panama

Hi all, new to the forum. Looks like a lot of good info and folks here. I'm the proud new owner of a 05 RX-8 AT. Yes, I know this isn't the racing variant but hope to enjoy it none the less.
A few things I'd like to know.

1: What's needed for the E85 upgrade? Do any of the lines need to be changed out to handle e85 corrosion? I've heard the injectors may also need to be changed, is this really the case?
Finally, if converted, would I still be able to run regular gas if desired or will the computer only handle one fuel type?

2: As for the Sohn adapter kit, how often would the 2 cycle oil reservoir need to be filled? I'm assuming it just burns this oil. Also, what's up with the paper filter? Seems like a part that woudl fail, or is it just there as a procedural thing.

3: Is there way to determine the health of the apex seals without tearing down the motor? Would be good to know how to keep track of this issue.

4: For the stereo head unit on a bose car, is there a special harness available used to address the volume issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Mike

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Welcome!

2. Depends on how you drive and how big of a tank you use. Plan for about a liter per 1000km. The harder you drive the faster it will consume the oil. Paper filter? You can choose to add an inline fuel filter to make sure you're not introducing foreign objects along with your 2 stroke oil. In the stock system the OMP is fed filtered oil, but you remove that protection when switching to the Sohn.

3. You can get a compression test (usually you want that before buying the car). It needs a rotary tester, a regular piston engine tester will only tell you if something is catastrophically broken, not a precise read of compression. "Apex seals" is what people who don't know rotaries assume is the problem. There's more to it, other seals and other modes of failure entirely.

4. What is the volume issue?

Always good to have a read at rx8help.com, new and potential owners pages to get up to speed.

panama

Thanks for the info. Not sure what it does, but it's potentially a spacer. The paper part that comes with the kit. Curious about it's purpose and if it is a potential issue down the road.

I saw a few posts mentioning the volume control of the new head unit would go from really low to very high from level one to two. Not an even volume increase. This is for the bose setup.

If anyone has info. on the E85 conversion, would be much appreciated.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

The paper gasket? Yeah you definitely need that to keep oil from seeping out. I wrote a DIY for installing the Sohn adapter, find it in the DIY section. Should help clarify what goes where.

Never had a problem with the volume, so can't comment there. Same for E85. There are boosted folks who run various blends of ethanol fuel and I don't think they do anything special, but worth looking for threads on this from Brettus. If you're not boosting why do you need E85?

panama

E85 burns cleaner and cooler, but is corrosive to rubber parts and need a different burn calibration.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't sound worth the trouble. To your earlier question, the computer can only map for one fuel type. Flexfuel vehicles have a fuel sensor to measure ethanol fraction and adjust fueling but this car was designed before any of that existed and I can't think of a way to retrofit flex fuel capability. You would have to reflash the ECU any time you change fuel.

TWiisted

There's several arguments, I mean discussions, about E85 versus gas. What I see as the prevailing thought is non-boosted under 450hp it's not worth it. If going 450 or higher then definitely.
I've tried to set my WRX up for E85 but all the pumps around where I live went away as fast as they showed up.

MincVinyl

Don't bother with E85 it will not benefit your use. Shell V-power (premium) is all you need. Personally I believe it burns the cleanest and smells the best if you have no CAT. Otherwise Loki hit the nail on the head with your other questions. Spend some time reading all of the pinned threads in the new owners section of the forums. Then read them again after a night of sleep.

I always suggest a general maintenance once over first before jumping in to anything else. The following list is what I would work towards after first buying an Rx8. You will learn quickly to do research and buy quality or OEM parts.

1. tires
2. Stainless brake lines + OEM or hawk pads + new rotors + dot4 flush
3. coolant Resevoir drain relocation (5$ and 10 mins of making a new tube)
4. fluids all around
5. High CCA battery
6. Alternator + belts + pulley
7. Upgraded higher power starter
8. LS coil upgrade + new sparkplugs
9. Midpipe or CAT replacement (bhr is commonly recommended for either option)
10. Oil cooler fin straightening (free, just get two dental picks and straighten the fins out)

Then typical first mods

1. Sohn (really the only benefit is that you can physically see your oil consumption of your OMP. You should still check your oil level from time to time just to make sure you do not have leaks or are burning engine oil)
2. Sway bars and endlinks. (cheap handling driver feel upgrade)
3. Catch can (if you have oil being pulled into your intake, you probably have other issues to look at)
4. Header (no actual power gains, just new and pretty)
5. Catback Muffler (no actual power gains, just more weight from larger stainless and new sounds)
6. AEM cold air or Racingbeat's REVI intake (no actual power gains, will suck in water during heavy rain)