Lost the Air Pump
 

Had a "chirping" noise at start up in the morning.
Went to the dealer this Friday and they looked at it,,
said the Air Pump had gone out to pasture.
So if ya hear a chirp type sound in the intial start up period it is
a failing air pump. (More than likely.)

Okay, I'll bite. What air pump? :dunno:

The Air injection pump is mounted on the passenger side wheel well. (on US models)

It runs on cold starts to provide air to the converter.

That is right .

I thought he lost his tire air pump - man I tossed that POS first thing. LOL

??

You just blow the tire up like a balloon? Que Macho! :cwm27:

Yeah I get that "chirping" noise too when I first start it up cold. Goes away after about 45 seconds. Never had any issues with the air pump though.

every so often i experience a very loud screech just after it cranks! is this what it is? i was about to mention it to my dealer during my next visit...

You'll get a CEL if it actually fails ...

so exactly what should i tell my dealer about this? does anyone have the tsb i can print?

Interesting - I'm getting a chirping sound, but I am currently blaming the cold transmission. Cold air injection pump, eh? Is it more or less noticeable depending on the clutch? I thought my sound went away when I held the clutch in, but I could be wrong.

I have an AT and it occurs in the morning after start up.
Gets loud after a few seconds.
Reminds me of a belt squeel ,only chattering not constant.
The dealer says he has seen a few of them go bad. (Air Pump)
Seems it did not do it this morning after sitting inside the dealer service bay all night.
So they have not heard the noise. They were going to put a new pump on today anyway,,
but it is still sitting in LAX. oooops
So they are going to put it on tomorrow.
We will see if this takes care of the noise.

Sounds like a belt to me.

As TeamRX8 posted..if the pump fails it will set a code. Most likely a P0410.

Don't confuse the air pump with this MRI.



CHIRP NOISE ON ACCEL OR ENGINE START
Applicable Models
2004 - RX8 VIN Range: 000000 - ZZZZZZ;
Symptoms
110 PINGING
820 UNUSUAL NOISE(EXCL. PINGING,SQUEAKING,OPERATION,RESONANCE)
MTOL - 4181 Dealer Repair Information
A chirp or squeak may be heard at times from the engine compartment.
This can occur at engine start, or during engine acceleration. The
noise can easily be mistaken for a squeaky accessory drive belt. The
noise is actually caused by a slight momentary lean mixture, which
results in engine detonation.(Pinging) The RENESIS rotary engine runs
much leaner than previous rotary engines, resulting in improved fuel
economy N lower exhaust emissions. This momentary lean condition will
not cause engine damage.

IMPORTANT!
It is important to note that customers who use low octane fuel will
experience a noticeable increase in engine noise. The RX8 requires
premium fuel for best performance N engine life.

FUEL: Octane rating (Anti-knock index):
Premium unleaded fuel 91 (R+M)/2 method or above (96 RON or above)

Or this one.



WHINE OR SQUEAL NOISE FROM ENGINE AT IDLE
Applicable Models
2004 - RX8 VIN Range: 000000 - ZZZZZZ;
Symptoms
820 UNUSUAL NOISE(EXCL. PINGING,SQUEAKING,OPERATION,RESONANCE)
MTOL - 4471 Dealer Repair Information
Some customers may complain of a high-pitched whine or squeal noise from
the engine at an idle. The noise can be eliminated by raising the engine
RPM slightly above idle. This is most likely caused by the primary port
jet air nozzles and / or the metering oil pump air ports. The jet air
nozzles are located in the primary port of each rotor. The jet air flow
is acheived by using air flow from an area prior to the throttle plate.
The metering oil injection nozzles also use this airflow prior to the
throttle plate to assist oil flow into the engine.
This creates a metered vacuum leak into the engine and may cause a high
pitched whine at idle.

This noise is considered to be a normal characteristic of the RENESIS
rotary engine. Use the procedure outlined in the repair instructions
to confirm noise is from the jet air or metering oil pump nozzles.

1.Confirm noise.
2.Remove engine cover.
3.Locate both air supply hoses for jet air nozzles and metering oil pump
nozzles. Hoses are attached to the air duct located between the MAF
and throttle body. Disregard hose that attaches to the oil filler tube
4.Confirm noise is caused by jet air or metering oil pump nozzles by
temporarily pinching off air supply hoses using pliers.
5.No repairs should be attempted if noise is reduced or eliminated

its common, not a big deal


air pump R&R= 5 minutes

How common is it?

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...id=75647&stc=1



:cwm27:

.

Well I run nothing but 91 Octane . The wife put 87 in it once so I know what that "PING" sounds like
And this does not sound like a predetonation ping.
Any way we will see what happens tomorrow.
Thanks for the info.

This sounds like the "High Pitched" constant noise the mechanic and I heard after we started the car for the first time today. He also said that was normal.
But that is not the noise I hear in the morning.
Do appreciate the info though.
It is very informative.

my noise only happens once right after i start it... whether the clutch is still in or out... its a very loud 'screech'... then it's gone. gonna take it up w/ my dealer.

Anyone else loosing air pumps? I had the air pump replaced in 02/2004 and now the current one is starting to squeal.

i just got the cel p0410 which is the air pump.. whats this goin to cost to fix and where can i buy the parts?

junk yard or Mazmart.

Paul is our sponsored vendor.

I would re-set the ECU and see if the cel re-occurs.

It's only for emission purposes so it has to be fixed before smog.

+1 for Paul @ mazmart.

i'm suprised that the air pump would fail so early..essentailly i can see that one of the three internal bearings could go or that an internal "blade" could have gotten a tad cocked and rub the housing initially until it seats back in the slots...

The motor went on mine. Would blow the 60A fuse immediately when it was switched on.

i have this same squeak noise as well. Also on cold startups i also get a noise that is noticably louder and lasts about 30 seconds.....i would like to know what that is. It kinda sounds like a cappuccino machine inside my engine bay..... mmm coffee

I get a strange sound on cold mornings too. Not a squeak, more like a high-pitched hum. After less than 30 seconds its slows to a halt. Similar to the noise cartoon rebots make when that get shut down. That BEEEEeeeeoooo noise. I live in the coldest state the car has ever been in so I've only ever heard it this last winter. Hasn't presented any problems though.

I am getting the CEL code for the air pump too. I'm catless, you guys think I should remove it or just leave it?

if your catless, you don't need it. i'd leave it, unless you're bored and want to remove it. you'll need to get a block off plate to cover the air pump inlet to the manifold.

emissions are 8yr-80K miles....air pump...
 

Look at the list of parts that are covered under warranty....towards the bottom.

http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/warr95fs.txt

Just a FYI. There are two bearings (ENGLAND NMB 608S) in the motor and can be changed in about a hour. The brand/ part number of the bearing I used is NSK 608VVC3 and cost $8 each.

Does the motor pop open easily? I haven't looked at it beyond what is visible with it in the car. I may looking at doing this in the coming weeks, esp when the bearings are so cheap.

Question:

This may be apples and oranges, but how many of you are running aftermarket intakes?

Mazda actually put out a TSB about airpump failure on the FD Rx-7.

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1262724078

Not really comparing Apples with Apples...

The RX-8 Air Pump is Electric...all previous rotaries use a mechanical belt/engine driven vane pump.

Not the same.

Not to mention, unlike older RX, the air pump works only at start up.

he DID say its probably apples to oranges lol. dont give him a hard time.

i will note that after i removed my air pump it reduced engine bay noise a lot...

Did you block yours off? I may just unplug mine, it whines like a banshee at startup.

yep my obx header came with a block off so im like.. why waste it? lol

Ah hah! Header time!!

i have one for sale :P

I didn't realize the Rx-8 airpump was 100% electric. FD airpump was mechanical but with a clutch. FC and previous air pumps were belt driven and ran all the time, dumping the extra air back to the air cleaner when the air pump isn't needed.

yea the 8's air pump is 100% electric, Thats why it always have that high pitch "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" sound at start up :)

It's not too bad. I'll try to explain it from memory. just don't jump on me for poor spelling and poor grammar. :)

Remove pump from car:

Take pump apart:
Remove the five clips that hold the filter and pump together.
Remove filter from pump
Remove the nut that holds the pump to the motor axle.
Remove the pump parts IN ORDER......DO NOT MIX UP OR REVERSE THE PARTS
Remove two screws (T-20 bit) from motor end housing.
Remove motor from plastic housing (To seperate motor from plastic housing I tapped on the top of plastic housing with a rubber mallet.)

Take the motor apart:
Remove the end plate that holds the bearing closest to the pump. (The end plate is pressed secure with four tabs, and it will take some time to straighten the tabs.)
Pop out bearing and replace with new one. (odds are this is the bearing that is ruined.)

If the other bearing is OK you can put the motor and pump back together.

Replace the second bearing:
On the sides of the motor housing there are four tabs bent inwards . straighten the tabs out with a screwdriver.
Remove the white plastic part that holds the brushes and black plastic connector.( Remove the white and black plastic parts as if they were one piece)
Remove the armature and spring.
Pop out bearing and replace with new one.

Oh, Before resembling clean everything except bearings with electrical cleaner

I think that is it.

mine went out a few months ago... went from a slightly annoying whine to a really freaking loud whine over the course of a few weeks. Dealer replaced it under warranty.

if your engine serpentine drive belt is not tightened fully to spec it will squeal on startup and then stop as it starts to get warm and grabs, which is fairly quickly

My air-pump is on a shelf in my garage...
I have no cat to feed air to...

^ +1

so you dont need the damn air pump?? what does it do exactly? i would like to remove it if i can. Could someone post a pic and circle where it is in engine bay thanks for answering newb questions in advance.