Hello Fellow RX8 Members, I have a small problem that I am afraid might turn into a ig problem. Lately when Im in a stop light or at a fast food Res in the drive thru, I hear a noise comming from under the car towards the front of the vehicle, then if i Switch it from D to N it goes away.. It only happens when I am Stoped in D... What coulb be the prob...

This is like asking us to find a needle in a haystack.
Your gonna have to be more descriptive about what it sounds like. What does it sound like?
Maybe get a friend to have it in drive while you pop the hood and try to further isolate it?
Does the car shake at this time?
How is your oil level?
Water temp okay?
Does it do it when warm, cold, or both?
I'm assuming you have no CEL being lit?

You can see I'm grasping for straws here, we just don't know enough yet.

Sorry, ok. Oil ios fine, just changed it last week. water temp is ok. No CEL problem. The noise is usuualy when engine is warm, The car has been lately shaking a litttttle bit more than usual, but Not enough to be a problem or a concern. And about the noise well is not loud, but is like a squiky noise comming from the front lower part of the car, is hard to explain in writting how it sounds, what makes we wonder is why when in Drive and not when is in P or in N... And only when im stoped..

did you check the auto tranny fluid? when was the last time it was replaced?

Oh.............that's a good one, I didn't think of that yet.

did you check the auto tranny fluid? when was the last time it was replaced?

You think that may be the prob .. I dont know when was the last it was flushed..

Does your problem sound like this:

On automatic transmission vehicles, when at a stop in D range, excessive engine/body vibration may occur.
This body vibration does not occur in P or N range.

Then, you should check out your motor mounts - specifically the Right side.

Mazda has a TSB. You can read it here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/rx8/bulletin/01-001-09-2062.pdf

He said it was like a squeaky noise, I don't think it would be the tranny fluid. Probablly more likely to be a belt or a pulley that needs some belt dressing to stop the squeak. The reason why it may happen in D and not P is the RPM's may be slightly different from D to N. I know that in D my RPM's are around 750-800 and in N they are about 800-850(goes up slightly, less shaky). I would turn the car on, have a friend give it a little gas and try to isolate the noise. If it looks like a belt or a pulley, inspect the belt for cracks to see if it needs to be replaced. If there are not any cracks in the belt, spray some belt dressing on(I usually do 5 second bursts, do it 5-10 times or until it stops +1 squirt) and see if it goes away.

That's where I was going with it, but he said it doesn't shake that much. Still think he needs to pop the hood and see if he can tell. Could be anything at this point.

Does your problem sound like this:



Then, you should check out your motor mounts - specifically the Right side.

Mazda has a TSB. You can read it here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/rx8/bulletin/01-001-09-2062.pdf

If it was that, wouldn't he also be experiencing violent shaking while driving under full throttle? If it was the engine mount, I think it would be shaking much more. Who knows.

My rule when fixing anything is KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Check all the little things first. Then move on to bigger, more serious issues after.

thanks to everyone who posted. I sure hope is nothing to do with the Engine, Even though I have Extened warranty I just dont want to deal with the whole process with dealers. i will try to get my brother to keep it in drive while i check to see where exactly the noise is comming from, and ill get back to you guys. Thanks again.

You think that may be the prob .. I dont know when was the last it was flushed..

so you havent checked the level or anything? lets seeeee-makes a sound in D but not in N . so making a change in the tranny makes it start or stop ....

Yeah i think a place to start would be checking the fluid level:squint::eyetwitch:uhh:

so you havent checked the level or anything? lets seeeee-makes a sound in D but not in N . so making a change in the tranny makes it start or stop ....

Yeah i think a place to start would be checking the fluid level:squint::eyetwitch:uhh:


If it was the tranny, it would happen all the time in any gear, no? Anyways, check your fluid to make sure you have the correct levels. Then, give it a wiff. If it smells like dirty croch then you need new tranny fluid. If the level is correct(check the dipstick) and it smells ok(smell your gf for comparison lol) then it shouldnt be the fluid.

It could just be that in D and in N you have slightly different idling speeds and at a slow speed(usually D is a little slower) it squeaks. Happened to me and it was a pulley. My suggestion, dont go nuts and do all the little things first.

so you havent checked the level or anything? lets seeeee-makes a sound in D but not in N . so making a change in the tranny makes it start or stop ....

Yeah i think a place to start would be checking the fluid level:squint::eyetwitch:uhh:


Yea Ive checked the brake fluids, Anti-F, Transmission, and especially oil every 2 weeks.

this may be farfetched, but it is an idea none the less. On some cars (this was on my last ASE test) with plastic intake manifolds (like us), when in D, you have the brake on, holding the car at a stop while the engine is engaged with the transmission. This loaded condition tilts your engine, and if you have a crack in your intake manifold, it would stress and open up in D. Not in P or N because the engine is not loaded then.

also far fetched, it gets humid there in Florida, is the AC on during squeak and have you listened near the serpentine tensioner?

also far fetched, it gets humid there in Florida, is the AC on during squeak and have you listened near the serpentine tensioner?

No I dont use the AC, But when I do turn it on, the car takes on more load and feels a little more shaky...

yeah, the AC does have it's effect on idle and puts a ton of load on the engine. Without it on, there's a chance of the serpentine belt tensioner squeaking. But you have a good indication that it is related to the transmission. I also agree with silver6 in regards to checking motor mounts.

Take it to a lcal club meet. Have them check it out.

I still think he should invest in a $4 can of Belt Dressing. It seems like he may be over thinking/stressing this one. Please, do yourself a favor and do the very simple things first.