Another one swells the ranks..
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Finally got the baby home (3am) and I'm too excited not to make an account and immediate post.. :D:
I'm gonna be combing over the forums all this week to make sure this wonderful relationship starts off on the right foot.. beautiful machine. Attachment 288571 Any and all suggestions are welcome, but I will be checking the stickies first (already have for some..). A few things I noticed on the ride home.. she doesn't seem to like idling at full stop much, every now and then the RPMs drop a bit and she shakes. The other is a squeaky clutch pedal/assembly. I've heard about some of the defects in this area. The extended 8-year 100k warranty is still in effect. If I remember right, the assembly is covered along with the engine? Cheers and see you guys around! :beer05: :) D Updates: [9/13] BARO voltage test (Bulletin No. 01-014/08).. [9/23] Compression test completed.. [10/8] More pictures, added Flex grounding kit.. |
Welcome aboard! If you have not done so, you can start by reading the first few pages in these helpful threads:
Congratulations, you got an 8! New and Potential Owners START HERE! Suffering a misfire, START HERE! |
The internal engine components are covered only. As far as assembly is concerned, I do not think that is covered.
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Welcome to the club Druzidel, you have the best color for the rx8, and good luck with it.
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Thanks guys!
@monchie, couldn't agree more! Beautiful complexion.. :) I've been getting steadily increasing butterflies in my stomach whenever I go out for a drive... is this normal? :biggthump |
Originally Posted by Druzidel
(Post 4513180)
I've been getting steadily increasing butterflies in my stomach whenever I go out for a drive... is this normal? :biggthump
Yeah, that's normal when you drive an rx8... :p: |
Man, I'm just now realizing how little I know about the Rotary Underground.. mechanically and socially(you psychopaths, you. :biggthump). So much to absorb, so little time. :P Still a bit nervous about tinkering with the engine.. I've built up this 'sensitive' image of it in my head, but I suppose comfort comes with time like anything else.
I'm not really the talkative type, but I'm looking for useful ways to get above the 10-post limit so I can hit the regional forum and hook up with the locals. Guess I can start with some more details, pictures and impressions of the princess here..? Impressions first then.. Approaching the one-month mark now on the 11th and it's been daily driving mostly, but I do go out of my way to visit more open, less patrolled areas and let her sing for nearly all of our outings. I don't know if there is any difference between redlining in gear vs. neutral, but the latter is less fun and unnatural so naturally I prefer the former. I'm still learning sounds and mannerisms of the machine. There are a few that raise an eyebrow. An example: When I first fire up the engine in the morning, I hear something that sounds like a band-saw cutting through wood. For a while I thought it actually was one of my neighbors using a saw, but after a few mornings of hearing it exactly after firing up the engine I finally caught on. I haven't noticed it while driving or idling at lights however. Not only for this particular sound, but in general I've made it a point to cut the music and pay attention for at least the first few minutes of each outing; and of course the redlining--more for pleasure than information there though. I've contacted the previous owner to get a bit more information and he's been very accommodating and encouraging. Ryan B. of Utah, if you see this, thank you once again.. probably won't be the last time we talk. :) The car is in fantastic shape, judging from what I've experienced so far. I've also had it looked at by the local Mazda dealership which has a few rotary-heads running around the shop. Plugs, wires and coils are all good and they mentioned that a compression test was unnecessary, but that is a question I pass on to you guys. I'm unsure if there are any specific tells at ~74k miles(no previous problems) that might warrant a compression test; or if it is something that would be considered mandatory at this point? Cosmetically I'm not looking to turn it into a show car. I plan to drive it in winter so my first order of business is to look into some new wheels for the Potenzas so that I can put a winter set onto the stocks. Or maybe just convert the stock set this winter and look into a new set for the Potenzas next year.. we'll see. I'd like to stick to the white, but I'm not completely against going dark. Depends on the look. Any recommendations and examples are welcome--I don't have any formal preferences right now, other than the white color. There are a few scratches on the body that I'm looking into repairing myself, but if a body kit comes into play I might just roll it all into one job and let one of my buddies loose on it.. I know he won't rip me off. I'll work on some more pictures as I go forward. She's a 2006, 74,400 miles young, for the curious. The 8 is a thrilling drive and any anxieties I previously held about mechanical troubles while first considering one have already been outweighed by this sentiment. :aroused: |
Yes, redlining in neutral just generates heat without any purpose. The "redline" usage we push is in gear at full throttle.
A compression test is never mandatory, however be prepared to live with the consequences of not knowing. Time and time and time again new owners show up loving the car that they just purchased days, weeks, or even a couple months ago, but aren't sure why they are having problems. Then the shoe drops that they bought a rotary without a compression test and are up a creek with no recourse. Does it mean every used RX-8 is failing? of course not. But I wouldn't be able to sleep at night not knowing for sure. New owners simply don't have "normal" experience with the car to really know if everything is normal or not. What feels great to them might actually be down 40hp with a failing ignition, and a nearly dead engine. Even if I believe the engine to be fine and under warranty coverage, I would still get one done just to set the baseline for "this is where it was when I bought it" in case you need to make that warranty claim later on. 17" wheels are preferred for a winter set. Cheaper rubber, softer sidewall, you can get narrower wheels/tires, etc... OEM wheels from other Mazdas are easy and cheap to get. Mazda6, Mazda3, Mazda5, CX-7, CX-5, etc... All share the same lug pattern. The difficulties and problems that we constantly highlight are more things you have to be aware of. Being aware of them and prepared for them will mean that you probably won't ever deal with them, and if you do it will be trivial. It's when people have no idea what they are getting into that they show up with a vengeance and start disemboweling bank accounts and emotions. |
Originally Posted by RIWWP
(Post 4521814)
A compression test is never mandatory, however be prepared to live with the consequences of not knowing. Time and time and time again new owners show up loving the car that they just purchased days, weeks, or even a couple months ago, but aren't sure why they are having problems. Then the shoe drops that they bought a rotary without a compression test and are up a creek with no recourse. Does it mean every used RX-8 is failing? of course not. But I wouldn't be able to sleep at night not knowing for sure. New owners simply don't have "normal" experience with the car to really know if everything is normal or not. What feels great to them might actually be down 40hp with a failing ignition, and a nearly dead engine.
Even if I believe the engine to be fine and under warranty coverage, I would still get one done just to set the baseline for "this is where it was when I bought it" in case you need to make that warranty claim later on. I'm sure there are some threads here that explain the full scope of a compression test and what to expect from the dealer so I'll start there. They mentioned that it would cost "a couple of hundred at least," but I never got an actual number. Any ballpark amounts? These guys are the only Mazda dealership in town so they can probably charge whatever they want. Might have to see if there are any third-party sources available, but I'm not holding my breath. 17" wheels are preferred for a winter set. Cheaper rubber, softer sidewall, you can get narrower wheels/tires, etc... OEM wheels from other Mazdas are easy and cheap to get. Mazda6, Mazda3, Mazda5, CX-7, CX-5, etc... All share the same lug pattern. The difficulties and problems that we constantly highlight are more things you have to be aware of. Being aware of them and prepared for them will mean that you probably won't ever deal with them, and if you do it will be trivial. It's when people have no idea what they are getting into that they show up with a vengeance and start disemboweling bank accounts and emotions. Appreciate the response! |
Originally Posted by Druzidel
(Post 4522116)
I'm sure there are some threads here that explain the full scope of a compression test and what to expect from the dealer so I'll start there. They mentioned that it would cost "a couple of hundred at least," but I never got an actual number. Any ballpark amounts? These guys are the only Mazda dealership in town so they can probably charge whatever they want. Might have to see if there are any third-party sources available, but I'm not holding my breath.
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So I took it in for a compression test, but did not get what I was expecting. They performed the vacuum test (Bulletin 01-014/08) and then sent the numbers to Mazda which returned a 'no' on the engine replacement. So it passes by their standards, which is some measure of good news I suppose.
Are there multiple methods that they consider 'compression' tests because I thought I was pretty clear when I explained that I'm looking for compression values for each face of each rotor along with the RPM at which the test is performed. I'm not too miffed since their time and equipment were covered under warranty, but I would guess that a compression test as described in RIWWP's thread falls outside the warranty and is something the driver is responsible for? And I'm totally OK with that, but is there a specific name for it? I don't know if they're just dodging me(why would they?) or have no idea what I was asking for.. either scenario worries me a little though. I plan to give them a call tomorrow morning to clear things up and see if I should be looking for a different dealership. They gave me two numbers: 3.61 and 1.75 volts. I found this thread which includes a chart relating baro to psi, but I'm still in the dark.. do the numbers say anything useful at all? |
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I had the appropriate compression test done today and here are the original results along with a normalized set if anyone would care to give me a sanity check.. pretty sure I did it right [via post #8].
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10:30am on Monday, September 23rd, 2013; 2006 RX-8; 74,632 mi. Attachment 288524 RIWWP's chart.. Attachment 288525 Judging by how the car has been driving I was expecting higher results. :( They let me hang around the shop during the test and showed me how it's done, nice guys. I snapped some pictures, as well as a short video of the second rotor crank that I'll post as soon as I get a chance. I'll see if I can take some video footage of the 8 this weekend so you guys can see and hear a few things--specific requests are welcome. I was thinking a cold & hot start, hot idle, and maybe a little test drive as well. What kind of crank RPMs should be expected from a healthy starter? Cheers guys and thanks for the nudge to actually get this done RIWWP.. amazing what a false sense of security can do. D |
288rpm is very healthy for a starter. Your dots on my chart appear to be incorrect?
5 of your 6 faces are generally considered to be headed toward failure. That 5.8 fails on every chart. It's a pretty severe drop compared to the other 2 faces on rotor 1, so at a guess I'd say you have a side seal problem for that face. It looks like you should still be in warranty with a 2006 and 74k, what did the dealer say about the test results? |
Originally Posted by RIWWP
(Post 4526838)
288rpm is very healthy for a starter. Your dots on my chart appear to be incorrect?
5 of your 6 faces are generally considered to be headed toward failure. That 5.8 fails on every chart. It's a pretty severe drop compared to the other 2 faces on rotor 1, so at a guess I'd say you have a side seal problem for that face. It looks like you should still be in warranty with a 2006 and 74k, what did the dealer say about the test results? My main question now would be how likely is Mazda to approve a rebuild with these numbers? And how much do the BARO voltages [1.75 & 3.61], which are passing numbers according to the tech that performed the test, hurt the case? The warranty start date was September of 2006, giving me another 12 months; but I'd rather the engine gets fixed before any irreversible damage is done by waiting for a complete or near-complete failure. |
This is the section I'm referring to that is converted to kgf/cm2
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Rotor 1 (kPa x100) Hmm, if your Baro passed, you are going to have a tough sell. The dealers that don't even do the Baro test typically will submit a warranty claim just on the compression numbers. If they did the Baro test, then they probably use that as a basis for pass/fail more-so than the compression (it's happened occasionally). I just re-read. I have no idea what I was reading before. I see you say this: They performed the vacuum test (Bulletin 01-014/08) and then sent the numbers to Mazda which returned a 'no' on the engine replacement. So it passes by their standards, which is some measure of good news I suppose. And no, I have never found anything that satisfies my lack of knowledge regarding what the Baro test is actually testing, under what conditions can it change, how it applies to the engine health, etc... |
Originally Posted by RIWWP
(Post 4527190)
This is the section I'm referring to that is converted to kgf/cm2
Code:
Rotor 1 (kPa x100) Here's the new one.. https://i.imgur.com/I3aooXj.jpg (Gonna change it up top, thanks.) Hmm, if your Baro passed, you are going to have a tough sell. The dealers that don't even do the Baro test typically will submit a warranty claim just on the compression numbers. If they did the Baro test, then they probably use that as a basis for pass/fail more-so than the compression (it's happened occasionally). I just re-read. I have no idea what I was reading before. I see you say this: They performed the vacuum test (Bulletin 01-014/08) and then sent the numbers to Mazda which returned a 'no' on the engine replacement. So it passes by their standards, which is some measure of good news I suppose. Either way, damn. They only charged me 60 bucks for the compression test so I'll plan on doing one every 3 months or so to get an idea of how quickly the seals are going.. but they can definitely expect a fight when I get within the last few months of the warranty, assuming the engine even lasts that long. And no, I have never found anything that satisfies my lack of knowledge regarding what the Baro test is actually testing, under what conditions can it change, how it applies to the engine health, etc... Quick warranty question: I was going to install a flex grounding kit this weekend.. how sensitive is Mazda to aftermarket additions/mods, even small ones? |
I wish I could answer that BARO question. It's been an unsolved question in my head for a long time.
Here is the text from the documentation about it: 6. Turn ignition to "ON" position but do not start engine. 7. Using DC volt scale of FLUKE meter or equivalent, record voltage reading on the ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC WORKSHEET (LACK OF POWER) as "BARO" voltage. NOTE: Make sure to document voltage reading EXACTLY as shown on the meter display to the "hundredth" position. Voltage reading will vary depending on altitude of vehicle at time of testing. 8. Start engine, idle for 5 minutes with all loads OFF (air conditioning, lights, stereo, etc.) and transmission shift lever in PARK (AT) or NEUTRAL (MT). 9. Record voltage reading on the attached ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC WORKSHEET (LACK OF POWER) as "IDLE" volt-age. NOTE: Monitor voltage reading for 60 seconds and record lowest reading. Make sure to record the voltage reading ONLY when the engine cooling fans are OFF. Make sure to document voltage reading EXACTLY as shown on the meter display to the "hundredth" position. Voltage reading will vary depending on engine condition. As for the mods, it depends on the dealer. Most dealers will ignore small stuff, but give you hassle about the bigger stuff. Some dealers will throw a fit over stuff that can't possibly matter, and some dealers will ignore huge changes. A grounding kit shouldn't matter as long as it's done cleanly. Make it look messy and you might get hassled about it. |
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Picture time! :)
Attachment 288448 ^ You can almost eat off of it.. Attachment 288449 Attachment 288450 Attachment 288451 Attachment 288452 Attachment 288453 ^ The red dreads.. Attachment 288454 ^ Rotor #1 Attachment 288455 ^ Rotor #2, short video: Added the Flex kit last weekend.. Attachment 288456 Attachment 288457 Attachment 288458 Resistance dropped from 1.9 and 1.7 for the throttle body and alternator respectively to 0.1 for both. I was expecting the chassis number to go down at least a little bit, but it didn't budge from the original 0.8. Readings were taken with a Fluke multimeter. I'm definitely noticing a smoother idle and throttle response. Every once in a while I get the feeling that the RPMs want to drop, but they no longer do. Quality product, kudos to Chris for including an extra wire! Easy and worthwhile install. :beerchug: |
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