Dumb Question Thread - no flaming or sarcasm allowed
#2951
Read this please: https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/
I'd answer you directly, but i already did there. And that has lots more answers that you don't know you are going to as yet.
Towing is probably viable, though not sure how viable it will be on a weak engine (hot start problems = low compression problems)
I'd answer you directly, but i already did there. And that has lots more answers that you don't know you are going to as yet.
Towing is probably viable, though not sure how viable it will be on a weak engine (hot start problems = low compression problems)
#2952
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Keep in mind that it's not intended to scare away everyone. Just people that have no business owning a quirky rotary
Those that can accept the problems, just need to be aware of them.
Those that can accept the problems, just need to be aware of them.
#2953
yeah i know what you mean. Ive had a lot of people tell me and complain about the rx8 and random issues they had. but im 100% they had no clue what they were doing, and didnt even up keep with topping out on the oil. but so far 45k and i love the car. i race motorcycles so i got to sneak out the rx8 for a couple laps on the track before after the day was done sometimes. That was a lot of fun, I kinda wish it had less miles though because Id love to do a full track day on it or a few
#2954
STL RX8 owner
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I have an '04 AT with over 158K on the body and around 88K on the second engine. (New rack and pinion, spark plugs, wires, etc) I know I'm gonna get stick for having an Auto, but I wrecked my Speed3 and I was able to buy this for only $2800 so give me a break..
Anyway, here's the problem:
I've put like 600 miles on it so far and it's starting to perform really badly. The engine whirrs/whines at just 3000 RPM. I can best describe it as an R/C toy car whine. When I shift (I drive in "M" mode, makes me feel better), it has significant jump in revs from 2nd to 3rd gear. When I stop the car will rev all the way to red line without moving before i get some wheel spin and then it will go. It does this on 1st and 2nd gear. I can best describe it as holding the clutch down while giving it gas, keeping in mind it's an automatic, but just to give you guys some idea, that's what it does. I have no CEL or any other light on at the moment. The weather has been very cold. I changed the oil around 200 miles ago. Any help or insight is much appreciated right now as I feel absolutely hopeless.
Thank you
Anyway, here's the problem:
I've put like 600 miles on it so far and it's starting to perform really badly. The engine whirrs/whines at just 3000 RPM. I can best describe it as an R/C toy car whine. When I shift (I drive in "M" mode, makes me feel better), it has significant jump in revs from 2nd to 3rd gear. When I stop the car will rev all the way to red line without moving before i get some wheel spin and then it will go. It does this on 1st and 2nd gear. I can best describe it as holding the clutch down while giving it gas, keeping in mind it's an automatic, but just to give you guys some idea, that's what it does. I have no CEL or any other light on at the moment. The weather has been very cold. I changed the oil around 200 miles ago. Any help or insight is much appreciated right now as I feel absolutely hopeless.
Thank you
#2955
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Did a clutch Job this weekend and I have a weird vibration now, when i first started it there was hesitation when i let the clutch out for the first time and there was some vibration at idle. I actuated the clutch a few times and the vibration subsided. The engine was cold so it was idling at about 2k rpm. I was looking listening and smelling around the area for anything out of order for a minute or so. I climbed back into the car, at this point the idle had settled down to about 1200rpm, about 400rpm shy of warm idle speed. I brought the rpms up to about 3k and it was smooth going up, but then it shuddered on the way down. I let it idle some more which it did smoothly. I actuated the clutch a few more times, and tried bringing the revs up to 3k again and the same thing, vibrations on the way back down. I'm done with it for now though, I'll get back to it in the morning.
I did not remove the flywheel, but thinking back now, i was able to turn it with ease like a full rotation when i was putting the new pressure plate on, shouldn't I have been fighting the compression of the engine? Or is it possible the flywheel nut was turning on it's threads and the whole thing is loose? Man i dont want to have to pull this thing back off again
I did not remove the flywheel, but thinking back now, i was able to turn it with ease like a full rotation when i was putting the new pressure plate on, shouldn't I have been fighting the compression of the engine? Or is it possible the flywheel nut was turning on it's threads and the whole thing is loose? Man i dont want to have to pull this thing back off again
#2956
Someone is trying to sell me a RX 8 2004 Grand Touring edition with a little over 100k miles with a salvaged title in the state of California for 5000. It looks like rear end damage is the reason for the salvage.
Is that a bad deal?
Is that a bad deal?
#2958
Ok... Here is my dumb question. What is a "Starting Battery"
I want to get a new battery for my 04 rx8 auto, because its not holding a charge well anymore. I am looking at 2 batteries from Advanced Auto Parts. One is a AutoCraft Gold with 640 CCA's for 128.00 - 35% coupon. The other is an Optima Red Top "starting battery" with 720 CCA's at 210.00 - 50.00 discount coupon. I am inclined to buy the more expensive battery because it has more CCA's and I just installed an upgraded 2.0 kw Starter. Anyway, what exactly does "starting battery" mean? I would eventually like to hook up a 1000 watt amp for a sound system and just want to make sure that the fact it is a "starting battery" doesn't mean that Its not a good one to run an amp off of. Thanks for any suggestions and help. If I am going to spend 200.00 on a battery does someone have a better choice. I read that you can mod the battery box for a 35R battery that puts out 900 CCA's but there seems to be some disputes about airflow because of this. Also I did search around the net but could not find an answer, but I suspect its probably an easy answer for people with Automotive Knowledge. Thanks Again.
This IS a serious question. I am pretty sure there is an obvious answer, like, its called a "starter battery" because it has more CCA's than a stock battery. I just want to be sure.
This IS a serious question. I am pretty sure there is an obvious answer, like, its called a "starter battery" because it has more CCA's than a stock battery. I just want to be sure.
Last edited by barondidit; 12-20-2013 at 08:37 PM. Reason: Making sure you guys know that sadly, this is a serious question
#2959
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If you want to run your amp with the engine off, you need a battery with a high amp hour rating, not high CCA. Also something that's deep discharge, like a marine trolling battery. Although at 1000 watts you're not going to get a whole lot of play time from any reasonable car-sized battery.
You've got the right idea about what "starting battery" means. Car batteries are generally starting batteries because that's what they're used for.
Ken
You've got the right idea about what "starting battery" means. Car batteries are generally starting batteries because that's what they're used for.
Ken
#2961
Zoom-Freakin'-Zoom
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Did a clutch Job this weekend and I have a weird vibration now, when i first started it there was hesitation when i let the clutch out for the first time and there was some vibration at idle. I actuated the clutch a few times and the vibration subsided. The engine was cold so it was idling at about 2k rpm. I was looking listening and smelling around the area for anything out of order for a minute or so. I climbed back into the car, at this point the idle had settled down to about 1200rpm, about 400rpm shy of warm idle speed. I brought the rpms up to about 3k and it was smooth going up, but then it shuddered on the way down. I let it idle some more which it did smoothly. I actuated the clutch a few more times, and tried bringing the revs up to 3k again and the same thing, vibrations on the way back down. I'm done with it for now though, I'll get back to it in the morning.
I did not remove the flywheel, but thinking back now, i was able to turn it with ease like a full rotation when i was putting the new pressure plate on, shouldn't I have been fighting the compression of the engine? Or is it possible the flywheel nut was turning on it's threads and the whole thing is loose? Man i dont want to have to pull this thing back off again
I did not remove the flywheel, but thinking back now, i was able to turn it with ease like a full rotation when i was putting the new pressure plate on, shouldn't I have been fighting the compression of the engine? Or is it possible the flywheel nut was turning on it's threads and the whole thing is loose? Man i dont want to have to pull this thing back off again
beers
#2964
Flame On!
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I want to get a new battery for my 04 rx8 auto, because its not holding a charge well anymore. I am looking at 2 batteries from Advanced Auto Parts. One is a AutoCraft Gold with 640 CCA's for 128.00 - 35% coupon. The other is an Optima Red Top "starting battery" with 720 CCA's at 210.00 - 50.00 discount coupon. I am inclined to buy the more expensive battery because it has more CCA's and I just installed an upgraded 2.0 kw Starter. Anyway, what exactly does "starting battery" mean? I would eventually like to hook up a 1000 watt amp for a sound system and just want to make sure that the fact it is a "starting battery" doesn't mean that Its not a good one to run an amp off of. Thanks for any suggestions and help. If I am going to spend 200.00 on a battery does someone have a better choice. I read that you can mod the battery box for a 35R battery that puts out 900 CCA's but there seems to be some disputes about airflow because of this. Also I did search around the net but could not find an answer, but I suspect its probably an easy answer for people with Automotive Knowledge. Thanks Again.
This IS a serious question. I am pretty sure there is an obvious answer, like, its called a "starter battery" because it has more CCA's than a stock battery. I just want to be sure.
This IS a serious question. I am pretty sure there is an obvious answer, like, its called a "starter battery" because it has more CCA's than a stock battery. I just want to be sure.
As far as battery brands go, you are going to get a lot of different opinions. The red top is not much better than a good standard car battery in my opinion (I have one, and have had one in every car I've owned for a few years now.). Expect to get 3-5 years out of it. Although, I wouldn't recommend it for a heavy sound system. If you want to stay with optima, I would recommend a yellow top. It can handle heavy drains better and has a better chance of surviving. When talking batteries for sound you want a high amp/hour rating over CCA's. The "biggest" I managed to fit was a 34R. I had the battery for about 2.5 years now, just replaced it cause I got a new one for $30 and couldn't pass that deal up. The battery was starting to show signs of weakening though... The 34R will cover the bottom vent hole to some degree.. If you decide to go with the 34R you will need to make sure you get the battery tray that is suppose to come with it. It will give you the height you need to connect the terminals...
You will love the starter btw, I upgraded my starter and battery around the same time and it was a amazing difference.
(My starting video)
Thread on battery size...
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-...series-187809/
#2965
So i currently live in Rhode Island and im about to put a turbo into my 07 and i was wondering if anyone knew of a good shop up in this area to take it and get it tuned at.
#2966
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There is no shop in new england that will tune a turbocharged 8. Having spent 6 years in Rhode Island with my RX-8, I'm not just a random person spoutting off.
That being said, considering this is your first post, I sincerely hope you researched what you are getting into. It's not for the faint of heart, and it's not likely to end well. This engine is extremely fragile when you start adding boost, and not a single "turbo kit" out there will work correctly without modification. Plus, if you don't have Mazdaedit or an AccessPORT, you have zero chance of getting it to run right. None of the piggy backs will work. You might get the car to run, barely, but the factory ecu will end up countering everything the piggyback does and then boom, there goes your engine (assuming it doesn't blow on the dyno from the piggyback's deficiencies).
No, I'm not exagerating or lying. You have to get everything perfectly right the very first time, and it's a razor's edge of perfection where even the slightest slip or failure means that your engine blows, even if it's a freshly rebuilt one.
That being said, considering this is your first post, I sincerely hope you researched what you are getting into. It's not for the faint of heart, and it's not likely to end well. This engine is extremely fragile when you start adding boost, and not a single "turbo kit" out there will work correctly without modification. Plus, if you don't have Mazdaedit or an AccessPORT, you have zero chance of getting it to run right. None of the piggy backs will work. You might get the car to run, barely, but the factory ecu will end up countering everything the piggyback does and then boom, there goes your engine (assuming it doesn't blow on the dyno from the piggyback's deficiencies).
No, I'm not exagerating or lying. You have to get everything perfectly right the very first time, and it's a razor's edge of perfection where even the slightest slip or failure means that your engine blows, even if it's a freshly rebuilt one.
#2967
Yes this was my first post but ive been doing my research and such i have worked with other 8s in the past and stuff im not completely new to it i just never used this site to ask questions as much as i used it as a guide. i really do appreciate the concern though. and you said there is none in new england? that is just my luck haha. being from NY is there one there? and considering there isnt one in NE would you recommend just taking it to a shop and paying them to put it on instead of installing it myself and taking it to a shop and having them tune it for me?
#2968
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If you are going to go forward with turboing, your two best bets are:
A) Bring everything to someone who has done it before and pay them to isntall everything, make the appropriate modifications, etc... and then pay a tuner to come to your car to tune it
B) Install everything yourself, taking painstakingly long to make sure you aren't messing anything up, and then pay a tuner to come tune your car.
There are only a handful of tuners in the US I'd trust with tuning a turbocharged 8, and none are within a day's drive of you. Tuning an RX-8 requires 3 different skills that individually aren't incredibly rare (tuning with the RX-8's ECU, tuning a rotary, and tuning for boost on a rotary), however it is rare that a tuner has all 3. Drop any 1 skill and you are more likely to be paying them to learn how to do that part of it, possibly costing you an engine in the process. There are many piston tuning principles that carry over, but there are twists and differences that can really trip up someone and cause major damage if they aren't aware of them.
I'm not going to toss out any names though, as they have regular jobs and are not actual shop tuners, so it would need to be a negociation with any of them, and they may not be interested at all.
Note: This is just my opinion, you will likely get other opinions from others here on the forum, so it would be best if you explored the Major Horsepower Upgrades subforum to see what challenges other people had and what solutions they found, and solicit opinions in that subforum once you have the basic knowledge you need to not get laughed off the thread (they can be harsh in there...)
A) Bring everything to someone who has done it before and pay them to isntall everything, make the appropriate modifications, etc... and then pay a tuner to come to your car to tune it
B) Install everything yourself, taking painstakingly long to make sure you aren't messing anything up, and then pay a tuner to come tune your car.
There are only a handful of tuners in the US I'd trust with tuning a turbocharged 8, and none are within a day's drive of you. Tuning an RX-8 requires 3 different skills that individually aren't incredibly rare (tuning with the RX-8's ECU, tuning a rotary, and tuning for boost on a rotary), however it is rare that a tuner has all 3. Drop any 1 skill and you are more likely to be paying them to learn how to do that part of it, possibly costing you an engine in the process. There are many piston tuning principles that carry over, but there are twists and differences that can really trip up someone and cause major damage if they aren't aware of them.
I'm not going to toss out any names though, as they have regular jobs and are not actual shop tuners, so it would need to be a negociation with any of them, and they may not be interested at all.
Note: This is just my opinion, you will likely get other opinions from others here on the forum, so it would be best if you explored the Major Horsepower Upgrades subforum to see what challenges other people had and what solutions they found, and solicit opinions in that subforum once you have the basic knowledge you need to not get laughed off the thread (they can be harsh in there...)
Last edited by RIWWP; 12-24-2013 at 07:09 AM.
#2969
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What would be the repercussions for getting rid of the rear 02 sensor?
From what I understand the rear o2 just checks to see if the emissions systems are doing their job. Would it just throw a cel?
The reason I ask is because I have my exhaust dumping out the hood (temporarily) roughly 18in after the turbo. I was going to weld a bung for the rear o2 sensor in to this last 18 inches but from what it looked like the rear o2 wires are wrapped up together with the wires for the trans/ shifter. I didn't want to pull that apart so this brings me here.
Is it okay to just disconnect the rear o2 sensor? or will I be creating other problems for myself.
From what I understand the rear o2 just checks to see if the emissions systems are doing their job. Would it just throw a cel?
The reason I ask is because I have my exhaust dumping out the hood (temporarily) roughly 18in after the turbo. I was going to weld a bung for the rear o2 sensor in to this last 18 inches but from what it looked like the rear o2 wires are wrapped up together with the wires for the trans/ shifter. I didn't want to pull that apart so this brings me here.
Is it okay to just disconnect the rear o2 sensor? or will I be creating other problems for myself.
#2970
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Removing the rear O2 (or using a dead one) will throw a CEL, depending on what you did. Rear O2 circuit no response would be the main CEL. You may also see a slight drop in highway mileage, but we are talking 1mpg or less. You are correct that it's primary function is to determine if the cat is doing it's job, but it also does have a side effect of refining the air/fuel mix in closed loop when the engine has been at a steady state for a while. The rear O2 is a narrow band, and it reads in a faster loop than the front wideband.
#2972
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It came to light in the "Lean burn with negative split timing" thread. The ECU was using the rear O2 to correct his force-lean condition, and he went digging further. I'll see if i can dig up the posts.
#2973
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Here is the link to the direct post that is the key one of that part of the discussion: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-eng...4/#post4209124
Just started looking at this, but...
There is a switch that sets the rear O2 active for fuel control.
When the switch is "on" it can build a rear O2 fuel trim, and it switches to the fuel targets in the closed loop a/f targets B table.
The subroutine that sets the switch checks for a bunch of conditions... I don't understand all of them, but some of the ones I do get:
Looks for coolant temp over 70C.
Looks for difference between measured and commanded equivalence ratio must be over ~0.099.
It pulls a value from this load/rpm lookup table, and looks for a value equal to or greater than 128.
It is like the closed loop exit determination, so some are hard limits, some increment a counter against a delay threshold. Not sure which is which right now.
Anyhow, it seems to generally looking for cruising conditions and big errors in the wideband reading.
Also worth noting, these are the condition under which it will change the rear o2 fuel trim, if a trim is already set it is always applied to the closed loop target.
There is a switch that sets the rear O2 active for fuel control.
When the switch is "on" it can build a rear O2 fuel trim, and it switches to the fuel targets in the closed loop a/f targets B table.
The subroutine that sets the switch checks for a bunch of conditions... I don't understand all of them, but some of the ones I do get:
Looks for coolant temp over 70C.
Looks for difference between measured and commanded equivalence ratio must be over ~0.099.
It pulls a value from this load/rpm lookup table, and looks for a value equal to or greater than 128.
It is like the closed loop exit determination, so some are hard limits, some increment a counter against a delay threshold. Not sure which is which right now.
Anyhow, it seems to generally looking for cruising conditions and big errors in the wideband reading.
Also worth noting, these are the condition under which it will change the rear o2 fuel trim, if a trim is already set it is always applied to the closed loop target.