MazdaRX-8SPEED

well i searched couldnt find anything about this so can some one please tell me the f-ing fuel filter is located in the 8.
thanks

edit: is it normal that when crusing 80- 90 mph in 6th gear the rpms are around 4k to 5k?

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

On the pump assembly, inside the tank.

Not as scary as it sounds, search 'sock' in the DIY section....

S

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

listen to Stealth, he telleth the truth

MazdaRX-8SPEED

okay thanks guys! i think my 8 is slowly dying... idk what the hell is wrong with it, but i think its low compression. idk what its called in english but my dad thinks the gasket under the collector went to hell which is giving bad compression and my car runs like ****...

Mazurfer

Well.............take it in, the engine is under warranty for 8 years / 100k miles. So if it's low compression have it tested. Hopefully you don't have over 100k miles. You will need maintanance receipts(proof of oil changes), but face that battle when you get there.

When was the last time the coils and plugs were changed?

It could also be your CAT.

Are you having any CEL(Check engine light)?

MazdaRX-8SPEED

well im the second owner and i didnt buy it at a mazda dealer (i know dumb thing to do) so i dont know if i still have warranty. and i also dont know when the coils and wires were changed ill prob look at it sunday, but i want to start with the least expensive parts and work my way up form there. and im going to change the oil sometime soon cause im getting close to the 3k marker but the prob is i threw away my receipts, also should i go back to 5w-20 oil so the dealer wont bitch at me?

on a sidenote... this damn plastic ring around the fuel pump is a bitch. lmao

edit; i am under the 100k marker i just passed 53k haha and i have no cel and my cat is not glowing after a long drive or after any drive

Mazurfer

Yes, you have the engine warranty of 8/100k and you also have a warranty on the CAT for 8/80k. Both do not matter if you are the original owner or not, nor do they matter where or whom you bought it from.

Keep your receipts from now on and any you can find!

Look on this site in the vendors for best coil/plug prices. Should be about $40.00 a coil and $20.00 a plug. Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

MazdaRX-8SPEED

i dont really need new plugs cause i changed them last summer. believe i need new coil and wire haha

edit: my car seems like its having compression probs. long start when warmed up loss of power, but this only happens when its hot outside. hell idk. lol

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Did i miss something... you never really explained why you feel something is wrong.
What occurs and when (certain or all speeds, RPMs, temps, etc).
"I think my car is slowly dying" and a bunch of guesses isn't helping.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

okay. i have an 04 M/T with 53k miles.

i started to notice a rough idle about a year ago, but it was very light and it was on and off. about a week ago i was going somewhere which was about a 20 min drive max and the weather outside was really hot. i stopped at a light and noticed that the rpms were jumping from 700 to 500 and when i started to accel, the car had no power to pull, so i had to throw the rpms up to 2k or 3k so i wouldnt stall. and lately ive been going on long drives (40 min- 1hr) and it pulls good until about 5min into the drive the car begins to bog down, rough idle, no power. today i went to the store which was about 3 miles away and my car ran like **** the whole drive and when i got home, parked in the garage and let it idle, the car was shaking like there was and earthquake and there was a weird noise coming from some place. and thats when i started this thread...

edit: i only notice the car run like crap when its hot outside. well thats mostly when it happens. idk im going to tke the car out right now cause its nice and cool and see how it runs.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Wait... UP TO 2k or 3k rpm?
Hell... when you want to accelerate (decently) you should at least start around 4k.
Of course you have no power accelerating between 2k and 3k... welcome to our torque-less vehicle.

Now when you do accelerate is there any hesitation through an RPM range?
Like its slow until 5k rpm and then it "takes off"?
Or do you notice a power loss in the upper rpm range?
Do you have the same problem with the A/C on and when its off?

MazdaRX-8SPEED

i notice that the car losses power also in the high rpm range, depending on the day if its good and i hit 5k rpm i get thrown into the seat not really but it pulls like a sports car, and when the a/c is on the idle gets worse.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Power loss at high rpms can indicate a bad cat.
Like Mazurfer mentioned... your cat is covered 8yr/80k miles.
With you having an '04, its likely the O2 sensor (which checks the efficiency of the cat) may not be reliable to use as a "warning" device.

If you have hesitation accelerating and then it suddenly "takes off" between 4k and 5k rpm, a common thing that is over looked is a seized brake caliper float pin.
When this occurs, your brake pad is constantly riding on the rotor and it takes more to spin the wheel fast enough.
Ask me how I know about this problem... I've had two seized calipers so far.
But its easy to rule out... just jack the front of the car and spin each front tire (front because those have been known to seize).
If one is noticeably more difficult to spin... you know that caliper float pin is likely seized.

Obviously... ignition coils and wires are also a factor when it comes to troubleshooting this kind of problem.
And a compression test is something else to consider.

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

Jon, I like your list of possible differential diagnoses. What about issues with fueling? Could the fuel pump be dieing?

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

I'll be surprised if it was the fuel pump... but I wouldn't rule it out.

The hotter weather coupled with his A/C running can make the car appear to run shittier.
Hell... I have fresh plugs and the BHR coils/wires and sitting in traffic, with the A/C, under the hot sun, my car runs a little "rougher" than usual.
If I turn off the A/C... it'll idle better.
But I'm used to that when the weather here gets hot.

He just needs to do a little "process of elimination" to help narrow it down.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the fuel pump. It could be getting hot and shutting down. My pump went bad, but it wouldn't show up unless the car was closer to empty. Filling the tank would temperately cure the problem. It could be the cat. Just do a visual check when the car starts to run rough and see if it is glowing red. If so, it is clogged. It could also be low compression. I had to have an engine changed because the car would quit, at idle, after I drove it for a mile or two.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

so i just got back. i think the car likes the night life... no probs. drove like always and no rough idle but the rpms did fall below 1k. and sunday im going to TRY to get to the pump and clean the sock, but the damn plastic holder is a pain in the *** to get off lol.

carbonRX8

iTrader: (1)

You either need the special tool or use the caveman method. Caveman uses screwdriver and hammer to open fuel tank. Ugh.

Seriously, while holding down the tabs that stop the movement of the ring, place the blade of the screwdriver on one of the tabs, hold the screwdriver at a 90 tangent to the ring, and begin pounding, lightly at first and build up until the ring begins to move. If you do it gentile you wont break any tabs.

Putting everything back is a little more tricky and specific. The pump must face forward (or near forward.) Also, dont pinch any of the wires in the tank. Put the ring on very carefully. I believe if you misthread it, you will have to get a new one. The ring has marks indicating when the ring is tight enough.

I left my seat off for a while. THen I looked for leaks after being full and driving hard.

OH! Also, dont open the tank with more than a 1/4 full.

All this is from memory from last year, so take it for what it is worth. THere is more info on this site.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

oooh thanks for the heads up! i have almost a full tank haha that would probably be bad...

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

you can open the fuel tank cap with a flat headed screw driver and a hammer. just tap it lightly and you will get the cap off in no time. but before you do that, make sure your tank is almost empty, when the fuel light turns on drive another 30 miles and you're pretty close to empty. oh, dont forge to get new gasket. do NOT try to reuse the old one.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

i might go to napa and buy the damn tool. $20 is better then $70 haha

MazdaRX-8SPEED

should i go back to 5w-20 oil just in case **** goes wrong and mazda does not like what i put in it?

Mazurfer

You could if you really wanted to be on the safe side, but the 5W-20 is only "Recommended" not a "Requirement".

CVale127

iTrader: (17)

Just wanted to share with you guys that today I called Mazda-Parts.com and asked them about the RX8 fuel filter because I saw it listed on their website. I told them that I have heard that the only filter in this car is located in the Fuel Pump assembly, and that a dealer nearby also said the fuel filter is non-serviceable and located within the fuel pump.

The guy from Mazda Part told me: "I don't know why the dealer told you that because I'm looking at a diagram of the RX8 fuel system and that is NOT the only fuel filter. There is another canister type fuel filter". So I then asked him where this fuel filter is located, and he said that its underneath the car in front of where the gas tank is.

I have never tried or thought about looking for this, nor replacing the fuel pump until now. I have recently started experiencing loss of power after long distance highway driving. Last weekend I took a 3 1/2 trip and experienced this a few times. I would be on 6th gear cruising on the highway and suddenly it just stayed at 65mph, and even though I had the gas pedal all the way down to the floor the car would not go any faster......it would eventually gain speed again after a short period of time. Also, One time when i stopped to pay tolls the car actually stalled on me. I know the problem cant be with my ignition system since I'm running a BHR kit.

Have any of you tried looking for this fuel filter underneath the car ? If you go to http://www.mazda-parts.com/partscat.html and type in "fuel filter" in the Keyword search...you will see it for $14.99. This is NOT the air filter....the air filter they sell here for $18. Would love to hear what you guys have to say. Thanks for taking the time to read my post!

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Show me.