But Im Not Asian

I have a dumb one or better an issue that my dumb *** can't figure out, my 8's battery is consistently shorting or dying I literally just picked up this 8 about a 2 weeks ago and it just started happening. Yes the battery is old and I do plan on replacing it, but was wondering if this could be a short due to the dimwit before plugging up a sub system and leaving the ground wire connected or faulty wiring. Don't noob me too bad thanks


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ken-x8

Give us the dimwit's contact info and we'll pound on him.

Anything is possible with home brew wiring. See how much current is drawn with everything turned off. I don't recall the normal dark current, but if you come back with a number and ask if it's normal someone here who knows will pipe up.

But make sure the battery is OK. Bad batteries act very much like ones that have been drained.

Ken

But Im Not Asian

lol I wish I had it to ask him wtf he did, I bought through a dealer but he sold it as is. So far figured out it had a faulty connection but the battery is also from '04. Since I want to keep the car and eventually do a 20b swap, going to replace it and upgrade to bhr ignition kit.

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dannobre

iTrader: (3)

It's relatively easy to test if there is something drawing current...hook up a meter and then start pulling fuses and see which circuit causes the amperage to drop...that would be your problem

If you have a 10 Year old battery...change it...it's going to fail...and it will make your charging system work much harder and can take out your alternator

Rx8 Dave

Searched all over for an answer to this seemingly inane question, but the curiosity is killing me - what is the round plug for on the dashboard next to the glove box on my '04 (see - attached picture)?

Ameer Mather

i 2nd that question i also have it on my 2007 and its bugged me for a while...

Bugler

iTrader: (2)

What's the most recent map update for my nav system and how would I get it? My car doesn't even know what street I live on.

ken-x8

For some model years and some countries the "passenger air bag off" light goes in there.

In the US the light is there from '06 onward. It's my understanding that in Europe it was there in earlier model years as well.

Ken

ken-x8

I believe there has been only one map update, and that was at least three or four years ago. You can probably get it from a Mazda dealer or from Navteq. Cost is about $200.

$200 will buy you a nice Garmin or similar with liftime map updates and more modern features.

Edit: 2008, $199 from Navteq

Ken

Bugler

iTrader: (2)

Ugh. That really sucks. Time to look for something else to replace my nav screen I guess. Tablet maybe.

Hesselrode

iTrader: (3)

I used to provide copies of mine for $30. But replacing with a tab makes much more sense now adays. I'm replacing mine with a tab 2 this week.

badinfluence

Take a 10mm wrench and follows these directions exactly

Remove the Negative Terminal WITHOUT shorting to the positive terminal.
Remove the positive terminal
Remove any "add on" wiring that isn't black on the positive side

Testing the battery for a load:
If you have one, take a multi meter, and put it on Amps, 10A option if you can. Make sure the leads are hooked up right.
Replace the postive terminal, and touch the negative terminal for to the battery for 30 seconds. Remove it, and place the leads between the negative terminal and the ground plug.
You will see a momentary spike, ignore this. After 30 seconds you should see a draw if one exists. It should not exceed 1 amp after everything settles. If it does, you need to check the BOSE amp on the back of the car if you have one for some more add on wiring. Another possibility is the previous guy nuked your alternator and/or battery by not hooking things up right or overloading this charging system. I gave you some tips on that below.

When you are done:

Reconnect the battery terminals Positive first, then negative, ALWAYS in that order.

If you disconnect the positive first and it slips and touches the body you can short it the car. If you remove the negative first, there is no current to short the car left from the battery.


the RX8 is VERY VERY picky on the battery. A bad battery is bad news for everything. You have two choices in the world of batteries
AGM or Non Sealed

AGM is the kind without the vents on it. They take high voltage and do better on the RX8s but are usually more expensive because they are sealed. Personally I recommend going with a "low resistance" battery because it will increase your starting power on the 8. This can be noted by high cranking amps. Get the highest you can.


Your third option is a Optima battery. They are a great choice if you are a complete ******* retard who wants their car to blow up, have your girlfriend leave you, cut your dick off, and get raped by Satan. They used to be good but they started making them in Mexico, and they literally BLOW UP if one of the cells shorts, which is very very common now a days.

I had someone have a bad optima battery on another forum and he bought it at Batteries Plus. I told him to return it because the same thing happened to me and the Batteries Plus guy I got would not let me keep it because he described a few real life horror stories. He upgraded me to a better battery at no cost and said, make sure you tell everyone how much these batteries suck. So the forum member tried to take it back but they refused to warrant it until they test charged it. I didn't hear from the member for a little bit, come to find out it blew up on the table and Batteries plus was forced to give him a new AGM battery made by Exide or Xpower. Any since they were dicks to him, it was all the better, they had to clean up their store from a battery that literally exploded! So the hate for Optima is well deserved.

VERY IMPORTANT. DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO TEST THE ALTERNATOR ON YOUR RX8! The ECU uses a reference wire and if you disconnect the battery like some tards do, you will **** up the alternator and could have to replace it immediately. Our alternators are special and need to have a load on them at all times.


I have been down the improper batter road before on my RX8. My first mod was removing the bullshit battery the dealer tried to throw in there and fix some nasty left over wiring. PM me if you want any help, and ill be glad to walk you through whatever you need.

Yeejlo

Ok, since on about ever thread i go to, i'm unable to post a topic. I'll ask it here.
Why does my rx8 have such a damn hard time starting up? I mean, here is what i see. when the car is cold, it starts up fine, but still with a little bit of wait. But when I drive it to the store, somewhere in general, and then try turning it back on. It won't start or take like 2-5 times for like 15seconds. I get very embarrassed when that happens especially when i'm at the store or got friends in the vehicle with me. It's like when the car is warm it has such a trouble starting up. The car has no issues other than that. I do not know what it is, and i just bought the vehicle 2 months ago. We thought it was the battery so we bought a brand new battery, turns out it wasn't. We don't know jack about a rotary engine, (me and my pops) So can ya give us a little hand? I mean the car is eventually going to start, but with such a long and embarrassing wait.

Also, why can't i post in the sales section on this site, is it because I don't have enough posts yet? trying to post my rx8 up for sale

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You should be able to REPLY to any thread you see, however you will not be able to CREATE a new thread outside of the new member subforum or your regional classifieds. See this announcement for the reasons why, and what you can do about it: Why can I only create a thread here?

Go get a compression test. Trouble starting when hot but not when cold is a hallmark sign of a low compression engine.

Yeejlo

alright, i'll get a compression test, thanks

Rx8 Dave

You must really know your Rx8's. Thanks Ken!

ken-x8

I've got an '06, so I have the light instead of a blank filler. Nothing like seeing it every day to figure out what it is.

Ken

Ameer Mather

thank you kind sir much appreciated...

badinfluence

No sure what year you have, but my RX8 has low compression. If it turns out it is low there are 2 great options if you can't get an engine pronto.

1. If you are dealing with a warranty company, have your dealership do and document the "cleaning" process. It is an additive that reduces carbon on the Apex seals and surrounds. This is a required step to have the engine replaced because it separates broken Apex Seals from dirty ones.

If you have no warranty involved check the forums for the best cleaning method. I would say Seafoam, but having never done that myself, I can't recommend it.

2. If you don't have a warranty company to worry about try premixing. When the RX8 floods, one of the official processes is to add oil to the intake manifold to assist in lubrication and sealing. Premixing is adding 2 stroke motor oil to the gas in a specific ratio to assist with cooling and other lubrication. This has proven to help me with my starting issues. I also have a Gen2, that shouldn't have any issues starting, but I am at a failure threshold on my engine.

The recommended Premix ratios are not to exceed 100:1, realistically stay around 200:1-250:1. (8oz for an entire fill up)

You can use:
Protek-R | Pettit Racing
Oils, Lubes, Supplies, + Misc
or just something in this thread if you want to get a little risky.
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...-thread-99636/

I use the Protek R.

Yeejlo

I have an 04 rx8. my uncle knows how to do compression tests manually. ill see if that is the case first. thanks bud, i'll check up on your comment again if compression isn't the problem.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Does your uncle have a rotary engine compression tester? I'm guessing not.

It's possible to get a good score from an analog compression tester, but you have to take very specific steps that are most decidedly not how you would normally use the tester. It also involves some math, some video, and slow frame by frame playback.

Read this post (link jumps to the right post in the thread) for why you need a proper compression test with a rotary compression tester: https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...4/#post4533733

Rx8 Dave

badinfluence

The Rotor has 3 faces on it and a Piston engine doesn't. It won't show the right information on the reader. You technically CAN test a rotory with a standard compression tester, but it needs more lubrication and you also either need lightning reading skills or a slow motion camera.

A Rotary compression test isn't rated in PSI since it doesn't hold like a Piston engine. It can cause issues to try and do it yourself since it will jump around with conventional testers. I would follow the GodFathers link and read up a bit. It will answer a ton of questions you might have. An 04 might be eligible for a few TSBs depending. That is in that link too.

Yeejlo

lol, yeah i'm not sure he has a rotary engine compression tester. So I guess this boy is going to the shop!

RedRex8

quick question for you guys. im looking for how to replace the lights closest to the grille in the headlight assembly. the yellowish ones when you turn on with your interior lights. and as well as thd bulb number if someone has it

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