I think I'm either going to go insane...
 

Or I'm going to buy some common parts just so that when i see someone post an issue complaining about certain problems, and they are here in Colorado, I'll offer to bring those parts, install them on their car, and see if their problem then goes away.

That way, they will know the answer, and not have to ask questions and make random guesses for days on end.

I'm thinking of a full set of coils, spark plugs, and ignition wires as just a simple start. Convertor issues are discovered simply by dropping it and looking inside, so no need to score one from a junkyard.

What else should I add to the pile of parts for this kind of troubleshooting?

BC.

seems a bit over the top... but, I totally understand where you're coming from!

Maybe spark plug/ coil tester would be handy? Other simple tools like that?

MAF, throttle body, stock air intake, digital multimeter, stock third brake light bulb and socket.

agreed on being over the top however it is a very kind gesture.

My suggestions:

* Rx8 workshop manual

* Code reader is EXTREMELY important if you're gonna try and help people trouble shoot serious issues. If someone gets a CEL, you can pull the code n' have a good starting point.

* Multimeter - great for checking voltage. I know it helped me when i took apart my audio system to find a bad ground.

* Fuses- bad grounds can lead to blow outs. Once you track down your electrical demons, it's a good thing to have a bunch of spares. Super cheap to buy in bulk too.

* Gromets - i swear approximately half of our car is held together by these little things.

* Low profile hydro jack - unless you're helping someone who is hellaflush, this will save a lot of time n' work on most applications.

A couple of options come to mind:

A. Tell them to screw off.

B. Get a business license and charge them for your time.

3. Buy them a beer and tell them that rotaries aren't for the squeamish.


I'll just keep going to the dealership until my extended warranty expires.

Then I'll be calling YOU. :D:

I have all those parts in my spares, along with all the needed tools, so I guess I could help out.

A compression tester may answer a lot of questions too:

http://rotarydiagnostics.com/

or

http://www.twistedrotors.com/

$15 tester for coils and wire, no moving parts

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-testing-all-rx-8-coils-gm-ls2-yukon-coils-sparkplug-wires-222641/

Amazing little gadget that helped be diagnose a bad BHR coil. Definitely a must have device.

Bringing my old post back to life.

Picked up new coils, plugs and wires to swap out the OEM bits on my car at the 20k mile mark, so I have the old parts packed up nice and neat in my garage ready for testing on locals cars.

So, if you have a used RX-8, and live in the Denver, CO region, or even a bit further away, and you want to see if your ignition system is the source of your cars issues, feel free to drop me a line, and we can swap my still good coils and wires onto your car to see if there's an improvement.

BC.

Very cool :icon_tup:

I have an OEM cat and catback exhaust with about 10K miles on it in case someone needs to borrow them to diagnose an issue.