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RX-8 Discussion General discussion about the RX-8 that doesn't fit in one of the specialty forums.

Dumb Question Thread - no flaming or sarcasm allowed

Old 12-07-2018, 04:43 AM
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What's up guys, so some days I am driving around the engine sounds smooth at a stop light, other days I sounds like the engine wants to jump out of the engine bay. Because I try to take such good care of the car, I think it may be a temperature thing. Like the weather. I notice weather definitely effects performance. Wanted your thoughts what would cause the rough idle? I got to in the near future have the spark plugs, coils and wires checked. But they were replaced 2 years ago. Other than that I NEED to do something about the leather seat. OMG my back. Discomfort galore. Thinking about getting one of these in a different color lol


I bought some defog spray so my windows won't fog up but it made it worse. I think maybe I added too much or i didn't rub it in enough. It looks horrible.
Lastly I KNOW this car rides low to ground as a sports car but it doesn't make for too comfortable a ride. I am wondering if the bushings may need to be replaced. I am having them inspected today. If anything they may need some grease.
Old 12-07-2018, 07:28 AM
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There are no greaseable bushings or ball joints on an 8. It is also unlikely that you have any that are even worn out. Have you had the control arm recall done?

Rough idle that happens intermittently can be difficult to figure out. Try and notice when it does it so you can narrow it down a bit.
Old 12-07-2018, 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by dannobre
There are no greaseable bushings or ball joints on an 8. It is also unlikely that you have any that are even worn out. Have you had the control arm recall done?

Rough idle that happens intermittently can be difficult to figure out. Try and notice when it does it so you can narrow it down a bit.
When was this recall sent out? I was at dealer for an oil change and they said my car was current on all recalls
So does that mean it was done on my car, or is this a recall you have to ask for
Is there a list of all recalls for the rx8?
Time for me to look Found it , it was for 2003-2004 cars only.
thanks

Last edited by jimteslarx8; 12-07-2018 at 09:52 AM.
Old 12-07-2018, 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by dannobre
There are no greaseable bushings or ball joints on an 8. It is also unlikely that you have any that are even worn out. Have you had the control arm recall done?

Rough idle that happens intermittently can be difficult to figure out. Try and notice when it does it so you can narrow it down a bit.
Nope I drive the 2005. I wonder if I would still be able to get it. Are you sure? I just did a Google search it appears there are suspension bushings?

Originally Posted by jimteslarx8
When was this recall sent out? I was at dealer for an oil change and they said my car was current on all recalls
So does that mean it was done on my car, or is this a recall you have to ask for
Is there a list of all recalls for the rx8?
Time for me to look Found it , it was for 2003-2004 cars only.
thanks
Same here.

Last edited by mazdafan1892; 12-07-2018 at 12:11 PM.
Old 12-08-2018, 10:24 AM
  #7080  
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Originally Posted by mazdafan1892
What's up guys, so some days I am driving around the engine sounds smooth at a stop light, other days I sounds like the engine wants to jump out of the engine bay. Because I try to take such good care of the car, I think it may be a temperature thing. Like the weather. I notice weather definitely effects performance. Wanted your thoughts what would cause the rough idle? I got to in the near future have the spark plugs, coils and wires checked. But they were replaced 2 years ago. Other than that I NEED to do something about the leather seat. OMG my back. Discomfort galore. Thinking about getting one of these in a different color lol


I bought some defog spray so my windows won't fog up but it made it worse. I think maybe I added too much or i didn't rub it in enough. It looks horrible.
Lastly I KNOW this car rides low to ground as a sports car but it doesn't make for too comfortable a ride. I am wondering if the bushings may need to be replaced. I am having them inspected today. If anything they may need some grease.
How many miles are on your ignition components? You can't expect them to last much longer than 20K miles. One of my coils failed in less than 10K once. That can cause rough idle, among many other things. Have you checked your motor mounts? They fail frequently on these cars and cause rough idle symptoms.

The RX-8 does have suspension bushings, like all other cars do, but they are not serviceable. There is nothing to grease or lubricate. You can press the out and replace them, but it is usually less expensive to replace the control arms, etc. But, I doubt very seriously it has anything to do with your bushings.

How low does your car sit? You may be riding the bump stops, and those parts degrade over time, meaning you could be bottoming out. What suspension parts are on the car? You could simply have lousy parts installed, assuming you bought it used and the PO changed things. A stock RX-8 has a very refined ride. MANY aftermarket coilovers suck, unfortunately.
Old 12-08-2018, 11:33 AM
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Getting to the wire in the back of the climate control ****? Does that require removal the whole dashboard?
Old 12-08-2018, 09:18 PM
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The center stack forwards of the cupholders all the way up to the windshield comes apart like Lego. Once you have the radio/climate controls out (it's one unit) you can access the back of the control ****.
There are DIY instructions in the DIY section, I'm pretty sure. If not, google "RX8 Goodbox installation instructions" and you'll find the step by step to get the radio out.
Old 12-09-2018, 01:23 PM
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looking for a rear fog light for my rx8...where can I find one
cant post in the correct forum yet
Old 12-10-2018, 07:58 AM
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So I got a automatic 8 and it has paddle shifters and can go to maual but when I switch the gear over to manual it’s not actually manual it’s still automatic and the “M” light doesn’t light up either just stays on automatic drive. What’s up wit it?
Old 12-11-2018, 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by jimteslarx8
looking for a rear fog light for my rx8...where can I find one
cant post in the correct forum yet
The OEM factory rear fog lights was NOT an option on US cars. It was available in Europe and Japan, if I’m not mistaken.

Do you have an S2? If so...
MAZMART - Serving The Mazda Community Since 1980 | New & Used Mazda Parts | Mazda Performance & Racing parts | Mazda Performance Upgrades. RX8 Rear fog Lamp Kit S2
Old 12-12-2018, 09:22 AM
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Originally Posted by New Yorker

The OEM factory rear fog lights was NOT an option on US cars. It was available in Europe and Japan, if I’m not mistaken.

Do you have an S2? If so...
MAZMART - Serving The Mazda Community Since 1980 | New & Used Mazda Parts | Mazda Performance & Racing parts | Mazda Performance Upgrades. RX8 Rear fog Lamp Kit S2
No S2 but thanks
Looking for the correct one for my car...I see that it does come up every once in awhile
My car is getting a make over right now, painting rims black and calipers blue
Tranny service, tune with new coils, they have never been replaced. coolant reservoir replacement, fog light led bulb replacement, new shocks all around
Tint 3m Crystalline 20% with a windshield strip, custom usb port in the ashtray for a thumb drive
Over the weekend will install a blackvue dashcam and underdash interior lights
Awesome car will get some needed love done tastefully
Old 12-30-2018, 08:45 PM
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I get that the 6 port motors are what everyone turbos but like in the fc the 6 port was high NA power while the turbo was a 4 port motor. Would turboing the 4 port motor be more effective than the 6 port?
Old 12-31-2018, 08:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Rkesh88
I get that the 6 port motors are what everyone turbos but like in the fc the 6 port was high NA power while the turbo was a 4 port motor. Would turboing the 4 port motor be more effective than the 6 port?
There is some indication that you could make more power more reliably with a 4p. Look up a thread by Brettus about his ongoing quest for maximum power on a Renesis. Spoiler: the problem is exhaust, not intake.

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Old 12-31-2018, 02:04 PM
  #7089  
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^Very true.

In a turbocharged car, you don't necessarily have to optimize the intake design as much as a naturally aspirated engine, while exhaust design is more significant since you need the exhaust gas to drive the turbocharger, and there is simply more exhaust gas to be pushed out.

A good example would be the new Civic Type R with the 2.0T engine. The VTEC mechanism, which has historically been used on the intake valves on Honda's NA engines, is moved to the exhaust valves. You have the boost shoving in air anyway, so having a set amount of lift of valve is fine. The exhaust valves, on the other hand, have 2 lift profiles so it can optimize for low-end performance and reduce lag as you have more gas velocity driving the turbocharger at low engine speeds, while the lift increases to make sure all the exhaust gas gets pushed out at high engine speed.

For a rotary engine, this translates to the number of intake ports and peripheral/side exhaust port designs. The number of intake ports is whatever since you have boost shoving in air anyway. The side exhaust port, however, isn't as good as pushing all the exhaust gas out. It's good for emission purposes(what RX-8 has to meet to be sold), and it's sufficient for an NA engine, but also limits the amount of power to be made. Brettus claimed that at above 400WHP, the side exhaust port will simply not be able to push any exhaust out and he theorizes this to be the power cap of a turbo Renesis.

Last edited by UnknownJinX; 12-31-2018 at 02:09 PM.
Old 12-31-2018, 02:23 PM
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The intake on a 6 port is more than enough to make huge power . As the others explained ...the exhaust is the weak point . That is to do with the way the exhaust port closes and its close timing more than it's size.
The 4 port could indeed make more reliable power as it doesn't stifle the exhaust ports with flow, at high rpm, like the 6 port does , plus there isn't the lean spikes associated with the APV opening. However, the lack of flow at high rpm also means that it is making a lot less power . It needs much more boost to do what a 6 port will do which comes with associated risks.
Old 01-09-2019, 04:24 PM
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Hey Gang - I'm at a cross roads and I could use some help/advice from everyone. I have a Black 2009 RX8 R3 with 127K Miles on it. Rotor 1 is blown. Mazda confirmed that it has no compression and said that something went through the apex seal. A replacement motor through Mazda with install was quoted at $7k. It sounds like outside of Mazda it will cost in the neighborhood of $5600 dollars. I have absolutely loved this car and enjoyed taking the car every Saturday to Cars and Coffee. I do not have $7k or even $5600. I could probably come up with around $3k in money.

Tomorrow I'm going to see what the trade in value of the car is worth with Mazda.
What are my options (i.e part out, sell, rebuild or anything)?

Thanks in advance - I really have loved this RX8 Club.

I apologize in advance if this is not the right place for this message. I'm just looking for some advice.
Old 01-09-2019, 04:29 PM
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An RX-8 with a blown engine is worth about $1k, less if the exterior is bad. If you get a new engine installed, you could increase the value of the car greatly to make a bit more money. With a brand new engine and clean body, $8k asking price should be possible.

$7k is pretty ridiculous, though. It's about $3k for an engine and the book time shouldn't be 40+hours.
Old 01-09-2019, 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by UnknownJinX
$7k is pretty ridiculous, though. It's about $3k for an engine and the book time shouldn't be 40+hours.
^ This.
Old 01-09-2019, 07:11 PM
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Originally Posted by IamFodi
^ This.
Can anyone recommend someone that can replace my engine and do the labor in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky?

I’m worried about the 40+ hours of labor. That plus the engine sounds like it gets me to $5600 dollars.
Old 01-09-2019, 07:16 PM
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40+hrs is total bullshit, shouldnt take nearly that long
Old 01-09-2019, 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by lunkenpilot

Can anyone recommend someone that can replace my engine and do the labor in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky?

I’m worried about the 40+ hours of labor. That plus the engine sounds like it gets me to $5600 dollars.
Since you can't do the R&R yourself, you are looking at roughly the following costs to do it right:
  1. Reman engine from Mazda - $3200
  2. Gaskets, fluids, and incidentals - $1000
  3. Labor - 16 hours - $1600
That's just the reality of it.
Old 01-09-2019, 08:31 PM
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$5600 is about right if they throw in a new clutch, new coolant lines, etc. in there while the engine is out. Good price for everything all said and done.
Old 01-09-2019, 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve Dallas
Since you can't do the R&R yourself, you are looking at roughly the following costs to do it right:
  1. Reman engine from Mazda - $3200
  2. Gaskets, fluids, and incidentals - $1000
  3. Labor - 16 hours - $1600
That's just the reality of it.
Thanks all - I was hoping that wasn’t the reality of the situation. Any ball park ideas on how much people are willing to pay for the R3 19 inch wheels with Michelin Pilot tires on them and also the R3 Recaro seats?
Old 01-10-2019, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by lunkenpilot


Thanks all - I was hoping that wasn’t the reality of the situation. Any ball park ideas on how much people are willing to pay for the R3 19 inch wheels with Michelin Pilot tires on them and also the R3 Recaro seats?
Unfortunately without a working engine (with good compression) no one will be willing to pay more than $2k-3k for your nearly 10-year-old R3 depending if all else is in excellent condition, IMHO. I know the car should garner more $, but it likely won't.
Old 01-10-2019, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by gwilliams6
Unfortunately without a working engine (with good compression) no one will be willing to pay more than $2k-3k for your nearly 10-year-old R3 depending if all else is in excellent condition, IMHO. I know the car should garner more $, but it likely won't.
Thanks so much I appreciate your honesty. I love the car. The reality of situation is a tough one to swallow.

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