Well folks, after approx 88k miles, my original engine has officially mailed it in, and I will soon be getting a new one via warranty courtesy of mazda. So, I thought it would probably be a good idea to fire off a post to the community to see what knowledgable individuals would advise for upgrades while the engine is being replaced.

The service manager at the dealership said that my cat has died and is also in need of being replaced. After looking through the cat thread, I'm leaning towards the cat/midpipe from rx7store.net. Also, a member of the local rx8 club mentioned that it may be a good idea to go ahead and upgrade the flywheel while the engine is out (just had the oem clutchpack replaced in december when my throwout bearing died...)

Currently, the car is 100% stock, so any thoughts / suggestions are welcome and will be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance!

(apologies to the mods if this isn't in the right section of the forum...)

 

Here is a thread I made a bit ago regarding adding reliability mods: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/when-add-reliability-mods-new-engine-199032/

If the dealer is willing to put something on there OTHER than an OEM cat, I will be shocked, as it's against the law and dealers can be nailed with extremely large fines. Even used cat's are questionable and most places won't touch them. I will also be shocked if the dealer is willing to install and test out the engine with a clogged cat. If you haven't handed over your car yet, get that replacement cat or midpipe on there first, making sure the dealer won't fight you over having it on there for the engine replacement.

If you handed over the car already.... I wish you luck in figuring out how to get around it without paying $1,400 for a new cat.

And the BHR midpipe, or BHR + Davesport Cat option, is by far the best thing you can do for a midpipe solution. The rx7store.net one is a waste of money once you pass the 5-10k miles mark. The BHR pipe is the only one out there that holds up under any level of mileage, heat, etc...

 

1. Clutch
2. Oil Injectors
3. Oil Metering Lines

A lightened flywheel is a great mod but if you have been stock then why bother. If you plan on keeping the car then get the BHR kit and the SOHN adapter but don't have the dealer install those. But at least factory coils, plugs, and wires are also a good starting point if the BHR kit is out of your price range.

 

The motor from mazda will include a flywheel but if you ever want to install a lightweight flywheel, now is the time. I supplied and they installed mine for no extra charge along with the exedy stage 1 HD clutch (same as mazdaspeed).

Let the dealer replace your cat for free and if you want to get a performance mid latter then have it installed somewhere else. A factory fresh cat is valuable to have laying around.

The racing beat braided lines are a PITA with the motor in the car. The dealer would probably charge you 1-2 hours to replace them.

Have them install a new water pump and t-stat, either a factory unit or the RE-Mady waterpump.

If you dont ask or tell the dealer to install new plugs, they probably wont. So bring it up.

 

These things would cost you some $$ in parts but since the engine is coming out anyway the dealer shouldn't charge you much in extra labor.

Give the dealer new belts and hoses.
If you have a preferred oil and coolant bring that along with a oil filter and distilled water.
Were the engine mounts ever changed? 04 engine mounts are known to fail buy the new ones and have them install it on the new engine.
04 do not have a protective screen for the AC condenser, perfect time to get the one from Racing Beat and have it installed.
If you still have the original clutch I would have it changed
I would also ask if they will clean up the intake manifold & SSV.
Check the oil metering pump & lines. Its a pain to do while in the car.
Spark plugs, unless the ones in the car aren't that old. They will reuse them.
If yours is an 2004 do you have the newer starter?
Mazmart Water pump instead of OEM if the dealer will not hose you about the install.

 

Midpipe - I also have the rx7store cat/midpipe. (Good choice)
Sohn adapter - I recently installed this when my engine was replaced.
Flywheel - I also considered the lightened flywheel but unfortunatley didn't have the cash.
BHR coils - I had new coils and wires installed a couple months before my engine went but will be getting my next coils from BHR.

The dealer will let you know if you need other things like that of a clutch, coils, motor mounts, etc. (They let me know) They will most likely replace your plugs at your expense of course.

 

Thanks for pointing me to your thread. Lots of pretty good info in there... Also, thanks for the heads up on the rx7store cat. I'll definitely have to take that into consideration. I haven't yet handed over the car, as they didn't have an engine in stock and had to order one...

The service manager said that they might put an aftermarket cat on (depending on the cat i suppose...), but to call first before buying one. They said that the engine can't be replaced without doing the cat simultaneously

With regards to the clutch, plugs, coils, and wires, those are all new. I had to replace the clutch in december, and i replaced the coils, plugs, and wires in an attempt to resolve the issues that the the car was having (at the suggestion of one of the service guys at the dealership) before finally having the car looked over by them.

As for the cat, the dealership is unfortunately not going to replace the thing for free. That would be nice...

9krpmrx8, expo1, terch1 -- Thanks for the input! I'll look into the Re-Mandy waterpump, belts, and mounts.

terch1 -- How many miles do you have on your cat?