some_postman

Hi all,
As of about 2 hours ago I agreed on a price for a 2006 RX-8 6 speed imported from the UK. And before anyone asks, I have read the sticky threads a dozen times over and I have had the car compression tested (and also have a 3 year mechanical warranty for peace of mind)

I'm stupidly excited. My neighbour across the road had an RX-7 when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest car ever. Then in 2002 I went to the Detroit Auto show and sat in an RX-8 while it was still a concept car and said to myself "this is AWESOME! One day I'm going to own one of these!"

I actually don't know what colour it is... stormy blue? Midnight blue? Strato blue? I will attach a couple of the dealer shots, although it does look boring in the overcast pictures.

First things to do? I'm thinking change the coil packs, leads and plugs.

04Green

iTrader: (1)

Welceome.

If you did stickies, you know what I am going to say next. Check out Congrats you got an 8 for cleanup mods ($100 thread in my sig).

And, welcome.

gwilliams6

is this the RX8 that you only have one compression number per each rotor, not the required three (one per rotor face)? If I remember from your other thread the numbers you had were ok but marginal according to RIWWP's posted chart. If I am wrong here please correct me.

Anyway, welcome and I hope you do the customary ignition updating right away.

some_postman

Well the car is gorgeous and drives beautifully! I'd be thrilled if it wasn't for one thing... on the drive home, and the two drives after that, the car smelled like exhaust. And I'm not just talking standing near the exhaust, but inside the car! It's like the car is running rich or the cat is stuffed? Or is the RX-8 just smellier than I expected it to be?!

This isn't normal, right?

dscoleri

Awe man, nice! Have fun with it!

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If your cat is gone or gutted you may notice some smell, but not with the windows up & moving.
Check the cat, & check the muffler & tailpipes for leaks, make sure the exhaust is coming out past the bumper & not under the car.
Be sure your vents are set to the recirculation mode & not outside air.
Change your cabin air filters, aldehyde ones are great if you don't mind paying extra, but the regular ones are ok.

some_postman

My CEL light came on today. With the help of a forum member that lives close, I got the code: P0420 - Catalyst System efficiency below threshold bank 1

I guess that explains why it smells?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If you still have a cat it's likely either clogged or gutted.
If it's clogged you need to replace it or gut it ASAP to avoid damaging your engine, it's one of the main causes of engine failure.

gwilliams6

BigCajun is right, get your cat checked before you potentially ruin your engine. Unfortunately a failing cat is one of the problem areas of some used RX8s that weren't properly cared for,(poor ignition health can lead to imcomplete fuel burning, which can lead to a clogged cat-just one of the ways to kill a cat) and this could lead to engine damage or ultimate failure. So get your cat fixed or replaced and get that FULL engine compression test ASAP to see if there is any problems there.

Sorry you are having these issues to dampen your joy over the car, but these are all issues that can be solved.

Here is a current RX8 club forum thread about clogged cats.
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-...-108878/page6/

some_postman

It really sucks to have this happen just after getting the car

As trading laws are pretty tight here, the dealer will have an obligation to fix this problem or offer me a full refund, even though its a used car. He has said he can get it from me on Tuesday and give me a loan car until he has it sorted (which from what I see is at least a new cat, possibly new coils/wires/plugs if thats whats caused it). He is going to spew, but oh well, that's part of why I chose to buy through a dealer.

Given that I still need to get around, can I drive it for a couple of days? Or is that going to have dire consequences?

I've read that threat on cats, but its primarily just a big list of cats and then one person recommending one, with another saying its crap. Is there any remote consensus on what aftermarket cats will last?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If you're looking for an absolute, no doubt answer on the best cat for the RX8, then it's the OEM replacement.
That's why they're in the neighborhood of $1400. You can continue to search for opinions on a substitute.
If you don't have to have a cat for an emissions sniffer test, then you can gut your bad cat, or get a midpipe & save your old gutted cat for visual inspections.

kevinande

As stated above, you either have a clogged or gutted CAT. This is probably one of the easiest vehicles to remove the exhaust system from. If you can get the car a good 12 to 18 inches off the ground there are three nuts to remove to check and see if the catalyst material is in there. Two more in the rear to completely remove it. If it's absent drive on until you get it to the shop. If not stop driving it, it can and will ruin a perfectly good engine. If the dealership fixes the problem either way, my advice is to get a mid-pipe, remove the CAT close off both ends and store it away until you need it or want to sell the car. I replace mine once a year for inspections, it's kind of a PITA, however I feel better knowing that my CAT will not fail without me being aware of it and damaging my engine. Although I am pretty good about maintenance on my car. If you keep the coils, leads and plugs in good working order, you should not have any issues with the CAT, but it is possible for even new ones to fail and the computer not register it right away.

Aston177

If the cat is clogged up, you should be getting a rotten egg smell. My car did the same when I bought it. On my drive home the check engine light came on. I was freaking out. Turned out my cat was clogged. It wasn't a massive clog though. I drove it around for a few more days without revving it a lot, to keep the temps down. Eventually I ended up gutting it as I didn't buy it through a dealer and didn't have $1,500 to spare :D however, AFTER gutting the cat, it smelled like exhaust. But not inside the car with the windows up. I'm guessing your cat is gutted. Like everyone else above said, take it to the dealer and get it checked.

Keep us posted

some_postman

Thanks all for your replies. I am taking my car to guy who specialises in rotarys first thing in the morning. I'm wondering if old coils have caused insufficient combustion and ruined the cat?

I'm not interested in running a cat-less car. Spewing excessive pollutants for a few extra HP is not something I want to do. But given the cost, I can understand why people take this option.

Aston177

Yes. It's possible that your old coils ruined the cat. Check the coils, plugs and wires. All 3.

Oh yeah and gutting the cat means you won't pass emissions tests. Sucks huh :P

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If the state mandates a "sniffer" test or hook up to the OBD to check it, then it will fail.
However, some states do just visual inspections or no emissions check at all where it's not a concern.

Postman, many of us run catless for peace of mind knowing that it eliminates one very common cause of engine failure.

niteshade247

I'm a little consernd that you said it reading wrong from bank 1 that's got nothing to do with the cat bank 2 is the cat o2 you could have a bad bank 1 o2 and that can and will clog the cat bank 1 is the o2 that reads rich or lean and tells the ECM how to ajust if it's reading wrong this could be the reason for the smell. Strange no one els picked up on this.

some_postman

I thought this was just because the ODB2 codes are common and not specific to the RX-8 and other cars have two cats. It did smell like the car runs rich, but why would the error message be that the cat is below minimum threshold?

niteshade247

That is a question I asked my self when I read your post. The two o2's read differently as I stated earlier one is a wide band and one is a narrow band that's why the bank 1 is so much more expensive than bank 2. Bank 2 is just there to read your cat to let you know if it's good or bad. Bank 1 shouldn't get any reading from the cat because it's not meat to look for that kind of thing and it's to far in front of the cat to read anything. Now that code I have seen meany times on this site but only from bank 2 and only after the cat was removed or gutted. With all that being said are you sure who ever read the code said it was bank 1 and not 2? It is puzzling me as well so what ever you find out let us know.

some_postman

I never really posted any pictures of my car or gave an update on what happened with it. The catalytic converter was non-existent... it had entirely blown out or was purposefully removed. The dealer had this replaced for me.

I'm still not entirely sure what colour my car is... midnight blue?

I absolutely love driving the car and I have a perma-smile when driving it. The fuel bills... well, I knew they would be bad, but it's still making me cringe and feel a little guilty

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

That's good news!
Now you have to be sure to keep your ignition components healthy so you don't ruin your new, very expensive cat.
Change coils, plugs, & wires every 30k miles, or spring for the BHR ignition, good insurance that might pay off in the long run.

djgiron

I ahve noticed my fuel mileage is slowly going up since I first purchased my car. First tank (not counting the one I drove home from the dealer in as it was all highway) was around 12mpg, second tank was around 15mpg and this last tank was just over 16mpg. A couple of factors for this are it has been cooler so less AC the last 2 tanks and I am probably not as aggressive as my first tank I found a new very windy road to drive home on so less stop and go as well. This car seems to drive better the faster you take the curves, I love the way it hunkers down and just sticks to the road.

niteshade247

So did some one read the wrong bank o2 because it sounds like they did.