Rioman

Thanks for letting join the forum. I just bought my first RX-8 on Friday; it is a 2004 with 71,575 miles on it. The previous owner is an engineer by profession. She studied the Wankel engine while in college and bought the RX-8 in 2006 after graduating. She gave me a folder full of maintenance records and even gave me a handwritten note about what kind of oil to use and the next scheduled maintenance.

The First $100 Mods info is great. I will get started on some of them soon.

MIGhunter

Welcome to the club. Read through the posts. It's really good info. Some stuff is old but ppl still frequent the forums.

gwilliams6

Did you get a rotary-specific compression test done on your engine? That is the first thing to do with any used rotary engine. Even one that was owned and cared for by an engineer can have low compression after 12 years and 75,000 miles. Is the car on its original motor ?

Get that rotary-specific compression test first to know the true health of your engine. Rotary engines can seem to run fine to you, even with low compression, especially if you have never owned and driven a brand new rotary before. All other mods need to wait until you check out your engine. Welcome !

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles:
- Replace Ignition coils
- Replace Plug wires
- Replace Spark plugs
- Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor)
- Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor)
- Reset ESS profile
- Clean power steering connections
- Clean battery terminals and clamps
- Replace transmission fluid
- Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended)
- Replace air filter
- Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line)
~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly.


every 60,000:
...all 30,000, plus...
- Clean all chassis electrical grounding points
- Replace accessory belts
- Clean OMP lines
- Replace rear differential fluid
- Replace thermostat
- Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins
- Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins
- Inspect catalytic converter
- Clean / Inspect intake valving
- Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early
~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly.

90,000:
...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus...
- Replace coolant bottle
- Replace radiator hoses
- Replace radiator
- Replace front O2 sensor
- Replace motor mounts
- Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks
~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly.
At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine.
__________________

Sketchyukrainian

Hey Guys, I just got a 2005 Silver Rx8 with 5k on the engine and a 120k on the body. its so beautiful! so excited to get working on it!

pjwermuth

I'm going to double post to get to 10 post so I can post in other forums. 4 years a member and I am finally getting to 10 post.

pjwermuth

I want to post in general discussion about a part I found in the junkyard yesterday. I found a deck for a RX8, 6 disc changer with a slot for a cassette tape. Never seen one of those before.

EDIT: Didn't seem to work, the double post. Maybe I need to wait awhile?

mmcintyre2

iTrader: (1)

Subscribe it

mwynn89

This is going to be really useful after I de-flood my new to me 8. My wife decided to move it the other day and now it wont start..... I have a feeling the last owner didn't take care of the car.




On a side note what spark plugs and wires do you recommend?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

OEM NGK plugs and wires, if you don't know when they were changed last, new coils also.
Flooding usually occurs with bad ignition components, or weak batteries/starters, when healthy you don't have to worry about short startups.

mwynn89

The ignition coils were gong to be the next thing I was to buy. I seen a few different brands but I haven't had time to research them all. And for the wires you would go NGk over Re Amemiya?

MIGhunter

Can't go wrong with BHR: https://black-halo-racing.myshopify....nition-upgrade

gwilliams6

mwynn89 You have a number of options for coils:
- The Cheapest option: BWD/Intermotor coils from auto parts stores like Advance Auto. 4 coils, 4 plugs, and 4 wires can be had for around $190-220 total based on whatever promotion is running at the time, shipped to your door for free. They are considered to be the first coil revision and you should expect to need to replace them around 20,000 miles, 30,000 miles max. They often come with a "lifetime warranty" by the auto parts store, which could potentially be leveraged for perpetually new coils.

- The Best Upgrade: The BHR ignition coil upgrade can be had for around $500, which eliminates the need to continue replacing coils periodically, as well as deliverying a significantly stronger spark for minor mileage and power gains. It is a proven kit with top notch customer service supporting it. It includes the wires, you still need to add plugs ($80)

- The For-Sure OEM: Mazmart sells all 4 coils of the latest OEM coil revision (C) for around $250, (just the coils, you still need to add plugs and wires) Supported by top notch customer service. They will likely last longer than 30,000 miles, but we don't have much solid data on how long the latest coil revision will last.

- The Most Expensive option: Buying from a dealer will run you around $300+ for the coils, $500+ for coils, wires and plugs, and if you have them do the install, expect to get a bill for anywhere from $700 to $1,800. You may not get the latest coil revision. Yes, you are getting shafted if you take this option, so bring lube.

- The Highest Risk option: Ebay coils continue to pop up as counterfeit, mislabeled, dead on arrival, and have zero post-purchase support largely. They are the "cheapest" listed price, but when you add that $92 or whatever to the price of anything in the list above from having to do it over again, you can see that they are no longer the cheapest option. Do it right the first time. "Motor King" coils are popping up at an attractive price on Ebay, but are being proven as ineffective, to the point of being unable to get the engine fired. "Mazda" branded coils on ebay are almost always counterfeit. Check the seller's name though, since some of our vendors sell legitimate coils there. The price will be $200+ though. Anything sold as "Mazda OEM" under ~$26 per coil should really be considered as suspect and probably counterfeit.

Be wary of "LSx D585 coil upgrades", as not all D585 coils are created the same, and the standard generic D585 coil is not properly designed internally for the RX-8's ignition needs. They generally "work", but there are anomalies and performance issues that have to be solved, if they can be solved. Definitely NOT a plug and play option, even if it is advertised as "plug and play"

GB: SakeBomb Garage IGN-1A Ignition Coil Kit

rotarywanker

I went the BWD/Intermotor coil route because I'm cheap. I buy plugs at the same time from advance auto parts so that everything is on the same receipt. These coils work well but do not last very long at all. I've had one set last around 8k miles and another last 15k miles. In both instances, once I got a misfire CEL, I removed all four coils and all four plugs and brought them back to advance auto for a full refund/replacement. Because a dead coil can take out the plug with it, advance auto was also willing to replace all four plugs at the same time.




I've gone through this exercise twice now with zero issues from advance auto. They offer great service in my opinion.




I've found that these coils work very well until they fail. It is not a gradual deterioration of performance. The motor runs beautifully for a while and then suddenly one day you will get a misfire CEL. It usually isn't a really bad misfire with the engine bucking and struggling to run (this is bad as it can put stress on the internal components) but a minor and very short series of misfires that occur on startup. If you continue to drive on the bad coil for the next few days or week, it will devolve to a bad misfire. So I always change the coils and plugs at the first sign of a misfire to avoid doing any kind of collateral damage.




One time I printed out the CEL report and brought it with me to the store along with the plugs, coils, and receipt. The other time I just brought the plugs, coils and receipt and told them what the CEL was. They took my word for it and replaced them on the spot. Like I said, great service from advance auto.




It may be worth going with BHR if you aren't handy or don't want to deal with the hassle of exchanging and installing new coils. For me, I enjoy working on my car and it takes me no more than 40 minutes to swap all four plugs and coils. So after my first replacement with Intermotor coils it was hard to justify forking out $500 when I was entitled to four free coils and plugs through warranty.




Bottom line, if you go Intermotor/BWD, don't expect them to last very long. 10k miles is a safe bet. They may last 20k miles, but there is no guarantee. They will work great for that period of time though. And once you do get the first sign of a misfire (flashing CEL), even if it goes away shortly thereafter (it probably will go away and the car will run fine), replace the plugs and coils immediately. Can't stress that enough. The BWD/Intermotor approach only works if you replace at the first sign of misfire. Otherwise, the situation will devolve into a full blown ignition failure and bad misfire, which can really stress the motor and do damage. It can also destroy your catalytic converter.




If you think you could find yourself in a situation where immediate replacement would be difficult, or you can't go without your car for a day while waiting for advance auto to get a coil/plug in from another store, I'd go with BHR. (Advance never has all four coils in stock and always has to order one or two from a nearby store, can take a day or so)




For me, BWD/Intermotor works though and I have free coils and plugs for life.




One final point. There are a bunch of posts on this forum that state the BHR coils offer better performance and power than the OEM or OEM equivalent (BWD/Intermotor). This is not true. The BHR coils offer better performance than an OEM coil that is worn and not performing at the same level it did when new. A lot of people run their OEM coils well past 30,000 miles and they eventually degrade in performance without causing a full blown misfire/CEL. They will drive in this state for a while, and when the coils do actually fail and cause a misfire, they will replace with BHR and feel a bump in torque relative to how the car performed with old OEM coils. If you replaced fresh OEM coils with BHR coils, you wouldn't feel a boost in torque. Mazda invested enormous resources and time in the development of the renesis motor, squeezing as much performance and efficiency as they reasonably could. One thing they didn't do is slap a set of coils on it that caused insufficient ignition. That would be very silly. They did, however, slap a set of coils on it that don't last very long. When I replaced my 50k mile OEM coils with BWD/Intermotor, I felt a nice boost in performance. Just like guys who replace old OEM coils with BHR.




So don't upgrade to BHR because you think it is a way to make more power than stock. It's not. But it is an excellent product and much more reliable than stock. Everything BHR makes is great.

gwilliams6

Interesting post.

First you risk damage to an engine that costs thousands of dollars, and risk damage to a catalytic converter that cost thousands of dollars, just to get free plugs and coils. Not a wise recommendation for new owners who may not find such an agreeaable Advance Auto store near where they live, or out on the road, if they experience a misfire ,which can do damage quickly. Misfires kill cats and engines.

Second you are wrong about the BHR coil perfromance vs new OEM coils. The BHR coils are perhaps the most bought and tested RX8 upgrade around with countless miles of use. Physics is physics, and the BHR coils do provide a hotter and stronger spark than new OEM coils, which does help more complete combustion in a rotary engine. An engine that by design is notorious for incomplete combustion. You will get a few hp more performance and a little boost in mileage from the BHR coils vs new OEM. Charles doesn't make a big point of this, due to any liability issues, but it is a fact. Mazda made coils that work fine but both the BHR , Sakebomb and other higher energy coils will outperform the stock OEM coils. Dyno tests have shown this.

Having owned and raced rotaries for decades and having tried just about every upgrade and race ignition system over the years, I can say conclusively that the higher energy ignition systems I have installed from many sources, including Racing Beat, have produced better hp and better fuel mileage.

You will get a slight bump from the BHR coils for your Renesis engine, and you won't have to risk expensive engine and cat damage to save a few bucks chasing free Advance Auto coils and plugs after misfires. Hey I love my local Advance Auto store, I often order my plugs from them. But I wouldn't rely on their coils for my expensive engine and cat. And don't forget the quality of your ignition wires and plugs matter too. The BHR kit comes with top-notch wires to handle their stronger spark, and built to last better than OEM quality.

Don't be pennywise and pound foolish with any rotary car,and certainly not with its critical ignition system, or it can come back to bite you hard.

Just my advice and experience from over a million rotary miles driven on street and track, in over 45 years. You don't have to believe or agree with me. Just please be prudent in what you recommend to new owners here in this thread .

All the best to you.

rotarywanker

Yup – as I said in my post, the BWD/Intermotor option is not for everyone. It just happens works for me. To reiterate, if you are in a position where you couldn’t hangar your car for a day or two or risk being given the run around by the auto parts shop, BWD/Intermotor isn’t the best choice for you. Driving the car with a full blown misfire is very dangerous for the motor and cat. Also, if you don’t have triple-A or a free towing service, you are running a risk going with the OEM/OEM equivalent route. I have triple-A which is good insurance given the comparative risk I am taking. But reliability and the convenience of knowing you’ll never be in an unlucky stranded situation is a great reason to go with BHR (the best/only reason IMO). If you can afford BHR and don’t mind spending the money, definitely go that route.

Given how relentlessly focused Mazda was in extracting as much efficiency and power from the Renesis engine, it’s surprising that they would fit the wrong coil after all the work they did everywhere else. Especially when it comes to fuel economy, which Mazda knew would be one of the biggest detractors from unit sales. A coil isn’t one of the components manufacturers compromise on to save costs. R&D is the big cost center with something like a coil – the cost of the components in a higher energy coil will not be meaningfully different than the OEM coils Mazda used. For instance, adding more secondary windings for more energy potential would add very little cost. Coil optimization is really one of the ‘lowest hanging fruits’ in the engineering process, and critical to efficiency. If Mazda miscalculated here of all places, that would be a very uncharacteristic ‘unforced error’ on their part.

With respect to the power differential between higher energy aftermarket coils and the OEM coils, I wasn’t aware that there were conclusive dyno tests floating around. But I haven’t been very engaged with the forum over the past couple of years (still own my RX8 but all of my spare time for wrenching has transitioned from rotary to air cooled flat sixes that sit in the wrong end of the car). When I had dug around on the subject, I couldn’t find any back-to-back dynos comparing new OEM coils to aftermarket. I also don’t believe I had found any dyno results for a completely stock RX8 fitted BHR coils that made more power than stock cars with OEM coils. If these results are out there, I stand corrected. Would love to see them if you have a link.

If I am in fact wrong about the power difference, one point I would make to the uninitiated is that it takes a significant bump in torque to feel any kind of difference. Anything less than a 20+ hp bump is going to be very difficult to perceive in terms of how the car ‘pulls’. Tunes, for instance, add a lot to the driving experience in terms of throttle response, reliability, etc but very little in terms of how hard the car pushes you back into your seat. I only say this because I don’t want people to think upgrading their coils is going to make their car feel faster than it did with fresh OEM coils.

Rennsport

Great information.

vince_rx8

Awesome info for new owners like me !! nice one

UNF0RGIVEN

That is some great info. Thank you gwilliams. I just wanted to say hey to everyone. I bought an '06 Phantom Blue 8 with 57,000 miles to sell. I guess I can only be considered a temporary member here. I left my job at Consumer Reports and became an independent car dealer to spend more time with my little man.

I'm mostly on the BMW forums because my semi-daily is a modded 3 series. I will be doing a lot of searching and mostly lurking here. Unless I have something that I can truly contribute to the community.

Later

-D

New Yorker

Welcome. I love CR.

UNF0RGIVEN

Thank you for the welcome. I don't want to tarnish your image of CR, but there is a lot of nonsense going on behind closed doors. Layoffs, firings, incompetency.

The info they publish use to be more accurate, but that has decreased when they replaced certain "experts" with people who do not have as much knowledge.

New Yorker

Sorry to hear. My family's been subscribing since the late '50s!

wardaz

great info

wardaz

welcome all

eric45mchs

Has anyone used octane boosters in their series 1 rx8? If so what are the pros and cons that resulted from the use of it?

UnknownJinX

I recall that most of them don't do much. You need like a metric crap ton to just bump the octane up by 1 point. You are much better off getting higher octane gas at the pump.