I don't even know what an HD release bearing is but I wouldn't think the clutch kit and flywheel would make any difference at all. The engine tune should perform the same at the same RPMs - you're just going to be going through them faster. I'm pretty sure the only thing that you really need to worry about are the ignition times and the MAF (or that other air flow thing that some people use... MAP? MAB? that isn't the best indicator for rotary tuning).

Oh. In response to your PM. I don't think it's the coils. I think you're right and it's the starter. I think the coils or a ground issue would show up all over the place but figured I'd start with the coil guru and go from there.

When you were over the car started up relatively quick while you were here. Then you left and I tried to start it so I could drive it around the neighborhood but it was very, very slow. I assumed at the time that it was the battery not being fully charged and giving a weak start but that was my mistake (it was cranking - just not turning over).

Keep in mind that EVERY winter my car has had starting problems and EVERY Spring I've had to have it towed to Westside to replace my spark plugs and battery. And on the rare occasions since I've owned this car that I've had a weeklong vacation it was always slow to start when I returned. Also on track and autox days when I'm doing a lot of heating up / cooling down the car tended to hesitate on startups.

I don't think I'd started it before the coil install for almost a month and I had the battery disconnected the entire time. So that month of non-starting may have been the final straw on the starter's back. It seemed to recover a little of its mojo after the morning starts but even in afternoon sessions it was slow. When I took it off the trailer in Ohio after being there for 2 days it started after just a few seconds. I let it warm up, moved it into the garage, and then on parking the truck next to it realized I'd left it too close for comfort for the next 2 months. So I tried to start it again and the thing took enough cranks to begin flashing the CEL light. Stopped, tried it again, and it took after a few seconds. I moved the car over a few extra inches, shut it off, and don't plan on starting it up until I install my gauges.

Come to think of it this is probably all Steve's fault.

 

You've probably heard people call it a "throw-out" bearing... same thing.
The HD just means heavy duty.
The bearing pushing in on the pressure plate fingers to disengage the disc from the flywheel.
Something that should be changed out when doing a clutch/flywheel install (plus the bearing is only like $25).

My starter sucks-*** too.
I would like to install a new starter when I drop my tranny, but I may have to wait until later when I have extra cash.

 

got my RX8 today... had fun as hell running it around... roads weren't even wet.

When we doing the zoom zoom cleaner and docs spark plugs?

 

I thought Doc asked me to do it this weekend, but I haven't heard about since.

 

Im going to the west side on Friday. We swingin by Doc's?

 

Its up to Doc... I still have to verify with the boss (Yulia) that we don't have plans this weekend.

 

Yea, probably.... and you actually wanted to install parts from my car onto yours, thus fully infecting yours.

I bet I still have a **** *** starter too...


We working on a car this weekend?
Give me the Time and place (preferably the correct time and place)... maybe someone with smaller hands can help me replace my parking lights. Again. I'm going back to flickering blue.

 

I have to stand up for Steve here....
He has been kicking *** in the Tech section of the forum.
Beginning to sound like he knows what he is talking about.
Of course all his problems have allowed him to learn more about troubleshooting the RX8 than he has ever known.

 

No, I'm just ordering the parts and stuff now. We'll do it a weekend after I get back in town from El Salvador.

 

Ryan: Since I didn't see it answered anywhere, it's a MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor.

 

Ok. I'll file that away in my Useless For The Rotary Knowledge That May One Day Be Worth Something file.

r0tor was nice enough to change up his macros a bit and create a full graph for my 30 minute sessions.

http://www.enter.net/~justin/APAFRviewer.xls

You can take that, import either of the logs, and it'll give you the full range. I'll grab a screenshot or two a little later.

Probably isn't as useful for tuning as controlled runs but I find it interesting anyway.

 

Thanks Jon! ...really all I am doing is seeing if people have an '04 or '05 and telling them to check their intake. HA!

Other than that... nearly all other problems start with new coils and wires, anyway.

I know what is going on under the hood, but my technical skills themselves are, well, lacking.

Never did find that intake manifold bolt.


- - - - - - - - - -

Anyone ever do the DIY for reprogramming a key?
I ordered a flip key (+11 hp)

Any anyone have any painting experience that can point me in the right direction for the motorcycle?

 

The programming steps don't look hard at all for that DIY. You should be able to handle it no problem. As for the paint...talk to altspace. He makes custom fiberglass parts for his car and would be able to help you.

 

Couple pics from the Journey. Still waiting on pics of my car actually ON the track but hopefully those wind up in my inbox this week.

2 acre grass fire next to the track - good thing the wind was going away from us:



Here's the Viper Speed cars. One of these guys is from Cleveland and they were up at Nelson's with us on that final Fun Day.

Oh and that's a Viper ACR on the left there... Guys gotta have a daily driver, right?



Two other cars in our group. That's a 460whp AWD Volks R32 that's downtuned from ~600whp and a new base Corvette with the suspension package (C57? Something like that.)



Brief shot of the C4 my buddy drives. It had a new engine in it after he jacked up his crank shaft in Oct. at Nelsons playing with those Vipers. Unfortunately the new engine was generating too much oil pressure (it was a stroker engine) and even tho we rigged it with two breathers into beer cans it still was popping the oil cap clean off. Needless to say it only ran about 10 laps total and was back in the trailer by Friday.



Here's my 8...



Just kidding. It was the only other RX-8 in attendence. I talked to the team that was running this briefly along with 4 spec miatas and they basically just had it set to the MS comp package. Only talked to them for a few minutes before I got bored but it was running n/a with a turned downpipe in place of any mid/catback so the thing was one of the loudest cars on the track. Classic.

Oh and I wasn't sure it was green for the first 6 or so times I saw it. At least now I know exactly what mine will look like with RPF1s (tho there's were 17") and the MS body kit.

Here's my car being trailered home with my buddy and his dualie and trailer in the background:



Here's the driveway I had to back my mother#$&*(@$&* truck and trailer up after having driven for 20 hours. Not a pleasant surprise:



And here's the car safely on the top just warming up to get moved back into the garage:



I also posted a couple videos of the vipers doing drive-bys and the start of one of the PBOC club races if anyone's bored.

http://www.youtube.com/user/rkel76

Oh and there was a ALMS GT40 that ran while we were down there which had to have been one of the loudest cars I've ever heard. And Acura had their Daytona 24 car running but it was off the track by the time we were allowed on.

 

Looks like fun. Any war stories to tell about people that just were awful or something like that?

Honestly, it looks like a ton of work to do a weekend like this, not to mention the $ put into towing, hotels, etc.

 

Nothing spectacular. Most people were relatively well behaved. Had a scary moment when my buddy's mom (fastest Grandma in Akron) was giving me a ride in their Vette. She exited 17 perfectly and had her foot all the way down to the first turn. I peeked and she was at 140. She broke WAY late into the brake zone as she said 'Woops'. But she nailed the corner and kept on trucking.

My buddy, in the same car, with better brakes, couldn't hit 140 all weekend and he is signifcantly better than anyone else in his family.

I briefly nodded off at the bar Saturday night after explaining to the bartender that he was a bitch for measuring the morgans he was pouring rather than just pouring it. Sunday morning I was a tad sluggish.

Technically it was a 4 day weekend but yeah it's a lot of effort. Not something I'd recommend doing more than once a year but the timing worked out really well and for me it was a pretty significant adventure considering I'd never towed my car, never been to Sebring, and had no idea at all about the organization hosting the event. All told it was probably around $1500 not including the wear to the car/tires/brakes/etc. Gas alone for both cars was around $600. And I was splitting hotel costs with my buddy.

I justify it by using fuzzy math and convincing myself I probably woulda just blown all that on strippers and booze had I stayed in town. Oh and heat since it was frickin' freezing.

But now I'm gonna be a helluva lot more comfortable towing my car and will know around how much these little adventures really cost when everything basically goes -right-. I'm not even thinking about how much it woulda cost had my truck broken down in BFI Carolina.

 

. . . . whoa . . . . This is one expensive hobby you got there.

Wow, I can imagine 1500 bucks goes a long with strippers, you must really like to track the car.

 

I'm working on the assumption that Nascar and F1 guys have hot girlfriends so if I just keep on getting on the track I'll eventually figure out where they hide... And I did drink a lot of booze.

Oh and I've blown close to that amount in Vegas in a weekend so I have -some- idea of what kind of sinning that kind of money buys. Hookers weren't involved either.

 

Hey! We got Stickied.

Werd.

 

Strange

 

I saw that earlier when I was leafing through but I couldn't recall if this was a recent change or not, as I usually go through my user cp to get here. Much quicker that way.

 

Maybe it has to do with all the wonderful efforts Steve and Jon have put in out in the forums. Either that...or Chris really likes us.

 

They stickied a bunch of a the regional threads. Guess someone finally decided there are other MW regions other than Chitown? vb

 

Killjoy

 

I was thinking the stickies (here on our regional threads) were based on thread activities.
More than 'X' number of post per day got to be a sticky.
I'm just guessing......