation, been there :)

well I had a similar experience with 3rd gear and it turned out that the synchro ring had fractured, kind of doubt if this is the case for your 6th gear problem though:

http://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php?p=2603087&postcount=63

unfortunately with the grinding you really need to also go ahead replace the slider and gear while you have it apart

you might be able to get by on the cheap, but if it starts happening again then there's all the labor to pull it out, tear it down, make the repair, put it back together, and then reinstall all over again

^mazda is just giving him an all new rebuild I think.

Ya, new tranny..

I'm wondering if this is going to affect my car's value though.. probably will have a negative impact.

Maybe Lemon Law covers it? Since I haven't even had it a month

No it wont hurt anything, sometimes you have to get a rebuilt title if you replace the engine, but not the tranny.

For Lemon Law to apply you must have given them a chance to repair the car, and if they can't (sometimes it's three times) then there is an issue. Merchantable quality might apply too, but your car is getting fixed, so really no issue.

Ah alright, would suck if car already sunk in value due to a factory defect :P

Good news though, they talked to Mazda and might have the tranny as early as middle of next week, they're diverting parts meant to go to another state with priority shipping to here for my car.

So imma keep my fingers crossed :)

Ah alright, would suck if car already sunk in value due to a factory defect :P

Good news though, they talked to Mazda and might have the tranny as early as middle of next week, they're diverting parts meant to go to another state with priority shipping to here for my car.

So imma keep my fingers crossed :)

kick-ass! :)

Ok.. just heard back from dealer.. No parts are being shipped to the US until October 28th.. And after that it should be another two weeks. Which means I'm not getting my 8 back until mid November..

I'm bloody pissed off, been trying to phone sales department for the past hour, if I didn't have work I'd storm over there and light all those bastards up. GAH.

I got more gooey news! Dealership is now saying it's my fault that the transmission is damaged and that I should pay the totality of repair costs.

They somehow fail to explain how the transmission was damaged while the lutch was not, nor how only 6th gear is damaged.

They also fail to explain and prove that the car was in perfect condition before I took ownership of it. They never did an inspection of the car after their driver drove it down 200miles (that's right, it wasn't on a flatbed, they DROVE the car down to me).

Now I have the joy of talking to Mazda and explaining the whole thing.

Next stop.. lawyers! Hooray!

^crap, try another dealership :(

Try not talking to them while you are still angry...

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=157747

the top speed is 148, at that point the car doesnt have enough power to overcome the air friction

No, it is electronically limited to 149.

No, it is electronically limited to 149.

Is it by-passable? :)

I got more gooey news! Dealership is now saying it's my fault that the transmission is damaged and that I should pay the totality of repair costs.

They somehow fail to explain how the transmission was damaged while the lutch was not, nor how only 6th gear is damaged.

Clutch would have nothing to do with it. You could blow a tranny easy by not even using a clutch, or by mis-shifting. Since you said in the middle of this thread that "this being my first time with a manual" I would tend to look at the missed shifts. Also if you had a 04-08, I would be looking at the middle syncro, but I am not sure how different the Miata tranny found in the 09 model is.

They also fail to explain and prove that the car was in perfect condition before I took ownership of it. They never did an inspection of the car after their driver drove it down 200miles (that's right, it wasn't on a flatbed, they DROVE the car down to me).

Did the car have the problem 500 miles ago when they delivered it too you? Or is it something that just showed up. Tranny issues don't happen overnight, and mis-constructed tranny would have failed within the first 500 miles (especially since you have been racing the car way before the engine/drive train break in has occured) A new motor and tranny should not be taken to 140 MPH... What are you thinking??? I guess you are thinking you will replace the car in the next year or two.

Is it by-passable? :)

Yes and no.

Are you driving it on the track??? Then yes, you can re-program the PCM or replace the PCM.

But if you are just some kid (under 21) that is driving on the street at 100+ MPH, then no... you can't.

Was just for information purpose, I wouldn't bother doing it, I hardly ever go over the speed limit.