Astroenomical

So I literally love the RX-8 to death. So don't get me wrong.

When is the visits to the garage going to stop? I bought the car at 63,000 with a clean report. So it is apparent that these peoblems are stemming from the nature of this beast.

I've already had to replace the coolant tank, the eps module, coils, factory radio set, and a condensing fan to keep water out of the oil. I swear the check engine light loves me because it pops in and out at times.

Does any one else have a loud noise from the right of an engine bay upon start up in mostly cold weather? Sound like a fan trying to warm someting up becuase its only for about 5-10 second?

Also, do anyone elses have some squeaking coming from the area around the tranmission at times? Its not all the time though, but most of it.

Like I said. Love the car! I feel like it always wants to break and its pricey.

Anyway to increse fule milage! lol

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Have you read through the new owner thread yet?

If you are having a shop do all the diagnosis, then the shop visits will continue because very few shops can diagnose issues on this car correctly. Come here first for proper diagnosis, then go to a shop and tell them exactly what you need to do. OR get your hands dirty doing it yourself. This car is very easy to work on yourself, and very expensive to have someone else work on.


Coils are a part of regular maintenance, so not really worth complaining about them. If you want to ignore coils, get the BHR ignition upgrade.

Replacing the EPS module is not common at all, why was it replaced? I worry that it was replaced needlessly, like many shop diagnosed "failures".

If the condenser fan was replaced to "keep water out of the oil", then you were scammed, and have bigger problems. A fan has nothing to do with water and oil mixing. If you have an automatic transmission, then you can have water and transmission oil mixing if the radiator fails. The only way that coolant and engine oil will mix is if you have a coolant seal failure inside the engine, and if you have that, you need a new engine. Coolant seals can fail as early as 220F, the factory temp gauge won't start moving upward from 'normal' till 235F, so it can fail from overheating without you knowing about it. If you HAVE overheated it due to a cooling system failure, like if the coolant bottle failed somehow and sprayed coolant everywhere, then a water/oil mix diagnosis might be right, but needs to be properly tested. If the shop diagnosed it due to milky condensation on the dip stick, then it was a bad diagnosis, as that is entirely normal in cold weather, and does no harm.


The noise you are describing sounds like the air injection pump that injects air into the exhaust when the engine is cold to heat the cat up faster, and it shuts off once the cat gets up to temp, which is relatively quickly. It should be silent, so you may have the motor or solenoid failing. It is not critical and can be ignored if you don't have a cat installed, don't have emissions requirements, etc...

The squeaking, if it's a manual transmission, is likely the release bearing or pilot bearing. They should last around 90,000 miles, but if the prior owner abused the clutch, it could be shorter. If you have an automatic transmission, then i have no idea what the squeak would be.

See the new owner's thread for mileage.




In general, from the question in the title, no, not everyone has that many problems. I spent less on unexpected repairs on my RX-8 over 113,000 miles than I did on my Toyota Corolla over 92,000, and was only ever stranded once in my RX-8, and that was at 89,000 due to a burst clutch that also damaged my starter.


Over the past 6.5 years here, I consistently see that RX-8s with constant problems are ones where they were not maintained properly. Part of the problem is that Mazda's maintenance schedule is insufficient, and leaves out several components that NEED to be addressed at all if not listed, or more regularly if they are. Cooling system maintenance and replacement is one big one, ignition health is the other.

Whomever gave your RX-8 a "clean bill of health" didn't know anything about the car. I am positive that the car was neglected and/or abused before you bought it, and now you have to deal with the results of that.


Please read the new owner's thread for a much more detailed list of issues that you could face, importance of various things, what you might be dealing with, etc...

Astroenomical

Is it legal to punch someone becuase they scammed you? I will definately come here first from now on because all the problems described are definitely what the issues were.

I have a manual at 93k

I had the condensor fan replaced by MAZDA as their own diagnosis becuase of the milky substance. They said they came out with a fan upgrade becuase of the issue. Thanks for the Info there.

My personal mechanic said that it had failed. The poer steering was coming in and out, but finally just stayed out the next day with the light on as well. Apparently its so uncommon mazda is on a back order for weeks because of ordering form japan. Luckily I got the last one nearby that was rebuilt for half th eprice with triple the warranty. Would there be anyway to say this is a bad dianosis? They did an electrical check on it.

I'll look into tthe bearings. I was told that once before, but they said it wasn't essential at the moment.

I read the newbie blog after this. Go figure it said read this first!!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Ah, they probably installed the crank case ventilation modification to help reduce the condensation there. It should actually reduce the condensation in the oil, however since what is there is just an attribute of the cold weather and it burns off fast, it wasn't needed.

95%+ of power steering failures are due to a dirty electrical connector. This connector is right below the poorly placed coolant bottle overflow tube outlet, so it can get fouled up rather easily. The dealer tends to overlook this connector and does everything from replacing the steering rack to the EPS module. You can clean it yourself for free, or for a few bucks you can hard wire the connection since it shouldn't ever need to be disconnected (only reason is if the rack needs to come out, and rack failure is REALLY rare). The EPS module can fail, but usually only if there is a bigger electrical problem, like an alternator failure, and if it fails it's usually terminally dead. An intermittant power steering problem like that has pretty much always been the electrical connector. The only other reasonable failure I've seen is if the lower u-joint starts failing, it can make the steering lumpy. It's a $50 part that you can replace in your driveway in 4-5 hours of work, and easy to test to see if it is the problem by just spraying it with WD40 through the wheel well. If lumpiness goes away temporarily, it's the joint, if not, it's not.

niteshade247

I have a 04 MT a few problems but have always found answers here be it by posts or people. Study all the DIY's and all the new owner stuff it is most educational. And if all els fails bug RIWWP or 9k they have been most helpfull for me.

04Green

iTrader: (1)

After the reading above... The $100 thread below has several little modifications that really help an 04. I learned them over the first few years with mine. They are in order of increasing difficulty, but when done, the car is wonderfully stable.

And, welcome...

04Green

iTrader: (1)

And, where are you..