Future owner with questions
 

I just drove the RX-8 this past weekend an am really impressed with it but I had a couple questions. I had read on this forum and others, about the oil in some cars developing a mayonaise-like substance in it. I guess due to high humidity conditions where they were built. Is something being done about this? How harmful is it and does a simple oil change take care of it? Next question, what are all these "flashes" about? Are they software upgrades? Can I expect all new cars at the dealer to have the latest flash? Anything else I should inquire about before purchasing one? Thanks.

In colder climates, if the car is driven for only short periods, the condensation in the oil-pan doesn't evaporate and you'll get a milky/foamy result visable on the dipstick. If your concerned, then do an oil change - but it is nothing to fret about.

The flashes you hear about are simply firmware/software updates. The current revision level is Calibration Level M. This incorporates all updates. I wouldn't expect that all cars on the lot are up to the latest calibration level. However, I would request that this is done on any car that you would take delivery on - make it part of the deal. They shouldn't give you any problem with this because Mazda has already made it clear in one of their Service Bulletins that all RX-8's should be updated to M regardless of the reason that they might be in the shop for service.

There is a LOT of discussion on both of these topics on the forum, which you'll find by using the search feature.

Enjoy!

Ditto what he said ^.

There's also a gas smell to my oil and that's normal also.

Re: Future owner with questions
 

I live in the NorthEast and picked up my RX-8 in late Feb. I also saw the "mayonaise-like substance" on the dipstick. after about 600 it went away never to be seen again

Is it like Light Mayo, Fat Free or the regular 100% fat stuff? ;-)

Hellmann's rules....or something like that...maybe.

-Eric

Before you tell me to do a search... I did and I can't find what I'm looking for. Maybe I'm a poor searcher.. Regardless, I'd appreciate it if someone could post a link to a Service Bulletin or other documentation that I can take to my dealer that says that Mazda should M-flash any car upon request. I mean it makes perfect sense to me. It's the act of uploading software and can't be extremely labor intensive or expensive. I mean one software CD cost the same whether you upload it to 1 car or 1000 cars. Anyway, if someone can point me to a link that will prove to my dealer that he owes me an M-flash, I'd truly be grateful. Thanks.....

special sauce variety like a BK.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ocs/index.html

Look for "Engine Cranks/No Start". The reason it's tough to find is probably that it's not called "M Calibration" or something more intuitive. The actual part that states that all cars should be upgraded came from the flooding problem, which is why it's under the no start title.

Yup. Find that pdf, print it out, and point out the following section to your dealer:

"It is important to update the PCM to at least “M” calibration if the vehicle’s PCM currently contains an earlier version.
The “M” calibration contains software logic to prevent possible no start concerns. Because of this revision,
all vehicles with previous calibrations should be updated to at least the “M” calibration level. This includes vehicles
coming to the dealer for repairs unrelated to the no start concern, or normal scheduled maintenance."

Kbull and zitch.. Thanks!! I appreciate your help in finding the service bulletin. No room for interpretation - they pretty much have to do it. I appreciate your help.