Mechanical Changes On RX-8 Series I to II
 

As a former Mazda Parts man I thought I would highlight some of the Mechanical/Internal changes between the Series I and Series II RX-8.

It may be boring to some, but I find it relevant, interesting and hopefully helpful.

Ash

CONFIRMED MECHANICAL CHANGES FOR SERIES II RX-8 2009~

Page 6 On-wards Shows the Parts Diagrams and Changes..-
Mechanical Changes On RX-8 Series I to II - Page 6 - RX8Club.com

All New Powertrain Control Module (PCM) with TEMPERATURE SENSOR newly added and built into the PCM, when ETC (Engine Compartment Temperature) reaches 230F or 100C with Ignition OFF, Medium Cooling Fans Switch ON.
New Larger Genuine Oil Filter and Repositioned On Front Timing Cover Housing To-wards The Sump (Left Hand Side). USE GENUINE 09 SERIES II OIL FILTER ONLY.
Revised Oil Filler and Dip Stick (Longer Type).
New EMOP "Electric Metering Oil Pumps" Two of them... Internal Oil Pressure in EMOP's is between 7.3 and 21.7 PSI (Used for the first time by Mazda)
New Design Oil Injection Nozzles 3 per Rotor Housing..Totalling 6.
New Oil Pump Assembly.
50% Higher Oil Pressure Rate at 100 oC (121oF) @3000 RPM...500 kPa {5.10 kgf/cm2, 72.5 psi} When compared to Series 1 RX-8.
New Oil Pressure Sensor (ONLY Located on #1 EMOP).
Larger Oil Pan Sump Capacity.
New Hex (8mm) Type Sump Drain Plug.
New Internal Oil/Sump Pan Magnet...(First Time Used In A Rotary Engine Since 1985 FC RX-7)
New External Silver Plate Engine Sump Guard.
New Inlet Manifold.
Revised Auxiliary Port Valves.
Revised 4 Fuel Injection Nozzles (2 Primary, 2 Secondary). (Series I six Port Engine had 6 FI Nozzles).
Revised Atmospheric Air Control Solenoid (Near Throttle Body)
New Fuel Pump.
New Radiator Core.
New Radiator Electric Fan Motors.
Revised Radiator Fans Speeds from 2 to 3 Speeds. (Low, Middle, High).
New Alternator.
New Starter Motor (14 Tooth Cog)
New Battery 80D26L. (80 AMP Hour) (Was 50D22L (50AH) or 75D26L (75AH) in Series I)
New Exhaust System.
New Air Conditioner Temperature Controller (Amplifier).
New Bridgestone RE050A's in 18" and 19" (R3).
New Manual Transmission (6 speed MX-5/Miata) (Reverse is now next to 1st gear not next to 6th gear).
New Differential Ratio (Manual).
New Differential Fixing Plate Washer on PPF (Power Plant Frame).
New Differential Mounting Bracket.
New Additional Alloy Cooling Fins (4) on Alloy Differential Cover Plate, Plus Deeper Set Cooling Fins.
Changed Throw Out Bearing (Thrust or Fork Bearing).
Revised Oil Coolers, Air Intakes and Oil Cooler Hose Lines.
Extra Rotor Knock Sensor (Now 1 per Rotor, Total Of 2).
New Water Pump/ New Timing Cover to suit.
New Water Pump Pulley.
New Water Pump "O" Ring as Gasket.
New Spark Plug Leads.
New Ignition Coil Backing/Mounting Plate (Now Ventilated)
New Alternator/Air Compressor Drive Belts.
Revised Eccentric Shaft (Crankshaft) Pulley.
Revised Oxygen Sensor (CAT).
Revised Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor (Exhaust Manifold).
New Air Pump Control Unit.
New One Piece Trans Tunnel Heat Shield (Previously Two Piece).
New Under Body Covers Reducing C Drag from 0.31 to now 0.30.
Larger Fuel Tank (5 litres extra or around a gallon).
New Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) Hydraulic Unit Control Module.
New Yaw Rate (or Combined Sensor) Sensor Unit.
New Rear Suspension Control Links (Rods) Upper/Lower and Trailing Ball Joint wrist area increased in Diameter/Size.
New Rear Stabilizer Bar. (R3)
New Rear Shocks And Springs.
New Rear Axles (Manual Trans) 3mm thicker diameter..
New Rear Suspension Knuckles.
New Rear Parking Brake Cables.
New ABS Wheel Sensors (All 4 Wheels).
Revised TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) US Only.
New Front Upper And Front Lower Suspension Arms (Wishbone).
New Front Steering Knuckles And Wheel Hubs.
New Front Stabilizer Bar.
New Front Shock and Springs.
New Dashboard Mounting Frame with Crossbar Bushings.
Revised Power Steering Control System Unit.
Revised Headlamp Auto Leveling Sensors.
Revised Air Bag Control Module.
New 3 Piece (Instead of 2) Strut Tower Brace (Manual Only), Auto's Retains Two Piece Tower Brace.
Revised Front and Rear Wheel Arch Splash Guards/Shields.
Thicker (Heavier Guage) Steel On The Two Front Strut Towers.
Additional Spot Weldings Around Both Door Openings For Increased Rigidity.
Stiffened Body Shell = Torsional (twisting) and Flexural (bending) Rigidity have been increased by 5.4 and 8.7 per cent respectively.
Auto's and Manual's both have 6 port engines, Max Power RPM (kw) has been limited to 7500 for Auto compared to 8200 RPM for the manual.

SEE FULL PART NUMBER LISTING FOR S2 ONLY PARTS..This link>https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...mplete-188306/

First there is a structural change to the engines oil filter.

The 09 RX-8 has approximately a 25% larger oil filter, the mounting/screw in face is the same but the oil filter body is longer by about 25%.

USE GENUINE 09 SERIES II OIL FILTER ONLY The Genuine S2 Oil Filter Has a much Higher By Pass Oil Flow Rating than ANY other equivalent. USE GENUINE 09 SERIES II OIL FILTER ONLY

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1228716331

USE ONLY Original N3R1-14-302 There are no aftermarket or other brand of correct OIL FILTER, Including Mobil, Fram, Bosch, NONE.

There is also a change to the engine sump and sump/oil draining plug, the drain plug washer remains the same.
#FS50-21-249 Drain Plug
#9956-41-40099 Gasket/Washer Drain Plug.

third oil injector, ppf on the other side. new tranny. is that the stuff that is going to be talked about?

btw, it that your car in the avatar? as i might be getting a 09 gt in white. maybe.. :)

beers :beer:

Yep it is my car in my avatar.

white is hot!!

do you guys get two oil coolers down under?

beers :beer:

ash.

could you send me an email? my screen name @ gmail.com.

you dont take pm. i have a couple of questions that would just be fodder here.

beers :beer:

are the services still 6 moths 10000km?

I got a ryco oil filter at the moment. from the parts chart it also fit a rx7 but couldn't remember the year. it was larger in diameter and taller. I change oil 3 or 4 times a year so oil filter life isn't such an issue.

I lot of things are different... even the aftermarket catback and even the sway bar backets have different numbers on the catalog.

It is a good thread ASH. I'm not sure if the foam crossmember would be worth doing. I think the foam could well improve noise by reducing vibrations but that would be the only handling difference and I think the difference would be minute. I'm sure Mazda would say it reduces "juddering" over ruts and therefore handling.

Back to the oil filter... cough.

All 13B using the same oil filter. I use the same oil filter that fit well for RX-7.

It does not make sense.

There have been a lot of neat changes on the new car including the new diff ratios and the number and type of fuel injectors. I heard the new oil filter may be a better filter. I will test it myself. What are you guys having to pay for that filter?

Paul.

I hate those type of bolts.

Is the oil filter in the same place?

I don't think we can fit a longer one to our exsisting 8's.

Is it longer to make it easier to grab and change?

Doesn't the RB oil adapter plate mount at the base? That means the filter would be hitting the fire wall so you couldn't use the RB adapter plate.

Oil filter options
 

Hi Guys

Sorry to jump in and hijack a thread, but as I am not out of warranty I plan on steering well clear of Mazda (lack of)service and OEM pricing.

RYCO filters have a selection that will fit an RX8 with various lengths

RX8 filter http://www.rycofilters.com.au/catalo.../RX8/part/Z436

Other filters identical except with varying lengths http://www.rycofilters.com.au/catalo...%09M20-x1.5-6H

CYA

Matt

The new 3rd Oil Injector is staggered in the center towards the spark plugs, the remaining 2 oil injectors are in the same position as before.

So, the 3 injectors are in a triangle position on each rotor housing.

Are the oil coolers actually larger? There was an early report that the oil coolers would be "taller" but maybe this was just referring to the front-end styling:

Taken from my Series II (see Avatar) the oil coolers are 240mm wide by 205mm tall, or 9 & 1/2 inches by 8 inches.
Lose about 20% because of actual air flow opening due to the vents styling.

Yes there are two oil coolers now for the Australian Spec (Auto and Manual).

At a guess I assume the coolers are about 20% larger than Series I.

Series-II Engine...

MOP changes - located on top of centre plate to suit additional (3rd) oil metering injector
Injectors - Pri2=400cc Sec=525cc
Sump - new baffling
Knock sensors - 1-per rotor
front timing cover - revised design
water pump - revised design
Oil pump - revised design
oil filter - relocated to front lower left corner
IGN coils - cant read the Kanji properly
Oil filler - Spout & dipstick revised design

Series-II chassis drivetrain

Front cross member - foam filled as per 07 run out models (40th Ann version)
LSD - Revised design
Gearbox - Revised design (aka NC MX-5)
Gear level - shorter throw
Wheel/tyre combo - 18" = 22.7kg - 19" = 21.4kg
Steering control arm - link assy raised 7.5mm
Underbody - additional paneling - CD reduction to "0.30"
Shocks - Type-RS/GT Bilsteins, revised mounting points

Visual changes are well known now & easily spotted.

REgards

wow some big changes in engine and managment. with the 4 injectors does it need a new intake manifold?

the wheels seem heavy

the auto 4 port version had 4, the hi power 6port had 6 injectors.

Are you sure? Maybe you mean lbs instead of kg? Or are you including the weight of the tires maybe?

I would think more like 22 and 21 Pounds or about 10 and 9 kilo's each, perhaps adding tyres would be that figure , Rob

Sorry mate. Not stuck in the 19th century for the measurement system like the Yanks are.

I'll revise the listing to say wheel/tyre combo in KG.

REgards

Sorry mate, my "bad"...

All 2009 RX-8 6 port engines now have 4 Fuel injection nozzles, whereas the 04-08 6 port rotaries had 6 FI Nozzles.

Did they fix the issue of the random rattles of the rear door / window?

huh? Wait a minute ... you've confused me!

Are you saying the 2009 6 port engine only has 4 fuel injection nozzles and the 03-08 on had 6?

On a side note, I really don't see why you'd buy a new one if you had a series 1, as the improvements on the series 2 are only minor and the car looks ugly in comparison.

yeah cromax two less injectors but they are larger injectors.

old 6port 2 x 290cc 4x 380cc total 2100cc

new 2 x 400cc 2 x 525cc total 1850cc

less overall flow for those going FI

I'd say purely a cost cutting exercise less parts and complexity.

Yes,

Minor improvements, matter of opinion.

If you call a better gearbox, better apex seal lubrication which may prevent a rebuild, improves rear suspension, better air flow to oil coolers, diff ratio, plus others already mentioned.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, personally I love the look of my car, has way more class than the previous model...which I think can look tired.

I really think it all depends on the colour.

The VR in series I looked great in series II it looks crap, because of the top grille.
In the white or black you don't notice the "mustache".

Every day I get lookers gawking at my car.

If I had the choice of the two, I would take series II because of the improvements, the car maybe 0.5 sec slower and use a little more gas, so they say, but for me the car is sorted, as I said before this 8 is a good as it gets.

And there have been many guys who have changed over..particularly to the GT/R3

Not a rattle in mine yet, I will let you know when a lot more miles have been put on.

Mazda never publicly reports on fixing rattles (well it is never "big" news or in their press release) ;)

the new look is growing on me and while the little refinements they have made are a benefit, they haven't done enough to make me want a new one. the little improvements may make it onto my car in the future. like the bigger fuel injectors or diff ratio. these things are great news from my perspective :D:

how did they make it slower? the diff and gearbox should give the series II an advantage. is it heavier or are they just being honest about the power and performance these days?

the 8 is great but the chassis is so much more than the NA can provide. if mazda would only force feed the 8 then I would buy a new one!

It's only a tiny bit slower in the 0-100* time because of the need for an extra shift into 3rd gear. Lap times are actually better. Not sure if that's because of the suspension tweaks or maybe better tyres. Are there better tyres? See, I said tyres.

*That's 0-60 for us 'Yanks stuck in a 19th century measurement system', but you penal colony in-mates are still measuring time in hours so I don't know what the big deal is! :eyetwitch

Rob, mine has RE050A's, from RE040's.

Thanks, I thought I'd heard somewhere that the tires were upgraded a bit. Where do you feel the handling differences? Would you notice something like better track times?

Thanks! If no one else knows, I'll go measure my Series I coolers when it gets warmer. BTW, it's cold up here in New Jersey now, not warm and sunny like in the penal colony. You'd think one of you in-mates might go out and measure your Series I coolers, but no, sit around drinking Fosters and wait for me to do it in April maybe.

I have not got a series I handy with RE40's to do an A and B comparison:Eyecrazy:

I really don't think you would see much difference at all, perhaps Bridgestone have addressed the "noise", I think these Tyres are 'rated' to go a little faster than the 40's, plus BS don't make the 40's anymore which are a Jap import here.

Probably still hung over from all the Fosters. Thanks!

Thanks. I know Australians think Fosters is crap, but its a lot better than most American beer, haven't tried Coopers yet. I lived in Belgium and Germany for many years so I have developed a taste for something better than American swill.

the belgium's know how to make a beer! leffe is one of my favorites.

Here is some discussion on the injectors change.

As for tyres the change to RE050 is all that is being talked about. Its a newer tread pattern, newer materials, etc. They are still 225/45/18 (Or 225/40/19).

Cheers

Andrew

Electric Metering Oil Pumps
 

Back on thread topic..

In the Series II RX-8, there are the all new Electric Metering Oil Pumps, yes Pumps. They replace the single mechanical MOP Mazda has used for the past 40 years.

There are two electric metering pumps that sit on top of engine almost dead centre, both are joined together via an oil supply hose.

It appears these pumps are not serviceable, although as yet I can't confirm this.

There is also a Metering Oil Pump Driver located next to/on the electric air pump.

Note: I am not sure why you would have to drain engine coolant to service the MOP?.

225/45R18 (91W) on my car , I guess 225/45R19 for the R3/our GT.

They are RE050A's (not RE050) which are the Asymmetric tread pattern.

Ash

Yep that would be right about the 19's. And yeah I was being lazy leaving off the "A". But as I was getting at, the model of tyre is the only difference unless you count 19's on the GT.

As for the new OMP, looks like it would be a WHOLE lot easier now to run a line from the pump to a seperate canister so you can run 2 stroke for the pump and synthetic in the crank.

Cheers

Andrew

we need this thread out in the bigger forum. no reason to duplicate the work. Ill move this one to the tech section and STICKY it:)

and to all,
the difference in the oil cooler intake opening is substantial. that is the first thing i noticed when i saw the car in person..

beers :beer:

The opening in the front bumper but not the cooler itself? What about the airflow behind, etc.

Cheers

Andrew

Pretty sure its a calculated value in a table.

Cheers

Andrew

Not sure there, I don't think there would be much difference, i.e,, if there was a larger gap behind the oil coolers then that would change the overall length of the car, and I don't think there is much difference there, only a few millimetres if any.

I also wonder why Mazda opted for two EOM pumps? and not one?

The center of the apex seals require more oil then the outer edges. However the amount the center requires may not always be proportional to the amount required at the outer edges depending on rpm or load. As these increase, the center of the apex seals get hotter at a faster rate than the outside edges due to intertial forces acting on the seals. This was actually shown in a Mazda SAE paper from long ago which was pretty interesting.

Preliminary exploration into the subject has so far revealed that the metering oil is still controlled by only one load-based and one throttle-based table.
So, any difference between the two pumps will be accomplished by the pumps themselves.

Not if they moved the oil cooler forward.

I will do some digging but any handy links would be great.

Cheers

Andrew