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The wife and I just picked up a 2007 RX-8. Such an awesome car. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about it until after we bought it. So after researching it on here, I have a few questions for you fine folks.
I didn't even know what a Rotary engine was before I bought it, lol?
So, anyway! The wife and I love this car. I have read this forum for the past 3.5 days trying to get all the info in that I can. One thing that confused me was the discussion about the coils.
The Best Upgrade: The BHR Ignition System upgrade can be had for $500 (shipping is free within the US), which eliminates the need to continue replacing coils periodically, as well as deliverying a significantly stronger spark for slight mileage and power gains. It is a proven kit with top notch customer service supporting it. BHR reports less than a 1% failure rate on their kit, and it's prized so highly that even used kits sell for about 80% of original retail. In many years of sale, no owner has reported reaching a lifespan limitation on the coils. It includes the wires, you still need to add plugs ($80). Purchase here: BHR Ignition System
Am I reading that if I go with that set, I won't have to replace my coils every 30k miles? If so, seems like a no brainer.
Next question, where is the receiver for the Satellite radio located? In my trunk are a few wires that I thought were there for an after market sub woofer but now I'm wondering if someone took out the satellite receiver. (I hear it is in the trunk?)
I need to replace the plastic strips that run down the roof. They are broken off at the rear window. I have looked at some of the auto stores online suggested by this site but I don't see them listed anywhere.
Thanks for all the great info here. I'm having just as much fun researching all the ins and outs of this car as I am driving it. Well, that is when my wife lets me drive it, lol
Last edited by MIGhunter; 04-04-2015 at 07:37 PM.
Reason: Added picture
When you purchased the car, did you have a compression test completed? If so what were the numbers?
It will have 3 numbers per rotor with an RPM.
The BHR coil system dramatically reduces the amount of times you need to change your coils during the life of the car. The OE coils were good for usually 20K even though the replacement is due at 30.
These coils rarely fail and BHR's customer service is Second to none, Ray is a very good guy.
For parts like those strips, call Paul at mazmart.
Read through the two links in my signature and welcome to the forum!
Unfortunately, like I said, I didn't know anything about this car before we bought it. We looked at it and test drove it like we would a "normal" car. So, I didn't do a compression test before buying it. I know, I know, behind the 8 ball already! As soon as I find a good place to have it done, I'm doing that. Hopefully it's good! We love the car and hopefully it's not a lemon. It does drive really well and seems sound so far. Of course, that won't tell me anything about the engine.
For compression, I had a builder tell me to run the car until there are issues with starting it hot. Then worry about a test. I can share that my engine has 100,000 miles on it, 5 out of 6 of my faces fail as of today (2 massively). I get 21 MPG on the highway, just pulled a trailer 600 miles (track trailer) and spend a weekend at the track. I would strongly suggest a compression test before you buy, but afterwards, unless issues develop (like hot start), less so.
And again, Welcome.
The same 2 threads Willard recommended are also in my sig. Hint. Hint.
Ya, I read those threads a few times before I even posted my thread 😀. So far the car is awesome. My gas gauge is of a little and I'll have to fix that but no other complaints.
MIGhunter, hello and welcome to the forum! Glad to have you here. Congrats on your RX-8, it looks great! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions at all, we are always happy to help!
welcome and congrats. tons of info here, if you can think of a question about an 8 its been asked and answered. gl with the new ride and sorry you got a shitty color (i dont like red)
Quick question, I did a search and it was hard to sift thru all the stuff. My 8 is a 2007 with the bose 6 disc changer. How can I set it up so my wife can listen to pandora? Or, does anyone have any pictures of the satellite feature? I read somewhere that the module is in the trunk and there are some loose wires back there that make me think it's been removed.
Welcome! as far as the sat radio, unless you had a 2005 Shinka model (the only RX8 where the complete sat kit was standard) then you just have a satellite-ready car. You would need the actual sat radio kit for a Series 1 RX8. unfortunately that is not made or available new anymore. The RX8 sat radio kits is made to mount inside the trunk, behind the fender cover on the rear driver side. The wires connect to the rear of your head unit behind the dash, and the magnetic antenna goes on the trunk lid and connects to the unit mounted in the rear trunk driver-side fender .
They do still make the satellite radio kit for the Series 2 RX8 (2009 and later ). The Series 1 kit (2004-2008 RX8) and the Series 2 kit (2009 and later) are not interchangeable.
You can pick up a series1 kit used perhaps from an RX8 owner or maybe online. I got one that way (out of a 2005 Shinka model RX8 that an RX8 club member was parting out . I paid $150 for it, it originally listed new for over $400 !. The RX8 club member may have taken less than the $150 I paid for it, but it is NOT available new anymore for Series 1 RX8s and I wanted it, so $150 seemed ok, and my dealer checked it out and tested it and it was working, before I paid for it). I had it dealer installed (with the still available installation kit-$15 from Mazda, which contains the necessary brackets and clips and hardware for the RX8 installation) into my 2008 40th Anniversary edition RX8, but this used Series 1 sat radio kit did not continue to work after two months installed, and Sirius said they wouldn't fix this 10-year old sat kit.
If you want the Sirius sat radio in your RX8. There is a simple, easy and more affordable solution. Sirius sells a stratus 7- sat radio kit that will fit any car for $79, and is easily made to work with any RX8 sound system by way of any aux input, tape player or through any unused radio frequency on your RX8 radio. Just google Sirius radio for details on this and other kits they sell. Sometimes Sirius will give you this kit for free, just for you setting up a new subscription. That is what I did last month, and got the stratus 7 radio for free, directly from Sirius.
I had already installed an aux input into my RX8 sound system,years ago, so that is how I am connecting the Sirius stratus 7 radio, and it is compact enough to completely fit the whole radio, with its nice controls and info screen ,totally inside the RX8 center console, where you already have a power plug to power it,yet I can take it out and it unplugs and is portable and will plug into another family car or home kit. A great design.
If you get this stratus 7 kit, BTW which is working flawlessly, I will be happy to give you my easy tips to self install this into your RX8 in just minutes. It comes with good and easy instructions for all cars, but just pm me here at the forum, and I will be happy to show you how easy this is to put in your RX8. With 140 commercial-free channels in my standard Sirius subscription, it is a great addition to the excellent RX8 sound system, super for around town and especially on road trips. A really easy,cheap and great solution to have Sat radio in your Series 1 RX8.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by gwilliams6; 04-07-2015 at 08:35 PM.
Sorry, I've been busy with work. I sent you a PM. Like I said in the PM, wife really just wants Pandora through her phone. In other cars it's either Bluetooth or Aux but I don't see that on this radio. Someone mentioned there's a way to do it through the back of the radio?
Also, here's a photo of the trunk, I'm not sure if the cables are from an after market or if they removed something that was there.
I got a box from Grom Audio. It plays both a USB drive and provides an AUX. It works with the steering wheel controls as well for the USB, and has a way to work with music on the phone too.
Yes we pm'd each other and I passed it on about the aux input kits available for his head unit, and the aux input I put in my 2008 RX8. Thanks guys for your input, he is on the right track to a solution.
Last edited by gwilliams6; 04-10-2015 at 02:47 PM.
2 more quick questions. I read a few things somewhere and now I can't find them in the 6billion posts ;p
Anyway, 1st question.
Oil-I read somewhere that the dots on the dipstick are 0.5 quarts? Is that right? And not to overfill the oil. I drove the car from work to the store and home so it was warmed up. I let it sit 5+ minutes to allow the oil to flow back into the pan. So, based on this photo, how much oil should I add to be safe without overfilling?
2nd question is about antifreeze. My engine says to use FL22. Nobody around me carries it around me except the Mazda dealer. I was reading, here or on the mx3 forums that Zerex Asian is the same stuff. Just wondering if that's true and if it's ok to use? I picked some up but I haven't used it yet. Just doing a little preventative shopping.
The top 3 spaces are each 0.53qt between each mark, and the lowest dot to the bottom line is 0.2qt.
So, from your picture, it would take 1.06qt for you to get to the 'full' line.
You should be fine with the Zerex Asian if you can find the correct one. Ford dealerships also sell FL22 under a different name.
The Mazda fl-22 is the best choice. rotary engines are built with a unique mix of metals and ordinary coolant can be destructive. Proper cooling is one critically important key to the life of your rotary engine. Personally I would not use anything but the fl-22 if i was you, unless you know for sure that the alternative is EXACTLY the same chemical composition. Mazda piston engines can use more standard coolant, but these are NOT recommended for the RX8 and a rotary engine. I have 42 yrs of experience with rotary engine cooling systems in both my personal street and track modified systems .
Last edited by gwilliams6; 04-11-2015 at 06:47 AM.
The Mazda fl-22 is the best choice. rotary engines are built with a unique mix of metals and ordinary coolant can be destructive. Proper cooling is one critically important key to the life of your rotary engine. Personally I would not use anything but the fl-22 if i was you, unless you know for sure that the alternative is EXACTLY the same chemical composition. Mazda piston engines can use more standard coolant, but these are NOT recommended for the RX8 and a rotary engine. I have 42 yrs of experience with rotary engine cooling systems in both my personal street and track modified systems .
^This guy is agreeing with me, it's just really hard to tell because he's old and tends to go on about his many years of rotary experience and how age and experience with old stuff trumps experience with new stuff and it's all just very silly. I can garuntee that the use of this particular coolant has nothing to do with the mix of metals, and that he didn't use Fl22 in the majority of his 7(?) rotaries (because it didn't exist).
Only talking about fl-22 for the Renesis. I have used other proper coolants in my past RX7s as rotary engine development and coolant formulations changed over the past decades, and as my coolant needs changed from street rotaries with NA engines, to higher-heat environments and loads with upgraded FI track-prepared rotaries.
The average rotary engine wastes a large percentage of the energy released in every gallon of gas it consumes. All of that heat has to go somewhere .The second largest sink for all of this waste energy, (after the exhaust stream) is the engine's cooling system. That is another reason why it matters what coolant you use in a rotary engine, even more so than a regular piston engine.
.And yes the formulation and use of fl-22 does relate to the metals used in the engine and the cooling system . It also relates to the heat absorbing properties of FL-22. The aluminum used in rotor housings conducts energy at three to four times the rate at which the cast iron in the side housings do. The fl-22 coolant that Mazda recommends for the bimetallic Renesis engine works well to absorb heat from both metals used in your engine and cooling system. Fl-22 is important because bimetallic systems are more prone to galvanic reactions than homogeneous systems. Galvanic reactions can lead to rust,corrosion and sediment that can accumulate and reduce ordinary coolants' ability to convect heat from the bimetallic rotary engine. FL-22 does a good job to resist these galvanic reactions.
If Fl-22 comes packaged under a different brand, no problem. Just be sure of what you are putting into your cooling system. This is one instance when you should not try to out-think the Mazda engineers, or skimp on getting the right coolant. They got it about right with using and recommending fl-22.
And just like regular clockwork I can always count on Legot to comment after my posts,and pooh-pooh anyone else's rotary knowledge but his own, or even when I agree with him. I admit I don't know everything about everything, but I do know a good deal about many things. I joined the RX8 club to share my knowledge and passion for these rotary cars, and also to learn a great deal from others, no matter their age or years of rotary experience. I will continue to fully participate and share my knowledge and advice with you all, as well as participating in all aspects of the club and its forum.
Cheers !
Last edited by gwilliams6; 04-12-2015 at 08:55 PM.
Had something odd this morning. This has never happened before since I bought the car. This morning I was headed to work and the CEL started blinking while I was sitting at a red light. As soon as the light turned green and I started moving, it went away. Next light, same thing. When I did my search for it, it says sometimes it will do this at higher speeds when at or below 1/4 of a tank of gas. I'm sitting at about 1/4 of a tank but I was sitting still and then it went away when I started driving. What could cause that? Like I said all the stuff on CEL says when driving, not when stopped.
idk, I build computers. In my mind, a car at a light is just sitting there and until you give it gas, the engine isn't doing anything. I'm sure that isn't the case.
04-04-2015, 07:34 PM
