Ok, well here in FL we dont have to pass a emissions test yearly. The only way I could get "busted" for it, is if a cop somehow took off my cat and saw it was gutted. Will gutting my cat mess my 02 sensors up?

 

Your rear O2 sensor will tend to fail faster, but that's about it.

Before you take a rod to the cat, please keep in mind that if your cat is functioning perfectly fine, you would be destroying a $1,300 part. A better option would be to find someone that needs a cat to replace their dead one, and trading with them, probably with some cash going to you in the transfer to. Then gut the already dead and worthless cat.

 

Would my original idea "cut off the original muffler and place on an aftermarket one" work? JUST for sound? remember i am not looking for hp gains here, just sound better and louder than stock!

 

Jaybird there are many aftermarket catback exhaust systems for the rx8 but they are quite expensive. If you are suggesting just custom welding an aftermarket muffler on there, I can't comment because I dont know much about it.

Most RX8 aftermarket cat-back exhaust systems though are bolt-on to the stock cat.

 

Yea, it seems most won't. Prolly just 'cause its cheap and not perfect.

New question, I have read LOTS on the VFAD mod, but can't find a thread with enough pics to get me confident enough to do it! I am very visually oriented!! If yall know of one, please point me in the right direction!!! Is this mod worth its hassle?

 

I searched "VFAD mod" and came up with https://www.rx8club.com/do-yourself-...g-vfad-148881/

 

Yea, did that too! But if you read what I said, I need pictures (even better would be a video) of where everything is, how to get to it, and how to remove it. I have read that thread over and over.

 

Some people aren't satisfied unless you hold there hand

http://foxed.ca/index.php?page=rx7manual#rx8

Find the FSM and locate the intake portion then reference that with the DIY and you should have everything you need, short someone doing it for you at least.

 

Thanks you for the link!

I just don't feel confident doing anything to this car if I can SEE how to do it first! Cause I KNOW I'll do something wrong if I just "wing it" I cant read it and say "Oh I get it!" Sorry, not how my brain works.

 

Need to replace my brake caliper slider pins (frozen)

Are these the correct parts?

 

Just swapped out my winter blizzak tires for the summer kumho ecsta spt,s that came on my 05 rx. I only drove on the kumho,s for about a month prior to switchin for the winter.


When I bought the car (35000) miles. The car tended to wander a bit. That is to say, it did not appear to track strait.

Mazda checked alignment when I swapped out the summers to winter rims/tires. After that, and all winter. Car tracked perfectly. Now with the kumho,s back on, it is wandering again. Summer tires were balanced prior to putting them back on

Know the blizzak,s are much softer, and a bit flatter, but can,t figure why these tires are so different in the steering feel.

I would put on new tires if I know the new ones are not going to do the same. Anyone else running the kumho spt having this issue
?

 

sounds to me catchb52, like you need to have your tires balanced. If you have a "lifetime alignment" kinda deal with your local place, or if it is under warranty still, have them do it with those tires on.

 

Guys my RAD light has been going off... But that's not the actual problem... My question is if it's bad to add nothing but antifreeze in the RAD or DO I HAVE TO pour some water as well, or if the 50/50 would work???? I live in Colorado btw.

 

The sender in the header tank is a known issue . Don't keep pouring water/antifreeze into the tank unless the level is below the fill line on the tank. If it is losing water you really need to get the system leak tested. And it's ok to pour antifreeze only into the tank but better to pour in the correct ratio .

 

What is the part #/specific name of the best tool for removing the oil filter on the S2 (which is not located in the same place as the S1)? I just did my first oil change on it, and the previous owner (who had the dealer do all her maintenance and oil changes) had the filter on there super tight, no way to get it off by hand. I tried 2 different style oil filter wrenches from Autozone and they didn't work - the one with the band that wraps around the filter just crushed the filter and shot hot oil into my face. I ended up getting it off using the screw driver trick, but if this problem ever happens again (which is very unlikely since I will be doing all the oil changes from now on, not the dealer) I'd like to know which tool I need to get rather than buy more that don't work.

 

Thanks Brettus! Now, i did find a leak on my RAD and I'm looking forward to replace it.... But idk whats a good performance RAD!

 

how can you tell when your car is fully warmed up? I usually wait 5 minutes and untill my coolent level is on a normal operating range. Is that correct? what does everyone else do or go by?

 

I have a Series I and you can imagine how hard it is to remove the oil filter if it's tightened too hard by a shop. When that happened once, I ended up using the vice-grip version that had serrated teeth to remove the filter. I specifically use BOSCH 3300 oil filters and the Series II uses BOSCH 3323 which is half an inch longer than the latter and allows you more grip. My suggestion is to only turn it as tight as you could by hand and since have never had any problems removing it and/or noticed any leak around the seal by doing that technique. I also fill the filter with fresh oil just enough to coat and allow the oil to settle inside (apply a little around the threaded opening) before installing the new oil filter.

 

It this one: ]Med Center Mazda Factory Mazda Parts and Accessories
Fits over the top of the filter and accepts a 3/8" drive ratchet extension.

Unsure if that is a Mazda part number or not. Guessing that it isn't.

 

thats a dummy gauge. i look at my real gauges. oil temp takes longer to warm up than water. no 5min isnt fully warmed up unless its crazy hot out i guess

 

grace you shoul also coat the rubber gasket with oil so it doesnt bind. theres tons of filter removal tools out there. oil filters should not be over tightened

 

Here's one out of left field:

I noticed from the threads that I have searched through (which is about a dozen or so, so by NO MEANS have I exhaustively reviewed the literature), that the S1 engines started to fail around 2007-2008 - that is about 3-4 years after the first cars were purchased and put on the road. Now I'm starting to see a few S2 engine failure threads popping up in 2013 - which is also 3-4 years after the cars in question were purchased and put on the road.

So my question is this - even with all of the changes made to the S2 to improve it, is the number of engine failures likely going to start rising abruptly - as I observed from the S1 engine failure threads? Or have I not read enough S1 engine failure threads - and in reality the S1 engines started failing rapidly earlier than 2007? So really - when did the S1 engines start to fail in substantial numbers? In 2007-2008 or was it earlier than that?

 

It's all theory and guesswork.

There were engine failures in 2004, plenty in 2005, etc... I personally believe that while we have plenty of things that kill the engines, many of the early low mileage engine "failures" were actually ignition failures, and the dealer's mis-diagnosed and replaced the engine without needing to.

Mileage is a vastly bigger key than time though (when it comes to engine lifespan), so I'd honestly ditch the whole concept of "x years after..." A 3,000 mile 2005 will probably last longer than a 90,000 mile 2009. Both are possible. The only correlation to years is that people tend to average within a certain range of mileage per year, so a given model year tends to have cars within a general average of mileage. Obviously exceptions, but an overall average of miles driven is all you are seeing.

 

i need to invest in a oil temp gauge. i guess theres no way to judge if your stock?

 

Lvis, I'm not sure what you are asking?

The OEM water temp gauge in the cluster is "ECU crippled". It will rise as the temps rise, stopping at the rough middle around 170f, and not move again until you have already been in danger temps (240+ i think). I am not aware of there being any aftermarket gauges that replace the OEM gauge in the cluster. Only ones that are displayed elsewhere.

Oil temps take longer to come up, and there is no gauge for those, or even a sender. You would need to buy a gauge and the sender, and tap it into an appropriate location.

The exact time that it will take to come up to temp depends on the ambient temp, ambient humidity, altitude, what kind of load then engine is seeing, the viscosity of the oil (thicker will heat marginally faster), etc... So it's nothing we can pin down in place.