Citrik

What's up everyone? I just recently purchased an 04 off a former member here. I've browsed these forums relentlessly for the past few months in preparation for my ownership, and I'm excited to join the club. The car has roughly 133000 on the clock, and aside from a couple issues, runs like a dream. I bought it with the intention of making it a little project/hobby of mine, and can't wait to start going broke with it.

Some of the issues with it include:

-Fluctuating idle at times, almost seems like it wants to just shut off, though it hasn't yet (knock on wood)

-Steering wheel controls don't work, as well as no horn and an airbag light.

-Grinding of gears when shifting to 4th or 5th in high RPMs, and also when downshifting from 6th to 5th.

-Needs some slight paint work done on the back bumper.

-I have the famous radiator light cussing at me every so often when pushing it.

-Might have to get the upgraded starter. Mine take a couple seconds to start up.

The guy before me had the engine replaced with a 2007 version, and apparently the steering wheel controls went out during/after that process. Doing some research here, some have suggested that the clock spring in the hub of the steering wheel might be the culprit. Problem is, I have no idea where to find one for the 8. Does anyone have experience with that part? Would it be something that I could do myself?

I'm gonna try to tackle all these issue one by one, so then I can start focusing on the fun stuff. But after having a close call with a dummy driving an RV the other day and with no horn to use, I decided that would be my first focus.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

u called those "couple of issues" ?

- Engine and/or Throttle body having issue.
- Wiring problem and ... u might want to check to see if the airbag has been deployed before + check the connector under the seats.
- Tranny going south
- paint
- overflow bottle needs replacment. or simply unplug the connector and check ur coolant level every so often
- Need a newer starter, or refer to answer #1

The previous owner is an idiot then, cuz if someone replaced my engine then my Steering wheel controls went dead, I will bitch and tell them to ******* fix it. You can fix it yourself, but chasing down wires is a bitch to do (sometimes I get pissed chasing down wires on my FC so I know how **** off it could be)

First thing u might wana check is ur Airbag. Cuz your life depends on it.

Citrik

Yeah, like I said that whole clock spring issue will be the first thing I get checked out. Just gotta find some more info on it. It seems like the most likely issue, as I'm under the impression it controls the cruise control, horn, airbag, etc. I checked the connectors already, so that's not the problem.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Citrik- Sorry I didn't get back to your PM... I was clearing out my inbox and accidentally deleted your's.
Be careful when dealing with the clock spring.
There are specific steps when removing, installing, and inspecting it.
Its good to have a copy of the Service Manual handy for such occasions:
http://isomerica.net/~fluffy/Ren/RX8%20FSM/

If you decide to inspect the clock spring, refer to the 'Safety' document in the link above, starting on page 118

Citrik

Trust me, I wasn't even gonna touch the thing without someone else there with me. As of right now though, I have no idea where to even get a clock spring to start with, short of going to the dealership. Any ideas on that? Tried doing a Google search but nothing of interest seemed to come up. Thanks for the link to the Service Manual, by the way.