bigbd03

You Decide - V8 Roadsters (V8R)

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

That's a sad story.
I can't imagine how upset I would be after all that time and money invested to be disappointed with the results.

It really seems like they did a half fast job, couldn't figure out the problems and just said, "Screw it, we're done."

Did this shop have rotary/piston swap experience?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Where are you?
I'd think if it's mostly wiring issues now, a regular reputable auto shop may be able to help you out with it if you explain what all's been done and all the issues with it.

​​​​​You'd have to be sure they have good electrical
​troubleshooting skills.
You could read online reviews from Yelp or possibly any other auto forums in your area to try and find out who might have a good reputation.

Also, this thread isn't a good thread to post about it.
Go to the S2 electrical troubleshooting forum and start a thread there.
Try a basic title like "Need Help With Swap Wiring Problems" or something like that


Keep it brief though, Cliff Notes version.
Many will see long posts like your first one here and TL/DR it.

I almost did.

HELIRLC

I ordered the RX-8 steering relocation kit with the ball joint extensions and they had no instructions. But it’s straight forward install I assumed. The fuse passenger side ball link would not pull up flush and seat in place with the thin cheap nuts they supplied. The threads stripped. I ordered some grade 8 deeper threaded nuts but the ball threads was messed up too. So I done the driver side and used the new nuts I bought and it pulled up and seated as supposed to. Could not get the passenger side to do it. Emailed and called LS1RX8. Their only reply was I had to buy another kit. Beware of the hardware parts they supply.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...76681233a.jpeg
Passenger side the cheap nut would not pull it up and seat in place the threads stripped on both pieces. V8 Roadsters kit. Won’t replace it. Said I had to buy another one.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...e07d8348b.jpeg
Driver side using the new grade 8 nut and their cheap on on top to lock in place

Stubbs

iTrader: (1)

Unless something changed recently, V8Roadsters kit replaces the RX8 rack with a hydraulic NC Miata steering rack that uses OEM Miata inner tie rods and OEM RX8 outer tie rods.

What you have looks like the tie rods that LSRX8 sells to fix the bumpsteer issues caused by their kit using a stock RX8 electric steering rack that gets relocated downwards to clear the engine. V8R and LSRX8 are not affiliated.
From the research I did, LSRX8 uses a Mustang II bumpsteer kit with a new sleeve to match the RX8 metric thread inner tie rod to the Mustang II SAE thread outer.
The RX8 knuckle's tie rod end taper is different from the Mustang II which leads to the outer end not fully seating.
Since Mustang II suspension components are extremely common you can find replacement bits pretty cheaply. For example: Here's a link to a replacement of the piece that stripped on yours.

HELIRLC

I DO stand corrected. Thanks for doing so. I have been on soo many sites trying to find parts and it’s getting confusing to keep up with.
APOLOGIES TO V8 Roadsters…
I looked back and it was the other Co was LS1rx8.
thanks for the correction.

kevink0000

Unfortunately for the OP, I don't think there is any shop that will take on this task. It has DANGER written all over it, for many reasons.

I think you are on your own, and that is probably for the best for you. Nobody will commit to finish this like you will.

Sad story, all the best.

HELIRLC

Kevink0000
you are correct. I have many common sense abilities from Const equipment, old school computer logic controls, industrial tooling, residential General contractor along with building and remodeling homes. Building old simple cars. But the new computerized cars where you need a laptop to work on them is a foreign language to me. My tig and mig skills are 40 years ago and now re learning on these Chinese hot boxes with limited adjustments is overwhelming. I can make the welds strong but ugly and not even a grinder can fix. Have digital complete manuals for the Camaro and Mazda. I sit on my couch and have been picking out the wiring diagrams I will need to make this harness conversion myself. Actually I have two harnesses a manual and automatic. Will build the manual which I will use and if it works out I will build the automatic harness for future use. Good thing I’m retired and have a large basement shop to do all this. The drive shaft goes to the shop Monday to be built up.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Good luck.
I hope you get it sorted.

Stubbs

iTrader: (1)

Pretty disappointing to hear the issues you had with getting this car built.
It's an awful position to be put in when you paid so much money.

It really sucks that you'll now have spend more money and/or your time to get this to where it should have been on delivery.
I don't know if you want to go down that rabbit hole, but here's some of my advice on getting some of the stuff sorted that you mentioned.
I'm more familiar with the S1 electronics, but I spent some time reviewing the S2 wiring diagrams and Service manual this week so these recommendations should work for your applications.

For the Headlight Auto-Level warning light:
The warning light is not controlled by CanBus so it should be fairly simple to fix
Option 1 Unplug Connector to Headlight Auto Leveling Control Module
This Eliminates the leveling control system entirely. Headlights will be remain at whatever position they were when disconnected. Since the control module is not present it won't be able to turn the warning light on.

Option 2 Cut yellow/black wire at terminal 2J on the cluster or cut Yellow/Black Wire at terminal V at the headlight control module
The leveling control system remains but is in a fault state and headlights should remain in the failsafe position

Option 3 Find the source of the fault and repair or bypass.
The likely culprit is the front leveling sensor. The V8R subframe doesn't have the mounting tab to reinstall the sensor.
The sensor was likely unplugged and removed during the install. If the sensor is missing the control module detects an open circuit, sets the warning light and moves the headlights to the fail-safe position.
Solution 1
Find a replacement sensor and plug it in. Adjust the position sensor to the mid point or whichever position shuts off the light. Relocate and secure the sensor out of the way.
Solution 2
If you can't find the original sensor or replacement, you can use a 10K potentiometer. Wire as follows, terminal 1 of the Pot to terminal A of the connector, terminal 2 to terminal B, terminal 3 to terminal C. Set the Pot to it's midpoint or whichever position shuts off the light.
Solution 3
Run a jumper wire from the White/Orange wire at terminal E to Black/Blue wire at terminal G at the Headlight Auto Leveling Relay. The control module will see the same signal for the front and rear and assume the car is level.

2 Charge Warning Light
This warning light is controlled over CanBus so might require a bit more effort
The CanBus Converter controls the charge warning light by sensing the supply voltage to the converter box. If it drops below 12.6V for more than 3 seconds it commands the cluster to illuminate the charge warning light. When it rises above the thresholds the light is commanded off.
I had intermittent charge warning light illumination on my RX8 due to voltage sag caused by the dual high amp radiator fans. When they would turn on it would pull enough amps to drop the voltage below the warning threshold until they came up to speed and amp draw lowered. Voltage would return to above 12.6V and the light would go out.
The likely cause of intermittent charge warning is voltage sag. You can confirm by checking the B+ voltage under high load conditions(i.e. fans turning on)
If your voltage sag is cause by high transient inductive loads like the fans you can address it in a few ways.

Solution 1
Some of the parameters can be adjusted in the CanBus Controller using a laptop and a serial terminal. I believe you can adjust the voltage error floor and/or time. If you can adjust the time value to something like 10 seconds so you will filter out the transient voltage sags, but still have an indication of an issue with your charging system.

Solution 2
Check the condition of your alternator and battery. If they are weak they can't keep up.
Inspect battery and alternator power cables and replace with heavier gauge if insufficient. If your battery is in the trunk you need at minimum 1/0 gauge, preferably 3/0 gauge. Check the terminals for corrosion and tightness too. Alternator needs a minimum of 4 gauge. Again ensure terminals are tight and clean at all connections.
If the Alternator is controlled by the ECU it might be responding to current demand to slowly. Depending on the ecu and alternator, settings can be adjusted with tuning software like hptuners to react more quickly.

Solution 3
Add a PWM controller to the fans to allow soft starts to reduce the high transient current draw
Aftermarket PWM controllers for brushed fans are a mixed bag, and usually expensive. I've heard lots of poor results from the derale controller so avoid that.
There are some OEM controllers that can be harvested from the junkyard. They can be found really cheaply.
Here's some links with more detail:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...connector.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-in...-less-diy.html

Solution 4
Replace the current fans with brushless fans to reduce both average and peak current draw.
This is an expensive option, but brushless fans have a huge upside. The are more efficient per amp, especially under high load, run only at the speed needed, and are tend to be much quieter than binary fan control.
I used to have a pair of 11" spal brushed fans that moved a total of ~1450 cfm at 15 mm/hg drawing 28 amps. However, the startup current will spike as high as 70amps until the fans get up to speed.
The single 16" brushless I'm using now moves ~1780 cfm at 15 mm/hg and draws ~32 amps at full speed. It's rarely at full speed so average current draw is much lower and it does not have a huge current spike at startup.
I used the Spal brushless and standalone sensor which eliminates the ECU control of the fans. The big benefit is the fan begins running at a much lower temp(the e38 ecu can't turn the fans on below 195ºF) and will ramp it's speed based on coolant temp. Depending on the sensor, fan start temp can be as low as 140ºF. My 175-195ºF sensor starts the fan at 20% at 175ºF and ramps to full speed at 195ºF.)

Key Warning light (Red)
This is likely due to the differences between the S1 and S2 RX8 clusters. Since the Canbus Controller was originally developed on the S1 cluster it won't be sending S2 specific Canbus data needed to control some warning lights.
The cluster will default to turning a warning light on unless it gets a repeating canbus message to turn it off.
The firmware for the converter probably needs to be updated to fix this.
The security light is probably related, and once it gets the right messages from the Controller will not be an issue.
Here's the website of the guy that makes the controller: Cluster Commander Try reaching out to him via the contact us link and see if he can help you troubleshoot.
I had some issues early on, and he was very helpful in getting it sorted out. If you have trouble getting in contact let me know and I'll see if I can help with that.

Fog lights
Are you sure that you could turn the fogs on without the headlights before the swap? The wiring diagrams doesn't seem to support that function. There are three relays that control the exterior/interior lighting. The TNS relay handles parking lights, tail lights and interior illumination. This relay turns on when you rotate the headlight switch to the first position. The headlight relay handles the high and low beam as well as supplying power to the fog light relay coil. This turns on when you rotate the headlight switch to the second position(low beam ON position.) The fog light relay controls the fog light via the fog light switch. So the fogs should only come on when the headlight switch is in the second position(low beam ON position.)
If you want that functionality you could move the brown wire for the fog relay coil power from the headlight relay and splice it to the Green/White wire at the TNS relay. This would allow you to run the fogs without the headlights.

Alignment
A few things to be aware of on this.
I had issues for a while with a subtle clanking noise and a slight pull to the right. I had the car aligned by 3 different shops(one was a shop that specialized in track alignments) with no improvement. I finally figured out that the issue was due to the V8R front subframe not having as deep of a pocket as the OEM subframe for the lower control arm rear bushing. The rear bushing is the primary caster adjustment point and the guys doing the alignment had cranked the adjuster in so far that the back of the control arm was pressed against the back of the pocket. This ended up causing binding in travel and the clanking noise. The caster was also not even side to side which was causing the pulling. I ended up getting it realigned for a 4th time, but gave the tech specific instruction on the caster adjustment so the control arm wouldn't bind and that fixed the issue.
Also make sure the tie rods are equal length side to side. If the steering rack and/or steering wheel aren't centered when the steering shaft is installed the alignment tech will just adjust the tie rods to shorten one side and lengthen the other to center the steering wheel. This can cause some wonky steering as the tie rod geometry is different side to side and you can have asymmetric toe changes during bump travel.
While it's not likely it's worth inspecting the rear suspension arms. I've seen several cases of a towing or transport company securing an RX8 for transport by running tie-downs over or around the rear suspension arms. They aren't designed to take load in that orientation and can bend causing alignment issues.

If power steering feels over boosted you can try a couple things
Turn one makes a flow restrictor for the power steering pump that can give the steering a better feel. It'll require a bit of research to get the right one as there are two styles of pumps that could have been used with the CTS-V accessory kit. ID which one you have(Toyoda or ZF) and then select a flow rate. I don't know what flow rate would be best, so you'll probably have to try a couple and see which you prefer.
Turn One Flow Restrictor
I believe there are some underdrive pulleys for the power steering pump that might help as well.

Exhaust/Engine etc
Between the smell and performance issues you mentioned it sounds like there could be something wrong with the tune. Do you have the tune file for your car? If it's HPTuners I can take a look and see if there's anything obviously wrong.
My RX8 had an exhaust likely similar to yours. I had a modified version of V8R's NC RX8 exhaust. It used borla shorty headers with 2.5" stainless tubing, a set of cheap hi-flow cats, an x-pipe and their proprietary dual in/out non x-pipe muffler. I'd agree that their exhaust is super quiet, I doubt it's any louder than a stock Corvette. While I did have some exhaust odor it was never excessive and I never reeked of gas.

If it's not a tune issue, you could replace the cats with a better set. Most of the high-flow cats are barely better than a straight pipe. Look into Kooks green cats. They are the same form factor as other highflow cats so they should fit where your current cats are, but have a higher precious metals content and are much more effective. Keep in mind all things being equal the effectiveness of a catalytic converter scales linearly with the price.

Also dig in to how they handled the EVAP canister and vent. If the evap system is vented to atmosphere it can cause tank vapors to build up in the engine bay and/or cabin depending on where the end of the vent is. It's not enough to be an explosion or fire risk, but it can be a big source of odor.

Cooling
An OBD gauge or standalone gauge is a good idea to better understand what the engine is doing. The factory coolant temp gauge is no better than a dummy light. The factory temp gauge has three positions, cold, operating temp, and overheat. The gauge sits at the cold mark until the coolant temp rises to a set value(160ºF is the default i think), then the needle moves to the middle of the gauge. It will sit there until it reaches the over temp threshold(220ºF) and then move to the hot mark. Any movement between those three positions is simulated by the stock cluster so rate of change is irrelevant. This is a hardware limitation of the stock cluster and not due to the canbus converter.

There could be a few reasons for the overheating at idle. Usually it's an air bubble or not enough cooling fan. It can also be caused by improper plumbing, an underdriven water pump, or issues in the tune(excessive timing retard, fan on setpoints too high.)
What was the radiator used and what is its orientation(stand up or laid down like OEM?) What does the radiator ducting look like? An OEM or upgraded OEM radiator can handle an LS if the system is properly design and ducted, but it's close to maxed out so it can cause issues if it's just stuck in there with tiny fans, no ducting, and poor plumbing.
What cooling fans and are they shrouded or just placed directly on the radiator? It's tight in the engine bay so most times the fans are undersized especially if it's trying to pull air through a thick radiator and a/c condenser. That's compounded by being placed directly on the radiator as they pull air over a much smaller area of the radiator and are less efficient due to turbulence caused by being right against the radiator
How is your system plumbed? Do you have an expansion tank with steam vents plumbed correctly or is it only using an overflow bottle? If you don't have an expansion tank located at a high point in the engine bay it's difficult to get trapped air out of the engine since the radiator sits pretty low.
Is the heater plumbed or were the heater ports plugged on the water pump? On an LS engine if they are blocked it can cause issue with coolant flow.

Hope this helps give you a start on figuring out where to go from here. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be happy to help.