wankelbolt

iTrader: (21)

According to this diagram from this thread, the right-hand-side fan is #1.

mazdafan1892

Damn, 05 my Rx-8 was cranking like hell today, felt like the engine was about to flood. Almost could not get it to start. My mechanic strongly feels the fuel pump needs to be replaced. He says should be around $400-600 bucks. But he's gonna check first. I thought it was the starter. Thoughts anyone?

wankelbolt

iTrader: (21)

Mazdafan, is the starter original or upgraded? Miles on the engine? Kept up with maintenance of the plugs, coils, wires? Battery good? Older engine with lower compression is going to be hard to start when warm with the original starter. Unless your mechanic has tested flow and pressure of the fuel pump and knows it's bad, or you have very high mileage, it's probably not the problem.

The pump is only $400-600 if he has a condo at a ski resort in Vail he's making payments on... It's $200-ish for just the pump, but you should replace the entire in-tank assembly for $300. Better yet to install the Series 2 assembly, also $300. That takes a little work to retrofit but it's better if you ever autocross or track it.

mazdafan1892

Sorry I think he meant the fuel tank but the starter as far as I know is original. I know the newer models have more teeth. I know there is a DIY, been meaning to upgrade. I had a a tune up a couple of years ago. The plugs, wires, and coils were replaced. I think the wires were replaced again for whatever reason not too long ago too. Just got a new battery last week. I am going to mention to my mechanic to check the fuses too. Mileage 60k.

wankelbolt

iTrader: (21)

Barring physical damage to the tank, I can't imagine why you would need a new one.
Fuses? If it's just hard to start fuses probably don't have anything to do with it..

Team Tora Productions

I am continuing a question I had about clutches and flywheels. I read up and a lot of people recommend the Racing Beat Flywheel for track and autocross use. But when I asked my mechanic to install it he told me I will have to replace that flywheel and clutch assembly in about a year with the racing I do with the car. He told me I should go with anything Aluminum because it doesn't soak the heat well and warps after a short period of time. He recommended just shaving the stock flywheel and buying a new clutch which is slightly heavier than then the stock one but grips better at higher rpm due to weighted pucks. I'm interested in performance gains. Can I get more insight on choosing the right flywheel for the car? I don't necessarily disagree with shaving the stock flywheel since it is a reliable flywheel, but I was hoping for a more aggressive driving experience that could get me a bit faster times.

wankelbolt

iTrader: (21)

Nope, so long as you push it straight on. Wet it with water to help it slide on.Yes, the transmission cooler is in the bottom of the radiator and you will lose a little fluid when you disconnect it. No big deal, just check it according to the manual when you are done and top it off. The "special machine" is needed to change all the fluid, but if you follow the maintenance schedule and don't abuse it, again, no problem.You never know.

gwilliams6

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tro...t-here-222584/

Starting the Engine
• Starter
• Battery
• Engine Compression
• Grounding Wires
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors

mazdafan1892

Update it was the fuel pump from a bunch of tests. Still I have to:

Replace the thermometer
Air Intake Filter
New Tires( Got to research brands more), Currently have Nexus Tires(Slippery
as hell in the winter and rain. The DSC goes nuts.)
Get an alignment
The oil is almost ready to be changed every 3k mi
The transmission oil and differential oil change the rear we'll see.(Might make Mazda take care of that one, even though I know its not crazy hard.
New Windshield Wipers
There is cracking in the passenger dashboard but looking for a brand new replacement in junkyards. Mazda wants $1,400 just for the part. No thanks.

BigBadChris

iTrader: (4)

If I swap my 4 speed auto trans for a 5 speed JDM, will I also need a JDM ecu?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yes. The ECU is expecting an automatic, not a manual. But in theory, any 6-speed manual ECU can be made to work with a 5-speed transmission. I am unaware of exactly what all in the MT ECU is gear-dependant. The 4-speed automatic or 6-speed automatic ECUs won't work well at all, if they work at all.

badinfluence

On the Series I I would look at the 4port to 6port changes if that applies.

On the Series II, ASM, DSC, and ABS would be an issue because the PCM would be expecting the Automatic's stability control messages, not the manual's entirely different system. (The PCM manual actively manages power to the drive train, and has a ******* YAW sensor. /nerdgasem) The main difference being that Series II is CANBUS. I bring it up because it MAY happen on the series I, but since it is different wiring wise, it may be a serious issue for trying to get it to work.

The Automatic is going to idle differently and won't have the "in gear" parameters and be able to sense clutch ins. When you add the PCM you will need to add those switches and parameters from the harness.

In my opinion it would be quite painful and could just ruin your opinion of the car. I think it might be a better idea to add a different automatic transmission or do work to it rather then try and change the drive-train completely. The other option is to buy a different manual RX8 and/or a totaled one and swap things car to car.

BigBadChris

iTrader: (4)

Thanks to both badinfluence and RIWWP.

I have been told that the JDM 5 speed will handle abuse better than the 6 speed that we got. Since I have an automatic now, it seemed that an imported 5 speed (400 bucks) would be cheaper than an upgraded 4 speed auto. However, swapping to a JDM ecu could be a pain. If I recall correctly, doesnt that mean ignition cylinder, keys, and new keyless entry also?

The car to car swap was discussed at length, and it is still an option. However, my mechanic is concerned about the long term durability of the 6 speed. He raced NHRA for a while, using a built RX7. He put 600 lbs ft into the 5 speed and it never complained. (I am certainly not putting down that kind of power)

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yup. Either have all of those from the donor car too so you can swap everything, or once you have the new module(s) in, tow the car to a dealer to have them see if they can reprogram each module to talk to the ECU and vise versa. Being a JDM ECU though, this might be something that the dealer wouldn't even want to touch. If you don't have this communication step, you might as well leave in the factory ECU and bypass it completely for engine control with a standalone aftermarket ECU and let the factory ECU still control the rest of the body related stuff.

Or a 4th option of writing software and building a control module to handle the communication for you.



Listening to the abuse/durability advice of someone who has a completely different application that doesn't even relate to a single piece of hardware you have isn't really all that wise. The RX-8's 6-speed was never in an FD. The NA/NB Miata's 6-speed is/was, and is a different box. Yes, the series 1 6-speed has a weaker 4th gear, but if you are all set up for a 6-speed swap, it's a simple matter of choosing a series 2 6-speed instead. There is only a trivial wiring difference of the reverse/neutral sensor connectors being backwards. Everything else externally is identical.

I haven't seen anyone having any issues with the RX-6's 6 speed with big power, the transmission is stronger than the engine. If you are putting a different engine in, it usually means a different transmission just due to mounting reasons. The only transmission weaknesses found were naturally aspirated, and in very rough wheel to wheel racing, which is an environment you aren't likely to see? If you are, then yes, you will need a solution for that.

badinfluence

Which is more thermally conductive to below ambient temperatures? (extracting heat from the 2nd object (aluminium can)

72F

Water (Tap or Distilled)
Copper to Aluminium with nothing but metal touching
Frozen Water
Air

reni04

Question: At what point does carbon build up occur the most, at idle or under load at low speeds?. At what point does carbon build up occur the most?.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I don't think that has ever been tested.

The dynamics of a combustion event point to a rich burn as leaving more carbon than leaner, however there is always carbon in the combustion exhaust, so it's more complicated than that, requiring some level of calculation or measurement of the % of carbon expelled with the exhaust at different points, vs how much carbon is formed.

reni04

Thank you for that answer. Some one is trying to tell me that it isn't necessary to run the rpm up under load, so i was trying to understand where the most carbon accumulation in the motor occurs. So with out any definitive answer i guess this guy can claim that it isn't necessary to reev the motor under load?. I was told that most carbon build up is at idle but?.

i looked on line as well as our site here and i couldn't find any answer to that question?. No worries i always ask the questions that can't or haven't been answered lol. In this case it appears you are correct in that no study or paper exists on this question, but i still think it is a fair question as to what point carbon build up is most occuring in the rx8 and i suppose the different years could effect that out come because of 4 port and 6 port engines. Maybe some day some one else will ask this question?.

Signal 2

I don't know of any studies either. But small-brain speculation is that carbon deposits are more likely at idle, especially cold start idle. That's when pressure and temperatures are lowest, (including combustion temperatures) and mixtures are richest. Those factors will conspire to produce the most incomplete combustion... and most carbon.
RPM with load, especially if it's sustained for some period of time, will increase combustion temps and pressures. And that would tend to help. But "necessary" is something different IMHO.

Team Tora Productions

I am continuing a question I had about clutches and flywheels. A lot of people recommend the Racing Beat Flywheel for track and autocross use. But when I asked my mechanic to install it he told me I will have to replace that flywheel and clutch assembly in about 1/2 a year with the racing I do with the car. He told me I shouldn't go with anything Aluminum because it doesn't soak the heat well and warps after a short period of time. He recommended just shaving the stock flywheel and buying a new clutch which is slightly heavier than then the stock one but grips better at higher rpm due to weighted pucks. I'm interested in performance gains. Can I get more insight on choosing the right flywheel for the car? I don't necessarily disagree with shaving the stock flywheel since it is a reliable flywheel, but I was hoping for a more aggressive driving experience that could get me a bit faster times.


Additionally, I just had a strange issue. Went over a speed bump I hit every day since it is in my parking lot. Never hit it hard. This time, I went over and the front of the car bottomed and then scraped. I then started getting steering issues where the car is harder to turn right then it is left. It also feels like maybe the brakes are slightly on now. When I got out of my car, I smelled radiator fluid but couldn't find a leak anywhere. It was too hot to check my levels but judging from the reservoir it almost looked empty. I'll look at it in the morning. Hoping my water pump didn't go out but would that cause a steering problem? So my question is, what just broke?

Signal 2

RE: lightened flywheels...my .02:
Seems like there are two basic ways to lighten a flywheel, a) by using aluminum for most of the construction w/ a steel replaceable friction surface or b) Using all-steel construction but removing material, usually from the outer area of the FW. In fact both methods of construction tend to keep the mass of the FW as close to the center as possible.
I have heard talk that the aluminum construction with the steel friction surface method is NOT as efficient at dissipating the heat. I've had such a FW for a few years, and given what I know of it's construction that would seem to make sense. While my all-aluminum version has been trouble free and I like the performance, I DON'T track the car. IF I tracked...I would get a lightened FW (not just have the stock one re-surfaced) but choose an all-steel version.

reni04

Thank you for the answer sir. I was on that belief and maybe some day some one will quantify that and we will know. I am going to try to get that information from Mazda but i am not real hopefull as Mazda tends to be difficult to get a answer from with out a portion of political tripe.


Isn't it funny how when a person with a lower post count tends to just answer the question and when the posts counts rise the snarky stuff rises with the post count lol lol. Thanks.

Digitz0070

Ok, so I have an 05 rx8. Just got it recently. I know it has a turboxs catback exhaust. But I'm not sure if the previous owner put a midpipe in it or left the cat in it. It just threw a P0420 code at me (Cataclyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)). I'm wanting to check the cat and completely clear it out if it's bad so I can safely drive it until i get a bhr midpipe. If it had a midpipe I'll just clear the code after I'm sure there are no other causes. Is there a certain way to clear it out or do I just scrape out its internals?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Take the cat off the car, and check that the back half is intact to be sure that no broken pieces of strata are in the exhaust.
If there are broken pieces, you'll have to shake them out.
Take the oxygen sensor out so you don't damage it.
Take a long prybar or something similar, and hammer out any remaining pieces until it's clear.

wankelbolt

iTrader: (21)

Adding to Cajun's advice: Stick a hose in there and get it wet before you start bashing the pieces out. You don't want to breathe the dust you're going to make, and wetting it will keep the dust down.

IIRC there is also a metal mesh that holds the catalyst matrix in place. Get that out too or eventually it will ball up and block the outlet.