Center Console heating problem!
 

after driving normally for about ten-twenty mins, the center console behind the shifter and in front of the heat warmers (no navigation), it heats up quite a bit...

Just wondering if anyone else is having this problem/effect? :icon_no2:

thanks, brian

OMG!! Your car is defective! Bring it to your dealer immediately!:uhh:

Yes, it does. Normal for this car. Try using your cup warmers sometime and you'll see.

The 300 watt audio amplifier generates a ton of heat. (Well, not really, but just tell yourself that...)

being directly above the transmission, it gets hott as heck. don't keep any cold drinks in there.

there are some mods that you can do to insulate the holders

check the DIY forums

I thought this was the location of the flux capacitor. LOL :)

That heat comes from your car's endless thought of how it is able to run without pistons.

or legs for that matter :lol2:

It's not a problem it's an option. Ya know like the fishbowl taillights.

Haha.....u know i saw these advertisements for Chrysler Sebring and hot it had a feature and button for cold and warm cupholders lol.....and this thread got me thinking,..............Mazda should advertise that the RX-8 has automatic heated cupholders ...........no button needed :Eyecrazy: :rolleyes:

Actually there been a few times where i put a drink with ice in it, and 5 mins later of driving, ice all gone........definitely not a good place for cold drinks......altho the backseat cupholders/center console doesn't get as hot..........:rolleyes:

not a problem- its a feature. keeps your coffee warm(or in my case hot chocolate since i dont drink coffee):)

I learned about the heated console when shortly after purchasing the car I dropped my phone/mobile device (which generates a certain amount of heat on its own) into a cup holder and slid the arm rest shut. You can imagine my surprise when I opened it up 40 minutes later and grabbed the device. :uhh:

haha... well then. thanks for your help guys. will try to insulate it myself.

I have the same problem!!!
 

The console is so hot I have to run the AC. What did you do to fix it?

Everyone else is right about the heated cup holders, To disable them unplug the 3a fuse in your drivers fuse panel and that will stop them from turning on.
















jk. dont unplug fuses its completely normal

Simple fix would be a mid pipe. Just a thought :)

Even though it gets really cold in Michigan, I can always count on my right forearm always being warm when I'm driving my 8. I kinda like the "feature" haha

you will need one of these soon
http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main...products_id=28

^^^LMAO. Great find, I'm getting two.

lol at the reviews ^

Yup, 10 years later and this topic still holds true. I warmed up my cel phone nicely. Quite a surprise as this is my first day with the new to me 2010 R3 on my 4 hour drive home from buying it. Started hunting through plugged cat threads in a panic.

Yes, they do get quite warm on long trips.
If this is your first RX8 you should get the OBD scanned for any stored or pending codes, and it would be a good idea to drop the cat and inspect it to be sure it's good.
They're infamous for failing and killing engines.

PP31, :rofl: ... (made myself laugh)

The guys are right, of course, ...if you like it consider it a feature, added bonus by the thoughtful Mazda engineers to warm beverages of your choice. :rolleyes:
However, if you don't like it...as DrewMan alluded..., DIY drop the midpipe and the trans tunnel shield a bit, and add to Mazda's meager heat shielding. :icon_tup: You can use something like this:

Heatshield Products 1701002

Made me laugh in the car last night once the panic subsided. Reminded me of my 1971 GT6 MK3 Triumph I had 30 some years ago when my hair was brown. That was an interesting car of which this one reminds me. Could take corners at the warning speed in MPH instead of the number recommended in KPH.

Will look at the cat next weekend along with the extra heat shielding. Plan on talking to the marine mechanics we deal with for material local. The plague of 20 is slowing down shipments crossing the red line drawn on our maps which “separate” us.

Thanks to you both for the advice.

Well I finally got the catalytic converter out of the car. Only 1 snapped bolt at the header end. Worst part was that rubber hanger. Oh, and getting over the fear of going under the car on stands. I’ve also got very minimal support from 2 floor jacks.

My question is does this cat look ok? No rpm issues except at idle which is probably intake related (K&N) to be solved tomorrow. No loose rattle sounds when shaken. Will only gut this thing as a stop gap until I can get a replacement (if plugged). Don’t want Greta or my daughter after me.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...5a0488158.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...d9164b549.jpeg

I forgot to mention - no codes on my obd2 reader.

One more question - if I stick the trouble light up the resonator end should I see light at the other end? I’ve been searching a few hours for the answer on the forums. All I find is visually inspect. Since I have a sample of 1 I don’t know what looks good.

Can't see the catalyst in enough detail. It should look like a fine array of mesh of material w/ NO melting, cracks or chunks missing.

Thanks. New photo attached. My confusion is whether I should see light from the trouble light inserted in the resonator end pushed up to the bend. Externally there’s no damage. Mesh looks ok to me, but what do I know? I’ve only seen this one
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2064d7366.jpeg

It looks like its focused on the flange.

The CAT should look like a small honeycomb substrate... if it looks like there are no small regular holes its clogged up

It's common for the rear part to crap out before the front... and its difficult to see without a inspection camera. Sometimes you can see in the sensor hole...

Might have a better photo now
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...045d25a5f.jpeg

The front looks fine, now you just need a flashlight to shine through the rear.

Remember that usually clogged cats are caused by poor ignition.

Also, it's normal for the centre console to get a bit hot due to its location, as long as it's not scorching hot, it's not an issue.

That’s where I’m concerned. When I put the fluorescent light in the rear I see absolutely no light from the front. I can get the light inside up to the bend so there should be lots available to shine through. Or is this wrong thinking. Can the light make it through both segments?

Personally I just took the pipe completely off the car and dropped a flashlight carefully and slowly through the resonator so the light is right up against the rear cat element. With that, you should be able to see some light shining through both cat elements.

Thanks. I just dropped one of those stubby led flashlights (very bright) through the back end of the pipe (twice to make sure) while in my garage with the lights off. All I can see is a very small faint point of light. Seems the back element is plugged.

I will be looking into the HJS/BHRcat Midpipe soon. Will have to run with this thing gutted. Not fond of this, but I’m less fond of killing the engine. Greta and my family won’t be impressed.

This seem a reasonable course or am I making rash decisions again?

Try to rotate the pipe around and see if the light level changes. It should be pretty even. If there is some light through, then it shouldn't be plugged.

Don't be rash about gutting it, the cat's pretty expensive. If you don't want it, there are definitely people who want it. Absolutely make sure it's dead before you destroy it.

Thanks greatly for your time. I just avoided a costly mistake and waste of money. I put the flashlight back inside and rolled it around. Lots of light shining through, could even see the individual leds. Appreciate having so many questions answered.

Your center console heating up is normal. As stated before, you would notice the console heat up to a point where you could use it as a stove haha. You would also notice the cat glowing bright red underneath the car if it was truly clogged. Yours appears to be fine for now.

Console dryer
 

Used this handy little feature to dry a couple a hand washed masks on the way to work. Like others have said, it’s nice to have hot coffee on the drive.

lol you got your the exact same time as I did. I’m sure we were shopping. For the same cars. I ended up with a midpipe that did help reduce the heat in the console by a good margin.