I've searched around and read a lot on the topic of hard starts. I understand that the 2004-2005 RX8s came with underpowered starters and often need to be replaced with the newer model. I recently purchased a 2004 8 with 76k miles on it. The guy I bought it from didn't have any records on it so I really have no idea if anything has been replaced. I got the vehicle (base model) for $6300 so I feel like I got a good deal and am willing to put some cash into it to get it running great.

With that said, the problem I'm having is the hard start. I'm in South Carolina; the temps have been around 100F recently and even in the middle of the day the car can take 8-10 seconds to start. I know that on these cars you are supposed to replace the coils and plugs every 30k miles or so. Would it be a good guess that these haven't ever been replaced? Should I replace then and then see if the starter is bad, or try a new starter first? I'd prefer not to have to replace everything, but obviously if it will save me time+money down the road then I'd rather do it all at once.

Now the money question: I'm an engineering student, pretty technical person, but the extent of my car mechanic experience is changing oil, tires and batteries. Is it likely that I'll be able to perform these replacements myself without too much frustration? I'm comfortable working in the car, just don't have any real know-how or experience. I've read the DIY articles on here, but I realize that to some people a 30 minute job is not quite as simple...I could tell you that taking apart your computer and replacing the CPU or motherboard would take me 10-15 minutes and I wouldn't be lying, but some of you would cringe at the thought, that's just the nature of the game. Anyway, thanks for the help, I'm loving the community, it is definitely an invaluable resource.

 

With 76k miles and not knowing when the ignition components were replaced, it is probably good to replace them for peace of mind.
Search the DIY section... there are a few helpful guides for replacing the coils and plugs.
Its easy and something you can do yourself.

Here is a thread for swapping the starter:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...hlight=starter
It shows you where the label is and what the upgraded starter models are.
This way you'll know if you have the original or not.

 

Thanks for the advice, I'm thinking I'll definitely look into replacing the coils and plugs here in the next month or so before I go back to school and definitely before winter when it gets colder.

Is it likely that I need to replace my plug wires as well, or is that generally not as necessary? Or is it the type of thing that I really need to take a look at before I know? Do those need to be replaced as often?

 

I know when I asked about plugs/coils everyone was telling me to swap out the wires too. There may be a problem with the wires, so may as well change the entire ignition system. My new coils and wires are coming in today. Stoked...