Can two different weights of oil be mixed? I used to run the factory recommended 5w-20 but switched to 10w-30 recently. I have a bunch of 5w-20 left, can I mix em?

 

You will be fine if you mix them. I did it in the past when I switched to 5W-30, had a few quarts of 5W-20 used to top off the oil.

Now my question: I still have a little over a quarter tank of fuel in my tank. Before removing the fuel pump by unscrewing the retainer ring, I removed the fuel line that connects to the top of the fuel pump and fuel came out, so I replaced it back into to keep fuel from spilling. If I completely remove the line again and let it leak out, am I wasting like a gallon if fuel or it's only a few ounces from the whole fuel line to the engine?

 

You're only losing some of the fuel that's in the line from the pump to the engine. It's an insignificant amount.

 

Thanks, I'll make another attempt later.

Addendum. So, I tried it again. And what I did is prime the line by turning the switch to ON without starting, then I removed the 20 amp fuse for the fuel pump and turned the key to start as one would deflood the engine. Wrapped a shop rag around the line and unplugged it. It leaked a little but not enough to soak it... I just didn't expect this since it mentions none of it in the two DIYs("Fuel Pump Solutuon" and "Installing Series II Fuel Pump in Series I") I've read.

 

I kind of wonder if you used distilled water and a small amount of distilled alcohol (bonded by weight) or a small amount of a lightweight oil. The oil would effectively keep it from boiling and making steam.

I was told not to mix FL22 and additives that contain synthetic metal something. The person told me some coolant additives that I did not recognize and Redline and Royal Purple were NOT something I remember.

Anyone got any ideas about the chemical implications and mixtures of FL22 & additives?


Lol at the adds on the site sometimes.....
K&N + Modified Honda Accord with no grill badge = HP Gain.

 

Bad, I only use distilled water, FL22, and 10oz of Water Wetter. Nothing else. A MAZDA mechanic whom I trust says the Water Wetter is fine and helpful.

Methanol has been used in the past as an antifreeze but, like all alcohols, it is volatile, subject to evaporation, has a lower boiling point than water or coolant so encourages hot spots (steam voids), and accelerates corrosion of metals, including aluminum. I believe, for these reasons, alcohol was replaced by present day coolant/antifreeze ("coolant").

I'm not sure about the oil. It seems to me that even light oil won't go into solution with the water so it won't keep the water component from creating steam voids. Also, won't even light oil eventually gum up the cooling channels, especially since we don't change our coolant often like we do our oil?

I don't have enough information to comment on Royal Purple, but I do understand that use of semi-synthetic metal coolants are a "no-no".

Personally, I only use the Water Wetter for steam voids and stay away from other additives as I believe the FL22 covers everything else needed.

Maybe others with more information will chime in about all of this.

And yea, the creators of some of the stupid ads must think we're pretty gullible.

 

Oil of any weight will not solubilize in water. Recall the high school chemistry rule "likes dissolves likes" - i.e. a non-polar hydrocarbon-based oil won't solubilize in a highly polar solvent such as water. Since boiling point elevation is a colligative property, and therefore requires that the components be in solution, adding oil won't change the boiling point of water.


The coolant system on the RX8 is sealed and pressurized, thus there is no concern over the volatile nature of low molecular weight alcohols (such as methanol or ethanol). However, they aren't a good choice since they aren't compatible with various metals (specifically aluminum) and accelerate the aging/degradation of a variety of rubbers.

You'll have to be more specific as the additive(s) in question. My first concern with any organometallic compounds would be redox potentials.

 

Baaaad idea.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...licone-238638/

There is some speculation that additives like WW can add some unnecessary wear to the coolant seals.

 

I've never really seen results from that stuff anyway.
I've tried both the Redline and Royal Purple stuff with ~ 70/30 distilled to ethylene glycol. Never saw any significant change in indicated temps at the gauge or a PFC Commander. But like those filter adds and certain "special" oil for rotaries, they make big claims and have clever marketing too.

 

Yea I actually tried the Redline WW in the past. Didn't really see much benefits, but remember the intent behind those products is to best supplement a water-only system which is out of the question for me.

 

I disagree.
I use WaterWetter to reduce or eliminate bubbles and vapor barriers (hot spots, i.e. steam voids), reduce cavitation, and to lubricate water pump seals. I doubt that you will see significantly lower temperatures from our engines with it as an additive if that's what you're looking at/for. WaterWetter is safe for aluminum engines and it's MSDS shows it doesn't have 2-EHA or other ingredients that will adversely affect silicone. For about 10 bucks I think it's worth it if it helps reduce hot spots/steam voids that our high temp engines are prone to. But, hey, that's just me.

 

You're somewhat right, but unfortunately you're yet another person on a car forum stating information built from incomplete data and research with very little basis in reality.

It does not provide any insurance or benefits in domestic situations. Most of the time it just means higher engine temperatures (higher temp is higher temp, don't try to argue that), which is a bad thing. Our engines are only prone to hot spots due to steam voids when operating under very high sustained loads, adding this product won't help to eliminate them per-se, but it will help in certain ways. The same amount of energy is required to boil the coolant whether or not it includes the water wetter, but the water wetter mixture will more rapidly dissipate that steam pockets that can form (once the high load situation is over). Know that this works both ways, so steam voids will also form at lower temperatures and more sporadically than a solution without the water wetter.

Water Wetter will not eliminate cavitation in the slightest, in fact it is more likely to increase cavitation (compared to straight water), of course cavitation really isn't that much of an issue even when it develops.

If you're using a true coolant, rather than straight water, no additional pump lubrication is necessary. It can even be argued that no internal lubrication is ever necessary.

You are very right in that the Redline product does not contain 2-EHA, or anything that would cause harm to the engine or the seals, but your reasoning behind using it is flawed. Water Wetter, used with distilled water only (not mixed with FL22 or anything) can be an effective coolant. Mixing it with another, already effective, coolant leaves you with a less effective coolant with zero benefits.

 

Maybe that was they're original purpose, but that's not how they're advertised...at least not these days. No mention is made of it being a supplement for water-only systems. On the contrary, they advertise supplementing all types of coolant. Regardless, I'm wondering if the part about it being helpful to reduce vapor/steam pockets was added when objective results were not being seen in the temperature reduction department. I don't remember the vapor pocket claim being made 10-12 yrs ago. Seems like a nice claim, but unfortunately for us and maybe fortunately for the manufacturer, there's no real practical way to monitor that.

 

→ "It does not provide any insurance or benefits in domestic situations. Most of the time it just means higher engine temperatures (higher temp is higher temp, don't try to argue that), which is a bad thing." What is your data for these statements? Doesn't a "high load" occur in "domestic situations"? Why doesn't WaterWetter work in "domestic situations"? Also, I haven't noticed any difference in temperature since using WaterWetter for several months including in the heat here in Atlanta and in Florida during the summer, and I beat my RX8 often, regularly, and badly. I do notice that my cooling fans don't come on very often now.
→ What evidence underlies your statement that "...steam voids will also form at lower temperatures and more sporadically than a solution without the water wetter[.]"
→ What data supports, "The same amount of energy is required to boil the coolant whether or not it includes the water wetter,..."?
→ "Our engines are only prone to hot spots due to steam voids when operating under very high sustained loads,..." - what supports this statement, and what do you consider "very high loads"?
→ What is the basis for your compound statements, "Water Wetter will not eliminate cavitation in the slightest, in fact it is more likely to increase cavitation (compared to straight water), of course cavitation really isn't that much of an issue even when it develops[.]?
→ What is your data for your statement, "Mixing it with another, already effective, coolant leaves you with a less effective coolant with zero benefits[.]" especially regarding your statement that "..but the water wetter mixture will more rapidly dissipate that steam pockets that can form (once the high load situation is over)..."?
→ How do you support the statement, "It can even be argued that no internal [water pump] lubrication is ever necessary[.]"?
I'm not trying to attack your viewpoints; I just want to know what hard data you have to back each of them so I can tell my mechanic that he's wrong when he has 27 years working on RX7s and RX8s, when he said WaterWetter improved the heat transfer property of coolant and reducies or eliminates bubbles or vapor barrier that form on hot metal surfaces, when he said it lowers the engine metal temperature, not lower the coolant temperature, and when he recommended 10 oz of WaterWetter mixed in with the FL22 and distilled water for hot spots, cavitation, and water pump lubrication.

 

By the way Legot, about your introduction:"You're somewhat right, but unfortunately you're yet another person on a car forum stating information built from incomplete data and research with very little basis in reality[.]" and about the general tone of your comments: You could take the intent this forum,"No Dumb Questions," to heart and try not to write like an officious jerk. Even if your writing reflects just the way you are, try to stifle your pomposity. Thanks.

 

Here is some information and technical data on the ingredients in, and performance of, WaterWetter:
........DiIsoPropyl Alcohol Ether (another name for dipropylene glycol) has a high boiling point and acts as as a polymerization initiator or monomer, as a solvent, and an active ingredient in some engine coolants and antifreeze (such as Sierra, Prestone Low Tox, and Texaco PG - not the ones usually used for the RX8). Importantly, it is a dispersant and a humectant - a hygroscopic substance used to disburse other substances, to keep things moist, and is used to increase the solubility of chemical compounds, increasing other ingredients' ability to penetrate. WaterWetter also contains TriIsopropyl Alcohol DiEther (another name for tri-propylene glycol), which has similar properties to DiIsoPropyl Alcohol Ether.
........Water-wetter provides additional corrosion-protection chemicals that may not be in existing anti-freeze including: Tolyltriazole, which is a highly effective corrosion inhibitor which is used in some cooling systems, but not found in most antifreezes/coolants, and Sodium Molybdate, which is also used for corrosion inhibition as it is a non-oxidizing anodic inhibitor that allows for lower conductivity of circulating water thus galvanic corrosion potentials are decreased.
........Regarding steam voids (hot spots) and cavitation, in addition to the DiIsoPropyl Alcohol Ether and TriIsopropyl Alcohol DiEther, WaterWetter contains PolySiloxane Polymer, which is a silicon-based organic polymer particularly known for its flow, surfactant, and slippery properties. In general, it is inert, non-toxic, and non-flammable and is used in lubricating oils, heat-resistant tiles, damping and heat transfer fluids, and as an antifoaming agent. This ingredient helps other ingredients deal with steam voids (hot spots) and cavitation including by reducing the surface tension of coolants.
.........Here is a technical paper by Red Line about WaterWetter: http://www.redlineoil.com/content/fi...ech%20Info.pdf
.........I understand there may be differing opinions on WaterWetter, but thought the above ingredients and technical data give some support to its efficacy, besides what my mechanic says.

 

Does Mazda maniac still sell his tunes and how would I get a hold of him if he did... I know he USED TO BE here on the forum but was banned a while back right ?

 

That is correct, he is no longer a vendor here therefore his products cannot be advertised here. He may still services available, but you will have to look elsewhere for them.

 

This is the answer I was looking for. Awesome post man.

 

Hey guys, I just installed a new Exedy OE replacement clutch along with a Racing Beat flywheel. Engages fine, changes gears smoothly, overall nothing wrong with the transmission. Only concern of mine is upon first drive, the clutch pedal is extremely soft and I've been told it will firm up over time. About 300 miles later, it's a little more firm now, but the pedal feels mushy and stiffens up a tad as I depress the clutch; the engagement point is also a lot lower compared to when it was stock.

Should I keep driving it as it is or do you guys think I should bleed the clutch line? I've also read about adjusting the clutch pedal, but I'm not sure which step to take first.

Another thing to add is, my PPF is sitting slightly lower than OEM spec of 2" (Measured 1.8"). This won't harm any transmission components would it? I'm definitely going to raise it soon.

 

Dumb question.

Can the rotors bang against the housing only when under load? Or should they bang against it even when revving while idling?

My car has a weird rattling sound (like marbles being dropped into a can) around 4000 RPM. I know it sounds a lot like MIAC but that only happens at 6000 RPM and it's very noticeable. Mine is not noticeable. Couldn't even get it on camera. It's a faint rattle. Only happens under load. Never when revving in nutral.

 

^Rotor movement is limited by the e-shaft. If your car started and ran after hearing the noise, it wasn't a "rotor banging against a housing". And you probably wouldn't have described it as a "faint rattle".

 

This is another dumb question but... is replacing the battery as simple as unplugging old and plugging in new? Is there anything special I need to be aware of?

 

If your car has DSC, you'll need to reset that. That's done by turning the ignition on, then turning the steering all the way to the right, then left, then turning ignition off. The owner's manual gives step-by-step instructions, but that's pretty much the process.

You'll also lose all your radio presets, so if they matter make a list so you can restore them afterwards.

Make sure the battery is the right size, terminals in the right positions, etc. Size matters because the box is bigger than the battery to allow air flow around it, so don't get one that's physically bigger than OEM.

Ken

 

my cars been towed to mazda because it wouldn't start.

Mazda say the ECU needs replacing and quoted me about £1000 for the parts (the ecu and 2 bolts).

So I look on ebay and there about £60 used

Am I being mugged off?

Thankyou