I know the secondary air pump is making the strange noise, but most people on rx8club have issues during start up and mine is slightly different. When I turn the ignition to ON when it's cold outside, I can hear the air pump make 3 long pulses. The sound is almost like a drill. Then my car will crank over normally and the air pump turns on again like normal while the car heats up to operating temperature. In short, why does the pump make these noises BEFORE startup. Is it going bad?

 

It could be going bad. Mine made a very loud whining noise when it started to go while warming up. Eventually it just gave out and went silent after a while. Do you have a cat? You really don't need the airpump for much, its just there to warm the cat.

 

typically the air pump pushes air into the cat when engine is cold to make it more efficient, so i guess if you dont have problems with the cat you don't have to worry.
Also i believe you get a P0410 with a faulty pump.

 

Yes, that is correct.

 

If you want to confirm it is the airpump...just disconnect the electrical plug on the passenger side shock tower 😁