Good set of metric sockets.....1/2 and 3/8 drive...need some longish extensions.
floor jack and cherry picker, clutch alignment tool

Nothing too fancy needed at all...

 

lots of tools!

if you have to ask!

beers

 

You can get it at an auto parts store or one of the Mazda vender's on here.
Tell us about your RX-8, give us some info on it.

 

swoope was only half-joking. Seriously, if you need to ask a bunch of guys on a forum which tools you will need this particular adventure may be a bit outside the scope.

 

if you can get your hands on a hand held impact wrench with some swivel sockets it will make things a whole lot easier.. i mean you can do EVERYTHING without them but it will cut your time prolly by about a third.

Let me or us know if you need any help.. i just got done doing a direct swap with my 04... put an 07 motor in and i can be of any help you might need

good luck man and let us know how it goes!

 

you learn a lot from swapping engines--you can do it, label all lines , get the manual.
the flywheel is a bit hard to get off and you will need a big *** wrench for that, the pilot bearing can be a pain. the trans really isnt that heavy. etc etc etc.
get it jacked up as high as you can--prepare for extra expenses--injector cleaning--go ahead and put new clutch etc in--bunch of stuff
OD

 

and take lots of photos along the way..

beers

 

step by step rebuild by charles hill:

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-multimedia-photo-gallery-6/charles-hill-engine-rebuild-51k-turbocharged-rx-8-a-148395/

 

no it doesnt--better to take the trans off.
OD

 

yea when you pull the motor it makes it a hell of a lot easier if the tranny is already off... take it from a person who pulled the motor with the tranny attached you do not want to mess with that... getting the yoke back into place is not fun

take the tranny off before you pull the motor

 

Od

 

ORLY? We did just that at our last race...didn't take too much time. Actually it was quite easy, the key is having knowledgeable people to help you. We had 2 guys work the underside, ie disassembling the driveline and to re-assemble, while 3 of us worked the motor in general. Now yes I understand we are a race team, but with the right tools and people working on it, it shouldn't be to difficult. BTW, out time for the motor/tranny swap...1 donor car motor/tranny out, 1 bad motor/tranny out...donor motor/tranny back in and started...1hr 35mins!!!

 

Very impressive. It takes us around the same time just to put a new motor in our late model racecar

 

^Thanks man! I was quite impressed actually doing it as well...we were just as surprised at the time as everyone there that watched.

 

i was just saying.. for first timers with this motor i think its easier to leave the tranny in and not have to worry about the yoke and things... and not all of us have those amazingly convenient race team tools

 

he is just messing with us a little that all--he knows what it is like to do this with jack stands one jack, in the dirt/or driveway with one extension cord and in the rain.
Hell now a days it takes me an hr to get out of bed!
OD

 

or the time i had to change a rod bearing in the snow!!! ahhhh those were the days. doubt that will happen again..


beers

 

HAHA! I do know what it's like doing this kinda work jack stands in a garage...that's the way we did it at VIR, w/ the help of someone else's cherry picker. LOL.

But this engine really is quite simple, as long as you have a good memory of where things go once they are taken off. It's quite the rats nest of vacuum lines and such in there.

If you decide to remove the tranny installed, I recommend removing all fluids before this. IE coolant, oil, trans fluid...makes things alot less dirty...take it from me, a mixture of coolant and oil on a garage floor makes for a nice fall once or twice.

 

You are right about that!
I remember when I putting my present engine in OUSIDE in the dirt gravel (with plywood) 2 jack russels for helper---it snowed one day(no shift--had double long johns on) and 2 days later (working on this after my real job) there was a dang tornado a few miles away and the wind blowing so hard it blew a squirrel out of one of the trees and he landed on my hood while i was under it--damn dogs went crazy and it scared the bejeez out of me!!
OD

 

dang OD your a crazy dude but i guess we all do what we can to keep our 8's runnin eh?

 

Denny, you really are showing your age...there is no way my *** would be doing any of that! I guess us young guys are just soft...