I AM THE RED WORM

hey guys, newe here and I just wanted to know if its normal that even though that the oil is above 1/2 way full ... is it normal hat during starting up in the morning that it would just turn on ... whowing that I need oil? thanks

RX8 Brunei

i hardly understand you. what actually do you mean?

Gomez

You have a problem with the oil level switch. This is a common problem on very early RX-8's. Get your dealer to fix it for you. The switch is located on the oil sump at the bottom of the engine.

Cheers,
Gomez.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

Perhaps yours is one of the earlier built cars that had a defective level sensor.

There was a recall for these cars, a new sensor comes with a redesigned oil pan.

S

Delmeister

I have an early build machine and the oil light comes on when the level is at about the half way mark. But it only lasts for about 15 minutes. It hasn't ocurred when the oil level is above or below this sensitive area. I am aware of the TSB to remedy this but when I spoke to the dealer about it, he said the problem had to be demonstrated before he could fix it. There is almost no chance of that happening.

zoom44

red worm maybe you should make the OIL LEVEL FULL? are you possibly looking at the guage on the dash and saying its over half way? if so maybe instead of looking at the OIL PRESSURE GAUGE on the dash for oil level you should believe the LOW OIL LEVEL LIGHT, CHECK THE DIPSTICK for oil level AND MAKE IT FULL.

the redesigned pan has nothign to do about when sitting still - it has improved baffles to keep the oil from sloshing away from the sensor while moving.

alcimedes

yeah, my understanding was the old oil light problems would occur if the car was driven for an extended period with the rpm's right around 3.8 to 4.2k. I've never heard of the oil light coming on when the car first starts. (aside from actual problems with the oil level/pressure)

I AM THE RED WORM

sorry for my 1st post... I was using a laptop and the mousepad kept on jumping.

Thanks everyone for their comments and help.

Ok, I am a noob. I guess I was refering to the oil gauge on the dash ... and its above half way full. Is that suppose to be all the way FULL?

I'll check the dipstick to actually see if im low on oil, because the oil light icon keeps turning on during morning starts, when I am driving, and I also noticed when I am on a decline hill.

I AM THE RED WORM

BTW, the car has already been to the dealer for the "oil" recall ... and I have an appointment with them, but next week.

Gomez

zoom was right. The gauge on the dash is an indication of oil PRESSURE.

The dipstick is the only true indicator of oil LEVEL. If your oil light keeps coming on, then you are very low on oil.

You are aware that this engine is designed to burn oil as a normal part of its operation???? You need to check the dipstick for oil level regularly. Read up about this in your owners manual.

Gomez.

alcimedes

Yeah, if you're reading the oil pressure guage, it's usually two ticks past the midpoint. As long as that's steady, life is good.

If the oil light is coming on when you're starting up, you're dangerously low on oil. Check it now.

I AM THE RED WORM

ok thanks guys... wow, I really didnt know that that was a oil pressure gauge, but I thought it was a oil level gauge. Lesson to be learned.

so, after my post I decided to check the dip stick, and low & behold ... the oil level was below "LOW" ... I played hooky at work and I went straight to my mechanic and made sure they changed the oil and put 5W-20 in it.

Thanks guys, I guess I should read the manual, I've been driving the car for about 2 weeks now ... and I did read that the Rx-8 burns oil quickly, specially during hard driving.

Thanks everyone for their input.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

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RotrDoc

It gets a bit more complicated, even. I've noted numerous comments on this net that the "gauge" is actually just a glorified "idiot light" that says either "oil pressure is normal" (needle just over half way) or "oil pressure is gone" (needle pegged on zero). (I don't know for sure, Gomez can probably give an authoritative answer on that.)

I do know that if the "gauge" ever drops to zero, you are in deep trouble and need to get help immediately ("help" being a quart of oil to dump in yourself, not a mechanic to do an oil change).

My car (Summer 2003 build), occasionally lights the red oil icon for a few seconds, usually at high load or speed, if I've let the level drop significantly (more than half). Sort of an early warning.

Always carry a quart of 5W-20 with you. You may only need to top off every month or so, but the right oil is sometimes hard to find out on the road, and it's very reassuring to have it when you need it.

alcimedes

On average, you need to add oil every other time you fill the gas tank up, but you should check it every time to be sure. From what I've see, the RX8 has a 1.8q difference between Full and Low on the dipstick, so you've got a wide range that's "acceptable" for the oil in the car. Of course, if you're constantly flogging the car at 9k it will probably burn through faster. And if you just got the oil changed, you should check it when you get home. I've heard stories of a number of fast lube places screwing up the amount of oil to put into a rotary engine.

As far as the oil gauge goes, almost every single oil gauge is an idiot light now, they don't measure actual oil pressure. It's been that way for years. As long as its solid, you should be good.

The fact that you're willing to check the oil from here on out and haven't bitched about cars in this day and age shouldn't burn oil damnit! leads me to believe that you may make an excellent rx8 owner.

edit: oops, that's 1.8 quarts, not liters... yikes.

I AM THE RED WORM

actually the shop I took it to wasnt a Easylube, or Jiffy lube ... I've been a customer there for a 2+ years and they take care of me ...

I just read the post, so I ran outside and checked it ... the oil level is at the top fuel mark ... but not over it. I did read in the manual that I should check my oil level every 2nd time I pump gas ...

Thanks everyone. I'll make sure I keep a quart in my trunk for the future.

Thanks for the compliment... i will treat her as if she were my own chiild.

Gomez

Spot-on. I thought about including that info but decided to stick with the basics in this case!!