So I overheated the car but I figured it was because it was 113F outside I had the AC on blast and I was going up a hill at a slow speed. I noticed that the temp gauge looked a little off and I started watching it and sure enough it raises another tick mark. Shut the car off and I come to a stop and even though the car is off the needle went about 3/4 of the way up.
So I let the car cool off for 10 mins and and I checked the oil for coolant in the oil and smoke out the tailpipes and nothing.

So Fast forward till today. Up until now I haven't had a problem with the car. I've been running my OBD2 Wifi dongle to watch the coolant temp and its around 215-220 cruising around town. So I figured it was fixed. I went to a drift event today and I let me body take the first lap well when we pulled back to the pit what we thought was smoke from tires was actually coming from the motor. The temp gauge was maxed out. Not good. The car barfed coolant all over the ground and we got to cool off in about 5 mins. Found that it had a bad radiator cap so I replaced it and drove it around town and it was now running around 205-215F with the outside temperature at 105F outside and the ac on. Well now I'm freaking out because I know the coolant seals are super sensitive. I've checked the oil and it doesn't look like the coolant is leaking into the oil. No smoke out the tailpipes either. I'm doing an oil change tomorrow even though its been 800 miles since I've done it so I can see if the coolant is leaking in. I just want to see from everyone if these motors are really as fragile as everyone says or if I just got really freaking lucky. Any advice would help thanks.

 

The coolant wouldn't really go into the oil. It's not like a headgasket on regular cars where the fluids start mixing immediately. The coolant seals primarily keep the coolant inside the engine and out of the combustion chamber.

What you really want to look for is dropping coolant levels or lots of white smoke from the tailpipe on cold start.

 

Oh I must have misunderstood. I could have swore I saw somewhere on here that it starts mixing into the oil. So there's nothing I can do right now to see if it's done? Just keep driving it until I notice white smoke or if the coolant level keeps dropping?

 

Pull your plugs and look for coolant in the housings.

 

You can also get the oil tested

 

Alright guys so tomorrow I'm doing an oil change and checking the housings but some extra symptoms for you... I got a CEL, code P0420 to be exact and I have zero power anymore. First gear pulls feel like 3-4 gear now. Pretty bummed out.

 

P0420 is usually a bad cat.
Check it, gut it if it's bad, or get a midpipe.
Bad ignition components kill cats.

 

I'm pretty sure I've blown a hole through it. I'll check it tomorrow. Ignition has about 12k Miles on it. Not fresh but not old.

 

If it's bad when you pull the plugs they will look wet.

you can crank it over with the ess disconnected and the two lower plugs removed, hold a paper towel up to the plug holes it'll help confirm.

You say the ignition is new, does that include plugs coils and wires?

How long was the ignition failing before you replaced it?

I would also suggest a midpipe for the reason BigC stated also that bad cats kill engines.

Travis

 

I'll check the plugs tomorrow. I honestly don't think it blew the coolant seals because the coolant level hasn't dropped at all. I'll confirm tomorrow. I will go with a racing beat midpipe if its done. I will not spend 1200 on a factory cat.

I replaced coils,plugs, and wires 12k miles ago. Have no idea about the service history before that. I just replaced them after I bought the car. All i know is that the engine factory warranty expired a week ago. Maybe I can convince them to fix it still. Not holding my breath.

 

Get a compression test

 

Also be sure if it has a hole that no pieces are lodged in the exhaust.
On mine just the front half broke up.

 

Alright guys so I've got some good news. Pulled the mid pipe and I found that half the cat was broken and in chunks. So clogged cat. So I dumped it all out and now it pulls just like it did before. Also pull the spark plugs out and they were bone dry. So it looks like coolant seals are intact. Have a appointment at Mazda for a compression test. Should I take it in or do you think the car is fine.

 

Take it in anyway, clogged cats can damage the engine.
I really should get mine checked, but it's been running good for over 2 years since mine failed.
I have the BHR midpipe.
If you find out it's failing while it's still running good, you still have time to decide what to do.

 

Good luck on your evaluations. My overheating resulting In replacing a radiator,hoses etc.but in less than 16 months the problem recurred. Im filling coolant everyday, new mechanic ran hydrocarbon check = " bad engine". I give up. my 08 lasted 166k

 

You mean a lot a 2008 RX8 at 166k miles? its actually not that bad...

 

My 2006 RX-8 will start to overheat when I'm in stop and go traffic and when I accelerate hard. It hasn't gone over 215 because I have the app that works with my OBD. When warming up you can hear the fans come on for about 5 seconds and then off. When you stop after driving and the temperature is 179F the fans are not turning. Also under normal driving on the freeway it will run around 179 to 185F.
Thanks.

 

When it gets to 215, are both fans running full speed?

Have you read the stickies? https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tro...o-i-do-258334/

We are not mind readers. How many miles? What mods? What maintenance? Condition of catalytic converter?

 

i blew a hole in my radiator on my rx8 and after i changed it now i have fluids coming from my spark plugs. any idea im at a loss?

 

Did it overheat when you blew the rad? Because there's really only one way fluids enter the combustion chamber and that's a blown seal.

 

Yes I blew the radiator. After it was replaced it had the fluid n the plugs. And I've got my mechanic telling me to scrap it.

 

I was asking if it overheated. If it did then highly likely you blew the engine. So. If you want a different answer than "scrap it" please provide more information.

 

I mean, if it's that bad then you will be burning coolant very quickly, so very fast coolant loss and a ton of white smoke out of the exhaust.

Which fluid are we talking about here, exactly?

 

Wait, did you drive the car around with a hole in the radiator?

If so, can I ask what you expected would happen?