Did it yesterday afternoon, but I washed and clay barred her. It's been about 3-4 months since the last clay, and there was relatively little contamination in the paint... definitely nice to see/feel!

 

Replaced my rear brake pads using a G-Clamp, rotated tires(stud screw removed and patched); drove the car and was able to get 300 miles in one full fill-up.

 

**** I can't even get 200miles in a tank these days lol.

 

Had a bit of a rough idle lately, including an ear-piercing squeal at idle when the car was warmed up and a wobbly run between 750-850 rpm.

Double checked the motor mounts; no problems there.
Checked coolant level; double check.
Belt health; replaced as part of regular maintenance.

Got out the stethoscope:
Alternator--purring;
Water Pump--whirring;
A/C--cool runnings
Idler pulley--RUPTURING MY EARDRUM

New Dayco Idler courtesy of RockAuto for $25 bucks and she purrs like a kitten and dead solid at idle. Strange part was the pulley felt fine when I changed the belts. It was only when I pulled it off did I notice grinding noise it would make if I spun it in my hand.

 

What I did today:

Factory engine replacement
BHR Light Weight Flywheel w/ counterweight installed
Factory Exedy Clutch replacement
Stainless Steel Clutch Line installed
BHR "Red" Motor Mounts installed
Redline Transmission and Differential oil replacement
New factory spark plugs installed
New factory ignition coils installed

Pretty happy car right now.

 

That is a **** ton of work mate!.

 

Today is my first true day off since purchasing my 8, so I dedicated the morning to changing it's oil, rear diff fluid, and cleaning the fuel system. After that, I washed her, cleaned her interior, and took her on a nice cruise! Stopped by the local riverfront to snap some pics, and someone in a BMW complimented my 8. Felt really good :D

 

I (carefully) extricated bird **** from the hood of the Ocho

Damn birds

 

test fitted my track wheel setup

 

Since I fixed my A/C; I've been boggled by how much miles I could get in one fill-up having the RX-8's A/C ON. Isn't it suppose to use more energy, which burns more fuel. Why did I get less miles when I drove the car when it was broken?

 

Brought the 8 into the shop to get it's bashed in rear fixed. Soon to have a body kit and fresh paint.

 

Last week I repainted the 8's wheels since they were etched with brake dust. They don't look anything close to stock anymore, but the color is still nice in my opinion. Also took the opportunity to rotate them while they were off of the car.

Yesterday was an oil change.

Today the 8 is getting a much needed bath and interior cleaning, going to clean the engine bay a bit too.

 

Chapsy, Nice 40th. I need to repain my wheels also. One was replaced with a non anniversary wheel so the color throws me off. I'm thinking more of the R3 wheel color. The dark shine of the OE 40th anniversary color is awesome.

 

Thanks!

It's not a perfect job by any means, but it's far better than the ruined factory finish I had on my wheels...sad really, I liked the metallic finish on the 40th wheels too. I'll probably do them the "proper" way and get them powder coated down the road when I have a spare set of wheels. This will do for now though.

The Gunmetal finish like on the R3 would look pretty sharp too. You should go for it if you can so you can have uniform wheels again! I saw that Dupli-Color makes a Gunmetal in a similar shade when I was picking up paint, but I wasn't keen on going that dark.

Of course, if you're gonna get them powder coated you have far more options available to you

 

i finally glued my sun visors together, and reinstalled em, its only been about a year.

 

Started my clutch job yesterday. Check out the damage lol

 

How the hell did you do that?

 

It happened after I floored it without really warming up the trans, just the engine. Thing is, it still drove. I Was juddering on take off and eventually couldn't push it into gear.

Thing is, the pressure plate I pulled off WAS an Exedy, that clutch disk IS NOT an Exedy (I have an new OEM kit to compare it with)

The markings on the failed part said SECO and STAREX. I have heard of neither one. Has anyone heard of them?

On a brighter note, I have a Mazdaspeed flywheel and CW to sell now (had bought a ACT Prolight not knowing I already had a lightweight fly)

 

i put a ghetto home depot lip on today :D *flame suit on*

 

nothing ghetto about that and your front lip will thank you for it. nicely done!

 

popped the P2070 code yesterday. Had my Mazda Mechanic friend take a look at it. He treated it with some Zoom Power Cleaner, and while the CEL went away briefly today, it came back. Most likely gonna take it down to him tomorrow as long as there's down time at work.

 

My car is in the shop for the next little while getting re-estimated from my accident LAST SUMMER (2012), and they called today to confirm that they were checking for the following things:
-Replace amb air temp sensor
-replace CAI tube behind the crash bar
-check the alignment of the body
-check squeak from suspension, due to driving it when not properly aligned (I had my friend pick it up from the shop last year and haven't driven the car since. She mentioned pulling hard to left and right while driving it to my place)
-fix up and paint the MS front bumper

After that is out of the way, I'll have to start the new process of another insurance claim (this one from hail damage this summer). Needless to say, I'll be taking it to a different body shop (one that has an excellent reputation)! Then, she'll be going back into storage for the winter.

It's been a year and 3 months that I haven't driven my car. And it will be at least another 7 months before I'll be pulling here out again!
But, I won't complain. She has a lot of new parts that need to be installed, so she'll have plenty of company!

 

Cleaned and re-oiled my air filter.
Cleaned the MAF.
Detailed the Engine bay.

 

I feel that working on your car can be just as rewarding as driving it, especially when you fix it up yourself/with your friends.

Feels Good Man.

 

Ran it hard early in the morning. It had just stopped raining and the 8 runs so fine in the cool 65 degree weather in Colorado. Much fun hearing the bell ring(Rev limiter): lol.