What else to do while I have the radiator/airbox/bumper off?
 

Going to be pulling the radiator to change out a cooling fan and was curious what else I should consider doing while I'm in there. Bumper will be off, air box out, battery tray out, etc.

Any maintenance/tune up items that are easily accessible at this stage of disassembly?

Thanks!

Just off the top of my head:

1. Clean and paint under the battery tray if you have been using flooded-cell batteries and they have leaked or sloshed at all.

2. Clean and paint with anti-rust paint the oil lines and fittings for the oil coolers. That may help them last a while longer as they are prone to rusting and leaking.

3. Polish and clearcoat the headlights if they are yellowing.

4. Replace the undertray with a solid aluminum one. RX8performance and LRB Speed make them, I bought the LRB Speed and it fit great.

5. To improve cooling seal around the radiator after you get it and the undertray installed.

6. Also seal between the edge of the fan shroud and the radiator to maximize cooling.

7. If your 8 is pre-2007, install a Racing Beat debris screen or get a 2007-up factory screen.

8. If the budget allows, replace the radiator with an aluminum one. If yours is stock and old enough you may crack the little neck off the top anyway.

Wow, very helpful!!!!! Here are some other thoughts I had but don't know if they are worth doing:

1. Oil cooler air flow mod
2. Clean power steering connectors? I don't have any issues with my EPS but curious if this is worth doing as a preventative measure?
3. Thermostat replacement? Again, mine is fine but wondering if this should be done (or upgraded to a lower temp thermostat) as my car just reached 75k miles
4. Full flush/clean-out of stock radiator (if I can manage to remove without breaking it)? I.e. pressurized water flush while it's out of the car
5. Anything relating to the intake manifold?
6. Anything relating to the SSV or other valves?
7. Any hoses/lines to be replaced?

Thank you all!

More opinions:

0. I forgot the most obvious: Replace the hoses. If the coolant light has been coming on replace the tank too.

0.5 To get the hoses off the rad without breaking the little neck, use a razor blade to carefully slit the hose then peel it off the neck.

1. If you mean making the slots in the fender liner bigger, yes.

2. You'll have to pull the upper ones apart to get the radiator/fans out so might be a good time to inspect and clean. Make sure everything is sparkling-clean before sticking them back together, and make sure they are firmly-seated. There was anecdotal information years ago from several people that coolant spewing from the overflow hose was getting on the EPS and connectors and causing corrosion and failure. I put a longer hose on the overflow tank and routed it away from the EPS.

3. Wouldn't hurt to replace the thermostat as preventative maintenance since the system is drained and hoses are off. Stick with the stock 'stat, IMHO.

4. You might still find a radiator shop that can hot-tank it (can you hot-tank a plastic/AL radiator?), or you can use a hose and reverse-flow it. But stock new radiators aren't expensive and it would be cheap insurance to just replace it. The plastic gets brittle with age and heat.

5. Intake: Clean the accordion hose if you have any oil from the filler neck breather. (If you do, get a catch can and plumb it in-line.) Might clean the MAF and TB too.

6. I checked the SSV operation while I was in there just by manually rotating it. It was fine.

7. Replace as many hoses as you can. I did radiator, reservoir, and heater hoses. I didn't do the TB heater hoses because I'm too scared/lazy to pull the UIM to get at the one hose.

BTW if you ever do any autocrossing, HPDE, or other track days and haven't already, join MAZDASPEED Motorsports and get all these stock parts at dealer cost. For HPDE's you just have to submit the receipt for the event.

thank you sir!