I'm new to rotary's, please excuse me if I sound stupid...lol!

I just got my 8 about 2 months ago, and now the weather is down into the 50's. When I start my car (cold) in the morning, I am now noticing, for lack of a better word, a noise........that sounds like a drill..... The noise lasts for like 30 seconds, then quits. I usually warm for at least 2-4 minutes before driving. When I start the car "hot", such as after getting back in it at a store, etc the noise isn't there.

Is this normal, in the "colder" weather, or is this something I should be alarmed about?

Thanks!

 

Could be the air pump or something. Your RPMs should start a bit higher and stay higher longer on colder days as well... there's a few things they did to get the car to warm up to operating temperatures faster.

 

Yeah, sounds like the air pump to me. I would describe it as a high pitched whine that can be louder than the motor itself.

 

How expensive are those? LOL!

Thanks!

 

Why are you asking how much they are? That's just what they sound like.

 

just to get an idea if I have to replace it...

 

shouldn't be an issue, I know the sound your talking about and it's just a cold start thing that's all.

 

The air pump is basically used to heat the catalytic converter quicker.
It usually turns off before 60 seconds (depending on temps).
The pump however shouldn't make a whining sound.
This could be an indication that the pump is about to fail.
I've heard the whining sound on another RX8 so I think I know what you're talk about when you say it sounds like a drill.

If you are running with a mid-pipe/cat-delete then you don't need to worry about the pump.
In fact, you could just disconnect the wire harness so it doesn't run (some people also remove the whole pump).
But if you're running with a cat installed, not heating it like it should could result in early cat failure.

Can you take a video of the engine bay when you start the car so we can hear it?
It could very well be OK and you're not used to the sound of the pump.
We'll be able to tell you if the pump sounds bad or not.

 

i have a 2006 AT and i have been noticing when i start it up its fine to idle. WHen i first put it into gear i have been getting more vibration than normal(in gear and not moving). When i drive all vibration goes away. The longer i drive the less vibration i get when stopping. Is this just the weather making the engine do this?

 

Hmmmmmmmmm, so if I remove the air pump will I get a CEL?

 

^ yes.. i cleared mine with the accessport

 

my car does that to. just like what everone else said...its not a big deal at all just the car warming up.

 

My car won't turn over at all right now and I get a high pitched whining sound when I try to start, does that sound like a bad air pump?

 

I am having same problem ..my 2004 automatic/manual with almost 100000 miles won't start and air pump is whining loudly please help

 

Air pump noise would have nothing to do with not starting.

Does it crank over well, and just not fire up and run?....or does it crank slowly or not at all?