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Recieved 08 RX-8 from my Aunt, don't know where to start
Hey guys! Last December my aunt gave me her '08 RX-8, and I was beyond excited. I don't mean to bash her after she gave me a car for free, but she did NOT know how to take care of it. Pretty much everything was not up kept whatsoever. When I took the car to my mechanic friend to help with an oil change, he was genuinely baffled on how it was still running. I read the new owner thread by RIWWP, but I honestly have no idea where to start on fixing it up. Some important info:
- 108,000 miles - New engine at around 74,000 - I gave it totally new oil as soon as I got it That's basically all the info I have. It's safe to say my aunt did not replace or check anything since she got it(which was around mile 58000). I'm really sorry that I'm super vague, but what are the most important things to check and replace? I'll only be driving it 10~ miles a day for work until I get it in decent condition, so hopefully it doesn't die on me while I'm fixing it. Than you so much! |
RX8 Club’s recommended maintenance schedule, more comprehensive and proactive than Mazda’s schedule.
30,000 miles: - Replace Ignition coils - Replace Plug wires - Replace Spark plugs - Clean MAF (mass air flow sensor) - Clean ESS (e-shaft sensor) - Reset ESS profile - Clean power steering connections - Clean battery terminals and clamps - Replace transmission fluid - Replace coolant (Mazda FL-22 is highly recommended) - Replace air filter - Replace brake fluid (fluid in the brake lines AND the clutch line) ~$300 USD in parts if you shop smartly. every 60,000: ...all 30,000, plus... - Clean all chassis electrical grounding points - Replace accessory belts - Clean OMP lines - Replace rear differential fluid - Replace thermostat - Clean / Straighten AC condenser fins - Clean / Straighten oil cooler fins - Inspect catalytic converter - Clean / Inspect intake valving - Consider / inspect all points in 90,000+ as well, many items fail early ~$130 USD in parts if you shop smartly. 90,000: ...all 30,000, plus any 60,000 not yet done, plus... - Replace coolant bottle - Replace radiator hoses - Replace radiator - Replace front O2 sensor - Replace motor mounts - Inspect clutch pedal assembly for flex / weld breaks ~$900 USD in parts if you shop smartly. At 100k, anything original in the cooling system is really suspect and failure prone. It represents the biggest threat to your engine. Did they replace the clutch when the second engine was installed? If not, it might be in need of replacement at that mileage. Maybe not. This is in addition to regular oil changes every 3000miles, regular tire and brake inspection, proper wheel alignment, and use of at least 92 octane gas, 93 octane gas is preferable for better performance and life of engine. (if available). |
Are all of those things equally important, or should I focus on some things over others? I know the cooling aspects are all super important, so should I make sure those are good first?
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I'd get the easy-to-do stuff out of the way first, so replace all your fluids, like trans fluid, brake/clutch fluid, and coolant if they haven't been done before.
Another big thing is the coils. You can get BHR, SakeBomb or OEM revision C coils. Look up and make your own decisions. How did the last engine die? If it died from overheating, then it's good to start looking at your cooling system. If it died from loss of compression, you may want to inspect your catalytic converter.
Originally Posted by gwilliams6
(Post 4860116)
Did they replace the clutch when the second engine was installed? If not, it might be in need of replacement at that mileage. Maybe not.
This is in addition to regular oil changes every 3000miles, regular tire and brake inspection, proper wheel alignment, and use of at least 92 octane gas, 93 octane gas is preferable for better performance and life of engine. (if available). Owner's Manual calls for 91 octane gas, BTW. My car runs perfectly fine with 91. I don't know about S1, but I have tried to use 94 octane gas from Chevron, which are the only gas stations that even offer 94 in BC, Canada. No difference from what I can tell. Can a stock RX-8 even take advantage of anything above 91? May have access to a dyno at some point, I will have to see. |
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Regarding priorities: ignition coils, spark plugs and wires should be done immediately.
Did your aunt add oil between changes? That's kind of a thing. The car has an oil injection system, which means oil gets consumed. Low oil is bad. What exactly did the mechanic find that had him so surprised? |
The first engine got destroyed in a wreck I think. She probably did not add oil in between changes... so when I took it to my buddy there was almost no oil and it was completely black.
I'll get my coils and spark plugs done ASAP. Thanks! |
Poor car. A wreck that would destroy the engine in a basically mid-engine car, would also destroy the car. So I'm thinking lack of maintenance, but that's moot at this point.
You may want to have a compression test performed before spending too much money on it. Unless your mechanic has rotary equipment, he can't help you. Find a rotary specialist or a Mazda dealer. It should cost about 1-1.5 hours of work (so 100-150 bucks), and will tell you if that engine is healthy or on its way out. You should receive 6 numbers normalized to 250rpm. No numbers, no payment :) If it's going to require replacement soon, that might play into your next steps. If it's healthy, keep those test results as proof in case you want to sell the car later. |
If you don't have time to go over the many items that need to be checked, simply take it to a Mazda dealer, tell them what you told us, and have them carefully do a full check on the engine and car. Proceed from there. Much, much easier. Since you've spent zero dollars for the car, you can probably afford doing this.
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Originally Posted by New Yorker
(Post 4860141)
If you don't have time to go over the many items that need to be checked, simply take it to a Mazda dealer, tell them what you told us, and have them carefully do a full check on the engine and car. Proceed from there. Much, much easier. Since you've spent zero dollars for the car, you can probably afford doing this.
But I agree, start with a rotary-specific compression test. |
Originally Posted by BigCajun
(Post 4860124)
OP said he already read that BigCajun, but thanks |
Originally Posted by UnknownJinX
(Post 4860120)
I'd get the easy-to-do stuff out of the way first, so replace all your fluids, like trans fluid, brake/clutch fluid, and coolant if they haven't been done before.
Another big thing is the coils. You can get BHR, SakeBomb or OEM revision C coils. Look up and make your own decisions. How did the last engine die? If it died from overheating, then it's good to start looking at your cooling system. If it died from loss of compression, you may want to inspect your catalytic converter. Clutch life greatly varies depends on how and where you drive your car. It can last well beyond 100k miles if you know how to drive a stick well and you live somewhere flat. If it's not slipping, don't worry about it. rn. UnknownJinx, I and a few fellow RX8 owners in my area all needed new clutchs by the time we needed reman engines. Since his reman engine is already in, it would be prohibitive expensive to have it done now unless heavily wo Owner's Manual calls for 91 octane gas, BTW. My car runs perfectly fine with 91. I don't know about S1, but I have tried to use 94 octane gas from Chevron, which are the only gas stations that even offer 94 in BC, Canada. No difference from what I can tell. Can a stock RX-8 even take advantage of anything above 91? May have access to a dyno at some point, I will have to see. UnknownJinx, I and a few fellow RX8 owners in my area all needed new clutches by the time we needed reman engines. Since his reman engine is already in, it would be prohibitive expensive to have it done now unless the clutch was heavily worn Cheers |
Peaul , As my car approached 75K miles, everything on that maintenance list was done, some proactively , but others because they were truly needed. It really is a good list to follow, along with all the other good advice here from experienced owners. Cheers
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Originally Posted by gwilliams6
(Post 4860324)
UnknownJinX most 91 octane gas in the US is crap with the 10% ethanol added. His engine will thanks him if he keeps 92 or 93 in it in the US.
UnknownJinx, I and a few fellow RX8 owners in my area all needed new clutches by the time we needed reman engines. Since his reman engine is already in, it would be prohibitive expensive to have it done now unless the clutch was heavily worn Cheers In the US, I think it varies state by state. Some states have 10% ethanol gas everywhere like Commiefornia, others have pure gasoline everywhere like Alaska. There are some states that probably do it like BC, Canada, where higher octane gas is pure while the lower octane gas contains ethanol. While I personally don't like ethanol and don't like the whole industry behind it, it's not worth losing sleep over. Avoid it if you can, but if you have no choice(like if you live in Commiefornia), it's not the worst thing. As for the clutch... If you have the engine out, it probably doesn't cost much extra labour to get it done. For OP, the best move is just to wait until the clutch is dead. Who knows, it may just last until the next engine is needed. Their aunt doesn't sound like the kind of person that would be hard on the clutch. I also can't imagine someone driving a stick like garbage for 100k+ miles. |
The clutch may or may not have been done at 74K, when the engine was replaced.
Clutch life depends almost entirely on the style of driving and kind of commute. I had a clutch in a '90 Civic last 250K miles. It was almost all highway miles, and I can be very gentle to a clutch when I want to be. I would be more worried about the rest of the list. |
Actually from the US, don't know where UK came from :D: Thanks for all the help, really appreciate it!
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Originally Posted by Peaul
(Post 4860397)
Actually from the US, don't know where UK came from :D: Thanks for all the help, really appreciate it!
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I am not hard on my clutch and neither were a few experienced RX8Club members in my area that had enough clutch wear that it was prudent to have them replaced when we got our Mazda remans (all before 100k miles). In each case of warranty engine replacement, our Philly-area Mazda dealers charged NO additional labor for the clutch removal and reinstallation. We just paid for the parts. We all do a lot of urban as well as highway driving. Cheers
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Originally Posted by gwilliams6
(Post 4860483)
I am not hard on my clutch and neither were a few experienced RX8Club members in my area that had enough clutch wear that it was prudent to have them replaced when we got our Mazda remans (all before 100k miles). In each case of warranty engine replacement, our Philly-area Mazda dealers charged NO additional labor for the clutch removal and reinstallation. We just paid for the parts. We all do a lot of urban as well as highway driving. Cheers
Of course when you have the engine out, you may as well do it, but if you don't need to pull the engine out, then you just wait until it's completely worn or the next engine replacement, whichever comes first. |
Originally Posted by UnknownJinX
(Post 4860526)
Doesn't mean they are necessarily all the way worn down, though, as in "you can put it in second and the car won't stall" that kind of worn.
Of course when you have the engine out, you may as well do it, but if you don't need to pull the engine out, then you just wait until it's completely worn or the next engine replacement, whichever comes first. |
you can start by dropping off at my house
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a different type of list, a lot of the data above, but organized a different way..
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...ot-8-a-202548/ |
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