How do you take care of a 2004 mazda rx-8 rotary engine? I heard you also have to rev it up a little right before you shut it off, is this correct? I wasn't sure where to post this.

 

make sure you have the latest ECU flash.
if you can pay for the newest version starter would be a good idea.
new plugs every 30k miles and new coils every 60k miles.
rev her out every once a while.
no need to rev it before shutting off.

 

thanks, just bought one today. How high should i rev it up?

 

only rev it while under load. the saying is "a red line a day keeps the carbon away"

edit: on second thought, read these

FAQ’s https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/rx-8-faq-please-read-before-posting-959/
New and Potential Owner’s, Start Here https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
Congratulations, you got an 8 https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/congratulations-you-got-8-a-202548/
New Owner FAQ’s https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=FAQ

Also, make sure you read the “stickies” in each sub-forum

 

Thank you very much, I have learned quite a bit from reading some of what you provided along with solving a slightly idle problem according to my dad but it seemed fine to me but I know how to go about the DIY part.

 

You take care of it buy doing research about the car you purchased not coming here and asking a vaque *** question. We are not here to spoon feed every new comer information on how to properly maintain "their" car.

 

now i know you are to read the stickys and read the FAQ's but you dont need to be all DSM on his ***, thats the kind of talk i hoped i walked away from when getting an 8 but i guess not.

to the OP the stickys and reading the FAQ's you'll be good to go as RX8Soldier pointed out.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/my-sneaky-plan-extend-engine-life-series-i-190372/

 

Welcome,

The Congrats Thread is mine, if you have any questions, shoot me a PM. It is a wonderful car.

 

I thought what he said was pretty tame considering some of the things I have seen said to others who asked this same question. I cant believe the OP actually got nice and helpful answers.

 

It's pretty consistent on many of the forums I've been on, unfortunately.

OP, I was on here reading for a good three months solid trying to learn as much as I can. All I can say is go through the Tech garage. There are a lot of good threads in there. Go back a page or three and there is an awesome thread that helped me get a good plan for my car. Just read read read!

 

Maybe we are mellowing with our advanced age?

 

Thre are two rev deals. One is that, when driving and it's all warmed up, you should rev it to the redline every now and then. That blows the carbon out.

The other - which is what you started off asking about - is rev before shutdown. That applies if you start the car and don't drive it far enough to warm up. In that case you let it warm by idling, then rev to 3000 rpm, hold for 10 seconds, let it come back to idle, then shut down.

If you did not get a Quick Tips manual with your car, download the pdf from the Mazda web site. Look up the "Short trip procedure" for Mazda's official pronouncement. Don't listen to people who say you need to rev before any shutdown, or who say rev instead of warming up.

Congrats on the new wheels! And don't fret over all the "This car is special and needs bizarre maintenance" threads. The car is definitely special, but does not need bizarre treatment.

Ken

 

Definitely doesn't need bizarre treatment, but it's not something you can just drive and forget. That said, there are some things that I think can be done to extend the life... Although that's pretty much hypothesy and heresay. Still, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

Thank you very much, I know it makes me sound lazy making a new thread about how to treat it but i'm new to forums also and didn't know how to start things off. Now that you have provided me with a good deal of information I can now read about the forums. My previous car was a 97 civic ex and people said I took too good care of it so I should do well with my mazda. I do intend on treating differently with frequent oil check ups and look into how my starter, coils and plugs look to see if they are up to date. I was lucky to find one with only 45k miles on it.

 

Good luck and take care of it, like you did with your Honda Civic. Have fun modding.