Got a few pics today while I was out. I washed it yesterday and there's already a thin layer of pollen all over it(and it's garaged!) Happy with the emblems, they are still visible, but a lot more stealthy. When I get the car painted in a year or so, I'm going to have the emblem holes filled along with all the little misc repairs, but for now it's an improvement.

















Disregard the rear bumper boo boo

 

Great pics!!! The car looks fantastic and looks at home out on the road! The emblems did turn out well . Just the right shade of black I think. Are you enjoying driving the car? Its a very addicting experience..and that may be an understatement!

 

Thanks a lot! I used a gloss black with a satin clear.

I absolutely love the car! I think it has just the right amount of power and is very well balanced (not speaking front/rear weight but that too! haha)

Im sure you must be itching to get yours back on the road! I've been following your progress thread from the beginning.

 

Yay, officially fixed the traction control. Got an alignment, one of the rear wheels was especially off. No more VSC light!

Also picked up a new H11 socket to replace my driver's side fog light socket, as the connection was loose and it melted a bit. Will have working foglights later as well!

Taking care of all the misc "problems" before doing anything substantial mod-wise.

 

I agree that the car feels very balanced and stable on the road. I especially love the quick steering ratio! I am eager to get the 8 back on the road. I'm still awaiting parts from Mazda. An engine gasket set, SSV gaskets, oil filter, exhaust gaskets, and clutch are still on the way. I have other cars to drive but the 8 is really the one I want to be in every day. I am a technician at Toyota and I work on multiple cars every single day and I never tire of working on my baby! I go out to the garage every day to visit, even if I'm not working on the car. The car just makes me smile and invokes a great sense of happiness!

 

I agree! We also have an Evo, and my husband dreads working on it. It has sat the better part of the last 2 years, only needing simple work/maintenance done on a few occasions. And then there's me, looking for excuses to tinker on my 8, lol. In his defense, some things are just a pain on it, the way the engine/drive train is set up, etc, there's a lot crammed in there, but still, haha. I'm always out there like, "what can I do to you today" ?

Yesterday I cut off the fog light socket, and wired in a new one into the harness. The original had a loose connection and melted the socket a bit. Also when I got the car it had 1 orange parking light bulb, and 1 white. I replaced the orange with another white, so now they are the same orange tinted shade from the lens itself. All lighting now works/looks as it should.

Before/after

 

I was getting a P0850.. so I disconnected the neutral switch sensors, cleaned them, and taped up some of the wire that was a lil too exposed... Seems to have fixed it. I cleared it and after running errands all afternoon it didnt come back. Nice to have the VSC & DTC lights gone off the dash. Progress

 

Had some battery connection problems, so I redid the connectors and also got a battery tie down bracket.. I need to run back to the store to get one more component to complete it, but close enough in terms of view-able before/after.






Also got rid of the (horrible) orange side markers for some black painted / clear lens replacements. Much better.

 

The car is looking better and better each time I see it! Job well done on the battery connections. I'm not sure why anyone would alter the stock cable ends to begin with.

 

Yeah I dont know who or what happened there, but it's a lot better now Thanks a lot for the compliment!

 

Finished the battery bracket/hold down. Nice and secure now. Eventually intend to powder coat it, as well as some other pieces in the engine bay. For now, functionality maybe even have a custom bracket made that looks more like it's made to fit this car, we'll see.

 

What did you have holding the battery down before you installed the red bracket?

 

Well I just got the car, so "I" didn't have anything physically tying it down. It was in the battery box but I hadn't realized it wasn't even secured until the other day! Not sure who put it in and left it like that. Glad It's good and secure now though.

While I've gone over a lot of the vehicle, I hadnt had any need to assess the battery area yet I suppose. I guess it's a good thing the car was finicky the other day to let me know it needed some work in that location! Not being familiar with RX8s I suppose I internally assumed there was a clamp inside the battery box like a previous car has had that held it in place. Now I had a chance to see it has the hooks on the outside of the box..

 

Installed an AEM intake today... only went for a short easy drive (will give the MAF some time to adjust before really opening it up).... but was definitely louder under light load.

Few pics from install...










Not too worried about water since I will drive my Subaru when it's raining, etc...

 

Not much has changed, but she was looking pretty after a wash & wax today

 

It's looking good.
Aren't those hold down bolts a bit long?
Good job on securing your battery, I assume you had no OEM cover?
If you had planned on getting one, you'll have to go back to the OEM bracket, I think.
I don't think it would work with your current bracket.

 

Thank you! Yeah they were the shortest ones the local autoparts store had, unfortunately. They don't interfere with anything so they are only "too long" aesthetically. The car didn't come with a battery cover, and I don't really care either way whether or not I find a replacement. Not sure who would remove a battery tie down and not replace it! Real safe..... SMH. At some point I am going to pull that red bracket and sandblast it and powder coat it, or do the same to a "smaller" replacement.. when I do that, I will cut those posts down. Right now Im just glad it's actually secure, lol. It's a work in progress

 

Looking great Jazer, glad you got the battery secured, that could have been a bad scene!

 

For sure! haha. Thank you

 

Looks fantastic with that new intake on the car!! Do you like the sound versus the stock sound?

 

Oh yes. At 8k it wails like a banshee, lol. Power difference is obviously insignificant, but I enjoy the additional sound it gives!

 

Few pics from another local get together. The black is way too reflective for this type of location on a sunny day, but that background is still neat nonetheless.

 

Well, thanks to another person's progress thread, I was reminded to check those cabin air filters. Hadn't gotten to it since I purchased the car a couple months ago... now I'm wondering if it has ever been done?

I thought my airflow/AC seemed weak. It worked, but not the greatest... I'm sure this is why!

YUCKKK




Will be picking up a new set while I'm out tomorrow! So glad I checked!

 

Not too exciting, but it's progress, and exciting to me, so here is another update.

I got this car with an OEM keyfob that didn't work. Would not program. I replaced the battery, still would not program. I ordered another keyfob (eBay), and that one would not program either. I brought both to the autoparts store to see if they were even working, both were emitting a signal with each button. After numerous searching I found that some 04s need the dealer to be programmed. The only way around this is to upgrade to the 05+ flip key. These were only speculative claims, did not seem to be an actual answer... but I tried anyways. I ordered another eBay fob, this one the 05+ flip key... it programmed instantly. I still have to cut/program the key itself, but the fob is working!!! So THAT is the answer to a stubborn 04 keyless entry system! Apparently not all 04s are like this, but it isn't uncommon.

 

Completely upgraded to the 05+ flip key. Key cut/programmed as flawlessly as the remote portion. Definitely recommend this for other 04 owners! Great little upgrade, love having keyless entry "back".