"AT" Light Came On - WTF is that?
 

So today has been an interesting day. I decided to take the RX8 out today for a little joy run down a curvy highway coming back from a job interview. I feel the car has been running slightly sluggish recently, and I was also out of gas...so I filled up with super to about 15 gallons and put in stp fuel injector cleaner and octane booster. Did the interview, turned around, and started heading back...
NOW this is where I started having issues. It is an automatic 4 speed with option MT mode, so I was cruising around this highway in 2nd and 3rd gears pushing it around turns, having fun, and then BOOM this "AT" light appears on my dash. I come up to a stop light, turn off the car, and turn it back on. Light is gone. Yippee right? Well, I throw it back into manual mode and didnt make it far before the damn light came back on again. So next light I came to, I turned off the car, turned it back on, and the light was gone. I left it in automatic and granny'd it home, and now am writing this post. WTF is the "AT" light? Is it the oil cooler or something? I can't find much with the search on this. Does it being 101F out have anything to do with it? I have a CEL of P0037, could that be causing this? (I know what I need to do to fix CEL already)

It's the "whoa, you got an auto tranny, so take it easy dude" reminder light :D:

(just kidding... no idea about the light)

What year is it (04/05) and how many miles? Also when was the last time the ATF was changed out?

the CEL is a problem with your O2 sensor. do you have a manual?

2nd and 3rd the torque converter doesnt lock up so the fluid would heat up. probably its telling you your transmission is overheating.

check transmission fluid for any burnt smell and the color. should be pink.

Owner's Manual
 

Page 5-42 of your Owner's Manual....
What? You don't have one?

Here:

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/pdf/...2005RX-8OM.pdf

Thanks Pete! The vehicle actually didn't come with an owners manual so this is great.

The car is an '04 w/ 63k miles on it. I haven't had a chance to get a transmission flush on this yet since I bought it, would that help relieve the AT light issue? Or is it solely based on ambient temps and how hard I am pushing the tranny?

On a side note, I feel like the vehicle doesn't have the top end power it should...and I see everyone referencing new plugs/wires/coils for around $300....but what do you recommend? Are certain plugs/wires/coils better than the stock ones, and should I get those instead?

One last thing, the stupid driver's side visor just popped and broke on me...and it looks like this is a fairly normal thing. In fact, when I ran a VIN check on this car the drivers side visor had been replaced 4 times already. Mazda will not replace it for free, they want to charge me $170 for a new crappy visor that is going to break...not including "install" either. How do people alleviate this visor issue? Do they just not use it for fear it will break? Are there aftermarket visors designed not to suck? I would be willing to invest in one....as the current one is hanging down impeding my vision.

Thanks!

ATF? Auto-tranny fluid? Not sure what "ATF" is. Still learning all the acronyms for this vehicle, as well as all the new lights. Never owned a sports car before, so some of these I have never seen (like the low tire pressure light for example (_!_) had never seen that in my life)

Edit- Ok, after reading the manual provided by Pete,
"This warning light stays on for a few seconds when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position. The light illuminates when the transmission has a problem."
This is a pretty weak explanation of what this light is signifying. Is a solenoid going bad? Or was the tranny just to hot? Is the AT light registered as a CEL I can check? I think this is very unclear and needs some light shined on it.

ATF is Automatic Transmission Fluid. As for the light - it could mean a multitude of things going wrong with the transmission. Has it been taking longer to shift in automatic? Check your ATF (the fluid) and let us know what color it is.

shifts have been sluggish....I will flush the tranny and let you know what color and smell I get out of it.

read the WHOLE THING!! it continues on the next page:wallbash: forf$%k$ake!

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1281142869

hmm, i also have this problem after my rebuild. found some leaks, but fixed those and it still comes in and out. there's a host of other problems with mine too, but i wont drag the OP too far off topic.

OP, do you have any leaks?

By any chance do you have any codes available to provide?
Chasing down electrical gremlins are a bitch.