Maintenance questions
09-21-2019, 08:37 AM
#1
Maintenance questions
Hi All,
So, my dad decided that an 8 would be a great first car for me, so now I have a 2006 Rx-8. I absolutely love it so far, so much fun, great handling (what should I expect, compared to my grandmothers Civic hybrid), I just all around love it. It is a 2006 6MT (base model, cloth seats) with 100k miles on it. The previous owner was a mechanic and kept up with the basics (everything Mazda recommonds and then the ignition and very frequent oil changes)... It seems to be running great, has good power and starts right up hot or cold with little hesitation. The CAT was replaced at 80k miles, and all the recalls have been done. I get the feeling that the fuel pump might be on its last leg, but no symptoms to prove that yet.
My dad is very mechanically inclined, but even he has told me that he knows next to nothing about the rotary. The reason that I bring this up is because he tends to be less than proactive in maintenance, usually waiting until things break to fix them (he refused to get a compression test before buying, insisting it was fine). I am giong to try to do a compression test using the video method (video a normal compression tester w/ the valve removed), but what should be the first things that should be done. I have looked at RX8club's recommended maintenance schedule, and I know the cooling system stuff is really important, but what should be done first (I am sure the cooling system is 100% original)? Is it alright to assume that because the car does not flood when shut off cold and restarted that the ignition system is healthy (and no other signs of power loss or anything)? I am installing a water temp gauge today, so that will hopefully help to give me a little bit of insight as to how everything is working, but what are 2 or 3 things that are more pressing? the car is only being driven maybe 1k miles/year, and it is not being driven this winter at all, so that will give me some time to catch up on some maintenance.
thanks,
Christian
So, my dad decided that an 8 would be a great first car for me, so now I have a 2006 Rx-8. I absolutely love it so far, so much fun, great handling (what should I expect, compared to my grandmothers Civic hybrid), I just all around love it. It is a 2006 6MT (base model, cloth seats) with 100k miles on it. The previous owner was a mechanic and kept up with the basics (everything Mazda recommonds and then the ignition and very frequent oil changes)... It seems to be running great, has good power and starts right up hot or cold with little hesitation. The CAT was replaced at 80k miles, and all the recalls have been done. I get the feeling that the fuel pump might be on its last leg, but no symptoms to prove that yet.
My dad is very mechanically inclined, but even he has told me that he knows next to nothing about the rotary. The reason that I bring this up is because he tends to be less than proactive in maintenance, usually waiting until things break to fix them (he refused to get a compression test before buying, insisting it was fine). I am giong to try to do a compression test using the video method (video a normal compression tester w/ the valve removed), but what should be the first things that should be done. I have looked at RX8club's recommended maintenance schedule, and I know the cooling system stuff is really important, but what should be done first (I am sure the cooling system is 100% original)? Is it alright to assume that because the car does not flood when shut off cold and restarted that the ignition system is healthy (and no other signs of power loss or anything)? I am installing a water temp gauge today, so that will hopefully help to give me a little bit of insight as to how everything is working, but what are 2 or 3 things that are more pressing? the car is only being driven maybe 1k miles/year, and it is not being driven this winter at all, so that will give me some time to catch up on some maintenance.
thanks,
Christian
09-21-2019, 09:54 AM
#2
Registered
Welcome to the club! It's not really a difficult car to service. I would recommend reading through the new owners sticky and get an idea of what you have. Oil changes every 3000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. If the car is new to you, good idea to change all fluids. Oil, coolant, rear diff and transmission oil. Also, inspect your vacuum lines and your coolant hoses for signs of wear, leaks or cracking. At 100,000 miles is usually when these engines start to weaken but it sounds like it's still strong. Good idea to have it compression tested just to be sure of where it's at. A good ignition system can hide low compression so it's worth your time to do.
Other than that, redline it once a day with a warm engine and keep an eye on your temps. You are driving it so little so I don't expect it should cause you too many issues. Have fun with it, it's an incredibly enjoyable car to drive.
Other than that, redline it once a day with a warm engine and keep an eye on your temps. You are driving it so little so I don't expect it should cause you too many issues. Have fun with it, it's an incredibly enjoyable car to drive.
09-21-2019, 11:36 AM
#3
Hi All,
So, my dad decided that an 8 would be a great first car for me, so now I have a 2006 Rx-8. I absolutely love it so far, so much fun, great handling (what should I expect, compared to my grandmothers Civic hybrid), I just all around love it. It is a 2006 6MT (base model, cloth seats) with 100k miles on it. The previous owner was a mechanic and kept up with the basics (everything Mazda recommonds and then the ignition and very frequent oil changes)... It seems to be running great, has good power and starts right up hot or cold with little hesitation. The CAT was replaced at 80k miles, and all the recalls have been done. I get the feeling that the fuel pump might be on its last leg, but no symptoms to prove that yet.
So, my dad decided that an 8 would be a great first car for me, so now I have a 2006 Rx-8. I absolutely love it so far, so much fun, great handling (what should I expect, compared to my grandmothers Civic hybrid), I just all around love it. It is a 2006 6MT (base model, cloth seats) with 100k miles on it. The previous owner was a mechanic and kept up with the basics (everything Mazda recommonds and then the ignition and very frequent oil changes)... It seems to be running great, has good power and starts right up hot or cold with little hesitation. The CAT was replaced at 80k miles, and all the recalls have been done. I get the feeling that the fuel pump might be on its last leg, but no symptoms to prove that yet.
What makes you say that?
The cat having been replaced that either the car was driven very short distance and not allowed to warm up, or that ignition failure crept up at some point in the past. How old are the current ignition coils?
You can read all sensor data, including water temp and many other indicators via OBD, using your phone and a bluetooth OBD dongle, or an Ultragauge or something like that. Installing secondary sensors creates new opportunities for leaks, etc.
The second thing is to read that thread again
Then figure out how old the ignition components, coolant, brake fluid, oil, trans and diff fluids are and check compression. Make your decisions accordingly.
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CaymanRotary (09-21-2019)
09-21-2019, 11:42 AM
#4
Registered
Quoting this because its 100 percent true. This is not a car to buy if you are unwilling to go through the steps to properly buy one. Gonna be in for quite a ride to say the least...
09-21-2019, 09:56 PM
#5
You gonna eat that?
iTrader: (1)
Ignition components are critical.
Invest $20 & get a HEI tester to confirm ignition components are healthy.
Get the OBD scanned for free at most part stores like Advance or AutoZone for any stored codes.
If you have an Android device get the Torque app, $5, and a Bluetooth dongle for around $30 to monitor your engine's OBD systems, check codes and clear CELs.
Good Luck!
Invest $20 & get a HEI tester to confirm ignition components are healthy.
Get the OBD scanned for free at most part stores like Advance or AutoZone for any stored codes.
If you have an Android device get the Torque app, $5, and a Bluetooth dongle for around $30 to monitor your engine's OBD systems, check codes and clear CELs.
Good Luck!
09-21-2019, 11:30 PM
#6
I probably should have clarified a few things, but anyways:
the fuel pump:
from what I have read, the fuel pumps in the S1 cars generally fail around 100k. This is the original pump at 100,803 miles. I should not have said no symptoms, just, symptoms that did not (sort of) make sense for fuel pump failure. We drove the car 2.5 hours home, and it was totally fine the whole way, not a hiccup. Have been driving it pretty regularly, and the other day, went on a short drive (15 minutes, mainly back roads, avg of probably about 40mph, I cruise between 3 and 4k rpm's). Left idling for a little bit, then shut it down for 10 minutes or so. Started back up and went home. in the last 2 minutes of the trip home, I was turning onto the road before my house, and I slowed down, downshifted from 3rd (to 2nd), and went to go into first so I can get my "redline a day" (this was on a stretch of road where it is always empty and I can do it legally in 1st gear), and as soon as I selected first, before I let the clutch out, it just died. I still was moving about 15 mph, so I tried to restart it (with the clutch down, obviously), but it started, but then died right away. I pulled over, stopped, and restarted it. It started right away, but I had to keep it around 2k to keep it from stalling; it would try to idle really, really low and rough, and then die. The journey home (at that point ~1 minute) was totally uneventful. When I pulled into the driveway, it did the same idle thing (very low, rough idle) for a second, but then returned to normal. It has been totally normal since (driven it for an hour or so since). All that happened on a full tank of gas.
Ignition:
Honestly, I have no clue how old the current ignition components are, and I know this is not something to "think" but to "know," but when shut off cold, it does not flood upon restarting, and there is no power loss through the entire rpm range (but then again, I have only been in 2 8's, so I do not have much to go off of for what is "normal"). I will get an HEI tester and pull the plugs on monday...
Fluids:
The previous owner changed the oil the night before I picked it up. He was a really cool guy. It has a little bit of rust, on the rear passenger fender, and under the front edge of both the driver and passenger doors. I am going to be storing it this winter (I live in Maine, so we have really harsh winter with all the salt on the roads...). While it is in there, I will be changing all the fluids, and upgrading the radiator.
Everything else:
I have read through the new and potential owners thread, and a whole bunch more; I have loved rotaries, and especially the rx-8 for a long time, so when my dad told me he was getting me an 8, I was excited to say the least. As to whether he would be willing to swallow the cost of a rebuild/new engine if that came up, maybe, but I am not sure. I can only do so much (make him aware that the maintenance on this car must be done proactively, not passively.) I really love the car with what driving I have done on it (just learned how to drive stick on it 3 weeks ago, loving every moment). I know the cooling system stuff is the most important, but was just not sure what (I guess everything). I have a thermostat (the mishimoto 169 degree one) coming, so I will be switching that, and I did the mod to the ducts in the back of the oil coolers (where you basically open the holes a bit to increase airflow). After installing the water temp gauge, it was a bit eye watering to watch it sit at 210-215 farenheit in stop and go traffic today, so I will also be doing the DIY radiator fan switch. In the end, I love it, and even if it blows up tomorrow, then I will still probably love it... Half the battle is understanding it is not a piston, and you cannot treat it the same as a piston, nor have the same expectations as a piston (it does not lst for 300k miles like a camry)
the fuel pump:
from what I have read, the fuel pumps in the S1 cars generally fail around 100k. This is the original pump at 100,803 miles. I should not have said no symptoms, just, symptoms that did not (sort of) make sense for fuel pump failure. We drove the car 2.5 hours home, and it was totally fine the whole way, not a hiccup. Have been driving it pretty regularly, and the other day, went on a short drive (15 minutes, mainly back roads, avg of probably about 40mph, I cruise between 3 and 4k rpm's). Left idling for a little bit, then shut it down for 10 minutes or so. Started back up and went home. in the last 2 minutes of the trip home, I was turning onto the road before my house, and I slowed down, downshifted from 3rd (to 2nd), and went to go into first so I can get my "redline a day" (this was on a stretch of road where it is always empty and I can do it legally in 1st gear), and as soon as I selected first, before I let the clutch out, it just died. I still was moving about 15 mph, so I tried to restart it (with the clutch down, obviously), but it started, but then died right away. I pulled over, stopped, and restarted it. It started right away, but I had to keep it around 2k to keep it from stalling; it would try to idle really, really low and rough, and then die. The journey home (at that point ~1 minute) was totally uneventful. When I pulled into the driveway, it did the same idle thing (very low, rough idle) for a second, but then returned to normal. It has been totally normal since (driven it for an hour or so since). All that happened on a full tank of gas.
Ignition:
Honestly, I have no clue how old the current ignition components are, and I know this is not something to "think" but to "know," but when shut off cold, it does not flood upon restarting, and there is no power loss through the entire rpm range (but then again, I have only been in 2 8's, so I do not have much to go off of for what is "normal"). I will get an HEI tester and pull the plugs on monday...
Fluids:
The previous owner changed the oil the night before I picked it up. He was a really cool guy. It has a little bit of rust, on the rear passenger fender, and under the front edge of both the driver and passenger doors. I am going to be storing it this winter (I live in Maine, so we have really harsh winter with all the salt on the roads...). While it is in there, I will be changing all the fluids, and upgrading the radiator.
Everything else:
I have read through the new and potential owners thread, and a whole bunch more; I have loved rotaries, and especially the rx-8 for a long time, so when my dad told me he was getting me an 8, I was excited to say the least. As to whether he would be willing to swallow the cost of a rebuild/new engine if that came up, maybe, but I am not sure. I can only do so much (make him aware that the maintenance on this car must be done proactively, not passively.) I really love the car with what driving I have done on it (just learned how to drive stick on it 3 weeks ago, loving every moment). I know the cooling system stuff is the most important, but was just not sure what (I guess everything). I have a thermostat (the mishimoto 169 degree one) coming, so I will be switching that, and I did the mod to the ducts in the back of the oil coolers (where you basically open the holes a bit to increase airflow). After installing the water temp gauge, it was a bit eye watering to watch it sit at 210-215 farenheit in stop and go traffic today, so I will also be doing the DIY radiator fan switch. In the end, I love it, and even if it blows up tomorrow, then I will still probably love it... Half the battle is understanding it is not a piston, and you cannot treat it the same as a piston, nor have the same expectations as a piston (it does not lst for 300k miles like a camry)
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