JRichter

Yep this is what the problem was with mine. Dealer said they have replaced this part in quite a few RX-8's. Too bad I waited till the temp dropped to 1 degree to get it repaired. Oh well the loaner car is nice and warm...

Rasper

Just bought a red 04 GS and I love it except for the heating problem. Mine seems to heat up properly but any attempt to turn the heat down a bit seems to cause a steady stream of cold air. I have found that if I turn the heat control **** counter clockwise then turn it back to full heat it comes back to hotter.

mlx8

I've had a similar problem with the heat or cold occasionally remaining "stuck" in one position or another. Rotating the temperature control **** back & forth several time so far seems to get the heater to change temperature for hot to cold or vice versa, but modulation of temperature remains a guess at best. I've complained to the dealership twice so far, but all I've been able to get from the service department is the "We were unalbe to duplicate the problem" therefore no fix.

Even when (I assume) I've managed to talk the heater into "high", when it's really cold outside, the heater (as does the AC for that matter) doesn't really seem up to handling outside temperature extreems, hot or cold, all that well. IMO the HVAC system on the car doesn't seem to be the most robust arround.

Next time in I'll try Fray's suggestion.

Razz1

Try checking your radiator fluid. make sure it's full or you will blow cold air. Also I hope the mixture is correct.

If your in Minnesota or Canada or something similar you should know the tricks.

A pc. of corrugated box with a four holes in front of radiator/oil coolers will work.

It's not that cold yet. But the 8 take a real long time to warm up.

VOODOO8

Here is the US there was a TSB that went through to replace malfunctining AC amplifiers. Had mine done and AC output did improve, especially at lower vehicle speeds or when stuck in traffic. Check out this link for info on the TSB:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ins_index.html.

Raptor75

Well it's the next winter and the temp just hit 15 degrees today and I was reminded that my heater sucks. 20 minutes to blow warm air. When I hard accelerate the air becomes hot but goes back down with normal driving. I'm wondering if I have a stuck open thermostat? Thanks to Mazda's idiot gage for temperature I can't tell what is really going on with the temperature.

Looks like I'll have to set up an appointment after the holidays.

rddragoness

When it hits 40 or below.......i always go out crank her up, set the heat at 2, turn on the seat warmer and go back inside for a few minutes. Car is usually nice and toasty when I come out. Was 19 this morning, in N AL. did the same thing,,,,,no problems.....

Raptor75

I have also heard that the temp gauge becomes very numb in the middle and will only show movement under significant temperature change. Ask yourself if you have ever seen the gauge move once the car was warmed up.

ULLLOSE

iTrader: (1)

We started having problems with the temp control in our car, so I finally took it in for the recall and that.

According to the work order they replaced the "heater control valve" and all works perfect now.

stevej119

My fiance's '04 RX8 went into the dealership last week because she couldn't get her heater to work at all. The repair order states:

CUSTOMER STATES HEATER NOT WORKING, COLD AIR ONLY
TEST TESTING/DIAGNOSIS $92.00
SOP WE HAVE SPECIAL ORDERED THE NECESSARY PARTS FOR THIS REPAIR
1 FE04-61-540 AMP.,CONTROL $605.00
DIAGNOSED A/COND AMP FAILURE, ORDERED PART. LABOR TO INSTALL WHEN PART ARRIVES $92.00

Can anyone tell me what the A/C amplifier does and how it would affect the heater?

I tried turning the temperature *** all the way to off and back to full heat and, voila, heat came through the vents. I then crawled under the dash and looked at the air-mix actuator while rotating the temperature **** and indeed it only does extremes. Sometimes I have to rotate the **** back and forth a few times before the actuator moves and the heater begins to flow. Rotating the **** toward cool in any increment, though, always instantly results in a change from hot to cold air.

This seems to me like the same problem fray is talking about. What I'm wondering, though, is why the dealer told my fiance she needs a new A/C amplifier (which they made her pay for it in full up front before ordering it).

This website is great! I wish I had found it before the car was taken in to the dealer.


Thanks for any help/suggestions.

Steve

savedsol

Steve, I'm guessing you're out of warranty then with all those $$$ on there.

I just bought my 8 this weekend and it's got the same issue - sometimes the heat works sometimes not. The first time I turned it on I heard a sound like liquid moving around. I'm guessing the AC was coming on. Oh well. Still have another 6 months on the warranty so I'll take her in this week.

Remyngton

Liquid moving around, that's exactly what I heard a couple of weeks ago. I wondered what it was but didn't pay it much mind. Now the heater is acting up like everyone is describing. It is either 1 of the 2 extremes, hot or cold, and is only hot for a short period then starts blowing cold air. I need some fix it yourself help as I'm not under warranty anymore and don't want to spend $700+ on the heater. Any more ideas?

zoomalot

Does anyone know if improvements have been made to the HVAC system for the 2009 models?

Remyngton

No help huh? Anyone?

2tone

iTrader: (3)

have the same problem; and i think i made it worse. i started having that only super cold/only super hot problem. and the move-from-one-extreme-to-the-other-and-back-and-back etc. to actually get it to change from hot to cold or vice versa. so one day i got really frustrated with it not changing and yanked hard on the ****, not it just spins!! damnit. it's cold now, can't get it to even blow hot air. it'll spin around loosely until i reach a certain point, then it will still spin but with a little more resistance. i broke something, but sounds like i had bigger problems control unit or whatever. bad news is my car is out of warranty now, so i just bundle up if it's cold out!!

deputydog

Just bought my 8 on Saturday from Austin Infiniti. I havn't taken delivery yet becuase the heater doesn't work. Their techs tried to diagnose it and have installed a new battery as well as a heater control unit and it still doesn't work. I went in yesterday and had the salesperson call Mazda which is a 1/2 mile down the road. The car is a 2004 with 32000 miles and Mazda said it has a 4 year 50000 warranty still, which should be up in September. They are taking the car to Mazda to "figure it out."

I've had the last few days to read alot more about these cars and some things have me worried. Engine problems, oil usage, heat problems etc. Am I getting into a lemon here? I love the car and I want to autocross it this summer. I am an old Honda Tuner but I was sick of front wheel drive.

View car at http://www.austininfiniti.com/preownedinventory.cfm
Click pre owned, mazda, rx8. Thats my silver baby.
Carfax report is here:http://www.carfax.com/cfm/ccc_Displa...FE173040110649

Everything looks good, and I regeisterd with Mazda and it shows no recalls. What should I have the Mazda Dealer look at while it is there?

Oh, Im putting up with the hastle becuase they let me drive an 05 G35 Sedan 6 Speed GT for the time being. Dam nice car but a little heavy.

Any advice for a noob would be appreciated. I love the site and most of you guys seem to know what your talking about.

deputydog

Does the mazdausa site list any needed recalls for my vin? I registered it there and it shows non needed but I dont see on the carfax report that any were ever done.

Im thinking I should get that extended warranty that Infiniti wanted to sell me.

deputydog

Spoke to the dealer and they said all the recalls have been performed and are documented. Trying to get a printout from them.

They also said my powertrain goes to 9/2010 or 60k miles.
Rest of the car warranty expires in 09 of this year so Im good.

This is a great forum and goes back to the beginning of the car. I feel alot more comfortable having this place to look to for answers and info. Keep up the good work.

deputydog

Dealer is replacng my heater control board. Is this a common issue with 8's and something that should probably be a recall?

Next the Infiniti dealer is going to have a guy fix the curbing damage on the rims. Im not sure how he fixes it but the curbing is on all 4 and Im thinking of asking them to just buy me some new rims for my troubles.

Any suggestions on rims from Discount Tire or NTB that are light enough and a decent price? I have brand new tires on the stock rims now. Not sure of size as the car isnt in front of me.

I was looking at the MB Wheels Weapon which is 170 each and around 21 pounds. I would hate to spend 350-400 per wheel to keep the weight low.

mattjet

Dudes! I just bought my 8 a month ago. After two weeks, when the coldest weather hit, my heat went away. At first it came back after i turned the **** back and forth a few times but soon it went away forever. Gave the dealer a call and brought the car in. Mechanic had a look and he's clueless. (by the way, this isn't a mazda dealership. small family dealership that sells pretty nice cars.) Anyway they have no idea whats wrong but the guy already told me that my warranty doesn't cover it. (??????????wow!!!!!) So in order to help the mechanic out i copy/pasted some of the messages from this threat suggesting that there is a problem with the heater core unit. Faxed them over a few pages today and now????...........silence...........

Dude hasn't called me back yet, i figure i'll wait a day before calling the guy again. Any suggestions??

HiTMaNN

Matt what year is your 8 and how many miles does it have?