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The nipple from the radiator broke when I pulled the hose off that went to the radiator from the reservoir tank. Guess 12 years doesn't do so well with plastic.
Got the main pieces removed and hoses disconnected (another major pain), so now ready to pull the radiator. Got full clearance on the right side, but the left side (passenger) is still a bit under the PCM (ECU). Hoping it wiggles up and out okay like that.
2004 RX-8 engine with all top parts removed.
Going for it tonight. Got all the parts and hoses in.
I had a track day today and was promoted from intermediate to advanced with the fastest average lap time of the run group. It also happened to be on my favorite local track, which is short (1.3 miles), fairly low speed (~100mph), but very technical with lots of turns and elevation changes. It was a good day.
It also happened to be Lotus Club members' day at the driving school. What does that tell you about RX-8 handling?
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 04-04-2015 at 10:25 PM.
Well, it appears I have 1 good and 1 failing rotor, but the tech and service advisor would not admit it I'll post more details in Series II Technical sub-forum
Switched out my hid bulbs. I notice this pattern in front of the car with the new bulbs. I'm thinking I may of installed the bulbs upside down, though I dont see how that'll make any difference or if it's even possible to since the bulb housing has notches in it? The portion isn't visible from inside the cabin and can't say I really paid any attention to it before in the 9 years I owned the 8. The on coming traffic cuttoff from inside the cabin is unchanged.
Jastreb, my R3 lost compression in rotor 1. Got it replaced under warranty. What do you mean they won't admit it?
My starter and battery are so awesome, the engine cranked at 330 rpm during the test. So rotor 1 tested at 740kPa, and they insisted that was passing
More info in this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...3/#post4677778
Engine back together after radiator and reservoir replacement
Hopefully there won't be a next time, but if I ever have to replace or remove the coolant reservoir again, I'm going to buy a replacement hose from it to the radiator and slice the old one away. So much easier than risking damage to the radiator flange / nipple. But for now, I'm back on the road!
Oh, and by the way, the radiator and fan assembly drop down after removal of all the parts. I found some great resources on how to remove the radiator, but they never said if the radiator removal was up and out or down and out. I had enough space with the 8 on some ramps. It is possible with only that much space underneath.
And, rather than believing some talking head drone on about something he doesn't understand on the intertubez, spend some time on actual research. Mazda actually recommends and sells 5W30 synthetic oil for the Renesis engine pretty much everywhere but here.
I had a track day today and was promoted from intermediate to advanced with the fastest average lap time of the run group. It also happened to be on my favorite local track, which is short (1.3 miles), fairly low speed (~100mph), but very technical with lots of turns and elevation changes. It was a good day.
Nicely done, can't wait to hit the track myself.
BTW I sooooo want that blue car in the background, that's what I want to replace my 8 with.
Thanks. My car and I had a great time together. It ran great all day and is perfectly suited to a short, technical track like that one where the straights are not long enough for HP to overcome handling deficiencies. And, now that I am cat-less, I can shoot flames, which weirds out whoever is behind me. I actually had a guy in an Elise back off, because he thought my engine was going to go at any moment.
That Vette belongs to an instructor named Chris. He has it completely set up for the track, and it is a monster. He is one of the best drivers around, which doesn't hurt either.
Next track day is the 18th. Already getting pumped.
Last edited by Steve Dallas; 04-06-2015 at 07:42 PM.
Took a trip down memory lane. My first rotary, the 79 rx7, I got from a shop teacher, who has made himself a huge paddle out of wood for a shift ****. It was grooved for four fingers, but on top, so it looked like an AT handle.
So... one of my contributions to the Father/Daughter build.
A little rough shaping with a block plane done.
Also, ordered most of the item on the 100k maintenance list - BHR ignition and coils, Koyo radiator, brake and clutch lines, hoses, rotors and breaks: Nothing like consolidating the pain
Ordered a set of front mud guards, side aero flares, and rear aero flares for the RX-8. Will be installing those today. Here are some pics from last night just before I got the right front mud guard on:
04-03-2015, 03:59 PM
New radiator after reservoir fiasco
I'll post more details in Series II Technical sub-forum
