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New member to the forums but ive owned an 04 winning blue 6sp (08/03 on the door) for a few years now and have used the diy section here countless times. Thank you to anyone and everyone.
What drew me to the car initially/presently was its size. I like where it sits and it feels extremely nimbIe. I dont think its a "fast" car by any means and I dont care about power, porting, boost, nor do i want big numbers with this car. Nothing against it, i just want the car as it was intended. Michelin cross climate plus Front Rear
So far
latest mazda flash
all recalls done
bought a fresh rebuilt engine that only lasted 2,000 miles, however the damages were covered under warranty. (save for later)
5,000+ miles on #2 so far.
bhr coils & midpipe
ss clutch and brake lines
moroso aluminum overflow tank
aem cai (summer)
r.c.t intake hose on oem airbox (with vfad, winter)
michelin cross climate+ tires
cheeeep ebay exhaust because there were pieces of the cat lodged in the mufflers.
rerouted, soldered, and covered the famous power steering wires
cd input aux cable "hack"
Soon to be
tein h tech springs
tein endura pro plus adjustable shocks
oem aero kit (looking for another trunk)
rb or invidia exhaust
new cat, i need defrost without the gas chamber effect
good looking car, thanks for sharing.
interesting tread pattern on those Michellins
so you had a 6 sp before? what became of the car. Do you feel a big difference now with the 4port ?
the switch from AT to MT has been done by a few members and if I recall correctly there are some good threads with helpful tips on things to look out for.
not an 'easy' swap but it's possible.
To clarify, I have a 6 port 6 speed now and in the near future I would like to have a 4 port 5 speed. Swapping my current car would be a last resort but due to space constraints it would work out better. I want to run a 4 port auto and swap it to a very convincing 5 speed if I can find one, without having to ship the car 2000+ miles. If I buy another rx8 it has some very specific requirements to meet.
Inside the cat 100k mile reused omp lines on first build if that wasnt enough Almost bought the goldfish Second oil change on first engine... pixie dust?
good looking car, thanks for sharing.
interesting tread pattern on those Michellins
so you had a 6 sp before? what became of the car. Do you feel a big difference now with the 4port ?
the switch from AT to MT has been done by a few members and if I recall correctly there are some good threads with helpful tips on things to look out for.
not an 'easy' swap but it's possible.
I had the notion that the v pattern and soft rubber would dramatically help with hydroplaning and stability in cold wet situations. I drove with potenzas for the last year because the guy who owned the car before me, kept his wheels and suspension "upgrades" before selling the car at an auction. I may have been running the original tires...
If the car was initially sold with these tires I wanted to give it a chance before trying to set up the car for a mostly rainy region. So far, it has proved to be exactly what I wanted. The roads here have deep ruts from semi trailers so when it rains there is alot of standing water on the ground.
Welcome! Thats a beautiful car you have an an excellent plan for the car! Do you know any of the car's history?
After some detective work I managed to figure out what I think is the cars history.
The parent bought the car and drove it for @10,000 miles before giving it to the 16yr old son whos name was on the title. The son took good care of it structurally but i think they got out of hand and overdid it with upgrades like the typhoon intake or they bit off more than they could chew with the accessport and mazdaedit.
1st, 2nd, 3rd gear grind. Reverse will pop out if its not coaxed in and out of gear at least 3 times before letting off the clutch. The shocks are shot
Welcome! Looks clean. I would sooner buy a manual car than swap the trans. It's a ton of work and you still have a 4-port engine at the end.
As far as the swap goes, I fully understand the 4 port makes less power. I really want to know why so many people dislike the 4 port. Im willing to bet that my current 6 port is slower than any decent 4 port. I like its simplicity and see it as the only other engine that came with our cars. I think it would be a shame to never know what its like with good compression and in a body that suits it.
I know it will not be an easy straight forward task, its just something that I want to do. I can live with a dash thats lit up like a christmas tree. My insurance just wanted to verify that my car hadnt been overly modified so registration has no issues. RR has outlined everything here on the forums and i will probably print it all out
At least you know most of its history. It dies sound like the kid beat on it and did not maintain it. Sucks that it pops out of gear. Definitely time to replace the transmission.
That's a lot of metal shavings for a second oil change.. makes me wonder about rotor bearing condition. Also, I wonder what's collected in the oil coolers. Curious what the next oil change will yield.
At least you know most of its history. It dies sound like the kid beat on it and did not maintain it. Sucks that it pops out of gear. Definitely time to replace the transmission.
That's a lot of metal shavings for a second oil change.. makes me wonder about rotor bearing condition. Also, I wonder what's collected in the oil coolers. Curious what the next oil change will yield.
That was its final oil change. Rear rotor seized, stationary gear bearing failure. Following the break in procedure and running at low rpms showed no warning signs until the first climb to redline which was all misfires from then on.
it was not my aim for this to be a good guy bad guy thread
I was thinking the picture you posted of the bearing material in the oil with the caption below it was the second oil change on a newer engine... didn't realize it was only its second oil change. Very sorry to hear that.
So I'm not sure I'm clear on where you are at - the first engine seized after 2000 miles, and now you have a 2nd engine from the warranty that has 5,000 on it. All is good with this engine? Why the desire for the AT?
sorry to hear ya got another dead motor. what rebuild did you get, was it a mazda reman or did you have it rebuilt? i see no reason to do a 4 port swap and if the low power engind craps out they are more expensive to replace
sorry to hear ya got another dead motor. what rebuild did you get, was it a mazda reman or did you have it rebuilt? i see no reason to do a 4 port swap and if the low power engind craps out they are more expensive to replace
It was rebuilt with the full atkins kit. I have no idea what condition anything was in prior to assembly as I did not get any pics or build it. FWIW, it has the most even compression so far... mazda wont take painted engines so I'll at least get to take it apart when it goes out.
I also want a 4 speed auto in its entirety eventually and have tried to buy one on 3 seperate occasions off facebook to no avail. Second option was to get a 5 speed trans which would come with a 4 port.
I know its low power and not at all worth it but it still seems interesting. I want get the baseline from the stock form to see where I want to go from there.
Just realize that with an auto, 123456 are the only rev counter numbers you'll see. Redline at 7200. There's nowhere to go from there, it can't be modded to be better. 6-ports are a still an enjoyable stock form.
Just realize that with an auto, 123456 are the only rev counter numbers you'll see. Redline at 7200. There's nowhere to go from there, it can't be modded to be better. 6-ports are a still an enjoyable stock form.
I admit 9200 rpm is something else.
Is the 4 port louder? Is it smoother to "redline" with its lesser intake?, does it accelerate from a stop light differently? Granted the trans is strong how about doing canyon runs? Is it more enjoyable from a basic driving standpoint? Can anyone just get in and have fun without hitting arrestable speeds in 3rd or 4th? I am just someone who's interests align with owning an rx8. I enjoy the stock form and currently dont have any interest for horsepower, i just want a car that requires maintenance while providing driving comfort and pleasure. I hate just putting gas in and turning the key to get from point a to point b.
louder? no. Everything is functionally the same except the ports.
smoother to redline? There is nothing to make it so, it just runs out of breath sooner.
Accelerate differently? Yes, more slowly. The torque curve is samey, it just runs out of breath sooner.
Canyon runs? In an auto?
Fun? Maybe, define fun. There's less to do and less powerband to work with. If you don't feel the need to row your own gears, I'd suggest you at least drive a 6-port auto to compare.
Arrestable speeds? That's a driver question not a car question.
To qualify: the 6-port is a bit underpowered by today's standards. But it's basically fine, the car makes up for it elsewhere. The 4-port is anemic. Definitely at least testdrive the options before committing to that one.
01-16-2021, 07:08 AM
