question with my coolant light that comes on and off???
 

i just recently bought my 04 rx8 with 65,000 miles nd first i started noticing my coolant light go on, on the highway after about 10 min of driving then once i slow down it would go back off but now im starting to notice it go on more frequently even at lower speeds. i checked my coolant levels and there all level. just trying to get an idea of wats going on and if its something i can fix myself. all suggestions and ideas are welcome!!!

Search :)....sensor is a very common failure..........

yea sry im new at this im still trying to figure it out haha

I'm having the same issue as well. I think its the coolant sensor. Anyway, some people says just unplug the sensor so that you won't see the light, but check your coolant level once in a while. For me, i'd rather have the sensor plugged and see the light goes on and off. But, if the light stays on for a long time and never disappear, then there is a problem.

Mazmart has a new coolant tank and sensor for about 130.

When my sensor went bad the light stayed on at all times and there was not a problem. Point being that this is not really a good theory to go by, as most would agree either 1: replacing the sensor (which means replacing the whole tank) or 2: unplugging it (but remembering to check the level every so often) are prob you best bet OP.

Rosenthal Arlington Mazda (finishlineperformance.com) has the tank for $107.30 or $80.24, depending on whether or not you need the sensor.

Ken

touche ken, touche indeed....

No dueling involved here...just adding more info. Adding on:

o The thread "Coolant bottle's greatest secrets..." is the definitive thread on the topic.

o There is a TSB on this issue, with a caution on how to avoid breaking the radiator when replacing the bottle.

Ken

Yeah me too with the coolant light. OK, this is off the subject but I have a 2004 RX8 and I bought it with 82K. Just wanna get this out there. The cranking took around six or seven seconds. Dealers told me I had to rev it to 9000 rmp before I turned it off. Uhhh no! If you have a problem cranking your car after three seconds...your engine is BLOWN. I replaced mine with 83K and it cranks in less than two seconds/ It's worth it...even from a dealer the engine is around 2500. The clutch will be gone at this mileage. 590 from a dealer. Just do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, lots of misinformation there Carol.

You could have a perfect engine but a failing starter that takes 10 seconds to build speed enough to fire. As an example. A weak battery could produce the same results. Only a compression test will give a proper diagnosis of engine compression loss. Having had to replace it within 1,000 miles of buying, I'm guessing that you didn't do the compression test before purchase like we advocate so heavily.

I recommend reading the new owner's thread, as it provides this information, and lots more, including the faulty reasoning behind the absurd suggestion to rev up when you turn off the engine.

K. You got 20000 miles to work with. Trust me, I have the same car. It is gonna blow at around 85K. I don't care how you drove it don't care how you took care of it,. Get ready to spend some money. It's not that much if you love your car. The 2004 was the "pretty" one!

:facepalm:

I had mine from 8,600 to 113,000. My engine was diagnosed as low compression at 96,000. I guess I did something wrong since it didn't blow 11,000 miles earlier? How about Elf? His is at 250,000 on the original engine and still climbing? How about 9krpmrx8 and Alnielsen, they had 3 or 4 engines by the time they got to 85k?


It simply isn't a set number of miles. It really really isn't. MOST of the ways our engines fail have NOTHING to do with mileage. And then there is the whole 8yr 100,000 mile warranty on the engine from Mazda, so many of us got replacements without paying a thing. Mine cost $56, because I needed new belts at the same time.


You are jumping to conclusions with only a faction of the information available.

:shocking:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't go on this site because everyone has an opinion and mine was only one rx8 owner telling the truth. I have this car. Do You? I don't aspire to be combative, I simply bought this car and have been lied to from the beginning. Spent 12 thousand dollars fixing it. You go BOY and tell them your wisdom. You are far better than me. I don't tell lies.

I'm not trying to be combative either. Knowledge is power. For example if you had gotten that compression test before you bought it, that knowledge would have given you the power to walk away from that car.

Misinformation is more destructive than the lack of information, so I'm just trying to help you understand the problem more accurately. Much of the myths and "popular opinion" about this car is from owners that only understand bits and pieces. It's something that we as a community have had to fight against for almost a decade.

I dont think that what you said is logic. I am positive that the way you drive and take care of your car is going to affect its life.

For example: driving in the high rpm ranges before your engine is properly warmed up will affect your engine life or various oil lines. Neglecting to do regular maintenance would also affect the life of your car and/or its various components..


I remember RIWWP said that there is no sure way to prevent an engine failure, only ways to reduce the risk... You could do everything right and have it go blown...






As anywhere you go, people will have various opinions. I found this site and its members to be very helpful... The combined experience that can be found here is better than the dealerships. As this is a specific car with specific needs, most dealers including mazda dealers tend to treat it the same way as a normal car...

I'm sorry to hear that you had to spend that much money to get the car to run properly, but I guess you didn't check the car for issues prior to purchasing it.

It is also possible that the dealer that you brought your car to pulled a fast one on you. It is easy to make believe something to someone who doesn't have all the proper information...

If I hadn't of read the New and potential owners thread that RIWWP made, I would of been played by several dealers and sellers who tried to sell me crappy rx8s saying that the issues were 'normal' when clearly they werent.

I'm sure that RIWWP is better than you for explaining the rx8 simply because he has much more experience with the car than you. Like the issue with dealers: there is a difference between knowing the path and walking it. Real life experience is always better than theoretical experience..

Knowledge is power.

Obviously, ignorance is NOT bliss.

My coolant light also goes on and off sometimes. But I can guess why it does so. Coolant radiator's got a small leaking (but really very small and does the leaking very rarely) and there it lost some coolant, and I added some 1 liter of filtered water and eversince the coolant light started to go and off sometimes, though the coolant level is above the minimum line of the reservoir.

I think the sensor can sense the concentration of the FL22 fluid. Because I have less concentration of FL22 now.

Dude, you weren't supposed to leak that information out! Only a select few of us know about the super secret ECU param that causes the engine to go kaboom at exactly 85K. Shhhh!


Lol @ this guy.