Hello All,

My name is Mark Guerra and I'm new to the forum.

I just purchased a 2004 RX-8 Sport (auto) tonight. What a great night to pick up a car here in the Northeast. Snow, rain, slush...let’s hope it will bring good luck.

I do have a few questions...

1. Being the car did not have a manual I had a hard time identifying one of the lights that intermittently comes on. After searching through the forum I believe it's the overflow (sensor) light. What I noticed when I removed the cap is that it was filled to the top. That doesn't seem right, could that be throwing off the sensor?

2. I did own a RX-7 many years ago (a white 1979, still one of my favorite cars I owned), so I don't remember if this is a trait of the engine but when the car idles at a light it seems to vibrate, this immediately stops once you accelerate or put it in park.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

the oil is definately overfilled, if it's as high as you say it is i would take it to the dealer and have them fix it
and i've heard rough idle could be a result of needing new engine mounts.

i hope none of the things you say need addressing because it's a new car and i hate to see you have to get work done on it, because you've just purchased it...

 

Actually, it's not the oil, it's the coolant overflow.

 

woops my bad, i guess i got confused. well a coolant overflow shouldn't be any problem.

and i failed to mention welcome to the club, i hope you enjoy the car

 

Sounds like the dealer overfilled it in an attempt to mask a coolant level light. It's a common problem for the early models.Sensor fails and you have to have a new coolant over flow tank installed.
I would ask the dealer you purchased the car from to fix under the 3 minute 3 foot warranty plan they gave you. JK

Ask see what they say.

 

If you register in the owners area of mazdausa.com, you can download an owner's manual.

I recommend that you remove the excess coolant. If it's got too much, it can overflow when hot. There are a number of tales here of coolant overflow splashing on electrical components and causing problems. Get a coolant tester, which looks like a turkey baster with a float. Use it to suck out the excess, and also to see whether the coolant mix is right.

Welcome!

Ken

 

That sounds like a good plan but I didn't purchase it from a dealer...no warranty. I would imagine being it's just a sensor problem, and the temp is okay, this could be ignored...right?

Knowing how I am though I would replace the bottle, that light coming on and off will drive me crazy.

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info Ken...I wish I started posting here before I purchased a manual off of eBay!

 

PDF version will be great for searching topics...but it never hurts to have a copy in the glove box!

 

Yours fits in the glove box?

Ken

 

In my 8 yeah...it was tight but it fit...barely.

The M...no space for anything. Really sad.

 

Mine fits in there, it's in a little book cover/zipper case thing, where I'm holding all my warranty info *oil changes and the likes*....

Also some random cord in there, I think that's the ODBII connector.

 

Welcome to the club!

 

Everyone is correct about the coolant and for the vibration prob motor mounts but mine does have a vibration when the idle dips below like 900 or so but if it's real bad i could say motor mounts...

Welcome to the addiction!

 

Well, this is my 2nd addiction...I also have a 96 Corvette show car. My wife has been putting up with my car hobby for 21 years now!

As far as the idle goes, that's exactly when it happens...around 900. So, is it safe to say its normal?

I'm having it serviced next week (2 tires, oil change), so I'll have them check it.

What's a rough $$ estimate for a tune up on an 8?

 

If you do it yourself? Under $400 give or take.

Stealership? I'd suggest saving up $1,000 to be safe.

 

^yes!!!!!!

 

I would figure out how much the coolant tank cost, then factor in your time to install it. I would go back to the person you bought it from and tell them you know they were masking an issue and it is going to cost xxx amount to fix it. You might be able to convince them to give you all or some of the money to fix it. You can also threaten to give the car back for selling the vehicle without clearly stating the KNOWN issues(unless clearly sold "As Is"). If they didn't tell you about that relativley small issue, who knows what else might be wrong.

For the vibration issue, mine did the same thing. The car does shake slightly when idle. After a tune up, if still feels just a little too shaky, I would sea foam the engine. Mine was doing the same thing and sea foam fixed the slight shaking and my idling issues. For $5 it cant hurt, unless you do it wrong lol. Just follow the procedure found in the DIY section.

 

We'll I didn't by it from an individual either...this was a 1 owner car that was part of a corporate lease program and owned by Chase bank. I did get the car for a very fair price so the idea of putting a few bucks into it up front doesn't bother me. I found it on eBay, but it was located 20 minutes from me so I was able to check it out. It also had a clean Carfax. The seller purchases large quantites from the bank and sells them as is...