Nope, unless it is worn or leaking.

Do you need to... no
But its always a nice thing to replace if you are.
I've removed the housing a few times on the same vehicle without replacing the gasket.

If you do it once... you're probably OK.
If you do it twice... I would consider replacing it.
Third time... highly recommend it.

P0661 low circuit/P0662 high circuit; are these related to having to clean the possible build up in my SSV? Or am just needing to replace the switch? I do experience power loss in higher rpms. Cel is off and on every few days at a time and is the same code each time.

With those codes I would focus on the solenoid itself.
The first page of this thread shows you how to troubleshoot that.

Anyone happen to know how serious of a case it has to be to get a CEL for this? I'm having issues after open throttle, once the car is hot. I was thinking about this issue, and then I saw Jon's video, and I don't want to think about it anymore. lol. For some reason, I don't get too many CEL, which I'm sure most would think is a good thing, but the issues I have, I'm having a hard time troubleshooting without a place to start. It was overfilled at one point, so I'm curious. Thanks. and great write up Jon!

If you need a place a to start, first get the CEL code pulled whenever it does show up.
Places like Autozone will do it for free.

Without further details on your particular issue, its difficult to say for sure.
Could be ignition related, clogged cat, dirty MAF, low compression...

Like I pointed out in the first post of this thread, you can easily test the valve to ensure its not stuck.
What I recommend you do is get the CEL code pulled and go from there.
Once you know the code, come back to this site and search for related terms.
You'll likely come back with MANY threads explaining your issue.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/im-just-lost-199004/ is my thread full of issues...*sigh*
Thanks for the quick response. I don't want to jack your thread with my issues. The only code I have now is the p2259 for the air solenoid circuit low. So I plan to take off the upper intake and see if I can just clean the connection. I was asking about the cel for the SSV because I haven't gotten it, however I have had problems that I believe could be linked. So I was curios as to if I should take a look, even though the CEL hasn't come on. Thanks again.

AHH... now I know who you are...

I've worked on a car with a stuck SSV and it only produced a SSV CEL once, other times it was different codes (can't recall them at the moment).
But if you plan on taking the UIM off, might as well take a flathead screwdriver and move the SSV for peace of mind.

Pretty much what I was thinking...I've had this car apart so many times, my wife doesn't even notice the parts all over the kitchen anymore...my throttle body was a centerpiece of a birthday dinner once...no joke.

Thanks again. Will take a look. Here's to hoping its not like Vyndictive's! (lol, no offense Vyn)

:rollingla You have no idea how funny this comment really is!
Lets just say... I sure hope so too!

:ar:thats what i say to this project... but sheesh bro good work!!

if the ssv were to be stuck would it make my car rattle like this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXzcYmHOrew

Nope... not at all.
Last time I heard an engine sound like that, the apex seals were blown.
Though your car idling doesn't appear like it is.
Almost sounds like when I run the car without the mid-pipe/cat attached, though not as deep sounding.
Sorry bud... not the usual signs of a stuck SSV...

awesome video! Makes me a bit more comfortable about doing this!

Would it be a good idea to do air pump removal and waterpump upgrade in conjunction with this?

Sure... especially the water pump since you'll need to drain the coolant again if you don't do it at the same time.
Going off this DIY video... once you remove the pulley and alternator bracket, you simply remove the bolts around the water pump and it'll come right out.

Bump. Thanks for all the info Jon -- as usual.

I finally tackled this today. I had P2070 a long time ago but it never came back. I had to take of the UIM for an different reason today but i thought i would take a look. This is what i found :lol2:



http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9286/photo3sn.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9610/photo2dy.jpg
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2558/image1wxr.jpg
]http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4744/imagetme.jpg

Tasty...

Even though my car is out of warranty my dealership is checking with Mazda to see if they will do anything for my intermittent 2070 cel that I get. When I had my engine replaced, it specifically says on the paperwork they cleaned up buildup on the SSV and APV motor. I don't even want the updated parts...I just want them to clean the damn thing. Then in spring it's time to upgrade to an R3 or something else.

hey guys i have somewhat the same problem. mazda told me i have to replace intake for 2610 or pay 1600 to clean the ssv. im not mechanically incline, do you guys think i should try it i was planning on doing it this saturday and sunday or maybe next week.

^You should list where you're located... maybe there are members near you that can lend you a hand if you're a little intimiated.

im located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

good stuff Jon, just did this today!

Got a CEL downshifting after 30mins steady cruising on the interstate, went to autozone and got the P2070 code.

It was good and stuck couldn't activate the valve by hand. It took me a while to get the valve out, after a few select words, lots of shaking/tugging, sore hands and good amount of time it came loose. Think it was trying to grow diamonds just needed the pressure, had tiny carbon 'rocks' growing on the valve (can't see in picture but they were large sand grain size)!

Checked the switch before I reassembled to be safe and got 2ohms. Also compressed the actuator and covered the hose port to see if it would hold vacuum, it did. Reinstalled everything and finished the day with an oil change.

Before:
Attachment 247538

After:
Attachment 247539

Do as Jon suggests and remove the ACV hard pipe. I was too lazy to get the wheel off and paid for it. Working around the pipe is a PITA!!!

Got that cleaned today and now sea foam tomorrow. Little bit of pre-spring cleaning.

Nice job EdwardsB... and also a good idea to check the switch and actuator before reinstalling!
And Sea Foaming is another plus after this since some of that crud likely ended up in the engine.

I have a pretty annoying ticking sound coming from what I believe is the SSV. I have read all the ticking threads and still havent found the right answers. I am not mechanically sophisticated enough to do this procedure alone.

My question is this. If I am not having any hard idle, performance, or other issues, is a ticking SSV a faulty SSV? What damage can be done if I do not repair it and just let it continue ticking?

Pardon my ignorance, but I cant afford a 1200-2000 repair especially if its something that is just an annoyance and wont cause any real problems.

I am dont know where your sound is coming from, but last year I had two ticking sound that came from so solinoid and one that I thought that it came from the ssv. I took it to the dealership and they replaced the solinoid next to the intake. They didnt know what the other noise was so the gave me a reman engine. I was still under the 8 year and 100000 mile warrenty. I endend up replacing the ssv though.

So I think I have an issue related to the SSV...as documented here

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/i-win-loudest-ticking-noise-%5Bvideo%5D-213088/

I also recently have really poor acceleration and poor gas mileage - less than 200 miles per tank.

I have replaced all the suspension on my car (sways, shocks, springs), replaced the cat-back exhaust, but this seems a bit too daunting for me. Ugh. And I don't like my dealership.

Does anyone know of any good mechanics in the San Jose area? :/

Is there a sure-fire way to test the SSV while it's still on the car?

Somebody didn't read the 1st post thoroughly, or they might have found a link to a "DIY for troubleshooting the intake valves"
Even through the video shows the LIM out of the car (which was simply for ease of demonstration), these can be performed with it in the engine bay too.

I assume LIM means lower intake manifold?

Yup :yesnod:

So I'm assuming the failure to start now that I'm trying this procedure is gunk getting into the engine. It sounds similar to when the engine is flooded, would the standard deflood work or is there a better way to attempt to get the car started when all done with cleaning the ssv?

BTW, thanks for the help and explaining everything. Great help, but I also hate you because I watched that video and my SSV did not come out anything near that easily lol. I think I spent 2 hours at least just on the valve

I usually recommend SeaFoaming the engine because you are likely to get "gunk" in there.
But yes... you can treat it like a deflood and it will eventually start.

LOL... movie magic ;)
In that video, Steve's (Vyndictive) SSV was actually stuck in there very good.
He tried for awhile and I eventually took over and still had trouble.
Since we could pull the valve out ~1/2", I sprayed carb cleaner where I could and moved the valve in and out to worked the cleaner in.

I removed my SSV before his (mine wasn't sticking... just practicing) and it came out with no problems.
So your's being stuck in there that bad is a good indication that it needed to be pulled/cleaned and other "half-ass" methods wouldn't have been sufficient.

Ya got it going eventually. Had to clean the plugs up quite a bit and fight with it a bit more than normal. But now its up and running and the CEL is gone so guess cleaning the SSV did the trick. Thank god too because I troubleshot everything but the solenoid. I really didn't want to rip the intake apart to get to that lol

Jon - could you take a listen to my engine noise on my link - been trying to figure this out for a year. Would SSV sticking cause this possible situation!

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/misfiring-fuel-starvation-video-sound-attached-204603/

Posted comment in your other thread.

Jon, I'm interested in you thoughts here.

A stuck/sticking SSV wouldn't make noise.
I've never heard a bad actuator or solenoid make a noise that loud where it could be heard like that in the car.
So I doubt its that... but I've given you the resources to test them all, in the 1st post of this thread, if you wish to verify.
I'll comment in your thread so we don't go off topic in this one...

So I have three days on trying to fix this and the fuel line and I started today and I already running into troubles..ok first off when I was watching your video I see that you have a different battery than I do I was struggling on removing the battery but I figured it out then there was the battery box, I can't seem to take that box out even though I remove the bolt on the bottom. What I found out is mine has a ledge by the PCM area where one of the coolant hose is blocking it and I can't get past it. I need help please and for the fuel line, I'll just ask somewhere else

Why not just lift the hose and use a 10mm combination wrench to get the bolts off :uhh:

What about the fuel line.......

Then why did you ask here?

Sorry dude.... but if the battery box was too much for you to figure out (even though the video does show it), then maybe its best that you find someone to help you out.
Does the valve actually need to be removed? If not, its best that you leave it alone.

Ok so I'm l completed now bit unfortunately my car won't start now. It just keeps cranking and doesn't try to start. Tried the flood and nothing. So I'm wondering if I had some sensor unplugged that didn't get plugged back in. I was very careful about it but I did have some friends with me part of the time and I'm worried they unplugged something without telling me. Is there a sensor that would cause this that might get unplugged during this process? If so where would it be located at?

Silver6:
1st verify all the PCM connections are fully inserted.

2nd if you removed the air pump, ensure everything is plugged in (there is a sensor to one side and a resistor at the bottom).

3rd did you read the 1st post where I mentioned laying a shop towel inside the housing so crud doesn't fall into the engine?
This will causing difficulty starting.

I did check the pcm and that what was causing it not to start. But now its acting like its flooded but I can get it started but it won't let me give it gas for some reason and just dies. Should I try the push start method?

HA! I forgot all about when this happened to us.

Wow that was the first time I ever had to deflood a car. Thats a pita. Im so glad I bought the car with the upgraded starter already so thats the only time I had to deal with it. Tho I'm sure my starter is on its way out after today. Any ways thanks for all your help Jon. It's finally up and running after I've been working on it when I've had the time over several days. If it weren't for this thread I would have prob had to pay the $600 dollars to pay the stealership to do it. Ant I think they were just planning on taking the UIM of and spraying carb cleaner in it.:wallbash:

Great thread. I will be preforming this soon.


Big Thanks to Jon316G... It seems he has been a great asset to the forums. This DIY saves us thousands at the dealer. Food for thought.

I had been getting engine hesitation around 4300RPM for a while and finally a stuck SSV CEL came on (cleared it by driving the piss out of my car like someone suggested)... but I figured I should investigate a bit more.

So yesterday I took out my SSV, and yeah, it was pretty gunky.
But I noticed a small hole in the SSV actuator. Now the hole is clean, perfectly round, only a couple mm across, and looks like it is supposed to be there... but when I look up pictures of the part online I don't see the hole.
So I'm confused.

I've got a 2004 GT model. I'm not the first owner, but I don't think that the SSV was replaced before. Should that hole be there or not?

Just did mine yesterday, i just decided to do it for 70k miles treatment and since ive always done the oil changes thought i'd take a look. wasnt too gunky but still carbon build up for sure moves much smoother, less hesitation for sure and feels nice high rpms cant wait to start sprayin :) and 1st startup after cleaning defently took 3sec longer to crank and turnover, but still only 1 key turn :-) babys gots loads of live in her.

for anyone wanting to do this i'd say worst part is the god damn airpump bolts (2 of them) securing the whole assembly to the frame. good 45 mins to re fasten them (baseball mitts for hands). other than that its fairly easy just take your time.
Battery box was pretty funny i almost didn't do this due to i couldn't figure out how to get the clip on top part off. push inward on the sides and outward on the top and bottom. you'll get it eventually.
hard pipe really easy to get to with long arms through the flappy rubber guard. (same as changing plugs)
good luck
10mm auto ratcheting wrench came in handy
10mm socket wrench
2 3" extension (for hard pipe)
1 1" extension (for left bolt on the hard pipe)
10mm Long socket drive (3/8th and 1/4th size)
12mm long socket drive (lower thermometer bolt)(3/8th)
12mm short socket drive (3/8th)
Vice Grips
Pliers
needle nose pliers
3/8 socket wrench
1/4 socket wrench
short P2 screw driver (radiator plug drain)
2cans decarb (mine was pretty clean so i only used 1 can, i can defiantly see someone using 2-3)
enjoy.

OK so i performed the DIY. it was very time consuming, but not to hard at all..

Long story short the car ran better than ever. But just 2days ago I got a check engine light twice (car running LEAN). Found out it was a vacuum leak. I FOUND the vacuum leak. One of the 2 bolts that popped out or broke off. the bottom one. I cant tell if it broke off or fell out completely...

Help: i need to find the bolt size, pattern, length of the bottom bolt that holds the SSV?

Attachment 242573




Attachment 242574

I hate to tell you this now... but if you took off the bolts on top off the air pump off first (the ones holding the air pump to the bracket) then the bracket came off very easy. Just a long extension straight down to the bracket bolt. Sorry I couldn't have saved you time before hand but hopefully it saves time if you have to remove the pump again later

SSV removal & clean
 

Thanks much Jon! Watched video & followed SBS procedure. Had it done in a few hours.
Here's some pics....:worship:

I had a pending P2070 and it brought me to this thread. Did this last night and the car drives much better. It idles better and doesn't hesitate.
Awesome write up! Very detailed and helped a lot. Took 5 hours for me. Ran into a few problems (gummed up coolant hoses). Only thing that I got stuck on was that there were 3 nuts holding the thermostat housing. the 3rd one was a bitch to find lol
Here are pics of my SSV.

Attachment 240708

Attachment 240709

Attachment 240710

Attachment 240711

Attachment 240712

Right? ugh... this was the most time consuming... :rant: