RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

'Midpipe' refers to the section of exhaust pipe between the header and the catback. It's one of 3 pipes for us, and the one in the middle. This can technically be with or without a cat.

Some of the other names are 'test pipe' and 'race pipe', both of which indicate a midpipe with no cat at all.

For other cars, there are sometimes 4 pieces rather than 3, and the other 'middle pipe' can bet called all sorts of things, from short pipe to intermediate pipe, etc...

Generally though, we refer to a midpipe as catless, but it can indeed have a cat if the vendor has an option of a catted version of their midpipe.

poacherinthezoo

I use an UltraGauge to monitor various ECU parameters. I have noticed that even at a stop, with nothing on (no fans, no radio, etc) the "% engine load" never drops below ~30%. Is this due to the nature of the rotary engine, and that combustion doesn't push the rotor 100% in the "forwards" direction, or some other facet unique to rotaries? Or is it just that the UltraGauge, being a poor-man's ScanGauge was never designed with the rotary engine in mind?


Also, I plan to replace the midpipe with a cat-less variant to prevent any potential problems with heat/etc, and then try to pass emissions by adding the spark plug anti-fouler trick (like I've done previously on my miata) and welding a cat's heat shield in place (if this fails I'll just have to switch to the stock midpipe with cat before going for my emissions checks). In terms of sound I want the smallest volume increase possible, but I'd also like to keep the price reasonable. What would be the best option for a cat-less midpipe combined with the stock cat-back portion of the exhaust to achieve this? Or I guess a better question would be how loud will the car be with the racing beat midpipe and stock exhaust? I've read that it's louder than the BHR midpipe with stock exhaust, but is it significantly louder or just a tad louder? How many miles do these types of midpipes last with the resonator functuning before the excessively hot exhaust gases burn them out?

It's for a 2009 R3. And as always thanks for the help.

scuba steve

Good price for plugs, coils, and wires?

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Best in the market IMO

BHR Ignition System | Black Halo Racing

rotormotormean

i have a 2004 mazda rx-8 with 100k miles is it worth turbo charging (looking into greddy kit)

FungsterRacing

iTrader: (4)

No. Start by getting a compression test to see what kind of condition your engine is in. There is a lot more to going FI then just getting a turbo kit

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

"Load" is actually "calculated load". It's an industry standard that uses a variety of data inputs to produced a number that approximates how hard the engine is actually working.

About PID Calculated Load Value » OBD-II Resource

The BHR pipe is just closer to "a tad" than "significantly" ... louder than stock. It's also the only pipe to keep the catback tone the same the OEM cat.

For OEM prices, the cheapest you can get is about $182 for everything, though often/usually it's a bit higher, up to around $220.

poacherinthezoo

I'd like to remove the cat from my 2009 R3 to give me a bit of piece of mind over excessive heat build up and potential issues. However, I can't find a method that works for the series 2 without throwing a CEL. Gutting the cat, replacing with a midpipe, the old anti-fouler trick, and the lack of a Cobb AccessPort for the Series 2 - nothing seems to allow me to remove the cat and not throw a CEL. Am I missing something? Is there a route to going cat-less that won't throw a CEL in a series 2?

If I can't remove the cat, can I inspect it on a regular basis (mostly worried about the excess heat generated during the autocross season) to be able to tell if its failing? Will visually inspecting it give me any information or is the failure not visible until its gotten really bad? What about monitoring the Bank 2 O2 sensor temperature? Would that spike higher than normal as the cat fails? Anyone got some rough numbers on this?

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

Well if your cat fails you can get it replaced by mazda but if you show up with a mid-pipe on the car that's a no go. Drive it till the warranty is up by then they should have a tuning solution.

jamesf

iTrader: (1)

**more problems**

brakes are now having an issue.

About a month ago I painted my calipers and replaced the rubber oem lines with SS goodridge lines. I bleed the rears and then the fronts but did not bleed the master cylinder.

They worked fine and I weekly check the fluid and have lost none.

Recently I have had an issue where the 1st couple times I use the brakes, they do not work well and I have to push the pedal down pretty far for them to start working. It's not extremely soft either. The more odd part is, the 1st couple times that you hit the brakes and it doesnt work so well, it eventually stops with a grinding noise coming from the rear of the car (and it's not an ABS sound, it just kinda sounds like a grind).

Any ideas? I am going to rebleed this weekend and do the master cylinder as well. I find it odd though that this issue is coming up a month later.

As far as I can tell, after those first initial pedal-pushes, the brakes act about normal (except for the fact that it usually pulls to the right sometimes , but it's always done that )

poacherinthezoo

When was the last time you cleaned and lubed your slider pins?

jamesf

iTrader: (1)

Last spring the dealer supposedly did a brake job so I'd hope they did it.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Hoping the dealer did something that wasn't explicitly stated/listed is rather useless. It would be more accurate that you hope they did what was actually stated/listed!

So, they almost certainly didn't. I'd pull the calipers and see if you have one trying to seize, or is seized already.

If the pedal is far too soft at first, you probably have air in the line. If it's too hard, then you might have a vacuum leak to the brake booster. If the pedal feels fine but you just aren't really slowing down, it's a problem at the pads/calipers.

JManX

I'm looking to get some nice looking crossed drilled and slotted brake rotors for my 8 but apparently this car has two types of suspensions a standard one and a sport tuned one how can I tell which one my car has

GT package, aero package 6spd manual, 05'

jamesf

iTrader: (1)

Thanks as always RIWWP. I am going to bleed them this weekend. I'm also going to check my SS lines I installed and make sure nothing is wrong with them. I definitely think that the problem is with the rear wheels though, because that is where I am hearing a rubbing sound. Doesnt sound like a grind, just sounds like a rub. Also, I read that the deeper circular scratches in the rotors can be a sign your brake pads are going. If that is true, I see some of those scratches on 1 of the rear rotors.

I think when I changed out the lines not bleeding the master cylinder was a mistake. It may also just be a combination of air in the lines and my rear pads going. I will ask advanced auto if I can burrow their brake kit to see if a caliper froze.

Oh and actually to add to this RIWWP, I asked a gentlemen at advanced auto what I can put on the hub to prevent it from rusting. Last time I took my summer wheels off I had to hit them a few times to get them off because it stuck to the hub. He told me to clean it and then put anti-seize on the hub.

Is this ok to do? I obviously would not be putting it on stopping surfaces, but I have left over from my last plug change that I could use. Also, for cleaning the hub, is a wire sponge and brake cleaner ok to use?

Jeff77789

i put on some brake quiet to the brake pads by taking of the top art of the caliper (the part with the piston)

now i think i have a "slightly" more squishy brake pedal...i don't know why. i did the rears first and the next day i did the front ones



another thing is, is the bottom slide pin supposed to move? i thought it was seized so i took off the dust boot and used a torch and managed to get it loose...it had a rubber sleeve on it at the end. i lubed it and put it back in but it still doesn't move. is that supposed to happen?

BDornan315

Is carfax useful at all when buying a used 8? I found an '04 GT 6 spd with 50k miles for 11,500 at a mazda dealer. does not have all oil change documentation. recalls have been performed and it looks like the cat was replaced twice. owner lived in orange county, ca and used the car as his daily driver.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

No?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You have the sport suspension. All manuals, all Touring and Grand Touring trims regardless of transmission, and some of the remaining base automatics have the sport suspension. The "standard" should be renamed to "rare and worse"

Yes, I have a habit of making sure the hubs are rust free and protected. Both on the rotor hat to wheel as well as rotor hat to wheel hub sides. I hadn't tried anti-seize, but I've tried various other chemicals. The problem is more that whatever you do use has to be REALLY thinly layered, because it will get squeezed out when you torque everything down, and it has to be something that you can clean off your wheels, since even a tiny bead of it getting squeezed out will get flung against your wheels in short order. Ideally, it should be something that is not harmful to paint, but will still provide the needed protection. And spread it on really thinly.

Both pins (on all calipers) are supposed to be able to move freely. If one was sticking at all, you need to address it.

It's useful. It doesn't conclusively prove anything good about the car, but it certainly proves if something bad is in the past, and it shows stuff like the date first sold for warranty timing calculation, and there is sometimes stuff in it that can help you bargain. You can't rely on it for stuff like maintenance, warranty work, etc...

Grace_Excel

iTrader: (5)

Are you talking about the two(one on the top, one on the bottom) long rods for the front caliper? Those rods allow the caliper to float on the mounting bracket, the rods stay stationary while the caliper moves forward/back as the piston pushes on the brake pad. If you inspect closely, the bolts are only thread about 5 mm at the top, it only inserts through the mounting bracket then bolt onto the caliper at the back. The mounting bracket secures both as a whole with two smaller bolts to the spindle; hence, the term: "floating caliper disc brake".

note: RIWWP beat me to it, typed quicker than I. Make sure you grease it up well and not tear the rubber sleeve(dust boot) which keeps the dirt and grime from getting in causing the rod to seize.

BDornan315

It's useful. It doesn't conclusively prove anything good about the car, but it certainly proves if something bad is in the past, and it shows stuff like the date first sold for warranty timing calculation, and there is sometimes stuff in it that can help you bargain. You can't rely on it for stuff like maintenance, warranty work, etc...[/QUOTE]

CARFAX Vehicle History Report for this 2004 MAZDA RX8

I have driven one of these cars in the past and have a couple friends that own them. The dealer offered to include a compression test in that price. Would that, along with a test drive, essentially tell me whether or not the car as safe to buy?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Generally with an RX-8, the most critical thing you need is a proper compression test. Other stuff can obviously make the car a 'no sale', but a compression test is the only real way to tell the health of the engine.

See my new owner's thread for a list of all the other stuff to dig into RX-8 specific. Post #8 i think

BDornan315

Is there a magic number I should look for when the compression test takes place? I've heard 85+psi is the minimum. What number should I look for ideally?
Thank you for the fast answers. this forum is dope!

Junkman 6394226

So hey guys, long story short: I'm in the process of replacing my front lower control arm. the ball joint just fell off like a bad joke. Anyways, I put the new control arm back in, but now the old ball joint won't get it's fat *** out of the hub assembly. Any idea how it comes out?

Is it threaded? I tried to used an allen wrench but just ended up warping it.
Or is it just stuck from being old? AKA I should use a mallet?

Any help would be greatly appreciated guys.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

See the new owner's thread in my signature. I have a second on the compression test, and it includes a chart for what compression scores are needed at what RPM