Hi all, firstly im a bit of a noob with the RX8 having only owned mine now for 8 days :) .

Today i noticed after a 30 min run or so, when i got back and was in my driveway a very high pitch sound from the engine bay (reminded me of a big plain sitting on the runway) :eek: . So i checked under the bonnet and it sounds like its coming from the middle/back of the engine bay. Its almost like a ringing in your ears.

Also.... another sound after the same 30 min run... :boring:

sitting in the driveway again, with the clutch pedal fully up the clutch seems to make a rattle noise :scared: , but when fully depressed its silent?? its not slipping either... :icon_no2:

I recorded the engine noise with my mobile phone but dont know how to put it on here?? :banghead:


I check oil/ coolant levels and oil pressure daily I believe everything as far as i know is in perfect condition.... or is it!?

A whistle noise is normal, it is the normal sound of a rotary engine. The rattle you hear from the the tranny is also a "normal" sound at least as far as the majority of 8 owners hear it too, it is the throwout bearing just rattling around. From your descriptions everything seems fine.

Thankyou very much!! you have put my mind at rest now. I guess im just getting used to all the new sounds etc...

I started to worry if it could be the oil im using to top up since i had the car.
I use Castrol Edge Sport 0W-40 Fully synthetic. as described as "the ultimate" protection for the rx8 by my local UK parts dealer. Do you think this is a good oil to use?

Many thanks

Not sure, I don't believe we have that in the states. It is also interesting that you are using 0W-40, but then again I think everyone but us gets a choice (according to the manual) on what weight oil to use. We only have 5W-20 listed to use in our book.

I use Castrol GTX in my car btw.

The whistling noise could be due to the A/C lines equalizing pressure, which most cars do. I wouldn't be concerned about it.

Thats interesting Brice, we have a choice around 3 different grade oils to use here.
Thanks alot for all your help so far, very helpful!
Thankyou

no problem

The noise you hear coming from the area of the transmission/clutch with the "clutch pedal fully up" (i.e., clutch engaged) is the main shaft in the transmission turning on it's bearings and the noise is present on every RX-8 out there. It's normal in other words.

I dunno about that oil jimmy jammy.....Use Castrol GTX SAE 5w20 non synthetic to be safe for now. No one really knows for sure if synthetic is safe in the long run.

that high pitch noise threw me off at first but it is completely normal.

Sister's boyfriend was checking out my car and said, "dude, there's something wrong with your car. It's making a weird noise"
I asked, "You ever heard a rotary before?"

Give you two guesses what his answer was.... :mdrmed: :nono: