Need Expert Help A to Z
 

Hi, I bought my first Rx-8 a week ago because I got a really good deal, but she needs some tlc, so hopefully you guys can help me...

Specs:
2004 Renesis
Automatic
120k (claimed to be original motor, bahahah)

When I test drove the car: motor was quiet, power steering did not work(cluster light was on), tire pressure light was on(after market wheels/tires), airbag light was on(?). But by the time I got that night: the the coolant light would randomly go on and off(Bad sensor), oil light would randomly go on and off, and the engine was making a slight chirping sound. Turns out the car was three quarts low on oil, so I decided to do an oil change today(This is where it gets interesting). After changing the oil (10w 30 Full sythetic/ wix filter) I forgot to plugged the mass air sensor in, but after cranking for 10 minutes or so I figured it out. When I plugged the sensor back up and turned the key, the whole electrical system in the car shorted out(I initially thought blown fuze), but I reconnected the sensor and the car started fine. Then as I was pulling out I noticed the power steerin had started working!?!?, but the check engine light had now came on. Auto zone code said it was the Mass air sensor.....Oh ya I noticed coolant in the air box and the tranny seems to surge into first and sometimes fourth or third gears.

?'s
1)The engine chirping...Good or Bad?
2)Power steering...Bad rack? Electrical?
3)Tranny surge...Something to be worried about?
4)Will the check engine light go away once the ecu realizes the sensor isn't bad.

Yes i'm a newb and I know this is a lot for one thread, but please don't flame me because I have done research. Thanks for any help...

?'s
1)The engine chirping...Good or Bad?
It's hard to tell, especially being at the keyboard and not at the car.

2)Power steering...Bad rack? Electrical?
There are two electrical connectors, for the steering, under the airbox tray. They probably had a bad connection.

3)Tranny surge...Something to be worried about?
I don't remember anything about the tranny in your post. Automatic tranny, do a fluid change. It may never had been done since new.

4)Will the check engine light go away once the ecu realizes the sensor isn't bad.
It may or you can go back to the parts store and have them reset it.

Finally, you didn't check the fluids before you bought the car?

Thanks for the reply. I checked the fluids before i bought it, but I didn't exactly give it the third degree. I had already reconnected the wires below the airbox just in case. The engine noise almost sounds more like a pulley, but i'm pretty sure its not. Maybe it's normal for rotary engines? I'll probably change the tranny fluid just to see what happens.

Turn the car on lastnight and check engine light was off, but power steering light was back and the power steering also didn't work????? Come on people, is that really all the feedback i'm gonna get?

I'm no expert but....................
Try searching.......all of your answer are pretty much on this site, just takes some more effort on your part.
Seems like you know about the coolant sensor, so you must have done some searching.
I'm not sure what the latest is with your car, but if I follow, then it appears that you have only two issues left?
Chirping and PS?

For the PS, did you just unplug and reconnect? In other words, did you clean them at all? I'm assuming you know they are the two gray connectors and where to find them? There are pictures on this site if you are unsure. When unplugged, use some contact cleaner on them, make sure they are dry, and make sure connection is solid when you plug them back in.
Some people have had to cut the connectors off and just hardwire to eliminate them, but you should definetly try cleaning them real good first.
2nd post in this thread has the pics. https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/power-steering-problems-water-damage-please-help-201685/

Chirping, not sure unless you can get a video with sound, it's gonna be hard to tell.
Does it happen all the time?
Vary in sound with RPM's?
You sure it's just not a belt?


So what else is still wrong?


I just re-read and you said you had coolant in the airbox? God, I hope not. Is that really true or was it oil?

Never heard of coolant in the airbox - not saying it's impossible, just sayin......


S

^........... not sure how it would get there! :SHOCKED:

I mean, I really only know of one possibility, but the car is running and not dead. :dunno:


It would be very bad though!


Did I mis-read it??????????????

Ya i have everything pretty much solved besides the chirping and the power steering. The pw seems to be electrical since it came back when the car shorted out and quit again at the same time the check engine light went off. Nothing i've found on the threads says anything that might tie all this together as something electrical(Relay, wiring harness??) I've done cleaned the gray plugs under the airbox, although they weren't dirty and there weren't any signs of coolant overflow. The engine "chirp" is actually more like a low whirring noise, I'm not even sure you would be able to hear it on a video, but it does correlative to the engine; the higher the rpm, the faster the noise....Yes, when i took the airbox off, there was a significant amount of green coolant in the tube (the tube that the mass air sensor plugs into) that runs from the airbox to the intake.

There is likely a correlation between the coolant in the airbox and the power steering problem.

Has it been that long that I have forgotten what the stock air box looks like?
How would coolant get in there....even if it was spraying all over the place?
I honestly don't remember the underside of the box being open at all.
I gotta ask again.......you sure this was coolant and not oil?
If it really was coolant in the airbox and acordian tube............how much was there and is you filter soaked?


I guess maybe it's time to ask this...................do you have the stock intake setup? If you're not sure, can you post a pic?

Is the chirp when you start the car, or all the time? Is it a sharp sound, like you stepped on a little bird? Is it only when you start, or all the time? Several have mentioned here that bad coils can chirp at start-up. I used to start with two chirps. When I changed coils, the chirp when away. Also, 2 of the coils had severe burn marks on the back (white spot) including matching spots on the mounting plate.

The folks above seem to have a handle on the coolant. Beats the heck out of me. Also, when you get a little farther along, I just posted all the stuff it took me a year to do with my 04. If this works right, the link is in my signature. Fix the other stuff first though.

Mike

^........he said it's there not just on start-up and varies with RPM. I originally of course suspected a belt and that's why I asked what I did. He confirmed at least to me it wasn't a belt by how he answered. Coils possibly huh....that interesting!

It still has the stock air box and the bottom is fully enclosed so it would be unlikely that the coolant would come through the bottom and even if it was possible, there actually isn't any coolant in the air box or on the filter(sorry for the misinformation), it's was only in the tube. Which would mean it had to come from the intake, but the car runs fine, doesn't miss, and doesn't overheat. About the noise, I probably shouldn't have used "chirp" Its more of a dull sound, almost what it would sound like if your were twirling a jump rope really fast and could hear it cutting through the wind. It makes the sound all the time and varies with the engine rev. I'm a bit of a debbie downer, so I keep expecting it to get louder and louder until it finally graduates into a full grown knock. I could take a video and pics if necessary, but tomorrow I plan on removing the airbox again and: 1) Cleaning the power steering plugs with wd 2) Checking the accordion tube for anymore coolant/oil and 3)possibly resetting the ecu just to see what happens. Thanks for all the help so far.

The noise you describe is likely tranny "rollover" noise.

Plasticookie, where do you live? Maybe you could try to go to an RX8 meet in your area and have the people there help you diagnose that whirring noise.

I live in Knoxville, Tn, sucks for me : \....But i did reclean the plugs and the mass air sensor. I also removed the the side walls in the air box. Here's something interesting, some genius had drove a nail in between the positive battery post and the cable clamp, I guess they didn't feel like fixing, but it was loose. So I took it off and put a hose clamp inside, like a sleeve per say, anyways the power steering is back ( for now) and all the dash warning lights are off. Now back to the noises. When I first started the engine this morning I noticed it was ticking, but it was barely noticeable because it was so quite. Ive concluded that in order for anyone to know what i'm talking about(whirring/chirping/futurama space car lol???) I would have to make a video, So....also, I really feel stupid, the accordion tube was filled with clean oil, not coolant, Whoops :slap:....One more question, is it normal to have oil residue in the exhaust?

Yes, it's normal to have a slight amount in the exhaust as this car burns oil by design.

Feel way better that it's not coolnat in the box, that's why I asked you sure it wasn't oil!
Oil is common there from overfilling.........search "catch can" after you get done with all else and see if you wanna go that route, or just make sure the oil is only topped off when needed and done the correct way. Not overfilled!

Eventually, go and get a new battery clamp. Your just begging for issues and this actually might have been the source of the PS issue.

Slight ticking.......I would say this is somewhat "normal" if it's kinda faint. I guess it could be a spark jumping, but not really sure. Now.........when you say the whirling, could you kinda say this sound remotely like a helicopter? If so, you might want to do a search using that term. I remember someone having it kinda go.....whoop, whoop, whoop.....like the blades of a copter.
For the sake of argument, since you removed the side walls in the airbox.........how many screens do you still have in the air intake tract......
None?
One?
Two?

You're making progress, don't give up yet!

Ya, I'm getting there alright lol. There is one screen left in the air box and I did look up the "signs of a blown engine" thread. Someone said that if the exhaust sounded comparible to a helicopter, that it could be the result of a blown apex seal. I hadn't really paid much attention, but my exhaust does resemble that sound, but once again it idles pretty smooth, accelerates well enough, and doesn't smoke/overheat. Maybe i'm just being paranoid???

I'm in Knoxville too, want to meet up and look at each other's car? I'll be at the Food Lion on Kingston Pike. and North Perter's Road. Or text 8653687040