That is normal pad coverage....it's a rotor issue...that isn't really an issue except for esthetics :-)

 

Hey Glenn, have you checked to see if your parking brake is adjusted right?
I have seen some cases where people have adjusted the cable to compensate for wear & then new ones make the pads rub from it being too tight.
Also be sure your slide pins are lubricated.
Dumb question, but are you sure right & left calipers are correct?
I've seen them backwards before with
the bleeder screws on the bottom.

 

Are the new pads the same as the old (OEM?) or of a different compound? Changes in compound (for instance from an OEM/ceramic pad to a ferro-metallic compound) would easily explain excessive brake dust. From your previous statements about pedal travel (would help if you added some info on pedal feel as well), it sounds like you still might have some air in the lines, and/or that the rear brakes needs to be adjusted, as they might be grabbing too early/constantly dragging on the rotors (producing extra dust).

After driving, and applying the brakes multiple times, are the rear brakes hotter than the fronts? What about right/left? Be careful when checking this (best to use an IR thermometer). If you're going to use your hands to feel for any temperature differences, do so VERY carefully and slowly, feeling for radiating heat and at most touching the wheel (touching the rotors will burn you, I've done it before on accident and now I have the scars as an ever present reminder).

 

First of all thanks everyone for all your help this far. Cajun, not to sound like a rookie but I don't know how to check for parking brake adjustment or if it is correctly adjusted. I did notice however today that when I drove the car it felt like I had to pull it up higher than usual. Before I did the brakes I would have to pull it up maybe 4 or 5 clicks and the car was definitely still and secure (you know that good feeling of okay, the brakes are on) but today I definitely pulled it up higher like maybe 10 clicks. And I'm pretty sure I didn't mess up the orientation of the calipers lol. But thank you for the tips!

These are EBC brakes and they are the "Red Stuff" pads. The red stuff name is for a higher quality pad that EBC sells and on the box it says it is "a Highly advanced Kevlar based formulation enhanced with ceramic particles for longer life. New compound reduces dust by 80-90% over standard pads". So these are ceramic pads. I have not noticed the heat difference. This is not out of the question but I simply haven't taken the time to notice. Thanks for the advice!
Feel free to keep it coming. I have it scheduled to take the car to my mechanic on Monday.

 

No, if the parking brake was too tight it would hardly go up at all, so that can't be the problem.
If you haven't done so yet, can you jack up the rear, have someone sit in the car with it in neutral and press the brake pedal while you turn the wheels.
It should turn then stop, then while trying to turn it let up on the pedal, it should turn freely. If not the caliper is sticking.

 

I can't do it tonight but should I try that with the car on or off? That wouldn't make a difference right?

 

Off for safety sake as long as it's in neutral.
I forgot, you can crank the parking brake lever 10-15 times up & down after doing the rear brakes. That should help adjust the pistons to limit how far they travel to contact the rotors.
You should always use the parking brake when you park it, it has a mechanism that's supposed to self-adjust as the pads wear.

 

Okay. I'll do that before I drive it again. Thank you. So literally just pull it up till it's tight then all the way down and repeat 10-15 times? And yes I always use the e brake when I park.

 

Because the sensor wasn't working. I disconnected it because it'll stop my car from thinking it's running too lean. Should I connect it back?

 

Correct, that's supposed to make the pistons adjust to the new pads so
they don't extend very much when you press the pedal.

 

If I will be swapping 13B-Rew or 20B rotor into RX-8, will be MazdaEdit enough to make changes in maps for those engines and combine both rx8 and rx7/cosmo ECU or do I need to have some sort of aftermarket ECU?

 

That is a difficult question to answer. On a Gen 2, I would say flat out no. It is too complicated of an ECU because it is so high resolution. On a Gen1 I am sure something has been tried on it.

My guess the easiest thing to do would be to get a "dummy ecu" connect it to your factory ECU to keep the car functions instant and use the ECU from whatever engine swap you are doing. There are multiple thread on this for people who have done this, but don't forget to read RIWWP's guide. It is the best place to start. I wouldn't start it unless you know you have the money to finish it. I am not saying you can't, but check out the thread of the people who have to compare what you might need to get or do before you jump. I find forums discouraging to say the least, but some people are good at making build threads so take a peek.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...rx-8-a-233937/

Post #4

Some are even recent
https://www.rx8club.com/frankenstein...w-swap-249736/

If I was doing it and was committed I would do a who ECU swap with a Haltech because of how nice and expandable their ECUs are. They have a TON of cool features like an Ethanol Content sensor that works with their CAN bus. The Haltech Rotary ECU makes me drool a little bit. Being able to adjust timing based on Ethanol content is pretty awesome in my book.

 

Hi I have just had to have my engine remanufactured and sent it to the most reputeble guys here in S A.when I put it all back together it started and then ran for bout 30secs and switched of...since then it wont start with the ignition and I have to push start it and then maintain idle with the acceleration pedal or it will just switch of again.it will however once running drive perfectly fine with the exception of lots of smoke out the exhausts (white) when I called the guys that did the reman they said this is normal for rx8 and I mus push start and drive it a hundred kms or so for it to bed in and loosen up! is this something yo have experienced or heard of? all ecu resets have been done all gauges showing normal and no cel...honestly when running apart from smoke it drives well.


Ameer Mather South Africa, Kwa-Zulu natal

 

Hey guys I just bought a 2004 mazda rx8, the car is not in perfect conditions it starts but when driving it, seems like its going to turn off on me, i was wondering if there's any one out there that can help me with this

 

Yes, we can help you with that. However, you haven't provided much information to go on.

What is the mileage on the engine?
What were your compression scores for the test that you got before buying it?
How old is the ignition? (coils, plugs, and wires)
is the cat clogged?
what CEL codes are being thrown?

 

Never heard of a reman needing to "bed in and loosen up" to start normally. Doesn't make sense to me...did the original owner have to push start when the car was bought new? No. The reman should act like a new engine.

White smoke (not bluish, but white) usually means you have a coolant seal failure - coolant leaking into the rotor housing. A small amount of coolant may be slowly draining into the block when the engine is off, accumulating enough to cause trouble starting.

 

Is it possible to switch the rear light assembly from the 1st to to a 2nd gen set?
or is it a ridiculous wiring hassle with tons of fitment issues....

 

Just what you said. While the wiring may not be as big of a deal, the Series II won't fit a Series I because the installation and the rear bumper are different - without significant cutting and refitting you'll end up with the unit sticking out (see attached pic).

 

Damn. Well thanks for the info!

 

Does anyone know if you can easily use a passenger fog light housing on the drivers side. I shattered the glass on my drivers side fog and someone on here has an extra passenger one they are willing to sell. I still have the black plastic piece that attaches to the bumper (which can't easily be switched) I just need to know if the passenger housing can be made to fit in the drivers plastic piece. If no one responds I'll check it and update but I really don't want to.

 

Dustin, I don't see why not; however, looked at a parts diagram and I can't tell for sure. Why not give your closest Mazda dealer parts department a call and see if they can confirm?

 

How bad is it to have brand new all season tires in the back and half lifed snows in the front? I was due for inspection and my rears were bad. When I bought the car it had all snows on it. I just replaced the 2 rears with Firestone firehawk wide oval as and kept the snows in the front. Now when I take turns hard and fast (get some decent g force on the car) it feels like the front is slipping or something. I hear a vibration. Idk if it's the front snow tires slipping? Could this be because of the different tires on the car or could the place that did the alignment **** something up?
Also, if I swap the tires and put the snows in the back and the all seasons in the front might this fix It?

 

The snow tires are not going to grip and corner as well as the all seasons. That would explain the odd handling. Their rolling radius might also be a little different, which would contribute to things being a bit off.

Ken

 

I feel like it was cornering better though when it was on all 4 snows and not the 2 and 2 different tires

 

I have a question about o2 sensor spaces/adapters/etc. on the Series II.

When you run them there are people saying about it tricking the car into running lean, but that can kill your cat. I thought of that as propaganda because it said in the last sentence

"Today, engineers have already designed automobiles to be as fuel-efficient and eco-friendly as possible so there is no need for modification."

and just laughed because that sounds like propaganda.

My question is, if you run a midpipe do you get an o2 related CEl that could cause a Not ready for an emissions test? (Without the o2 spacer)
Does it effect performance?
Does it effect fueling in a bad way?
Lets say the BHR one or the Corksport one.

My second question is, if you run a o2 spacer with a midpipe does it still allow the car to function without a CEL? (I read on the Series 1 you have basically a 1/50 chance and to just get an AP)
Is there any danger of popping from running lean?
Straight or 90 degree spacer?
Which of the 2 o2 sensors determines fueling? (My guess is the first so I would leave that one the hell alone)

Also based on what I have seen so far, I would get the shorted extender I could just in case it effects fuel.

Being uneducated on those spacers I would think that the heat of the exhaust would force some of the stream to pressurize that extender getting the oxygen sensor to read at least a bit of the stream properly, but RX8s have no issues self destructing by themselves, I don't want to guarantee a failure. I would like to premix and run a midpipe, but I wanted to see how difficult the mod was before I messed with it. The easiest mod is to not mod.

Dangers of Oxygen-Sensor Extenders | eHow