Brilliant, I'll do that today! I did find a set on eBay in that sweet little zipper case, but the PDFs wil be helpful in the meantime!

 

i just got my 05 rx8 2 wks ago..its got cold air,exhaust....anyone got any thing i should watchg for

 

Welcome snyder69

Go back to the very first post of this thread and read. At least you found the thread though.

 

I've spent the last two days looking for my first rx8 to purchase for my wife to drive. I finally found one that I was set to purchase. And just thankfully I found your forum and apparently this post. I read the first five pages and you all have effectively talked me out of it. you've saved me 12 grand and what seems to be a big headache for such a small car.

Thank You
The car was a 2005 rx8 shinko with 56 thousand miles

Again Many Thanks to the OP

 

Well, the car isn't for everyone. And not everyone that has had one, has had the same experience. Good Luck and Farewell.

 

I have the SAME CAR - a 2005 Shinka with the same mileage; and it's the most fabulously FUN car I've ever owned (and I'm 52). I freaking LOVE IT. Of course, mine is the manual, and less problematic.
Your poor wife will be missing out.

 

This thread should be sold as a book on Amazon.

 

I just picked up my 8 today after a long bloody battle to get a car. I just joined this website after finding it in google searches about properly maintaining a rotary engine. So far just driving the car from the dealer to home was amazing and so much fun. Especially after driving a 93 Jimmy (my fiancees truck) for so many years. I made the mistake of not really taking too much care of my last car, a Chevy Cavalier, and it broke down. So I plan to use this mass of knowledge to take care of this car for years to come. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

Hey guys I just joined the forum today so I want to introduce myself. My name is Taylor and I'm from austin Tx. Just purchased a Winning Blue 2004, I've been dreaming about it for a while now and it's finally a reality. I'll post pictures later today but there's not much to see except for the limo tint I installed yesterday. Any austin users hit me up if you ever hear of a meet. I need inspiration for parts!!

 

Welcome to the club ATX and lacard! You both sound like youre well on your way!

 

I registered because I was thinking about getting one but this thread scares me

 

I don't mean this harshly, but if the thread scares you, then it's done it's job just as well as when it excites people.

The thread is designed to make you think hard about what you are getting into. Either you will accept it with open arms and a match is made or you find that it isn't for you and an unfortunate pairing is avoided, leaving you, the car, and the forum better off.

Sincerely, thank you for researching. I hope you find the car that fits you.

 

Its free as it is and most people don't read it. what makes you think people will pay for it

 

Great thread guys, whoever wrote it and for everyone who shared their idea i take my hat off to you. Now, im 22 and looking to buy a new car, ive owned fiats, alfa romeos and most recently a Smart ForTwo (dont laugh im a student).... I was looking for a sporty car which was affordable so i initially looked at Civic Type-R however to to budget restraints i had to lower my budget which then shot the RX8 into frame. Now ive never owned a rotary engine however ive heard nothing but bad things about it and i heard it too major effort to maintain it, since reading this thread ive learnt a few things but i was wondering shall i A) Buy the RX8 and learn to maintain it or B) Wait a few months get the Type-R?

 

Dont buy a car and plan on "learning to maintain" it. You either have the personality and desire to do it or you don't. From what you've said above, i would just save for a few more months to buy the car u actually want. Too many people make the mistake of picking up this car in hopes to fill the void of another car they desire but cant get, for one reason or another. This car is an aweful impulse buy, and seeings as to how it is so unique, VERY rarely fills any shoes that others are looking to fill. In the grand sceme of things, 2 months is a no brainer if it means getting the car u really want. Some people even wait years to do so.

Might not be the answer u want to hear, but from what you've said here so far, i would not recommend u picking one up. It just doesnt sound like you bro.

 

I see what your saying bro. I mean i am a car enthusiast dont get me wrong, ive been around cars my whole life from muscle cars to these types of "tuners". Ive spoken to a few people and they have said to me that the RX8 is the better option in terms of finances and looks however i have been warned that it doesnt have the pushing power of the Type-R though which has made me think is it worth it but there is literally a £3,000 gap between vehicles excluding insurance which in the UK is a bomb compared to you guys out there in the US. I do like them both but i like the way the RX8 looks compared to the Type-R and also behind RWD is a major pull.... Ive never owned a rotary engine before so i was just wondering, i have read through loads of pages and this place seems to have the best information and people in the know so before i go and splash my money i wanted to gather ideas from you guys In a catch 22 dilemma at the moment haha

 

As was mentioned in this post, this car definitely won't have the "pushing power" that you're looking for. It's not gonna win any stoplight races, and has less torque off the line than almost any car you can even find today, with exception to most sub-100HP cars. You have to be sky-high in the revs to feel much from it, although the engine is made to rev freely. Expect upwards of 6K on up if you ever expect to feel much.

I'll admit that the looks are what pulled me in all those years back, but i clearly jumped the gun on my purchase, and ultimately let mine go for 2 reasons. 1) I just couldn't swallow the gas mileage for 230HP with very little torque on premium gas, and 2) Since I bought mine brand new, I couldn't believe how increadibly fast the resale was dropping. Faster than almost any other car i've owned, which is over a dozen. However, I will say that now, buying it used, it wouldn't be a very big deal at all.

It sounds like you're doing your research, and I would just make sure that you naw it over for some time before jumping in head first. It has a lot of great qualities, but again I must reiterate, don't buy it to just simply fill another cars shoes.

 

The car is not that bad and not that hard to maintain. The problem is the Forum. I had an 87 and then a 94 RX-7 then went off to other cars. In 2009, I bought a 2004 RX-8, joined the forum, read all the stuff about engine problems, flooding and such to revving it about 7500 each day, pre-mix, oil issues and such that I sold it within 6 months.

I then met a lady with a 2006 RX8 that had 78000 miles and she had never ever revved it above 6000, did not drive aggressively, changed oil every 5000K and had no problems with her car at all. She had bought it for its looks and babied it.

I went and bought an 09 GT which now has 33K and I ignore all this about revving it to redline daily, about using pre-mix, worrying about exact oil viscosity and more. I just check oil about once a week, generally add a bit and that is it. No problems so far.

 

Why would you want to buy a car like this and not have fun with it. I don't redline my car daily but when the conditions are right I love to beat on this car. Plus you get rewarded for it.

 

Great thread with a ton of information, thanks for putting it together! Just bought a 1 owner '04 with 34.5k miles on it 2 days ago. Everything about the car is spotless and amazing. I am amazed at the handling and how quiet it is going down the road, quieter than my '10 RAV4 Sport anyways. I am looking forward to some great road trips and general good times with it.

Erik

 

Hello everyone! My wife and I decided to go back to school recently and she thought a sporty car would be better to have for school instead of our SUV. We are in our mid-twenties, so we are experienced drivers. I've owned a 1979 RX-7 Limited since 2003 and love it, so I asked her to look into RX-8's. We test drove one, and she fell in love with the car. Day before yesterday, we bought a 2004 with 26,000 miles on it. The engine was replaced under warranty 4,000 miles ago. The gentleman who owned it was in his 60's and took excellent care of it.

I have a couple concerns:

1) It takes an uneasy amount of time to crank over and start. The OP said that the 04 and 05 starters were weak. Is it most likely that this is the problem? With so few miles I thought it was the most likely answer, but I thought it would be better to ask. I work at an auto parts store and tested the alternator and battery and they both tested fine.

2)The cap recommends 5W-20, but I've read in a few places that a thicker oil is better. I have also read to never use synthetic and always run conventional. Are either of these true?

3) I read that you should not shift from first to second gear until 5k RPM. Any truth to this?

4) Seems to idle around 800 RPM and is just a hair shaky. I can give it a little gas and it will idle at about 1000 and drop back down after a few seconds. Thoughts?

 

Welcome to the club!

In the spirit of this thread I will give some assistance.

1) They should have upgraded the starter. You can check for yourself, here's how...

Check out the 3rd post in this thread.
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/rx8-starter-recall-196072/


2) There is a huge thread on Oil discussions and Dino vs Syn ... honestly it gets really heated, it's almost religious in its anger. This thread is not the place for this topic. I will say I use 10x30 and I live in Sourthern Ontario.
Here's a good thread posted recently: https://www.rx8club.com/canada-forum-35/game-over-natalia-dead-long-live-natalia-long-thread-rant-useful-information-229407/

Oil Discussion thread:https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/cumulative-synthetic-oil-discussion-52856/

3) You heard what now? In my 7 years of owning a RX8 I've never heard such craziness. I change in to 2nd all the time before 5k rpm

4) 800 rpm is normal, that is where the idle should be on a fully warmed up car. The Gear shifter is connected directly to the transmission, this will transmit vibrations from the motor (most other standards have a long linkage set that dampen engine vibrations). However the motor mounts are common problems on the 04-05 models and will cause heavy vibration at idle. But you think they would have check/changed those when they did the engine.


Right, now I have to ask.
Did you right the first posts in this thread?
All of your questions are answered there as well.

 

hey guya yes im a new n very proud owner of a 2004 mazda rx8 i just had to put a new clutch kit , slave cylinder and rebulit my master cylinder in this car but after i got it all back together i got in the car batt was dead so i hookd up the jumps n then got into my car to start but the security indicator light came on flashing rapidly, n it wont crank what do u think is wrong n any ideas on how to fix? any input would be great thnks

 

The security light references the immobilizer. It's probably blocking you from starting. Do some searches for how to bypass or reset it. I'm not familiar with either.

If that isn't your problem, then it's more likely to be a blown fuse issue. The Ign Key fuse is easily blown if the neutral switch wiring is damaged or reconnected incorrectly when the transmission is re-mounted back up. Rarer, but also a possibility, is if the starter isn't engaging the flywheel correctly due to misalignment.

 

Seems like a fun thread to subscribe too. Don't mind me.