Joe Elsleger

I apologize in advance as this topic is more then likely covered in a thread somewhere but I couldn't find it. I'm on my second RX8 which is 04 AT. Tho I'm considered a newbie/rookie on here I'm actually very knowledgeable when it comes to the 8 and yes I meticulously maintenance my car. I actually have 3 questions...
1st.. I was wanting to buy a Cobb accessport for the 8 but I see they stopped making them and couldn't find one not even on E bay. I don't want anything crazy expensive so what ECU remapping kit is available for the 8 thats compatible and allows you to adjust every aspect?
2nd..I haven't had a compression test done yet but I believe my compression is good. Just a few months ago I bought new upgraded (1.8 kw) starter, Super start 640 CCA battery, and I had to replace #1 L ignition coil which they're upgraded (D585) LS ignition coils and wires, I also put in new NGK laser iridium plugs. At first after sitting hot for about 5 mins hot starts weren't an issue which they still aren't but it takes about 4 secs to turn over on a hot start after sitting hot for a few mins so would this be a issue of needing new plugs (I've put 20k miles on it since I put new ones in), the need to replace the other 3 ignition coils, the battery, or possibly the wires? (My car now has 110k+ miles on it btw)
3rd..I live in the south so summers get hot and I know this is greatly debated but in the summer I ran 10W-40 GTX and had no problems but it's now Nov and the weather is cooler. On my last oil change and I realize I made a mistake but I ran 5W-20 GTX. Besides that it's eating more oil compared to the 10W-40 I haven't had any major problems. So my question is being that I live in the south of the US of course, what oil should I use for winter here? I was thinking 10W-30 GTX would be just fine but I wanted confirmation. Thank you all in advance.

sonicsdaman

iTrader: (3)

if you have not yet done so read the new owners thread about 12 times no really read this!

1 look into mazdaedit
2 everything you did is a bandaid for low comp, just sayin, only way to know 100% is with a comp test
3 oil is oil, pick a weight and change it at the correct interval ( I'm sure someone will come in and counter me one this, great oil war and all that)

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Welcome aboard.

10w30 is fine. Oil consumption rate could vary with driving style. See if you have any leaks or of oil is being sucked into the intake.

So you are running 1 D585 coil ungrounded and 3 regular coils? That's not going to work very well. Try using all 4 of the same kind. If you didn't specifically ground that D585, it may already be dead, leading to the hard start issue.

You believe the compression is good, yet describe symptoms of low compression. I think a test is in order if the above doesnt help. Otherwise you'll be chasing things that aren't the problem.

Look into MazdaEdit as an alternative to Cobb. What are you looking to adjust?
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Joe Elsleger

Thanks Sonic and I know it may seem that way. I bought the car for $600 on my way back down from CO and it was having starting issues. I got it started on the second crank and while it was warming up I got out checked under the car for leaks which there was none then I walked behind the car to examine the mufflers for any white smoke which there was none. The car sounded good (it has a mid pipe with boria dual exhaust btw, so no cat). All seemed good so I paid the guy and headed towards home. I started with new battery and plugs which I kinda regret the battery (thinking I should've gotten a R34 red top instead) then a week later crank got a lot slower then eventually no crank at all. I pulled the starter and replaced it with a new 14 tooth 1.8kw one from O'Reillys. I'm thinking the battery I got isn't the correct one. As I said, I can stall the car hot and immediately crank it and it'll start up but it takes about 4 secs on the crank to fire up...so I don't believe the engine has low compression tho I may be wrong.

Joe Elsleger

Loki...No the car already had upgraded coils and wires when I bought it so I just simply had to switch out the D585 coil. It of course has the pnp harness upgrade for the D585 coils so yes it's grounded. No oil leaks at all. I do drive it hard but not to the point of running it into the ground lol. As far as ECU remapping I'd like to adjust things such as fan turn on temp, oil metering, speed limit, and possibly idle

Loki

iTrader: (1)

MazdaEdit should be able to help woth those settings. Thanks for clarifying the coil situation... we get all kinds through here, so you never know...

Since the crank speed declined after new battery, have you tested the battery? Could be a dud, which would cause your fast starter to not spin at full speed and take longer to fire up the engine.

Joe Elsleger

No problem Loki, I've seen new 8 owners do some no no's that caused major problems. I believe I put the new battery in back in April or May and as I said it's 640 CCAs Super start..the battery doesn't quite fill up the battery stand and now it's cooler weather as I didn't have this delay on a hot start in the summer just recently as it's cooler weather now and my CEL isn't flashing as I crank tho I'm sure I'll need to replace plugs soon. I was thinking it could be because I need a new/better battery.

Joe Elsleger

Also Loki, it doesn't seem to be getting the high pulse cranks like it should. So would this infact be a battery issue?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure what high pulse cranks means, but there are few reasons a starter would turn slowly, and one is a battery that has lost a cell or 2. You don't need a lot of CCA to spin one of these, so a regular battery of the correct group should be fine. Don't waste your money on Optima, it's not worth it.

Get it load tested, many places can do this. Walmart, AutoZone, etc.

OR!!! Check the battery terminals. Could just be durt/loose cables

Joe Elsleger

Thanks Loki and what I mean by high pulse is how fast you're hearing the crank. Normally I'd hear it kicking faster then what it is. I tried to attach a video but because it's MP4 format I was unable to. Anyhow, I plan on replacing the other 3 coils soon along with plugs. I know duralast is cheaper but about 50$ per coil vs $90 a coil for AC Delco it should suffice I think. I also plan on getting an aluminum radiator, new 3 ply radiator hoses, new oil cooler and hoses, new fans, an oil over flow catch (instead of it spitting it in the cold air intake), maybe a new cold air intake setup, lightweight pulleys, Mazda edit pro, new oil pan and metering pump, upgraded water pump, coolant and oil gauge temp tach (tho I can view these on Mazda edit I believe) and last but not least a mesh to cover the fog light areas so no debri damages anything.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Cool. As far as intakes, I would just keep it stock. There is little to nothing to be gained from any of the available intakes, and the crappier ones just make it worse. Mazda did their homework on intake design.
As far as oil in the intake... is that a problem you currently have?

Joe Elsleger

Thanks Loki cuz I was debating on keeping intake stock or not. Well when I change my oil (every 2k miles) i put in 4 qts and obviously having a 04 4 port..the line runs from top the oil resivor down to the intake sleeve so I do get a little bit of oil in it but not a tremendous amount. Well idk if it's from the cold weather or what but I don't seem to be getting super high cranks tho they're not really slow either. I was thinking maybe it could be cuz I ran 5W-20 instead of 10W-30..thinner coating on the seals maybe causing a longer hot start?

Joe Elsleger

Oh..almost forgot..my positive terminal was a bit loose when I got it. I just banged it back into shape the best I could and tho it doesn't fit perfectly round the terminal it is tight. Could that be a problem? I tried to find the same terminal replacement at O'Reillys and other places but no luck. So if it's a problem my only option is to take off the terminal and replace with a different kind.

Joe Elsleger

Well i came outside and checked my pos terminal..wasn't as tight as I thought it was so I pulled it off and banged it into better shape. It's on tight now and fits about perfectly round the post. Warming it up right now (started almost immediately on cold start) to test the hot start right now. I'll let you know if it's improved any and good call on battery terminal being loose. Thank you

Joe Elsleger

Thanks Loki..after getting the positive terminal tight it definitely made a difference. I took a small drive (3.5 miles) then parked it..waited about 3-5 mins then gave it a hot start. Instead of it taking 4 secs it took about 2 - 2.5 secs. A major difference in my book so based off this I'd say it was due to a loose positive terminal that I was having long hot starts. Thank you so much!

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Nice, glad it helped. Easy things first

UnknownJinX

Depending on where you live and how you drive, 5W-20 could be fine. I use 5W-20 and had 2 UOA done. No abnormal wear found, so I will keep using it.

If anything, I would think thicker oil will cause longer starts since it's more viscous.

Also, 04 and 05 starters are kinda weak. WIth an AT, you have to look for an upgrade since the MT starters won't fit. Someone mentioned that there is an upgrade available, but I don't remember the details.

Joe Elsleger

Ok thank you UnknownJin I'll definitely look into that. Been running fine all day n no probs with hot start other then it took a cpl seconds to fire up. Checked my oil level as well and it's good so maybe 5W-20 will be ok for the winter here. Since I disconnected the battery last night I also did the 20 stomp brake pedal ESC reset...ran great today even though my ECU is learning fuel trims again. Glad the suggestion was made to check connection and glad to hear there's AT starter upgrade for the 04.