RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

All too true.

Valeria Saldivar

I am glad he asked. I've had my RX8 going on a year, and have very little help w it so I've been doing research also on how to maintain it and do minor repairs on my own. Seeing how I'm a female and hadn't touched a car "mechanically" since high school, I found all the feed back very helpful. Thanks for helping me maintain my dream car :-)

Fireicer

I am recently in your same position. New RX* and new problems.

My honest opinion on this is to completely check everything, every nut and bolt.

Start with plugs and coils, engine mount inspection, drop-links the left hand side i.e. UK passenger side drop-links are made to sheer if excessive pressure is applied so the metal cap parts off away from the plastic ball joint.
Check all your plastic covers are present and in tact, test your coolant, just change it anyway, change the oil to fresh oil, check for bad old fuel in the tank(best to drain and refill with fresh fuel, check all vacuum lines and hoses, test for leaks, fully check your exhaust for leaks and blockage.

Finally plug-in a scan tool capable device and monitor your fuel trims, any error codes if any. See what the O2 sensor is reporting at idle and at wide open throttle. If you get rich idle and fluctuating up and down readings from the O2 sensor then your CAT is bad.
Your Fuel trims come in Long Term fuel trim and Short term fuel trim.

Short term fuel trims should be changing by around 3% to -3% up or down around the 0 line and long term should not realistically be above 5%.

MAF readings can be skewed but should be around 5.5g/s for idle give or take about .5 grams.

Wide open throttle test should see an increase of the MAF reading and the O2 sensor should remain rich, if it drops lean you may have a faulty sensor.
Ignoring a faulty skewed MAF will damage the engine and the CAT and the AFR sensor.

Blocked exhausts will cause the engine to overheat regardless of what your coolant temp says. Also leaks in exhaust i have recently found which backfire will blow your CAT to pieces like dynamite had been shoved up the tailpipe. Backfires must never happen in an exhaust pipe, muffler does a good job of containing the pop so any leaks and you are in trouble. This rules is the same for piston engines with a CAT as well.

Any abnormal noises must be addressed quickly. Low fuel pressure due to a failing fuel pump will cause a lean condition much like that you would see on the O2 sensor when at wide open throttle and this will burn out many things.

If it is a new purchase then drop both gearbox and diff oil and check it then refill with the correct oil.

CHECK brakes, this car has vented discs front and back and they rust from the inside out, seriously get scored depending on driving conditions. a good test is can you lock up the back wheels at low speed using the hand brake if so they are working well.

Listen to any noises when you depress the clutch The release bearing goes dry after a wile from those riding the clutch and begins to grind then fail which collapses the friction plate springs. Normal for any car not specific to the RX8.

AntiRoll bushes need inspection they become damaged quite often front and rear. The RX8 is great round corners and applies allot of pressure on these components hence they get mashed up pretty soon.
The car is pretty heavy considering the size of the engine so suspension components take a battering including springs. You should not be able to push them down much as they are a very stiff setup.

WARNING point. Oil cooler tubes are steel tubes into rubber hoses and hidden behind the front bumper and bottom covers so inspection is rarely done. These tubes rot from the outside in and can burst, leak out your oil and leave the engine dry from lubrication. Make the effort to remove the front bumper and lower cover and inspect in detail before it is too late.
Uprate to braided Teflon hoses and ANF fittings at most recent opportunity.

Watch that thermostat, if your temp needle runs cooler when driving on a motorway or above 50 then the thermostat is stuck open and the PCM will adjust fuelling to an incorrect fuel air ratio as it thinks it is colder than it is. Verify the thermostat and temperature sensor is working correctly, i have seen a temp sensor fail and report 85'c when engine was actually close to 100'c cooking off. If your fan comes on at 95'c ish then sensor is working but this is still too hot so don't idle for long times, turn engine off properly when not driving. If anyone knows how to change the fan turn on temperature please feel free to share this information?

The RX8 naturally idles rich which will over long periods of time burn out the CAT normally. Mazda did not pay much attention to CAT and emissions for this car and it tells. Locations of secondary air pump and valves are a last minute bolt on.

This is my basics list for new RX8 owners some of which is good for any new second hand car.

Specific elements on this engine that need periodic inspection are the intake vacuum valves you have 3 of them controlled by electric solenoids.
First is the secondary air pump which opens at start up and blows air into the exhaust to clear unburnt fuel out the tail pipe.

Second valve is your SSV which opens at 7500 RPM to overdrive the engine at high revs.

Third valve is the APV which opens at 5000rpm. all these valves can get stuck jammed or loose operation due to the solenoid failing to operate causing a rich condition.

There is a further valve that can fail and this is the VFAD which is controlled by an electric motor by the computer based on engine temp, air flow and fuel etc.

You then also have a separate intake valve under in front of the bumper which is actuated by a solenoid in front of the air box. This valve gets leaky and reduces manifold vacuum over time.

Spark plugs on this car only clean themselves while in long runs so short runs will cause plug fowling. The plugs need to reach temperature and be exposed to a high flow of combustion to remain clean.

Coils are crap, Mazda really cheapened up on these and the current coil construction is prone to fail so easy, take a coil off look at the back end of the potting compound and if you see a white splash mark the coil is bin fodder. I seen some mods using high end racing coils that need bracket modification which overcomes this issue but the price is expensive for these.

Once you have covered all this you are all good.

Optimal fuel pressure throughout the rev range is 56psi so if you drop bellow 50 psi you need fix it. Snapping the throttle open should cause the fuel pressure to rise slightly you must NEVER see the pressure fall under load. If the pressure drops you need find out why ASAP as this is a lean condition and will damage the engine.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

That's a decent run down, just be aware that the white marks on the coils are meaningless. You could have a dead coil with no marks or a good coil with marks. You need to test them with a multimeter following the Mazda shop procedure. Also no need for high end racing coils, there are a number of solutions that require no modification, the leading being BHR's coil kit.

Fireicer

I seen them BHR coil kits, very expensive in the UK. They are the ones that come with the modified bracket so you don,t need make one, you just bolt them onto the standard bolt holes. What is baffling me is the top hats on the Mazda coils. They have this top hat before the HT lead socket which wobbles and pops off to reveal a spring between the coils output and the HT lead socket. Very strange, I never seen this before and have no idea why it is like this...

alquimico

Mazda RX8 Factory Service Repair manual
Oil and Filter Change Intervals
Mazda Service Schedule – 12’500 miles/12 months
Essex Rotary Recommendation – 3’000-6’000 mile / 3-6 month intervals
Mazda advised owners that there oil should be changed at 12’500 mile/12 month intervals, this it something that really is far too long. old dirty oil can be a cause of blocked oil injector lones leading to excessive long term wear the engines rotor housings and seals. couple this with the fact rotary engines should not be using the more turable and long lasting fully synthetic oil and you can see why 12’500 mile intervals is far too long.

Our Recommendation – Essex Rotary recommend that oil and oil filter is changed at an absolute maximum of 6’000 mile/6 month intervals, however to really take care of your engine we would like to see owners changing oil at 3’000 miles/3 month intervals.
Oil grade mineral ideally however some semi-synthetics are ok to use. Viscocity should be 15w40 or 10w40, the exception to this is the Synionic Rotary Oil we stock this is of 10w30 grade however the formulation means it is of excellent quality to protect your rotary enging even when taking in to account its lighter viscocity.

Air Filter
Mazda Service Schedule – 37’500 miles/36 months
Essex Rotary Recommendation - 12’000 / 12 month intervals
Engine air filter should be changed at most every 25’000 miles or 24months if using the desposable type filters. we do recommend the K&N panel filters due to their non disposable design, buy once and you will never need to replace it again. for more information on the K&N Filter check our shop.

Spark Plugs Changes
Mazda Service Schedule – 37’500 miles/36 months
Essex Rotary Recommendation – 24’000 miles/24 months.
It has become fairly obvious over the years that a service life of 3 years on spark plugs really is far far too long, the condition of spark plugs we remove from customer engines at that have been left in the engine for that long really is shocking. it is with this information that we advise plugs are used for a maximum of 24’000 miles or 2 years. we really would like to see them changed at 12’000-18’000 miles for optimal spark strength.

Drive Belts
Mazda Service Schedule – inspected only
Essex Rotary Recommendation – 50’000 miles/48 months Maximum
With the importance of your drive belts maintaining flow in your cooling system and charge to your battery via the alternator Essex Rotary Recommend that your belts are changed out at maximum of 87’500mile/7 year service intervals. These 7th year services are relatively inexpensive to its also a perfect time to do them.

Ignition Coil Packs
Mazda Service Schedule – Never (they are not recognized as a serviceable item)
Essex Rotary Recommendation – 30’000 mile intervals maximum using Genuine Mazda Coils
Or Consider Changing to Black Halo Racing Upgraded Ignition Coils

alquimico

Mazda cx5 Cx-5 Workshop Service Car Repair Manual
Avoid hard revving when cold
Starting up from cold is when most engine wear occurs. So give your Mazda a few minutes to warm up by using low engine revs as you drive. This allows the lubrication system to move oil right through the engine. When the temperature gauge is in the normal operating zone, your Mazda is ready for what it does best. Zoom-Zoom.

Try to drive smoothly without rapidly stopping and starting
The stop-start nature of city driving is hard on cars. By adopting a smooth, steady driving style you'll dramatically reduce wear on your engine, clutch, transmission, brakes and tyres. You'll also use less fuel, which saves money and helps the environment.

Whenever you park, ensure the handbrake is fully engaged and the car is left in gear
Select ‘P’ with an automatic transmission, or first or reverse gear with a manual transmission. When parking downhill, point your wheels towards the kerb for extra safety.

Avoid gutters, kerbs and bumps
Try to avoid hitting kerbs when parking and potholes at speed. The impact can put the front wheels out of alignment, causing uneven and premature tyre wear. It can also cause damage to wheel rims and tyres.

Check your gauges regularly when driving
Water temperature and oil pressure are most important as they monitor your engine's vital cooling and lubrication systems. If these gauges move into the critical zone, stop the car as soon as practical and get help by calling your nearest Mazda Service Centre or Roadside Assistance. Similarly, if a warning light comes on, stop and get help. For more information, please refer to your Owner's Manual.

Drive for a cleaner environment
Air pollution affects everyone, particularly children and the elderly. The combined effect of all our vehicles reduces air quality, but we can help reduce this environmental impact.

Have your Mazda serviced regularly to help save fuel and reduce running costs
Avoid hard acceleration and braking to reduce fuel consumption and brake and tyre wear
Keep tyres correctly inflated for optimum fuel economy
Don't carry heavy loads, like golf clubs, when you don’t need to - a lighter vehicle uses less fuel
Plan your trip to combine several small trips - your Mazda will run more efficiently on longer journeys


When driving at dusk, make sure to use your headlights rather than parking lights
They offer better visibility to other road users, particularly at times when outside lighting is reduced.

Take extra special care of your Mazda during the first month
No special running in is necessary, but a few precautions in the first month can optimise the long-term performance, economy and durability of your Mazda.

Don't race the engine
Don't sit on one speed for long periods
Don't drive at full throttle or high engine revs for extended periods
Avoid unnecessary hard stops
Don't tow a heavy trailer

lastphaseofthis

lol What?


about 1500-1700 lbs. 13 mpg. 720 miles.