aorkennykiller

Hey how is everyone doing? I just picked myself up a 2004 Titanium Gray RX8 with 72k miles. Just wanted to say hi and thank everyone for the stickys and informative posts.

I was definitely nervous about getting into a rotary car but after reading the New and Potential owner about a hundred times i have a better idea of what i am getting myself into.

Only problem that i have currently is no power steering. I will be looking into cleaning all of the wire harnesses tomorrow and potentially buying a new harness from the dealership. Will keep you guys posted with pictures and updates on the PS rack.

*Pictures were taken when I first saw the car. I am planning on fixing the power steering and then bringing it in for a professional detail.*

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

Welcome to the forum, why the stealership? There are plenty of good second hand harnesses floating around and maybe even one or 2 listed here somewhere on several of the cars listed as part outs, for starters, where are you located?

aorkennykiller

Thanks! I am actually located in NYC. My family is actually in the car business and i would imagine that the prices that we get parts at are comparable. This car was actually a hookup :x

My brother in specific usually does all the work on my car so he has the mindset of buying something new and installing it. Buying used parts tend to come with the chance of being faulty. Its kinda one of those do it right the first time and forget about it.

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

I agree on many parts but something like this is not really an issue, most cars don't have that problem and the cars had mostly other issues that led to their demise, but hey if you can get them new at something close to used prices then no reason not to?

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

Nice first post! Welcome!
You have any plans for the car?

aorkennykiller

A couple things that I want to get done:
1. Install an aftermarket headunit into my new car. I previously had a 1997 Nissan Maxima and installed a Pioneer DEH-x4600BT HU and ended up taking it with me when it was sold. I purchased the Metra 99-7510HG and a ASWC-1 to complete this. Just waiting for it to come in the mail so i can get it going. Main thing i got from lurking on the forums for this was that i might need to get the Axxess module that comes with the Dash kit updated to a newer firmware or else my HVAC and screen might not work properly.

2. The shop friend that sold me the car only gave me 1 Key with no FOB. I purchased something on ebay and want to get that programmed whenever it comes.

3. The car is missing a driver side sun visor. I was looking at either purchasing this from ebay or from a member in the forums.

4. The fact that the last owner put a aftermarket fuel door on the car bothers me. I tend to like my car to look as stock as possible. Trying to buy a Titanium Gray fuel door to replace it whenever i have the chase. Same as the sun visor i am looking to buy this from either ebay or a member in the forums.

Other than that engine is strong through its whole band, transmission shifts smoothly and the clutch catches the way it is supposed to . Car seems to start up perfect cold and hot. No complaints at all.

aorkennykiller

I forgot to mention that i actually go to school in Buffalo NY. The main reason as to why i wanted to get an aftermarket HU installed is so i can listen to my music via bluetooth during the 7-8 hour commutes.

I'll be honest and tell you that i'm 20 years old. I pretty much grew up looking up to my brothers during the 90s/early 00s when imports and sports cars were still hot.

Been fixing cars with my brothers for about 3 years now and i couldnt let go of such a great opportunity to get into a Manual Transmission car. At my age, i've come to realize that knowing how to drive manual is a dying art. I feel like all kids my age care about are luxury cars nowadays. I just want a mint GSR and i'd be happy lol. I've been blessed with a cheap RX8 thats in very good condition so i really cant complain.

A few concerns that i have is still Reliability because i am about 400 miles away from home most of the year, and how the RX8 will handle in the harsh Buffalo winter. I do have it semi addressed in my head though.
From what i've read most the things that kill RX8 engines could be avoided or atleast prolonged through preventative maintenance. Things like checking oil every other fill up (premium), redline once a day and try to cruise a 4-5k RPMS.
As for the Buffalo winter, i think the car currently has A/S tires on them. My roommate in college does have an automatic FWD car though. I figure whenever it snows or rains like madness i would be able to hitch or borrow his car. (My roommate and i have known each other for about 8 years now).

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

Interior looks spotless and is that un-cracked dash I see?

aorkennykiller

Dash is uncracked indeed! What piece usually cracks? Is there a part of my dash that i should be extra cautious with?

**Edit: Holy crap i just googled RX8 dash cracks. Is that a common problem? The pictures i were looking at are pretty bad lol. I really hope that doesn't happen to my car.**

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

Yes, sadly..... Very common... More likely than not likely, sorry to say. Just within the last couple of days, check this out.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...s-dash-261183/

Nisaja

Welcome to the club bro! I know what you mean man. I'm similar to your age. Unfortunately, the only car I could get was an auto But hey! Gotta love what you have right? Anyways, your car looks sick. That dashboard not being cracked is a miracle! Looks like you've found yourself a great car!

Don't know much about Buffalo. But what I do know is you can buy a spare fuel filler cap and paint it

Jokes aside, welcome again and enjoy your new ride. Stick around the club. We are always here to help

04Green

iTrader: (1)

Welcome,

Nice car, you the major threads covered. I suggest the Congrats thread as well.

For the power steering, I have had this issue on 2 cars. Cleaning the connectors is good, but making and breaking them about 5 times is a plus. This cleans the contacts along the entire length. Doing that with some cleaner in there (connector or glass, as long as no film) will really help as well. There is a DIY. First time I did it, I only did the lower ones. The issue is the ones behind the air box.

And, welcome.

aorkennykiller

Thanks for the advice! I just got to look under the hood today. I unplugged all 4 connections that were in the DIY but they looked completely clean. I ended up cleaning it up anyways though. Was hoping to atleast test drive the car but i noticed that there was oil on the air filter. I wont be able to pick up the filter until tomorrow so i didnt reassemble and test drive. I did end up cleaning the MAF because it was out already. Just incase there was any oil on it. Do you guys know what cause the oil on air filter? I think i read somewhere on the forums that that could come from overfilling oil.

Not sure if this would allow you guys to give me better diagnosis but i used my car comp to for codes. The only two that i had came from EPS and they were something along the lines of low voltage and something wrong with the torque sensor.

When i was cleaning out the harnesses i did notice that one of my grounds were corroded so i did sand that down and make sure the connection was clean.

Did anyone know what codes were popping up when cleaning harnesses fixed the EPS? I have a feeling i might end up buying a used rack and installing it.

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

It can come from overfilling which can cause serious problems so it should be avoided but it can also come from a failed oil injector allowing oil to bypass into the intake through the vacuum so have it checked out, don't just ignore it.

aorkennykiller

Any tips on how i can check for failed oil injectors?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

The common causes of oil in the intake are excessive blowby or overfilling the oil. In those cases it comes up at high rpm. Try to verify if you're getting new oil in the intake, or if it's leftover from an earlier overfill. I'm not sure about oil injectors getting oil into the intake, frankly.

Not sure if anyone brought this up, but you had a compression test done right? Right?

aorkennykiller

Hey thanks for the response. I will definitely test out the high RPM when i get my new filter installed.

I was actually hoping nobody would ask about compression test LOL. Like i said i bought this car through a hook up. Pretty much got it for 3K. Only problem with it was the rack code. I was planning on bringing the car to Mazda for the airbag recalls. While im there i will get a compression test done on it. I figured i wasnt in dire need of it because it had 0 symptoms of low compression. Probably not the smartest thing to do but being impulsive leads to impulsive purchases lol.

FunRun8

iTrader: (5)

Few are "sure" which is why it's so important to make sure, it IS an overlooked problem because few seem to fully understand the injector's functions and make up or what happens when they fail on the diaphragm side but I see similar failures in similar parts on other applications all the time only in other less viscous liquid applications as well as these in oil, it ALWAYS infiltrates whatever is up stream, (in this case the intake) which is why I mentioned it.

To the OP, few here fully understand how the injectors actually work but they're "experts". If you choose to follow their advice on this just be certain you can afford a new engine if they're wrong, essentially they are gambling with YOUR money and nothing to lose, you on the other hand.................... Or alternatively you can learn something that is not widely known or understood about your car and more than likely it will save you far more then it will cost you.

You can have the injectors checked though it is a bit of a process requiring you to remove the intake manifold etc. to reach them, but potentially well worth the effort. Once removed a simple test at home can be as easy as gently blowing into each one and also gently sucking back after you've gently cleaned them (notice the word "gently" being used redundantly) to determine if they are only working in the single direction they're supposed to flow or possibly allowing oil bypass and intrusion into the vacuum system which then eventually leads back to the intake where you then observe oil pooling from either over filling or injector failure.

The only medium between the oil and vacuum sections of the injector system is a very thin rubber membrane that fails eventually then there is no longer anything to separate and prevent oil from being drawn up stream into the intake through the vacuum system and with the slight amount of pressure of it being pumped from the OMP both working in that case to pump oil back into the intake, of this I'm certain.

It would be advisable to have them actually vacuum checked though, to make a more comprehensive determination whether or not they are actually working at the proper specs. I can just about guarantee, you have at least one that has failed. Oh, also you can check the vacuum connection that leads into the intake if you remove the air cleaner and see if you can see any slight oil drips collecting or dripping from it? It's on the top of the intake flex tube.

Edit: I'd like to add since I posted this that there are a lot of well intentioned and knowledgeable people on here one of which is Loki as I've read many of his posts and also learned from them as well and many who are quite close to experts but even experts can learn something new and if they don't know for certain then to redirect someone away from potentially good advice, that is also not costly to confirm, mostly just time consuming, then that is not wise advice if one has any doubt or uncertainty.

aorkennykiller

Hey i really appreciate the honest feedback and recommendation. I'm definitely gonna look into this when the weather gets a little better.

Slight update on the car: After cleaning the connectors and erasing the codes the power steering light seemed to have turned off and is now working. I haven't had a chance to drive the car around yet so i'm not sure if the light will turn back on.

On another note i noticed that my heat wasn't working but i did some forum searching and saw some DIYs that helped me fix it. Pretty much had to solder the three connections on the climate control part of the dash.

Thanks to everyone who has responded and welcomed me on the forums. It really helps having a group of people willing to share their experience/knowledge with me. I'll keep the updates coming as they happen.

aorkennykiller

New update! Just drove my car pretty hard for a good 30 mins to hour. So far so good on power steering. No lights popped up. Car runs like a dream!

I do have one question though. I did notice that one of my headlights were blown. I compared them to the highbeams and noticed that i had HIDs for lowbeams. For some reason i was under the impression that my car would have Halogen.

Did base 04 in NA come with that stock? The bulb size is D2S correct?
I suspect that my car was sport trim because it has 6 speed manual, cloth seats, no sun roof etc. I dont think i have TCS/DSC either.

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

You do have a base model which will have standard halogen headlights. The fuel door appears to be a Mazda accessory. I'd still replace it however. If you have hid headlights in there, there would be some modifications done to the harness and the addition of ballasts. The high beam and low beam are in fact two different bulbs.

aorkennykiller

Yea i already ordered a used fuel door for my car. Im a fan of simple and clean lol. And damn was really hoping that the HIDs were stock. Is there anyway i can distinguish what bulb it is when i take it out?

mazdaverx7

iTrader: (6)

When you remove the bulb from the housing there will be a part number printed on the bulb. That will tell you what bulb you have.

I also prefer clean and simple. I keep all of my cars original and unmodified and I enjoy them that way. Guess I'm just getting older haha.

aorkennykiller

Some more updates on the car. Just got the Metra dash and installation kit and ASWC-1 Steering wheel control kit.

The good news is that my Metra kit seems to have an updated box so i dont have any of the climate control problems.

On the other hand I i think i somehow messed up the wiring because:
1. the music playing from my HU is super low and i have to blast it to get hear it.
2. The HU randomly activates siri on my iphone and "listens" for commands.
3. The ASWC-1 box had no LEDs light up at all.

Pretty much i tried to do all the wiring on the Metra harness cause i wanted to leave the stock wiring alone. This raises some complication because the AWSC-1 kit tells me to splice into the stock harness.

Does anyone have experience with this set up? It gets confusing because the picture on the Installation guide on Axxess's website shows it from the stock harness side. If my theory is correct, splicing into the Metra harness by looking at the wires inverted should yield the same result. Meaning Stock harness would be Left to right, while looking at Metra harness should be Right to left.

Any specific wires that i should look at when experiencing low volume? Probably going to take a look at it again tomorrow.

**EDIT Got the HU to work properly with the speakers in the car. It seemed like the problem came from this Scosche OEA4 unit that i had attached from my Maxima. I suspect that it filtered the signal and dialed it down. The only thing i cant get to work is the Axxess Steering control but i think i might have an idea as to why its not working. I might have mixed up the 1P and the 1N connections by mistake.**

aorkennykiller

BAM got the new HU and SWC set up. Just took the wiring fix and an update on the AWSC1 Box. Everything works as intended. The stock speakers + HU actually sounds surprisingly good.