IT all started April , 07, when I traded the 05 nissan sentra SER SPEC-V, in for- her. The 04 RX8, that couldn't keep it all together. It was more than I bargained for. No worries, I knew I was getting a rotay. 37,000mi.

Ever sense the day I got her- she made this noise. Her ignition was just a little slower than my previous cars and I revved she screamed!...sadly in pain. From this she cried through her foggy permeated, wet tail-lenses. So, it finally came to this.

The first thing I did was swap out the broken tail lights. They had water droplets and were kinda fogged over. But see, this happened as a freebie. I had the pleasant experience of loosing power on HWY 8 in San Diego (where I lived). To no big surprise the coils went bad(which BTW sucks on the hwy going 80) So, while the car was at the dealership, getting new ignition coils. they replaced the rear lights, as a warranty item. Sweet! but, the coils were like, $350-400. 42,00mi.

After changing the coils the battery went bad. It was old, week and needed replacement... with an Optima red-top. (Maybe not such a good idea).. It now had the fastest ignition, id ever had. At this point the car still didn't rev top Rpm's very clearly, they were harsh and raspy. Didn't feel right, ya kno? And, there was a noise comming from the clutch. The one where you put the clutch in and the noise goes away. The throw-out bearing.

I had to leave sunny San Diego for work. I was on my way to Colorado. Black Hawk to be exact. I though twice about bringing her with me. She seemed a bit too opulent. I still owed 15,000/$435 a month and really really needed a truck to get around in the snow. I put faith to the test. I borrowed another 13,500 for a lifted 4x4 Sierra and hit the road to Denver. The RX8 still sittin in the sun.

My new job turned out to be a huge score. I was able to make payments on both vehicles and pay my buddy to drive out with an 18foot U_Haul trailer pulling my RX8. Now im reunited with it but not without pain. While sitting she was attacked by pack-rats. They chewed up the wiring harness, tore insulation out of the engine compartment and stuffed it in the a/c ducting. Additionally she was keyed- a long "S" from the trunk to the hood.

After taking her for a test-drive. I found a CEL, loud throw-out bearing, engine idle problem and rotten egg smell. I put the car in the shop. It was to get a ACT streeet-lite stage one clutch, new flywheel and diagnostics test. Great finally, that damn throw-out bearing cried the whole time iv had her. So now the day came to pick her up. The clutch was fixed but need adjustments. The egg smell came from my Optima battery overheating (it actually melted, hissed, spat and almost blew up). The guys at the shop(not dealership) said the car wasn't suppose to have that kind of battery and thats what was causing the idling problem... but what caused the battery to fail? I swapped in a new(regular), battery and the idle problem persisted. Time to go to the dealership.

At the dealership (Mazda of Lakewood, CO), the CEL had 5 codes. The tech said it was uncommon for these codes to go together and the RX8 tech would need to check it out. And he found, the coils went bad again, chewed wiring harness, bad O2 sensor, and a failed compression test.

It all comes down to this. $1000- new wiring harness, $400 coils(again), $200- O2 sensor, $400 new plugs and wires and FREE- Rotary Engine. Sense the car failed the compression test and the cars under 100,000 miles Mazda is giving my baby a brand new heart. Its been 3 weeks now Ryan from service called me today to let me know shell be ready on Monday. Ill have just enough time to wax her and do a scratch removal(keyed) before winter time. Im really shocked it finally came down to this. I havnt really driven it sense April, 2009.

 

You are getting raped on ignition. Coils are $140 for all 4, plugs are $80 for all 4, wires $60 for all 4. $280 for entirely new ignition components from forum vendors, and less than an hour to swap with basic tools and no knowledge.

The chewed up harness is likely the cause of most of this. Replacing it is the right answer

 

Our coils and plugs are notorious for.. going bad constantly very very easy to replace for (151 for coils, and 60-80$ for plugs) and install yourself(VERY EASY) even i can do it! lots of people rave about the BHR ignition kit (which i also plan to buy). something to look into =)
Congrats on the new engine! but im not shocked your 2004 had to have one engine replacements i would say are pretty common around here for 2004/2005s

 

When I get the receipt, I can be more sure on the prices. But yeah roughly, I expect to get a little screwed on parts. The issues this cars has had called for a dealership. Its easy to take care of while the new engine is going in.

 

Heres your DIY spark plug change - https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-spark-plug-change-145045/

and heres your Ignition coil change - https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...highlight=coil


I would also have a look at this to =)
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...highlight=coil

 

ill be sure to break it in right

 

ah I have that same noise, too, now I know its the throw out bearing

 

nice story hope all works out well this time around

 

I'm looking forward to having it in top condition. Thanks for reading.

 

Its not the throw out bearing, its normal gear rollover noise.