Hello!

I just bought myself the one and only, RX-8.
It has 136k km's. The seller told the engine was replaced at 120k km's, but as I now found out, it was replaced at 106k km's. I don't believe it was treated nicely. It has a noname oil in it, and the overall shape is not the best (although it's not bad also).

I've read all the forums, and done some thing's from 04Green's thread (http://www.rx8club.com/new-member-fo...got-8-a-202548 and carry them on when possible.

But to start with, here are some questions..

1. Can anyone tell me some comparable acceleration times without launch? For example, 20-90 km/h with 2nd or 50-140 km/h with 3rd or whichever suites best. It would be the fastest way to know if I lack in power or not.
Please don't tell me it shouldn't be fast or sth. I just want to compare it with other RX-8s. If there's something wrong, I'd go and test the compression. If not, then I'd check the compression later.

2. My oil pressure gauge needle is not in the middle. What could be wrong?
How much should the oil pressure be? I have a bluetooth OBD adapter, I can check it with this.
EDIT: sorry, got an answer already - it's okay. But still don't understand, why the owners manual stated it has to be in the middle?

3. When I tried to clean the MAF sensor, I saw that the air intake was oily. This shouldn't be normal?
EDIT: sorry, got an answer to this too. I'll change the oil (I think the level is a bit high at the moment). Clean it all and check how it is after this.

4. My idle was a bit rough before I cleaned the MAF sensor. Now it's better. But the question is actually - should I get a grounding kit? There's nothing wrong with my car as I know of? I have a Parrot Asteroid Mini installed, there's a alternator whine to it, but I think it's just because its badly installed.

No need to answer this too, sorry.
5. My seat heater doesn't work. It seems that the wires are broke inside the seat (mesaured the resistance). Do they have a typical flaw or sth? I've heard that a lot of Mazdas have these issues.

6. Should I do the throttle body heat bypass and fans on low modifications?

7. Should I clean the SSV? That's why I'd like to get an answer to the 1st question..

8. I planned to question this from my local Mazda dealership, but actually you guys might know this too - do dealers replace all coils and plugs also if the engine is replaced? Or let's put it this way - what is included with a new engine?

9. To me, it seems that the engine doesn't run on low RPMs. Like when with a normal otto engine, a cylinder is not working. Any advice, how and what to check?

For starters, I guess this is it.
Thank you very much for your time!

 

1. no, the best way to know if you lack power is to do do a compression check or put it on a dyno.

2. oil pressure gauge is a 'dummy' gauge, it always goes to the same spot and stays there. Pay no attention to it unless you install a working aftermarket unit.

3. glad you found your answer. keep an eye on it. some people add a catch can to help with this.

4. don't need a grounding kit.

5. haven't heard too many people having issues with the seat warmer switches. don't remember there being a TSB for it.

6. where do you live?

7. you could if you felt compelled to.

8. good question. But I don't believe it's part of the replacement.
don't they test them before deciding on replacing the motor? (I can't recall at the moment)

 

Another way to compare power might be top speed on truly horizontal roads with no winds. Here in my city there's one such road and when I tried on it my top speed was exactly 234km/h. I don't (and can't anyway) measure partial acceleration times.

2. My oil pressure gauge needle is not in the middle. What could be wrong?
How much should the oil pressure be? I have a bluetooth OBD adapter, I can check it with this.
EDIT: sorry, got an answer already - it's okay. But still don't understand, why the owners manual stated it has to be in the middle?

My oil pressure gauge stays almost on the middle it's just a bit (half a step) towards the right.

3. When I tried to clean the MAF sensor, I saw that the air intake was oily. This shouldn't be normal?
EDIT: sorry, got an answer to this too. I'll change the oil (I think the level is a bit high at the moment). Clean it all and check how it is after this.


I had that problem once when I myself changed the oil, I had filled more than the upper level. I've extracted the overquantity oil by using a big sized medical injector with an aquarium hose mounted on the tip.

4. My idle was a bit rough before I cleaned the MAF sensor. Now it's better. But the question is actually - should I get a grounding kit? There's nothing wrong with my car as I know of? I have a Parrot Asteroid Mini installed, there's a alternator whine to it, but I think it's just because its badly installed.

I don't what a grounding kit is. so I can't comment on that. Alternator whine must be disturbing, I'd have it fixed.

No need to answer this too, sorry.
5. My seat heater doesn't work. It seems that the wires are broke inside the seat (mesaured the resistance). Do they have a typical flaw or sth? I've heard that a lot of Mazdas have these issues.

My both seat heaters do work but actually I never use them, I consider them unnecessary honestly.

6. Should I do the throttle body heat bypass and fans on low modifications?

Again no comments because I do no modifications on my car, neither the previous owners have done any.

7. Should I clean the SSV? That's why I'd like to get an answer to the 1st question..

I have once cleaned the SSV by myself. I had done it with the hope of solving the cold start problem. Later I found that it was the spark plugs causing the cold start, not the SSV. But still that was a good experience because the SSV was quite dirty and small dirty iron particles were collected on it (it's a magnetic part)

8. I planned to question this from my local Mazda dealership, but actually you guys might know this too - do dealers replace all coils and plugs also if the engine is replaced? Or let's put it this way - what is included with a new engine?

No they don't replace them when the engine is replaced. I say this based on my own RX-8, its engine was replaced at 88.000 km and after I bought the car at about 110.000 km I realized that it still had factory installed coils on it. I replaced them all with new ones because the engine was causing explosion sounds on the exhaust at high RPMs. after the replace that problem never occured again. As a side note; if you plan to buy RX-8 coils from the Internet, beware of fake coils. I bought 4 coils from eBay at a total cost about 620 Turkish Liras (sorry I dont remember dollars). They were selling at about 1400TL on Mazda Service in my city, so it looked like a good bargain. After I noticed they were fake, I returned them for a full refund and bought original ones from Amazon.com for a total cost of 700TL.

For starters, I guess this is it.
Thank you very much for your time!

 

Thanks guys!

1. I wouldn't like to dyno a car which hasn't got a good cooling system. I'd do it later, when I'm sure that everything works fine. The compression test takes a bit time. There's only one shop in Estonia, and I don't have time to go there at the moment. It costs money too. Although I was planning to go there sometime anyway.
Acceleration is actually a good comparison, honestly.

2-5. Thanks!

6. Estonia. It's Eastern-Europe. The summers are usually around 25 degrees Celsius, but there are days over 30.

7. Okay. A check isn't a bad either..

8. Actually it's not that easy to test. Some coil failures come out only under load.
To be honest, I believe they checked the compression and changed the engine. Why bother with else?

________________

1. Acceleration works better. We once actually did a TV show for young physicians where we gave them a car with known weight, stop-watch and a straight road and they had to calculate the power. Later we dynod the car to get the winner.
Oh and you can check acceleration times with RaceChrono for example. There are a lot of other apps too.

2-7. Thanks!

8. Thank you very much!

______________

One more thing..
My engine doesn't start so well.
But now I know, I'll start with the coils & plugs, clean SSV and then look at else.
I'll try to check the starter part number ASAP also.

I also have a question about oil, but it seems there's no point asking? I get so many thread's on oil, and none of them lead anywhere. So I guess it's easier to not ask? :P

 

The main point on oil that most agree on is that type is not as important as frequently changing it to keep it from breaking down from high heat & RPM.

 

Okay.
I'll ask the dealership, what they're using.
For now, I think I'd go with Mobil 1 5W-50. This should work on a track as well.

 

Welcome.

Fans on low is nice because the factory point is around 212F, or 100 C. Thermostat opens at 185 F, no idea C.

Instead of a grounding kit, some have had success with just star washers (the ones with little teeth) under the body grounding points. The teeth cut through the paint and make a better connection.

From my experience, a coil I did not change myself is likely a bad coil. They last a few years.

And, again, welcome!

 

well it looks like you've gotten a bunch of good answers. if it's been 30km since the rebuild. It is just about time to do coils/wires/spark plugs. So I would say just go ahead and do that stuff If you can.

 

Sorry, but you lost me at "km's" and "km/hr".

 

Thank you very much!
Sorry about the Fahrneheit/Celsius. I shouldn't give you the European units here.
Just one question - after the modifications (thermostat, fans on low) isn't the ECU working as if the engine is low on temperature, making the fuel mixture rich?

I can check the grounding points, no problem. Thanks.

Got it. New coils, sparks and plugs.



logalinipoo, yep. Thank you!

New Yorker. Haha, sorry.. :D

Are there coils I should go with? Mazda originals or something else?
Since I'm changing them myself, it won't cost me any money so there's no need to worry about that. Just which coils last the best?

 

Oh and one more question.
Should I get an original oil filter, or K&N? Just that K&N costs five times more. :D

 

I like the K&N filter just because it had a 1" nut on top and that makes it very easy to remove. Either one will be fine as long as you do your oil changes often. I really prefer Fram dual pass.

As for coils. It really depends on how much money you want to spend. I really like the LS2 coils. There's a few kits out there. They probably will never fail on you again. If you end up with a tuner you can have the spark increased and get a little better performance from them.

If you're going with mazda coils look for revision C. I think that's the latest design.

 

Welcome to the forums Rajareits! I've done some research on the oil filters in the past and I believe the K&N filter is the same on the inside as the Mobil1 oil filters. Mobil1 is slightly cheaper, but it does not have the nut on top.

 

Thank you!

Don't worry, I have some tools.. :D
Is the Mobil1 Mazda's original? A local parts reseller told me I'd get an original filter. RX-8 is so rare here, that we have to order everything in front.
After a bit of Googleing, I ordered the original.
I'm hoping to have some trackdays next year, but for now, it should be okay.

About the coils. Thanks!
LS2 coils sound nice, but I'd have to wait too long for them. :/

 

Sorry to bother you again. My local parts dealer is offering Mobiletron coils. I'm not so sure about them. Can you help?

 

->4. Grounding kit. I would not buy a grounding kit. However, I recommend ground maintenance and upgrades. A noisy Alternator means noisy EMI somewhere. Sometimes you hear alternator noise from your speakers, which is usually caused by 2 common things.

1. 12v to USB Charger + AUX IN.
90% of Aux in do not have anything resembling a Ground Loop Isolator or any EMI protection so you get "whine" on the speaker system even if it is off in some cases. The main fix for this is an ISOLATED 12v to 5v switching converter which not many, if any companies use. For the same money, get a 3.5mm to Bluetooth adapter and use your device via Bluetooth. Get one that has a battery or power it off something other than your 12v line. (Like a rechargeable 5v battery power pack for a cell phone)

2. Grounding problems.
Now "problem" can mean a lot! The Alternator on our cars is controlled via the PCM, not just constantly "on." It is told how much power to output. The whine could be a grounding issue OR the most common way they are totaled is that someone removes the positive cable of the car battery, while the car us running and the voltage spikes confusing the PCM and wiping the alternator out. Autozone techs are told to do this when doing an Alternator test because it is old information that won't hurt most American cars. Don't do it, and if it has been done, replace the alternator.

I would recommend that any car engine bay be cleaned in the specific areas where being grounded. Metal oxidizes and gets hot so resistance builds up on it's own. Here is what I did first thing to my car and immedately noticed an improvement.

Remove the negative terminal from the battery. Wait 5 minutes. Remove the positive terminal. (it is ok to leave the battery in the car, just not plugged in)

There is a bolt on the engine right next to the airpump with a grounding cable coming off it. Remove the entire bolt and try not to drop it. Clean the face of the engine point, the ring terminal, the bolt head underside, and the other end of the cable thoroughly. I recommend sandpaper and acetone for speed. When you go to replace it, consider adding a 4 AWG cable from that same bolt to the battery ground near the radiator fans. "bonding" grounds removes the chance that the car metal under the paint has resistance or some parts that should be touching aren't quite loose or not quite touching. I bought a standard battery cable that used ring terminals for 7 bucks and bonded the grounds and weirdly my courtesy lights started working. The car idled better and the voltage was more consistent on the PCM, making the readings more stable. My car is an 09 and has 33k miles on it and needed that fix.

Grounding kits are bullshit in a box. They are meant to look fancy first, look like they do something second, then 3rd if they bother help you out. You need nothing more than high temperature insulation 4 awg black cable (stranded welding cable for cheap), and 5/16 ring terminals. Put the factory ground face down and your cable, then the bolt. Do not disturb the factory grounds or the gremlins will wake up in your PCM and rape you. All in all, 2 hours of work, maybe 20 dollars vs a grounding kit that may just be a Chinese promise in a box.

 

Thank you very much badinfluence ( nice name :D ).
I've got a Parrot Asteroid Mini in my car. At first I thought it's connected badly, but now I've heard the original sound system making the same noise. So yeah, I'm about to clean the contacts now.

Btw, when you want to empty the electrical system from power current, you can use the brake pedal.. The lights drain the system quite well..

 

Can anyone tell me what's the normal engine operating temperature?

Mine stays at about 95-100 degrees Celsius (203-212 F). Also the glove compartment is very warm. I suppose it's not normal.
My ignition is still not working correctly, but I don't know if it will help with the temperatures.
I have a ~16 MPG on a freeway, which is a bit much too. I also have a OBD adapter, and I get a CAT error sometimes.

 

16mpg isn't bad. I have had mine as high as 230F, but I would say around 100C is normal. HOT, but normal. Anything 220F you should stop and check. 230F you should find a car wash. 250F you need to ram a fire hydrant. Anything post 212 on a normal car would start to separate the coolant from unmixed water, but OEM coolant is a bit more tough. As far as ignition goes, 16mpg is the best I have ever seen.... My cat error was from ignition coils and running way to rich. Keep an eye on LTFT and Ignition advance. You are looking for LTFT to be under +9% and Ignition advance to move around. If it stops moving or is pegged at +40 you need to check the coils, plugs, etc. STFT should be ignored for coil failure checking. After I changed mine I went from 9%-16% to 0.0%. (LTFT)

 

If your catalytic converter is clogged, you are in serious trouble. It will build heat back up into the engine, and get incredibly hot itself, hot enough to burn the car to the ground. I would drop it and visually inspect before continuing to drive.

 

Thanks!

I finally got my new igniton set.
3 out of 4 spark plugs we're done. So yeah, the engine isn't in it's best shape I think. I'll go and wash it probably.
And I'll think of something with the cat too.

The temperatures are a bit down now after the new coils and plugs.
Still haven't been able to drive it rough though..

 

I dont know much about foreign emission laws, but do you need the cat where you are? My car's middle glovebox has gotten hot enough to heat coffee, but I do not have a problem with my cat. Well recently I did, it blew itself out the tailpipe. Then the glovebox heat stopped lol.


If it is something you can do, just cut it out and replace it with a resonator. I am at 42k and mine completely failed, but I got lucky and it isn't catch fire like some do.

 

If a car has a cat from the factory, then it has to be on it.
But only for checkups, so.. :D Once a year you have to switch back to it.

Btw, the fee for annual checkups is 30€. There have been rumors about a fine if you don't have one, but I've got only warnings. So anyway, I can't see the point of going to a checkup.. :P

 

Well not sure what they "check" but if you cut out the cat, and put a resonator there, they can "look" similar. A sniffer will fail immediately, but it will fail if your cat is bad just the same.

 

That's a good point.. (Y)

They use sniffer, but the limits are actually pretty low AFAIK.
I have to check and try. But how can I be sure my cat has failed?