RX8Club.com

Is my afr too rich

jcagle — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:59:22 GMT

I�ve been dealing with a loss of power at high rpm that varies in severity, sometimes it�ll hit a wall completely and stop climbing at about 7k rpm, other times it�ll still climb just noticeably slower. My car has an aem intake and no cat with custom nearly free flowing catback. All ignition components are new and good quality. I haven�t checked compression but the engine was rebuilt less than 20k miles ago. My air fuel ratio goes straight from low-mid 12s to 10 at around 52-5500 rpm. Is that normal or too rich?

A few issues with the dream

Baldys_Rx8 — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:46:21 GMT

Hey yall reaching out looking for advice and help been kicking myself for not doing this when I bought the car but sadly didnt run a compression test so call me a newb🫠. Anyways believe got two main issues with the car!

Issue 1: To me this sounds like an obvious issue n easy to fix, when the car was able to startup/run it would get up to its normal temp but then immediately spits out all its coolant in the top half right out the overflow line seems my thermostat is stuck or just is dead but please correct or lead me in the right direction.

Issue 2: Took the car out for about a 15mile drive but devastation happened on this drive.... Got on highway went into the left lane was going about 65-70 mph then all the sudden power was lost but lights remained on and I just heard the engine bogging down like it wasn't receiving fuel maybe as to why it turned itself off? Temp gauge was only getting to its normal spot when this occurred didnt have any lights on the dash until this issue.

Please please help me out I've been beating myself up on this car, it has been sitting for 3-4 months now. Kinda have the engine bay in pieces just waiting on the parts Ive ordered to install n make the series 1 better. Do have a compression tester getting delivered Monday so will be running compression then.

Tried to keep rx8 stock and it way to hard to find parts

troe1635 — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:24:15 GMT

So i have had my rx8 for about 3 years and have not really had the time to work on it. Im now graduating high school and have more than enought time to. I want to turn it into a track dedicated car because keeping the stock intake and vacuum system and everything is to much of a hasle to deal with considering its impossible to find parts and oem hoses and **** without spending a fortune. And no im not looking for someone to js tell me to sell it and get a corvette or some bs because im to deep into this and i have always had a love for rotaries. I have been thinking about turboing it because there are alot of kits out there but most of them are sold out or cost a arm and a leg. I have also been thinking about just keeping it NA and doing a bridge/streetport. I understand that no matter what i do its going to cost alot, thats why this is my project car. I just need help getting pointed in the right direction of where to get parts and what is the best choice. Its a 2006 s1 6-port engine in a 05 body(i manual swapped it). I already have a sohn adapter and js got a new radiator. Someone help me🙏🏻🙏🏻

RX8 IG KEY 15A keeps popping

Sho — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 01:39:37 GMT

Hey all, relatively new RX-8 owner here!

Bought it second hand from someone who did a lot of vacuum deletes and performance stuff on here, catless, etc. His reasoning was to push more power out of the engine but I have a hard time getting it above 5k rpms without feeling like it's sputtering but that could be my spark plugs, but i digress.

I've been driving it well for about a month and some change but it has a list of issues I've begun to notice. The most annoying of which was my power steering light would be on and it'd be out sometimes upon starting up the car, so I've been cleaning them with a toothpick and a napkin which seemed to do the trick for the duration of that trip.

Now the actual issue- Day started out like any other. Was gonna go grab breakfast, flicked my key to ON, noticed the power steering light was on again. Perfect because I just bought contact cleaner. So i pop the hood and before I even get halfway to opening it, I hear a click, what i could only describe as a faint wind down near the front driver side of the engine bay and all power shuts off in my cabin, save for stuff like hazards, interior lights, headlights, etc. putting the key in didn't do anything.

Narrowed it down to the IG KEY 15A fuse popped, so I went and bought a big box of assorted fuses off amazon. replaced it, great! Time for spark plugs. My DCS light was flashing and my traction control dash lights were on. I figured that I had to recalibrate the wheel so I turn it far to the left, then far to the right and DCS turns off. (had to shut off my car but it was already warmed up. Turned it back on and Traction light was off so good to go i guess). Anyways, Drive to autozone to grab some ramps, drive back. I get about 100ft into my neighborhood, waiting at the stop sign to turn, and start to move forward, then the car shuts off. At first I thought I stalled out but i went to turn the key and nothing happened. Damn fuse again.

So i change it there in the middle of the street. Start it up, a few seconds pass and it pops again. So i proceed to push it to a safe area nearby and go through about 4 more fuses trying to troubleshoot. I cant even leave it running idle without it shorting out, much less having the key ON for longer than a few seconds.

I'm honestly at a loss I have no clue what it could be. My gut says it might be the power steering being sus and shorting out from me ******* with it but I'm not 100% convinced. I'd really appreciate the help, as a new RX8 owner and new to working on cars in general, I wanna do right by the car and take care of it.

Rx8 wiring help

Kiwirota — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:58:24 GMT

Hi guys new to forum. Trying to sort wiring on my 2007 Rx8 6 sp manual.
after battery went flat car won�t start. Bose stereo won�t turn on fuse box in footwell bottom half has no power. Main feed into circuit under bonnet one has power and the other doesn�t. Any suggestions on where to look would be appreciated.

{WTB} Rotary Engine Tools

ipaikmos — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:29:29 GMT

Looking for engine building tools + compression tester. DM me with what you have and what you want for it! Doing my first rebuild and I need the tools.

{ FS } Track/Race Prepped RX-8 FS in California

Senna — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:21:02 GMT

Title: Clean CA Title
Miles-20,600
Current California DMV Registration

For sale is a one-owner 2006 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring with only 20,600miles. Purchased and owned in California it�s entire life.

The car was used for HPDE initially and then planned for wheel to wheel racing in 2011. That project was never finished as life took me other directions than racing. Instead, it has been driven sparingly as a weekend canyon/hill climb car. Reason for selling now is to acquire a Spec Miata.

1-owner car with only 20,600 original miles.
Professionally installed TC Design cage with integrated racing seat mount and moonroof delete.
Exhaust-Racing Beat race pipe with Mazdaspeed Catback. Magnaflow hi-flow CAT is available and comes with the car.
Suspension: Megan Racing Coilovers and Racing Beat Sway bars
Wheels/Tires: Enkei RPF1 18x9.5 Wheels / Falken Azenis RT660+ tires (90+% life remaining). ARP extended studs on front hubs.
Cooling: Upgraded Koyo Radiator, silicone coolant hoses, and a Moroso Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank.
Interior: NRG Steering Wheel with quick release, Cobra Racing Seat (expired), Sparco 6-point harness (expired), Racing Beat Gauge Cluster-Oil Temp and Pressure, Water Temp.
Electrical: Braille Battery relocated to the trunk with a Longacre Kill Switch.
Unopened Valid Lifeline Zero 360 3.0 fire system could be included/negotiated with sale of vehicle.

This car runs strong and has only been driven for weekend enjoyment since 2011. It retains its street-legal status but is ready for the track duty.
It does have a few minor paint blemishes however has never been involved in a collision

Various unresolved issues

conocogasoline — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:19:59 GMT

Hi all! New-ish owner of my rx8, got it in January and it is my first project car. In my last post I made I got a lot of great helpful feedback, so I wanted to make another post in hopes I could get my rx8 running at its very best again! I am having some small (and large) issues, so here I go-

Issue #1: Overheating in town (but very random) and hot start issues (but fine comp and new ignition system)

Probably the largest issue I have with the car. It has happened to me twice, but I am aware of how sensitive these cars are to heat, so it definitely worries me. I live a ways out of town, so when I drive my car around it tends to be a lot of higher speed driving. The first time I ever took it to work (about an hour away from home), the car made it great all the way to town on the highway, and through town. No issues. Lunch break comes, I drive about 5 minutes to a nearby gas station, turn the car off, go to start it again and it barely starts (cranked forever). This tends to be common with my car when it gets hot (hard starts). **I am in the 90�s psi on all faces of both rotors**. ESPECIALLY on warm days. It was 80 degrees when I began to have issues. When I went to drive the car home that day, it overheated halfway out of town at a light, shut itself off and wouldn�t start again until I pushed it to the side of the road and let it cool off. Immediately took it home and burped the coolant system (I�m an idiot and realized I hadn�t done this after flushing and re filling my coolant). Then took it on an hour drive through the small town I live in. Ripped it around pretty good, trying to get it to overheat. I never was able to. It was rainy and 70 degrees out when I did this. Figured however that my issue was fixed.

I have only taken it to work a handful of times since then. Today I took it again. As usual, did great on the way there in the morning. As the ambient temp rose on the afternoon, on my lunch break it yet again struggled to start. When I got off work I decided to take it to the car wash. Halfway there it overheated again (I take overheating as the gauge is 3/4 of the way up. There is also so much heat rising off my hood that it distorts my vision out the windshield). Let the car cool down, it started right up first crank after about half an hour. Took it home asap. On my way home there is a small town I have to pass through. Got stuck behind a car going 25 through there. I saw my gauge go up to the halfway mark. Immediately I looked for a place to pull over. Not even 10 seconds later I watched my gauge climb all the way the 3/4 again. Parked the car, waited twenty minutes, started it up (hard start) and got it home asap. Some things to note;
-My compression is generally alright
-E-fans kick on and run great
-No under tray
-Upgraded aluminum radiator
-No leaks from the weep hole of my water pump
-I have not looked into the thermostat yet
-There IS a very minor leak coming from the little plug at the bottom of my radiator
-Just the other day I drove this thing hard on a 1 1/2 hour round trip up and down a local mountain we have. It never overheated. (Ambient air temp was low at that elevation)

Issue #2: Riching out

This has been an issue since we got this car running. I�ve always thought it smelled really rich. (It has a cat delete but the smell of fuel is VERY strong). It also has an issue with flooding out if it stalls (Back when I first was learning to drive it this was a big problem but I don�t stall it anymore haha!). And it�s always popped out the exhaust if you let your foot off the gas. However the issue has been getting even worse lately�? Today when just cruising at 35mph it would pop out the back. But it�s more like a really strong sputter? If I rev it standing still it�ll really pop out the back hard which is new. Not sure what the deal is as I�ve replaced plugs, coils and wires and it almost seems to be worse after the new wires. (May be worth noting that when I took the new plugs out the other day they were very white. But this was a few days after it overheated so I figured it wasn�t running lean but rather got so hot it turned my plugs white).
The car also sounds ALMOST like it has a street port at idle and has sounded that way since we got it running. I assume it has something to do with how rich it�s running. However, another thing worth noting is that this is a used motor, and I have no idea what the history of the motor is, or whether or not it�s been rebuilt/messed with. The ECU is the ECU that came with my car. It has a junkyard number on it but it is clearly flashed to match my car�s vin, so who knows if it�s been tuned or not. I also do have a new MAF installed.

Issue #3: Shorting out?

Recently cleaned my ABS plug (ABS didn�t work at all) and now every time I plug the ABS plug in, A.) the pump will not turn off, even with the key fully out it�ll just run eternally. And B.) when it is plugged in, it causes my entire car to freak out, I lose all my gauges and power steering. As soon as you unplug the ABS plug, all said issues go away

Overall this thing gives me a constant headache, something new always pops up. It�s a really fun car when it does work. I just wish I could get it running 100% again. I will attach a video of how it sounds at idle. It is not an erratic idle, it just has a weird brap noise, but it�s quieter and not super noticeable. I live in Washington where in the summer we reach 100 degrees almost every day so hopefully I can get this overheating issue resolved

Attached Files

3962ABF1-6FCF-4212-A008-9FA6D34F54B7.mov (4.04 MB)

{WTB} Slicktop manual RX8. Manual seats and green preferred

Armsdale — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:53:40 GMT

Looking to buy my first RX8. I'm 6'2" so I need the headroom of a slicktop and I've heard manual seats will go a little lower than the power seats. So far I've only sat in a sunroof car with power seats and my hair touched the headliner unless I was reclined too much. It doesn't need to be perfect but I want to drive it right away so no projects. I'd love one in green.

New to rotaries. WTB manual slicktop rx8, preferably with manual seats and in green

Armsdale — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:40:06 GMT

I've always wanted to take the leap into rotaries. I had a FR-S I bought new when I worked at Toyota. It was fun to drive but the new car payment did not match the driving experience when Miatas we're out there for less than a 3rd of the price so I sold it. I have a e63 wagon now but miss something lightweight that can be fun without breaking the speed limit. Just thought I would introduce myself and post a WTB in the subject line while I figure out the classifieds in the forum.

{WTB} S1 Side Skirts

se3pdorito — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:31:07 GMT

Looking to buy some side skirts, rep, real, whatever. Preferably already painted silver but whatever you got im open to!

Versatuner Tutorial - 8 Years of Experience and Lessons Learned!

hufflepuff — Sat, 30 May 2026 21:10:26 GMT

So i've finally figured out how to reliably get the RX-8 to transition from closed loop to open loop, so i decided to finally make a Versatuner video that reviews all of the key tuning parameters that i feel are critical for rx8 performance and reliability. hopefully this helps people already using Versatuner and also encourages those who have NOT used ECU tuning software to give it a try by de-mystifying the concept.

UPDATE: In the video i promised to share the tuning files, so they are linked below. They are view only; you can probably download and edit on your end from a local copy.

By downloading and accessing the files linked below, I agree to only use the Versatuner tune file for personal educational purposes and will not install the tune file directly onto any vehicle. I understand that the MAS scaling and air fuel settings on this map may not be appropriate nor safe for my car. I understand that installing this tune on any vehicle other than the car on which it was developed may result in undesirable operation or potential damage to the vehicle. I understand there are no warranties or guarantees expressed or implied with this tune file and agree to download at my own risk.

DEMO TUNE FILE - FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY:
DEMO Tune File

Fueling Tool:
Fueling Tool

June 7th Sunday 5pm-9pm Touge.ca Cayuga TMP Track Event #4 event 2026

Touge — Fri, 29 May 2026 06:08:20 GMT

June 7th Sunday @ Cayuga 5pm - 9pm! #4 Event by Touge.ca Track Events 2026!!

All 2022 events photos & videos playlist: 2022 Track Photos - Touge.ca
All 2023 events photos & videos playlist: 2023 Touge.ca Track Event Photos - Touge.ca
All 2024 events photos & videos playlist: https://www.touge.ca/2024-photos-videos
All 2025 events photos & videos playlist: https://www.touge.ca/2025-photos-videos

Hello all friends and drivers,

We're starting to build a drivers list for the Cayuga track event signup on the June 7th Sunday.
We have the track on Sunday from 5pm - 9pm!

All Beginners are welcomed!

A little background -

Cayuga Toronto Motorsports Park. Located in Cayuga, just south of Hamilton, Ontario, this developing Motorsport complex can be configured as two smaller circuits of 1.2 and 1.8 km each or one large 3 km road course. We will use the 3 km circuit. The paved surface is a safe, flat design with good run-off room (no barriers or guardrails) and excellent sight-lines. The course has ample straights, challenging large and small chicanes, tight 90 degree and sweeping high speed turns. A truly good technical course.
It is a great learning track with two long straights, 11 challenging turns, safe run-off everywhere, and a separate area for exercises.
We usually have a briefing prior to getting out on the track, followed by a few warm up laps, then lapping for the rest of the day. "Lapping" refers to just that, doing laps. For beginners group, Passing is STRICTLY prohibited except on the back straight, and only when the person in front of you has allowed you by by signaling you to pass. We reserve all rights to kick people off the track that are driving dangerously and/or aren't listening to track marshalls.

All those interested in attending this track day on June 7th Sunday
Please Email me your info below with Email address & contact phone number.
Full Name:
Car make, model, year, color:
Cell#/Home#/Emergency Contacts:
License plate#
First time / Novice / Intermediate / Advanced:
Need an instructor?
Email address:

For first time / beginners who needs an instructor, email "info@Touge.ca" with your registration above.
The instructor will be with you in the car the whole time in the event on the track until you are signed off to go onto the track alone.

Helmets are strongly recommended for safety reasons, you will have to sign a disclaimer at the track, for those who do not wear helmet and not following our lapping rules, the participants take full responsibility for their action. (if you have helmets, it won't hurt to bring them up).
Note: Helmets are MANDATORY for convertibles.

Format: Two groups - Advance and Novice

- Advance group drivers will be starting at the beginning, 25 to 30mins each session, turnover to Novice group drivers. No lunch or dinner breaks in between. All drivers must follow facility and our track rules, passing rules, marshall workers' flaggings and instructions.

- Passing rules, point by passing / signal the faster driver to the side for passing.

- Advance group - faster drivers passing anywhere on the track with given signal by the slower drivers, No Signal No Passing!

- Novice group - faster drivers only passing on the straights with given signal by the slower drivers, no apex/corner passing. No Signal No Passing!

Kindly visit www.Touge.ca for all details.
All those interested please email me & sign up asap. We want to build a list and collect the track fee as soon as we can.

** Payment/Deposit**
Prepay - before May 29th Friday 11:59pm: $139
After May 29th Friday 11:59pm or At the track: $179 CAD ***/cash,

Please contact Kevin if you want to meet up to pay for the track fee in GTA.
Whoever wants to pay the track fee by Email money Transfer, kindly contact Kevin (416-5649999) or email info@Touge.ca for instruction.

The Track is about 1 hour and 15 mins drive from Toronto.

{ FS } BHR ignition coils and wires

beechwoodRX8 — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:02:17 GMT

Used set has just over 10k miles on them all daily driving.
$200 picked up in Modesto.

S2/S1 Irons compatibilty

Blackwell — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:15:24 GMT

I cracked my front iron at the top dowel pin. I've read that the S2 front irons have more reinforcement in the casting at that upper dowel. Is the S2 Front iron compatible with the rest of the S1 motor parts? Is it worth me trying to track down down one of those irons for another shot at getting my car back on the road? I reckon I'm just barely at the power threshold to crack it in the first place. So if the S2 plate is say 15-20% stronger then that should be fine I'm thinking.

I'm sure someone on here has done this right?