Sure. Pre-mix is for add'l apex seal lubrication, whereas Sta-Bil is for gasoline 'stabilization.'

btw: to be more explicit, I use Sta-Bil rear round in my garden tractor, snowblower, and other 4-stroke machinery, as the fuel can sit longer in storage tanks. I only use it in Winter in my semi-hibernating '8.

I feel no abuse in your being obtuse.

 

Here's a good one I just found out the hard way... check your battery electrolyte level since its not a frikkin maintenance free battery

 

is the frothy dipstick gonna be problematic if i don't do nething about it? and about how much is the new tube?

 

im pretty sure its not a problem

 

this is really good useful info here, especially for new owners

i'm a new owner, just received my car a week ago. drove for 2 days (love it!) and it started snowing and accumulating here in metro detroit so i've parked it at the carport ever since. i've got such a driving itch, but a) it has exclaim uhp on it right now so it's not even all season and b) i REALLY don't want to subject it to snow and salty roads anyway. so i've been starting it once a day and let it warm up (idle) to operating (water) temp. is this bad for the car? should i back off to maybe just starting it once a week when i get snowed in?

i feel really bad leaving the car out in the carport alone. i've been wanting this car ever since i saw the RX-EVOLV and now i finally got it i've only driven it 2 days and it doesn't look like the snow's gonna melt anytime soon...

 

yeah once a week is fine.

 

I had issues reading the frothy dipstick... its not hurting the car any though. Its a TSB, so if you are on good terms with your dealer/have a good dealer, you should be able to get it done for free.

 

thanks great post. i had noticed that my coolant light turned on and astayed on for a while when id start my car in the morning. im going to flush it soon thanks agian!!

 

the coolant sensor went out on mine right after i bought it. the little birdcage lookin light. it would come on when i was goin up a hill or speeding up to pass somebody. since i was under 50,000 miles the dealership replaced it for free.

 

Awesome post - I have been getting this "milky substance" lately and I haven't even been able to check the oil level.

(Temps here in PA are ranging from 5*-45* this month.)

Thanks for the service bulletin - I'm bringing it in Monday to get it fixed .

 

No Worries- im happy as ... well me with a package of habbersets scrapple.... that people are still reading this and using the advise.

 

just checked and this is the 2nd highest viewed non-sticky thread in this section of the forum and 10th including the stickies cool

 

One more thing I guess I'll do next Fall is to plug the air intake to my stock air box. Most winters I exercise my driveway covered-stored '8 every couple weeks when it's snow/sand/salt clear, but this year we had a solid (and I do mean solid) six weeks of contiguous heavy snow cover. I suspect sometime in that period a rodent stored some acorns in the intake side of the box, discovered when I replaced my air filter this weekend. I guess it was a tough Winter for all!

Plugs, filters and all fluids changed and ready for the 2009 season.

 

I keep wondering about the necessity of using Sta-Bil for what is typically only about 90-100 days in storage, at least in my case. Does gasoline start to break down that quickly? And does the Sta-Bil have any effect on the premix itself? I know that Sta-Bil is pretty much a necessity for gas stored for up to two years, but 12-14 weeks? I've used it the last 2 winters and have again this winter, more out of caution than being convinced it's doing a lot of good.

I keep a 5-gallon can of Premium in the garage and keep the 8's tank topped-off, as I warm it up at roughly weekly intervals, to circulate fluids, charge the battery, etc. I even run it up and down my 100-foot-long driveway if it's dry, to lube seals and exercise the drivetrain and brakes.

 

Wish I had read this sooner, I just recently did the throttle body bypass mod and my car flooded twice due to the cold and not warming up the engine enough.

It never used to flood before the throttle body bypass mod, I may put back the coolant line for the winter time.

 

If you run it every week, I dont think this would be an issue... the Sta-Bil is more for when you stick something in storage & dont touch it for a few months.

 

Try to use no-ethanol fuel when storing. Ethanol has not worked well for me with storage even with fuel stabilizer.

 

thanks zoom, good things to know

 

Flooding - Never have.
Loss of power cold - After starting I've noticed that the engine initially idles between 2k and 3k. I always wait for the idle to lower itself below 2k with the car in neutral and clutch out, to help initially warm the transmission.
Tires - Goodyear Eagle GT. This last winter they seemed to be awesome. Recommended tire.
Radiator - I did mix some other coolant in with the FL22, but that was a long while ago. Plus I called the mazda dealer and they told me which substitute to use, since the nearest dealer is 250 miles away.
Window stuff - I would like to stress that frozen wiper fluid doesn't work. I managed to put the wrong bottle of stuff in before winter. Froze it one day, then barely thawed the next. Mixed with -10 stuff and it stayed liquid from then on. So, be sure to put the cold weather stuff in!

 

this thread just might save my life... my 2nd winter up north, 1st owning a car so im kind of concerned as chicago saw -30 last winter. gonna check my tires, coolant, and use up all my window washer fluid to put in the good stuff, just so i know for sure whats in there. thanks a lot man!

 

nonoono THANK YOU for reading it!

 

well i hate with a passion when someone asks a question thats been answered time and time again, so i try my best to search but this def. has some good info in it!!!

 

Bump. Winter is here if it's coming where you live.

 

How is this not a sticky yet??

 

sticky wont help people find it any more often than the link in my sig. Stickies are a bit cluttered as it is.