RX8 idling vibration
07-28-2010, 11:49 PM
#26
Vtak just kicked in yo!!
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IMO, if you cannot than you're car is shaking too much. lol, sounds goofy but that's the test I recommend.
07-29-2010, 10:42 PM
#27
the giant tastetickles
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07-30-2010, 04:06 PM
#30
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with direct mount shifter you can do nothing.
funny when you drive over uneven surfaces the shift would even moves up and down. cornering hard, it moves left right.
RX7 was like that too so I think it had same design.
08-02-2010, 11:38 AM
#32
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haha, i noticed that for the first time the other day... my shifter moves up and down when i hit bumps etc.... i was like wtf.....
06-11-2015, 03:58 PM
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What makes you assume the mounts are ok? Did you have them inspected by the dealer or someone familiar with the 8? It could be the coils or plugs as mentioned. However, in most instances it apears to be engine mounts. My car had a shimmy to it. Vibration was worse at idle. Replaced my mounts and the issue is gone.
07-07-2015, 09:21 PM
#37
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I own an 05 Shinka MT. It has 116K miles, and it's on its third engine.
1st engine - odometer 18K miles - replaced during the first major recall in 06 due to misfires
2nd engine - odometer 74K miles - replaced after it failed the compression test; first it was rough idling and shifter **** was shaking like crazy with AC on while idling, then it was misfiring with check engine light on; after spending about $1500 replacing O2 sensors, coils, spark plugs, and wires, it was still misfiring with a blinking engine light at high RPMs on a hot day; after Mazda replaced the engine under warranty, no more rough idling
3rd engine - odometer at 116K - misfiring; replaced coils, plugs, and wires again after seeing the blinking check engine light at high RPMs on a hot day, and it was beginning to rough idle (shifter **** shaking) especially with AC on; huge improvement after replacing those parts, but it still idles a little roughly whenever the air compressor kicks on (shifter **** bobbles a little); took it in for a compression test, and it was found to be below minimum specs but not inoperable (7.0, 7.1, and 7.2 readings on the rotors while the minimum is 7.9)
I had requested a decarb on the engine, but the dealer mechanic said that only helps as a routine maintenance while the engine is a good shape. Right now, it's obviously on its way out, and a decarb (or sea foam) would only dissolve the carbon that's keeping the combustion chambers sealed as the apex seals or the rotor housing are probably already damaged. They said they usually only decarb the engine when it's still in warranty and right before a compression test to help Mazda identify where the engine is losing compression. But almost every time they do that, it makes engines with already damaged apex seals lose even more compression, warranting an immediate replacement.
What's shocking is that every single RX-8 they service regularly has had its engine replaced at some point. So the TLDR version of my post is if your 8 is rough idling even after replacing coils, plugs, and mount, run a compression test. If that falls below specs, you're likely to be SOL if it's out of warranty. Decarb and sea foam won't do anything for an engine with damaged apex seals or rotor housing. It will only speed up the inevitable.
1st engine - odometer 18K miles - replaced during the first major recall in 06 due to misfires
2nd engine - odometer 74K miles - replaced after it failed the compression test; first it was rough idling and shifter **** was shaking like crazy with AC on while idling, then it was misfiring with check engine light on; after spending about $1500 replacing O2 sensors, coils, spark plugs, and wires, it was still misfiring with a blinking engine light at high RPMs on a hot day; after Mazda replaced the engine under warranty, no more rough idling
3rd engine - odometer at 116K - misfiring; replaced coils, plugs, and wires again after seeing the blinking check engine light at high RPMs on a hot day, and it was beginning to rough idle (shifter **** shaking) especially with AC on; huge improvement after replacing those parts, but it still idles a little roughly whenever the air compressor kicks on (shifter **** bobbles a little); took it in for a compression test, and it was found to be below minimum specs but not inoperable (7.0, 7.1, and 7.2 readings on the rotors while the minimum is 7.9)
I had requested a decarb on the engine, but the dealer mechanic said that only helps as a routine maintenance while the engine is a good shape. Right now, it's obviously on its way out, and a decarb (or sea foam) would only dissolve the carbon that's keeping the combustion chambers sealed as the apex seals or the rotor housing are probably already damaged. They said they usually only decarb the engine when it's still in warranty and right before a compression test to help Mazda identify where the engine is losing compression. But almost every time they do that, it makes engines with already damaged apex seals lose even more compression, warranting an immediate replacement.
What's shocking is that every single RX-8 they service regularly has had its engine replaced at some point. So the TLDR version of my post is if your 8 is rough idling even after replacing coils, plugs, and mount, run a compression test. If that falls below specs, you're likely to be SOL if it's out of warranty. Decarb and sea foam won't do anything for an engine with damaged apex seals or rotor housing. It will only speed up the inevitable.
Last edited by Crashinka; 07-07-2015 at 09:25 PM.
07-08-2015, 09:17 AM
#40
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What I meant was that if your compression is found to be below specs after replacing coils, plugs, and wires, and the mount is OK, just keep driving it until you can't anymore. Sea foam will more likely to hurt the engine at this point rather than help it. Personally, if it hasn't got to the point where the check engine light is on, sell it or trade it in ASAP.
My Mazda dealer said that every RX-8 they've got back from a trade at this point have been tossed to wholesale. They don't even try to resell them at the dealership because they would most likely lose money on the deal since those engines are ticking time bombs. The Mazda warranties on the 13b engines have run its course, so the dealership does not want to pickup that repair bill if it fails while it's still under the dealership warranty. I asked about the R3 engines too, and they said those are still too new and too rare, and they haven't had to send one back to Mazda yet. So we shall see.
By the way, I found out from my other post that this forum doesn't like it when I use the word knöb, as in shifter knöb. I know it's an insult to call someone a knöb in Australia, but this a car forum!
My Mazda dealer said that every RX-8 they've got back from a trade at this point have been tossed to wholesale. They don't even try to resell them at the dealership because they would most likely lose money on the deal since those engines are ticking time bombs. The Mazda warranties on the 13b engines have run its course, so the dealership does not want to pickup that repair bill if it fails while it's still under the dealership warranty. I asked about the R3 engines too, and they said those are still too new and too rare, and they haven't had to send one back to Mazda yet. So we shall see.
By the way, I found out from my other post that this forum doesn't like it when I use the word knöb, as in shifter knöb. I know it's an insult to call someone a knöb in Australia, but this a car forum!
Last edited by Crashinka; 07-08-2015 at 09:26 AM.
08-02-2015, 09:20 PM
#41
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UPDATE:
Mazda is going to give me yet another engine!!! I would have to pay for the labor for the replacement, which will be about $2600 after taxes. This includes five quarts of oil and a new filter. In order for the process to begin, the dealership has to have my car in their possession before notifying Mazda to ship the replacement engine (since it's out of warranty). The entire process is estimated to take 14 to 21 days.
Since my 8 was two years and 17K miles past the extended warranty (05 Shinka at 117K miles), I decided to write a very lengthy email to Mazda asking for after warranty assistance. To spare everyone the agony of having to read through my email, below were the points that I made:
-I am the original owner of the vehicle.
-I bought the best Mazda had to offer (Shinka).
-I took very good care of it.
++++I took it to the Mazda dealership for service almost every time.
++++My service records have been impeccable.
++++I drove it the way it was supposed to be driven (occasional redline, kept gears low, no cold shutdown).
-I have never modified the car in a way that would put extra strain on the engine (no intentional abuse or misuse).
-I have kept it in nearly pristine condition so it would always turn heads on the road (free advertising for Mazda).
-I hung onto the vehicle for the past 10 years even when changes to my personal life made it impractical (demonstration of loyalty).
-I have absolutely loved the car.
-Why doesn't it love me back?!
This will be my fourth engine. It took about two weeks with minor correspondence in between before I received the response below from MazdaCustomerExperience@mazdausa.com:
Thank you for your patience in this matter.
We have completed our review for after warranty assistance with the engine replacement costs. As mentioned, the vehicle is outside of the extended warranty coverage by both time and mileage. With that said, we greatly value your relationship with Mazda and would like to cover the majority of the repair costs. Mazda is willing to cover the cost of the replacement engine with the remaining labor portion as customer pay.
...
Please note that I had to spend about $900 to replace spark plugs, coils, and wires, and then another $180 for the compression test before the dealership recommended an engine replacement.
Mazda is going to give me yet another engine!!! I would have to pay for the labor for the replacement, which will be about $2600 after taxes. This includes five quarts of oil and a new filter. In order for the process to begin, the dealership has to have my car in their possession before notifying Mazda to ship the replacement engine (since it's out of warranty). The entire process is estimated to take 14 to 21 days.
Since my 8 was two years and 17K miles past the extended warranty (05 Shinka at 117K miles), I decided to write a very lengthy email to Mazda asking for after warranty assistance. To spare everyone the agony of having to read through my email, below were the points that I made:
-I am the original owner of the vehicle.
-I bought the best Mazda had to offer (Shinka).
-I took very good care of it.
++++I took it to the Mazda dealership for service almost every time.
++++My service records have been impeccable.
++++I drove it the way it was supposed to be driven (occasional redline, kept gears low, no cold shutdown).
-I have never modified the car in a way that would put extra strain on the engine (no intentional abuse or misuse).
-I have kept it in nearly pristine condition so it would always turn heads on the road (free advertising for Mazda).
-I hung onto the vehicle for the past 10 years even when changes to my personal life made it impractical (demonstration of loyalty).
-I have absolutely loved the car.
-Why doesn't it love me back?!
This will be my fourth engine. It took about two weeks with minor correspondence in between before I received the response below from MazdaCustomerExperience@mazdausa.com:
Thank you for your patience in this matter.
We have completed our review for after warranty assistance with the engine replacement costs. As mentioned, the vehicle is outside of the extended warranty coverage by both time and mileage. With that said, we greatly value your relationship with Mazda and would like to cover the majority of the repair costs. Mazda is willing to cover the cost of the replacement engine with the remaining labor portion as customer pay.
...
Please note that I had to spend about $900 to replace spark plugs, coils, and wires, and then another $180 for the compression test before the dealership recommended an engine replacement.
Last edited by Crashinka; 08-02-2015 at 09:40 PM.
08-03-2015, 03:23 PM
#43
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That's what I want to know. This is what I've been doing in the past ten years, so you tell me if I did something wrong:
-oil change every 3000 miles while topping it off in between
-no cold shutdowns
-never drop the RPMs below 3000 while driving unless it's stop and go traffic
-revving it high or redlining it once at least once a week to keep carbon deposits off
-kept mostly in an indoor garage
-always premium gas
-always got it serviced at the dealership
These were the points I made in my letter to Mazda to show that I had followed proper care and maintenance in order to convince them to replace my engine even after warranty. Even the Mazda service advisors whom I have known since I took the car in for its first oil change said that there was nothing I could have done differently to avoid these engine issues. I suppose if I had sealed the car in an airtight container for the past ten years, then there shouldn't be any issues.
-oil change every 3000 miles while topping it off in between
-no cold shutdowns
-never drop the RPMs below 3000 while driving unless it's stop and go traffic
-revving it high or redlining it once at least once a week to keep carbon deposits off
-kept mostly in an indoor garage
-always premium gas
-always got it serviced at the dealership
These were the points I made in my letter to Mazda to show that I had followed proper care and maintenance in order to convince them to replace my engine even after warranty. Even the Mazda service advisors whom I have known since I took the car in for its first oil change said that there was nothing I could have done differently to avoid these engine issues. I suppose if I had sealed the car in an airtight container for the past ten years, then there shouldn't be any issues.
08-03-2015, 11:01 PM
#45
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Oil change every 3000 miles or less. Top off oil as needed, maybe once every 2-3 weeks. If I haven't been topping off my oil and I take my car in for an oil change, you'd think they'd tell me what I've been doing wrong during those 10 years whenever they see an empty oil pan.
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