Does the RX8 have a rev limiter?
 

If so, at what engine speed does it kick in? Also, being new to rotaries, I was wondering what happens if you over-rev one. I read somewhere that the gears might break, but can anything else be damaged? Every hear of anyone damaging a rotary by over revving it? I suppose if nothing breaks, it still becomes less and less efficient, with a drop-off in power.

Yes about 10000rpm indicated, which is a bit less actual. I don't know what happens, but I wouldn't worry about the engine, but I would worry about everything attached to it: belted accessories, clutch, flywheel.

There is no win in revving that high.

I hate doing it but I've hit the limiter several times on the track. When you hear the buzzer, shift. Not sure what damage could occur but it can't be good for the seals to be whipping around that fast.

Actually, when the engine is cold, the limiter is around 4k, and moves higher as it warms up.

I cant post new threads, so question.
Everytime i hit 7000+ rpm my car seems to slow down and having a power loss with CEL flashing.
I have checked other forums talking about coils and plugs and the cat.
But i dont have alot of cash at the moment, not old enough for a credit card. So, with what i have around 1 - 1000 $ what can i really do to fix this issue??

$1,000.00 way more than enough for a tune up (coils, plugs, wires, air filter, oil change, trans fluid change, diff fluid change, brake fluid change, and brake pads if needed).

I have done oil change, trans fluid change, diff fluid change, brake fluid change, and brake pads.

so is it the coils and plugs and wires, or is it the Cat too. Im stupid at this, not a car guy, but i love this car. And where would i get all of this, theres so many different types and alot of friends have said dont trust dealership. (College for computer engineering) so cars isnt really what i grew into.

but thanks in advance!!

You can get the coils, plugs, wires at any parts store, even Canadian Tire (although I don't recommend that one). The parts store has a system for knowing which parts go on what car, so the parts counter guy should be able to help you. Dealerships are an option, but an expensive one. The install is straightforward, if you can build a pc, you can definitely change ignition parts. Just needs a couple of basic tools like a spark plug socket (in the right size ;)) If these were last changed more than 30000km ago, or you don't know when it was last changed, you'll want to replace it.

Cats are more difficult and expensive to get. Try to have it diagnosed first, by having it removed and the honeycomb inside examined for cracking and plugging. An hour of work at any garage. If you do need a new one, a used good condition RX8 cat is your best bet. New ones are very expensive, and cheap aftermarket ones don't live long.

It could be your cat AND your coils.. bad coils kill cats, and bad cats often kill engines. So you'll want to not drive a lot until if you've resolved the issue.

So i took it to Napa, they diagnosed the car, and said that my cat is soon to be plugged.
But also they claimed that there is a valve/part behind my bumper under cold air intake, that is supposed to activate when the car reaches high RPMs. Part alone they said was about 150$ without taxes. But the labor they said would bring all together to about 550 because it takes forever to get down there they said. And being that part I dont think i have much of a choice but to pay all that. And for the CAT, i heard that gutting it isn't a bad idea either. Illegal but is there any disadvantages or concerns i should have of it? Thank you for taking your time and answering all that for me. You guys really are great. This Forum is a great community!

You could go for a catless midpipe if you're not concerned about emissions in your area. Make no mistake, this is a serious issue and is probably the #1 cause for engine failures in our cars (TAKE ACTION NOW).

If the cat is getting plugged and you're getting misfires, you definitely need to tune up your ignition system as well. The coils are super easy to swap by yourself and the plugs can be done easily by a mechanic if you're not too mechanically inclined like myself.

The "valve' under the bumper is of no consequence to your problems. Don't bother with that, some people remove it all together. It's called the VFAD if you want to look it up. There are valves in the intake manifold that you do need to worry about though: SSV and APV. You should be getting a check engine code if they are faulty. I wouldn't worry about that until you've fixed your cat though.

Did NAPA remove the cat and visually inspect it? How did they come to either of their conclusions?

You can gut it, or you can get a catless midpipe and keep the stock cat for the day you have emissions testing. Original Mazda cats are expensive unless you find a used good one.

Also cats don't just fail out of the blue, verify that your ignition coils and spark plugs have less than 30,000km on the and replace if not. Or even better, have them tested.

As mentioned, don't drive on an almost plugged catted, you could kill your engine. Better safe than sorry.

Getting it done over weekend, thank you. You have saved me alot of money and stress. Thank you Loki and GracefulShanks!! The car is 04 and has 185xxx km on it. With a new engine replaces last year as of what i was told. I bought it this June.

If it's an 04, I would look at getting an 07+ starter. The 04~06 are too small for the car and doesn't allow it to turn fast enough when cranking. This also causes flooding which kills the engine and cat. I've found that NAPA has the best prices on them. 04 is 1.4KW. 07+ is 2KW.

I would also recommend an LS type coil pack upgrade. Something like the BlackHalo Racing Ignition kit. There are several brands out there. The stock coils burn out too often and aren't strong enough.

Get a 09+ starter

Solenoid is located beind the stock airbox, another 3 behind intake manifold

Coils is around 230 for all 4 brand new mazda
Plugs 80 ngk
Wires 24 ngk

My 8 AT 2007 44K (high flow cat) misfired and stopped after reached the rev limiter. The car was towed to my garage. I changed sparks plugs, coins and wires.
The 08 still misfiring with detonation. The obd presents P2195 and P0171.
Another information: on the trip occurred 2 months ago, the fuel pump had heating problems after two hours traveling and began to fail and then stop. I expected to cool or supplied gas and returned to normal. After that I didn´t run longer journeys (more than 30 mi) and it runs ok.
I think with the action of the fuel cutting system, the defect of the pump may have worsened.
Now, i´m in doubt about next procedure to do: fuel pump change, ess check, compression test, apv unstuck...:dunno::bowdown:

The next step is to go back to the thread you already started ;)
But the step after that is changing the fuel pump, it's clearly not happy.

In my case, I hope that the only problem could be the fuel pump. But, the issue happened with my car reaching rev limit proved that damage can occur to the rotaries, especially in 08s with high mileage.

So I changed all of the ignitions and haven't had misfires.
But just a question because I'm a noob. Can you install the Turbo xs racepipe to a stock exhaust? Since the cat is getting full. A friend said they'd sell me their racepipe for 50$
But can it be installed to my STOCK exhaust? Will that work? For temporary at least, until I get money for a new exhaust.

And thanks everyone for helping me with all of this, and yes I will change the fuel pump as well before November ends.
Also is it okay to leave the car for winter, and how often should I start it, every 2-3 days over the winter to keep it from going bad they say?

I don't think the txs pipe works with the stock zorst, check their website.

I don't start my cars at all during winter storage. Cold starts put the most wear on your engine out of pretty much anything you can do to it. Why would you intentionally put it through unnecessary abuse? Add fuel stabilizer, dryer sheets to keep the mice away, battery tender if you have one, air up the tires and leave it alone. Change the oil in the spring and you're good to go.

It says no, but would there be any way? It's the only pipe I have and my cat is dying ? What are my options otherwise? I have no money

I mean sure, if you want to cut it up and weld flanges on. You can make anything fit with enough money or big enough hammer.

You never answered the question about how NAPA diagnosed your CAT? Sounds like your issues may have been resolved by the ignition fixes. Did they actually remove the CAT and inspect it? If you are sure it is going bad, it would be better to just gut it than try to install a pipe for another car on it. Then keep an eye out for some used 8's or wrecked 8's to get a new CAT from.

Yes i got it checked from Napa. And i got it checked from another automotive place. And my friend went through and read the codes, it is the CAT. And my turboxs hasnt arrived yet?? Been a while so i just removed the cat, slit holes into it for now. Apparently my brakes are a bust. Any suggestions? Not so sure what kind of brakes to get. i get 30% off from lordco, but there are so many types im lost. And no like everything is gone apparently. Bought the car from someone not so long ago. :/ for 5k canadian.

The stock brakes are really good, but I went with this kit because I like the look of drilled and slotted rotors. Solid performance; the only downside is they squeak when they're cold after they've been well broken in.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When you say "brakes", is it just the pads? Rotors? Fluid? Just the fronts? Just the rears?
You're not racing (I imagine), so any basic parts will do. Any parts store can get you pads and/or rotors that fit the car, don't over-complicate it.

As far as the cat, if they didn't take the cat down off the car to look inside, then the diagnosis is not complete. I guess you'll find out when you replace it with the midpipe. What codes did it show?