New to forum, not new to the RX8.
06-25-2022, 03:10 PM
#1
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New to forum, not new to the RX8.
Hello,
I've been the owner of a 2006 RX8 since 2008. I've taken good care of the car, and it has run great, until I realized Wednesday when I was stuck at a railroad crossing, in 96F heat that I'm going to need new radiator fans.
I see lots of posts on here about fans, but the posts are several years old. For those of you who have had your RX8 for a while after replacing the fans, what kind did you get that wound up being reliable long term? Generally the car sees quite a few highway miles on days it goes to work with me from Tulsa and does not idle in traffic that much. Unless I need to go across town in Claremore, OK where I work. Trains come through about every 10 minutes.
My daily driver is a 2014 Mazda 3, and sometimes a Honda Rebel 500 motorcycle.
Thanks!
I've been the owner of a 2006 RX8 since 2008. I've taken good care of the car, and it has run great, until I realized Wednesday when I was stuck at a railroad crossing, in 96F heat that I'm going to need new radiator fans.
I see lots of posts on here about fans, but the posts are several years old. For those of you who have had your RX8 for a while after replacing the fans, what kind did you get that wound up being reliable long term? Generally the car sees quite a few highway miles on days it goes to work with me from Tulsa and does not idle in traffic that much. Unless I need to go across town in Claremore, OK where I work. Trains come through about every 10 minutes.
My daily driver is a 2014 Mazda 3, and sometimes a Honda Rebel 500 motorcycle.
Thanks!
Last edited by On TV; 06-25-2022 at 03:13 PM.
06-25-2022, 03:52 PM
#2
FAL 420 or 490
https://www.rx8club.com/assaultech-1...-known-245738/
I would recommend the FAL controller too rather than the factory ecu/fan controls. This is not understood in general on the forum.
that is just one of many forum threads on the radiator fans. You can use the search function to find more.
.
https://www.rx8club.com/assaultech-1...-known-245738/
I would recommend the FAL controller too rather than the factory ecu/fan controls. This is not understood in general on the forum.
that is just one of many forum threads on the radiator fans. You can use the search function to find more.
.
06-25-2022, 03:59 PM
#3
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Thanks! I've searched through several of the threads, mostly from '14 & '15, and I just wanted to make sure that what was said back in '14 & '15 still holds true here in '22.
06-25-2022, 04:35 PM
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Your original reply was a big help. It shows that the FAL setup is still the way to go. Those old threads kept me away from considering the Mishimoto fan assembly altogether, and I really appreciate that. There were a ton of threads to go through! I was just referencing all those threads in general, and wanted to make sure that nothing has changed.
As a side note, I usually take the car on a road trip to visit my dad in Kentucky every year, but I haven't the past two years due to COVID. This year it may have to sit on the sidelines too, unless I can get the fans swapped sometime this week. Since I drive the highway from Tulsa to Claremore once a week, and make a few short stops at stoplights on those fun to drive to work days, I wasn't aware that I'd lost the fans until sitting in traffic on Wednesday, and the AC got hot, and the temp needle started to move a little in the wrong direction. I was able to pull the car into a gas station ASAP and let it cool. I'm glad I found out now, instead of on my way to Dad's when I have a few small towns in Missouri that have stop & go traffic on HWY 60. My 74 year old dad also loves to take the car out on a "joyride" on the backroads, with my permission, so I want to make sure it's going to be fun & safe so I can see that big smile on his face.
As a side note, I usually take the car on a road trip to visit my dad in Kentucky every year, but I haven't the past two years due to COVID. This year it may have to sit on the sidelines too, unless I can get the fans swapped sometime this week. Since I drive the highway from Tulsa to Claremore once a week, and make a few short stops at stoplights on those fun to drive to work days, I wasn't aware that I'd lost the fans until sitting in traffic on Wednesday, and the AC got hot, and the temp needle started to move a little in the wrong direction. I was able to pull the car into a gas station ASAP and let it cool. I'm glad I found out now, instead of on my way to Dad's when I have a few small towns in Missouri that have stop & go traffic on HWY 60. My 74 year old dad also loves to take the car out on a "joyride" on the backroads, with my permission, so I want to make sure it's going to be fun & safe so I can see that big smile on his face.
07-01-2022, 08:09 PM
#7
The oem fan gets a work out, but generally flows well. On mine both motors were tired and replacing them (even with used ones) made a big difference. If you are stock and reg street driving, a well functioning oem fan should be enough. Plus they are plug and play to replace.
My plan was to go with a fal once I had an aftermarket radiator. You can skip to the fal if you think you will need extra capacity down the road.
My plan was to go with a fal once I had an aftermarket radiator. You can skip to the fal if you think you will need extra capacity down the road.
07-02-2022, 12:25 AM
#8
should be, yet never really were, especially as they start to go off and then the situation exacerbates greatly
the fans are only a minor part of the issue though, but they and the OE shroud can be greatly improved upon by the FAL recommendation.
.
the fans are only a minor part of the issue though, but they and the OE shroud can be greatly improved upon by the FAL recommendation.
.
07-02-2022, 02:34 AM
#9
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I had to take the car to my regular shop, because I don't have access to a lift, and after my husband and I were up in there last week, we had the UGH moment of realizing that we were not getting that assembly out with just ramps for the car and not a lift. I took it to my regular shop on Tuesday, and got it back Thursday. They confirmed what I already knew, and we went with an OEM replacement, due to time constraints, I'm going out of town next week, and there was one, and only one in the middle of Nebraska.
My shop replaced it, and did a bit of other work to the car, and now it is in good shape. It's the same shop that I've taken it to for the past 14 years, so I figured it was in good hands I avoid the dealer at all cost. The repair cost was much, much more than I was expecting. Today is my birthday, so that is gift to self.
The last time it saw the dealer was for the airbag replacement, and they cracked my dashboard, and gouged out the panel next to the center console. The really crappy thing about that, the guy who did the airbag swap, was part of the Oklahoma RX8 Group, and he was offended when I showed him what he did to my dash, and he said, "Oh it's an old car" and no "Oops, I'm sorry" or anything.
My shop replaced it, and did a bit of other work to the car, and now it is in good shape. It's the same shop that I've taken it to for the past 14 years, so I figured it was in good hands I avoid the dealer at all cost. The repair cost was much, much more than I was expecting. Today is my birthday, so that is gift to self.
The last time it saw the dealer was for the airbag replacement, and they cracked my dashboard, and gouged out the panel next to the center console. The really crappy thing about that, the guy who did the airbag swap, was part of the Oklahoma RX8 Group, and he was offended when I showed him what he did to my dash, and he said, "Oh it's an old car" and no "Oops, I'm sorry" or anything.
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