The cheap RX8 Saga Episode I!
#1
The cheap RX8 Saga Episode I!
I just bought an RX8 from an auto dealer off ebay. The dealer thought it had a blown engine because it had overheated and me being a smart one figured it was badly flooded and had another cause for the overheating problem.
So far I've found 3 trailing plugs and 1 leading plug (in a trailing hole).
The thermostat was gutted and reinstalled.
The water pump was sealed with gasket goop.
The radiator fans have too much play and one of them has bushing failure.
The SSV valve is sticky.
And drum roll please: The car was badly flooded. Waiting for new fans so that I can fire it up.
Still no sign that I need a new engine yet. Best thing is the car is still under engine warranty.
So far I've found 3 trailing plugs and 1 leading plug (in a trailing hole).
The thermostat was gutted and reinstalled.
The water pump was sealed with gasket goop.
The radiator fans have too much play and one of them has bushing failure.
The SSV valve is sticky.
And drum roll please: The car was badly flooded. Waiting for new fans so that I can fire it up.
Still no sign that I need a new engine yet. Best thing is the car is still under engine warranty.
#6
I HATE SPEEDBUMPS!
Best thing is the car is still under engine warranty. That is the most important part of a car. Without it, it wont run. Good luck and have fun with it.
#12
Well with new coils and wires it tries to start, but wont. It's probably a good thing though after an evening of trying to start it the coolant reservoir was pressurized with engine fumes and level was down to the bottom. New engine here I come. Time to fix everything previous mechanics have broken and haul it to a dealership. <crosses fingers>
#14
hakuna matata!
iTrader: (41)
Well with new coils and wires it tries to start, but wont. It's probably a good thing though after an evening of trying to start it the coolant reservoir was pressurized with engine fumes and level was down to the bottom. New engine here I come. Time to fix everything previous mechanics have broken and haul it to a dealership. <crosses fingers>
#18
#19
UPDATE: My 8 is now running!!! And I am a dumbass. Here's what I did to get it running:
Filled it with gas. (Yes this should have been my first step, but it was slightly above E so I thought it was good to go.)
Cleaned MAF/IAT
Reset NVRAM (I don't think the car was playing nice with my warm air intake.)
Burned out starter. (Ok this didn't help get the car running, but in a couple of
days it'll have a new starter which is good right!?)
It's idling rough, and tossing the engine lean code but I blame that on bad air intake design. Seems to be burning a little coolant, but not too bad. Gonna seafoam it once I have a stock intake on it. Driving it to the dealership seems a possibility now.
Filled it with gas. (Yes this should have been my first step, but it was slightly above E so I thought it was good to go.)
Cleaned MAF/IAT
Reset NVRAM (I don't think the car was playing nice with my warm air intake.)
Burned out starter. (Ok this didn't help get the car running, but in a couple of
days it'll have a new starter which is good right!?)
It's idling rough, and tossing the engine lean code but I blame that on bad air intake design. Seems to be burning a little coolant, but not too bad. Gonna seafoam it once I have a stock intake on it. Driving it to the dealership seems a possibility now.
#25
Sorry about the delay, I was tied up with work and then had some family issues to take care of which were obviously more important than my pet project.
Update 1:
Still wish I knew definitively what killed the motor. The radiator fans would never come on, the idiot gauge on the dash never came more than a hair above normal and there was a constant stream of exhaust gasses into the coolant reservoir. The fans both spun up fine when jumpered and the relays and fuses were good. I'm guessing that either the coolant seals failed in a big way and the temperature sensor couldn't read an air water mixture, or there is a bad ground. I've checked for a voltage between the grounding points and the battery with the engine running, and didn't notice any. Resistance between the grounds and the battery was good. Also I replaced the temperature sensor and the new one read the same (and the old one also measured nearly in band at room temperature and boiling water). I will be watching closely when I have the new engine, and I'm probably going to do a fan mod.
Update 2:
After talking with several dealerships the best I could get was a maybe. So instead of trailering it and taking it to dealership for a maybe which could end up costing me and be a no I decided to swap engines and rebuild the old one (assuming it isn't too trashed.) I have a used engine that should be here on the 16th and the old engine is stripped down and sitting on the floor of my garage right now. The donor engine is out of an 05 with 45k miles and I managed to snag it for $1200. Through this whole ordeal I've learned so much about this car and it's engine, I think I'm ready to be a proud 8 owner. As soon as I have an engine stand adaptor and some free time I will be rebuilding the old engine. Gosh two engines, maybe I need a turbo next. Cheap RX8 Saga Episode II here I come!
Update 1:
Still wish I knew definitively what killed the motor. The radiator fans would never come on, the idiot gauge on the dash never came more than a hair above normal and there was a constant stream of exhaust gasses into the coolant reservoir. The fans both spun up fine when jumpered and the relays and fuses were good. I'm guessing that either the coolant seals failed in a big way and the temperature sensor couldn't read an air water mixture, or there is a bad ground. I've checked for a voltage between the grounding points and the battery with the engine running, and didn't notice any. Resistance between the grounds and the battery was good. Also I replaced the temperature sensor and the new one read the same (and the old one also measured nearly in band at room temperature and boiling water). I will be watching closely when I have the new engine, and I'm probably going to do a fan mod.
Update 2:
After talking with several dealerships the best I could get was a maybe. So instead of trailering it and taking it to dealership for a maybe which could end up costing me and be a no I decided to swap engines and rebuild the old one (assuming it isn't too trashed.) I have a used engine that should be here on the 16th and the old engine is stripped down and sitting on the floor of my garage right now. The donor engine is out of an 05 with 45k miles and I managed to snag it for $1200. Through this whole ordeal I've learned so much about this car and it's engine, I think I'm ready to be a proud 8 owner. As soon as I have an engine stand adaptor and some free time I will be rebuilding the old engine. Gosh two engines, maybe I need a turbo next. Cheap RX8 Saga Episode II here I come!
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