Just got an RX8 and had a few newbie questions
 

Hi everyone! Thanks to the great help on this forum, i was able to buy a great rx8! The one i bought is a white 2007 RX-8 GT, with only 37,000 km on it :D I took it for a compression test before purchase and everything was above 8.7 so i'm happy with that but the dealer said my trailing plugs are gunked up. Now i have a few "newbie" questions that i was hoping i could get some help with:

1.) The dealer said they would charge 270$ (CAD) just for the plugs alone. I said no right away because i will buy and install them myself. With the plugs, i figured i will install the BHR coils as well. Now, if i order them both from BHR, are the plugs OEM? Upon reading further, i see the plugs are "NGK Iridium/OEM spark plugs".

2.) Do the BHR coils need replacement as much as the OEM coils?

3.) I noticed after purchase that my car did not have the covers for the motor/intake (essentially looks like this: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0003_large.jpg ). I'm fairly sure the covers are just aesthetic, am I wrong?

4.) I have the same intake as shown in that picture. Again, i'm fairly sure that is stock, but a friend asked if it was or not and that got me wondering... Is it stock?

5.) So far i've been following the guidelines here on warming the car up before turning it off. I know where the normal spot for my temperature gauge is. If I drive a short distance (7 - 10 minutes) and the gauge is already at the normal point, is it safe to turn off my car? Or am i still in danger of flooding?

6.) When i'm doing the suggested shutoff procedure (revving to ~3500rpm for ~45 seconds), after revving i take my foot off the gas, as the revs drop i hear a sort of putting sound coming from my exhaust. Could that be because of the gunked up spark plugs?

7.) Finally, my drive way is on an incline. In the mornings when i'm backing out of it, reverse sometimes does not kick in properly. If it doesn't kick in, i hear the engine revving (when i step on the gas) but no power is actually sent to the wheels. To get into reverse, sometimes i have to let the car roll a small amount while pulling back on the stick to get it to "click into place". I am doing the hardpress down while shifting into reverse, and I do not believe that is the problem. Is this normal?

8.) Since I live in the suburbs of Toronto, it gets fairly cold here during the winter, meaning I will need to let my car really warm up properly. Is there a way I can turn the car on and lock the doors while I go inside (to eat breakfast or something) and take the keyfob with me?

Again, this website is an amazing resource and i'd like to thank you for all the great contributions! And any help with my questions would be greatly appreciated!

Until next time,

Mark

2 no, (honestly the bhr coils is an exelent product you will be happy with)
3. you dont need the cover of the engine and the intake that you have is an ms cold air intake wich one of the best aftermarket intakes..
4 no
5 yes is safe
6 you dont need to do that imo...
7 ??? lol
welcome =)

also you can read this.. https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...rx-8-a-233937/

#7, Ehh it happens to me too. Reverse is a bitch. I have similar problems with first also sometimes. But maybe you should try changing your tranny fluid?

^+1
FWIW, the only experience I've had like that was with an old car with a leaky tranny.
Whenever I topped it off, it would work better.

#8 = Best way to warm up the engine is to drive it. By that I mean, let it warm up for 30-60 seconds and drive it reasonably, no WOT or heavy load just nice easy driving keeping the rev's below 4000rpm
There is a rev limiter until the engine warms up so not to much concern there but still no need to push it.
Even at -30c this is a reasonable approach.

edit:
Oh yeah have fun with that intake and air filter in the freezing rain and don't do any snow drift busting, and buy a set of snow tires not all seasons.

Who suggested #6? Get the Quick Tips guide, which gives the correct short trip shut-down procedure. Essentially if you warm the car by idling instead of driving, you rev to 3k for 10 seconds, drop to idle, then turn it off. But if it's warm from driving, just turn it off. Main thing is to not turn it off unless the water temp gauge is at its normal warm position.

On #7, if you have a manual transmission, getting into reverse can be a pain on a lot of cars. Usually letting the clutch up and trying again will help.

On #8, as EviL says, it's best for the car to warm by driving. Even the 30-60 second he suggests isn't necesary unless it's really cold and it takes that long for high idle to start coming down. If it's for your own comfort, there may be remote start kits available. But make sure it's legal to leave an unattended car running. In some jurisdictions where I live the police troll neighborhoods on cold winter mornings, looking for an easy way to make their quota.

Ken

#5 with fresh coils or BHR upgrade, and fresh plugs you really have to try to flood an otherwise healthy car. If you turn it on, let it run a minute, you should be fine after that. Again IF the car is healthy.
#6 you don't need to do that at all. Turn it off like you would any car.
#7 normal, the reverse doesn't have a synchro, so sometimes when the cogs aren't aligned, you have to move the car to align them.
#8 In the winter, I try to let mine warm up until the needle starts moving. At that point just go easy until it's fully warm. Rustproof it if you're going to drive it in the winter!

Huh... ok noted thanks