Saminya

I think I accidently borked my last post by hitting "preview" and thinking I posted. So attempt #2.
Just picked this up about a week and a half ago, with no compression numbers because I like to live life on the edge, and my Speed3 was honestly causing more stress than an 8 that needs a rebuild ever could.
So far, I've only started with the basics. Getting it premixed, changing the oil, spark plugs (don't the old ones look lovely?), and just generally going over ever inch of the car that I can. Things on my list to do currently are:

1. Fix the rear struts, as I believe the4y are completely shot at this point. I can hardly go over basic bumps at 5 MPH without hearing it bottoming out. Just got a pair of KYBs ordered to fix it though, so that should be this weekend.
2. Get a new shift lever, aftermarket or otherwise. The one in there now basically comes apart into 2 with little effort, and it's making shifting really strange.
3. Get it compression tested just to know where I stand in terms of the WHEN it will need to be rebuilt. It's at 78K miles now, so it's not a terrible mileage, but I know they can die far sooner than that.
4. Get a new coolant overflow tank, since mine has a small crack in it. I'm keeping a sharp eye on the level to make sure nothing goes wrong, but I would like to get the alum tank from RX8Preformance, along with the fan relay harness and get an aftermarket temp gauge to keep better track of it.
5. Straighten the fins on the coolers as they all look like someone decided to use them as target practice for a rock throwing competition. Although funny enough, the radiator looks brand new.
6. Get new tires, at least on the rear. I have some nice discount Hoosiers on there right now apparently.
7. Do a full flush on brake and clutch fluid. Speaking of, does anyone know the size of the bolt that goes on the lower clutch line bracket?

More things get added to the list every other day, but these are the most stand out ones at the moment. I'm sure I'll be coming around to ask lots of dumb questions after a few days of searching with the wrong keywords. And with that said, is it time for the 500th "what oil should I use" thread?



Got an exhaust surround on the way already.

My rotor oil cap from my first FC 5 from 5 years ago.

Isn't the brake/clutch fluid supposed to be clear...?

Found the slave cylinder bolt almost all the way backed out. That sure made the clutch feel strange.

Fixed that ASAP

They totally got another 10k left on em.

peloponisios

Hey, nice car! Nice "ted talk" intro!
Some info here: rx8help.com in case you haven't seen it.
Take care and happy wrenching!​​​​​

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Hey Saminya, welcome back to the RE world and that's a great intro.
What, you're saying speed3's are a headache? NEVER!

oh, bought a rotary without a compression test: you do live dangerously. If you ever decide to test it, you could try reaching out to Ray the owner of Black Halo Racing, he's out in AZ and might have one lying around.

1. the kyb's should be just fine, just make sure the bump stops are put in correctly. (there are a few suspension DIY threads here if you need)
2. https://mazmartstore.mybigcommerce.c...ew-category-2/
3. (See above)
4. careful because these motors as you know can overheat quickly and if that crack gets worse.... The RX8 Performance one is nice but make sure you get confirmation it's in stock or you'll be waiting a long time for it. Honestly, I'd probably just get an OEM one and move on. I've seen some guys doing the digital gauge that reads off the OBD port so they can monitor several things by just scrolling through the options. maybe worth a look.
5. gotta love AZ rocking spitting roads.
6. is the owner still running 225's ? Lots of guys here go 245 as they fit easily on the OEM wheel

as far as the plugs: I've seen worse.
Since you're doing plugs, I would recommend checking the plug wires and potentially the ignition coils on the car. Those were traditionally a weak point in this car and can lead to lots of headaches if they aren't working correctly. The BHR coil kit is the most popular with our users but it's a bit pricey. Even the newest revision OEM coils will work just fine if you want to go that route.



P.S. I deleted your other thread. Nothing you did wrong, it's just that new member threads get put into a moderation queue until one of us reviews so that's why you ended up with duplicates

Snox801

Amazing to
have you back. I’m just into it myself just picked up a second.
Sounds like you do about everything I do. Juts got done with fluid swap on the new one eating for my new ebc brakes.
As for oil. I run amsoil 100:1 8oz bottles.
One bottle per tank and it’s easy. No filling other bottles hoping they don’t leak. I run 8oz bottles on the street and the 12.8oz ones at the track.
Super easy and the best two stroke oil I’ve ever come across. So if it’s good for my .8liter 240hp mod sleds it’s good enough for my 8’s.

0913B

iTrader: (1)

Enjoy your ex-8, looks nice, ID suggest also upgrading to the BHR ignition coils if you haven’t already, also the short throw shifter from Axialflow engineering is nice.

Saminya

So, now my small little project to do while I get these struts taken care of, is getting the paint off this surround so it matches the rest of the bumper, or if this is the actual color of the plastic, then finding a black paint that will match the bumper instead. The more i look at it, the more it looks like the color of the plastic TBH.




Haha, thanks. I'll give that place a look over at some point for sure.

It was pretty reliable, and probably would be still if I put the money into it. But I would just much rather put my money into a rotary car, since I've been a rotor nut for going on 7 years now. And then, I know my engine will blow at some point, so it's less stressful waiting for a "when" rather than an "if", y'know?

Ah, that would be great. I had a guy that was going to help me out but turned around and just a few hours before we were supposed to meet, said it would cost me $75, and I just didn't have the money for it since I've been shoveling all my spare cash into the Dorito shaped pit.

1. Just picked the shocks up, never actually changed any before, so the spring compression is going to be fun. I'll eventually be going for full BC Coilovers in due time, but that's more of a distant goal.
2. It's namely the shift lever itself, not the ****, lol. The **** is actually in alright enough shape, but i should find out the threads sized, as I wouldn't be opposed to one that's more like my Speed3s was.
3. I know how fast the overheat, my FB had coolant that had so much rust residue in it, and when I went to replace the thermostat, it was... well, it came out looking like it had rusted in salt water for a couple decades I swear I had a picture of it, but i can not for the life of me find it.. It nearly overheated in a parking lot, but I saw it starting to rise and immediately shut it off. Don't want that happening again. And living in AZ, cooling is near the top of my priority list, but a new OEM tank is almost as much as the aluminum ones are, which is why I figured I'd just go the extra mile. I also planned to get gauges for oil temp and oil pressure as well, and replace my center ash tray(?) with a 3 gauge cluster.
4. Absolutely. I should grab a picture of how bad the driver side one is. I actually think the brackets are slightly bent as well, but i should be able to bend those back easily.
5. I believe on the rears, they're 225s, and the front are.....215s? It was very strange, and I have no clue what the PO was doing. But i have a pretty good idea seeing as I was told by Firestone, that one of my front wheels is slightly bent, and the rear tires are completely bald. I guess I should be glad there's nothing worse... yet.

I'm picking up wires tomorrow, as I had to use vice grips to smash the old down a bit so they would click onto the plugs properly. They work, but at that point, I'd rather go new anyways. I do want to get the BHR coils, as well as an upgraded starter, but those are a little lower on my priority list. Something that might be even higher than them, is the PS harness, as I saw my overflow tube had a super small amount of coolant coming out of it, and I believe I read that it'll go right onto the harness, and that can start causing issues with it, but they updated the harness to fix that issue.

Thanks, I haven't posted anything in a new members section since my first FC on RX7Club, and didn't remember that kind of system there, so thought maybe I hit preview like a dummy.

I don't know what premix I'm running, I picked up a bottle at Autozone that "Meets or exceeds ISO or JASCO" and figured it would do the job just fine. Think I was going about 1 OZ to 2 gallons, since i don't track it yet.​​​​​​​

Thanks. I was recommended those ones in a facebook group post as well, and they seemed more appealing than the Bennet kit, since those used LS coils and needed a bracket to go with them. As for the short shifter, the Axialflow is one solid piece rather than the odd dual design that's OEM, right?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

+1 on replacing bumpstops with your rear shocks. Critical part of the suspension. May as well do the front as well? They can't be in much better shape and this car is best experienced with working suspension.

I would be careful with coilovers. The stock handling is very good (yes it rolls a lot, but that's not in itself a problem, since it still performs well), and many entry to mid level coilovers sacrifice a lot for the perception of handling, but end up being harder without actually improving anything. If you're looking at at BC, I wouldn't consider anything below the DR/DS range. And even then. Usually the go to upgrade recommendation is Bilstein B12. It's not adjustable, but it's very well tuned for the car. Beyond that you're into $3000 coilovers like Ohlins.

The blue brake fluid might be ATE SuperBlue.

Saminya

So, after going to a suspension shop I trust, they said that my Sway bar endlinks are shot, both front and rear. I ended up taking the shocks back and getting a full set of those. Hoping that might make a difference, but upon further reading, slightly regretting taking them back. So I'll be saving up to get a full set of shocks and such. I don't care much for adjustability, not yet anyways, so the B12 pro-kit with the springs and all seem like the best option for me. $3k+ is way above what I can afford for the foreseeable future.

Doesn't really look like special brake fluid, just old. I'd be willing to bet it's never been changed, or at the very least, not in a very very long time.

Just ended up doing quite a bit of minor stuff over the weekend, including cleaning the connectors and such around the PS Harness, got some strange gummy like stuff out of the plastic intake tract, and redid both belts. Was told the belts were fine, but I'm pretty sure missing a whole rib, and the new ones being significantly shorter than the old ones, would suggest otherwise. Will be underneath the car this weekend doing the end links, so I guess I'll take a look and see if I can see the bump stops, and if they're still in tact at all.





And something tells me that I've had juuuuust a little coolant leaking onto my harness and such. Got the old vent hose extended down to below the car now to hopefully not have this happen again.