I've had my RX-8 for nearly a year now, and I'm starting to have some concerns. I bought it with the intent to rebuild it, but now certain circumstances have forced me to spend the money I had to do it with. It still runs fine, starts with no problem every morning, but when the engine is hot, it has to crank for about two seconds before the engine starts. Assuming I keep up with usual maintenance, premixing (about a half quart for every full tank), injector cleaner at every fill up, and regular oil changes, about how much longer could I estimate to have before the engine will no longer start, and what, if anything, can I do to prolong its life even further?

 

No way to give an estimate on how much time is left.

That said, premix and pray. If you are already having extended crank hot starts, there probably isn't much time left

 

Also make sure your ignition and catalytic converter are in good health. You can stop putting injector cleaner in every fillup. Read rx8help.com for the rundown of what's important to maintain.

 

If you do a compression test every year and take the miles into consideration you can likely extrapolate, that said the lower the engine compression the faster you will lose compression due to blow by.

 

I am working on a 2009 RX-8 and my right headlight has been burnt and I need a new wiring harness and headlight assembly. My question is will the S1 headlights fit the S2? If no, where is the best place to get them? I have checked some salvage yards but they do not have any that are the S2. I am in Utah, USA.

Any info would be very helpful, thanks.

 

Hi guys, multi part question.
Can i use shock absorbers from Europe in japan versions?
can i swap left with right shocks and vice versa ? (not front back ofcourse)

 

Yes and yes.

 

Wish you were closer by, would have bought you a beer mate.

 

Everything leads us to the pcm...I don't know how but it happened. so going to buy foreman with the correct obd2 link. the pcm is bricked I believe. No communication with pcm and no signals from the port using scanners versatune, ect. So my thought process.
1) Hook up my car with the laptop and foreman, verify all modules are working or not as well as the pcm.
2) If I still have nothing buy a used pcm(unsure if this will work).
3) If it doesn't work buy a blank pcm from mazda?
4) Does forscan have the as built data to load or do I have to purchase it from the dealer?
5)I have 1 key the other was stolen so I read I need 2 keys. Assuming I can order one ebay.
6) Load as built data reprogram keys.
Now will this work does anyone know.

I have the original pcm that is dead no signals.
I have 1 key.
I have the car and Vin.
Can forscan program a used pcm
Do I need a brand new pcm?


If any of you lovely knowledgeable people know please get back to me.

 

1: was there ever a change log made for each year of the rx8? like a proper one so users could identify which year they have? I dug around but cannot find one at all

2: Is it true that opening the oil drain bolt only drains out around 4L of oil and there is still 3L of oil in the engine? Meaning the total oil in the rx8 is 7ish liters?

3: Is it safe to replace the plastic drain screw in the radiator with a metal one , 10mm, 1.25 thread

 

The VIN should give you the year through any VIN decoding site. There weren't significant changes year to year that would identify a date conclusively.

Correct on the oil volume. The undrained oil is in the oil coolers and piping.

I would continue to use a plastic bolt, those things are plastic so they don't seize.

 

Thanks Loki for the aswers

ill dig around for a plastic bolt then.

 

Hey all, I could use some rotary help here, I have a 2006 rx8 which received a short block rebuild about 2 months ago, however for some reason I have been experiencing running problems. I'll go to start it when its temp is low and it starts right up no questions asked, but as soon as it warms up, it's like a switch flips and I suffer major power loss. When it starts doing it, it first makes my exhaust sound funky like it's clogged or like it's skipping, then it starts driving very rough meaning I can barely climb a hill, and I can't get it moving very fast. I have to rev it just a bit to keep it idling and if it shuts off once it warmed up, it won't start back up till it's cold again. It just recently threw a CEL, so I'll post what the code is in this post when I find more free time. I thought it was ignition coils, so I tested e and they're doing fine. Any ideas or tests I can run would be appreciated, much love community. Godspeed haha.

 

check your cat if you have one, it maybe clogged but hot starts are usually a sign of low compression. who rebuilt it? can you get a rotary specific compression test?

 

I had my cats hollowed out, tho never got it retuned, and it was rebuilt by rotary ressurection in tennesee. I could try a compression test, have to go buy a compression test kit.

 

[QUOTE=Rotary-RX8;3793333]What oil does our car use ??


Pretty sure its olive oil

 

Ok so I purchased an adaptronic installed it the car cranks but there is no fuel I can hear the fuel pump but no fuel I can smell no smoke out of the exhaust the immobilizer is kicked on but I disabled it in the software not sure if I'm missing a connection

 

No fuel don't hear the fuel pump does anyone know a setting for it. I see the relay in the computer

Ok got the car to turn with the fuel pump working sounds like a Bridgeport revs to 3500 max idle hunt to 4500 randomly
P0335
Gonna clean the sensor and see buy bought another just in case

 

is it safe to use throttle body cleaner to decarb a rx8 if i spray it in via the spark plug holes or have it sucked in via the vacuum lines?

what about acetone?

 

Spark plug holes is where compression happens, don't try to suck anything through there... Vacuum line would do better. It's safe enough, it's not particularly helpful though. Seafoam vs water tests showed about the same (light) cleaning and water is cheaper.

If you want an overnight soak, try ATF in the spark plug holes.

 

thanks mate. i was thinking about spraying throttle body cleaner, give it the slightest crank to expose another rotor face and repeat it till all three sides are somewhat washed with wither throttle body cleaner or ATF.

As long as its safe. Thanks Loki

 

Hi again, so i was thinking of buying a good few liters of acetone and flooding the engine with it for a few hours to clean off the carbon.

Is this safe overall, and will it melt any rubber seals?

 

Acetone is very strong stuff and can cause a whole lot of problems. I personally wouldn't try it.

The effectiveness of carbon cleaning through that is also debatable.

If you really want to try, one of the things I learned on the Accord forum I went to is that you sometimes can make oil consumption go away/less severe by setting some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinder overnight. It has helped some (but not all) people get their oil ring unstuck. That could be something to try without risking much corrosive damage.

 

I wouldn't use acetone either.... very hard on rubber seals...

A traditional DeCarbo for rotaries has always been water. You can use a combustion chamber cleaner like Mopar... and then do a water treatment... just remember that you should change the oil after you do either as it's very likely to dilute or contaminate the oil

 

Thanks UnknownJinX and dannobre.

Ill do the water treatment this weekend. Appreciate the feedback