Ok so im a new RX-8 owner and im prettynervous about some things i am feeling and hearing with this car.

Ill start with the car info. 2004, Auto 4speed. 66k miles. AEM intake, and Greddy Exhaust system

My issues:
-car seems to idle to low under 1k RPMS and as soon as you put it in drive drops a little more and rumbles the car i decent amount and motor sound kinda bad
-at over 6k RPMs at WOT it sounds like its getting some fuel spitting and like a grindish sound/rattle.
-when i shift in manual mod it seems to shift really hard and you can hear the transmission make a noise
-car seems slower then it should be... like its holding back


I may be over thinking this and not sure if this is all normal. i tried to search and couldnt find answers to all my problems so i am listing all the things that make me nervous with this car.

thanks for the help guys

 

1. 750ish is normal rpm.
2. does it sound almost like "marbles in a can"?
3. Check your auto tranny fluid level.
4. When was the last time the car was serviced?

Here are some links for you
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

Congrats on the purchase! Hope that you find that your issues can be easily remedied! Oh, and post some pics when you get a chance

 

Better check the trans fluid. Check the engine mounts too.

 

Thanks guys yeah i have been reading as much as i can on hear to catch up. I am a mechanically inclined guy i just know 0 abouth these thing lol... feel like a bigginer in the garage with this car.

Whats this marbles in a jar thing? ill drive it some more today and listen for it

as for service i ahve no idea. I bought it off some kid for my wife and dont know much about the past of this car. I just want to make sure that the car is in good condition and not gonna blow up or be a pile of crap for my wife before we start dumping money into it to make it look better and maybe a little faster

 

You REALLY need to read the threads that were linked to you a couple posts above.

BC.

 

yeah just spent the last couple hours reading lol. sorry guys really trying to learn here. I actually got alot of my questions answered. and here is what i came up with...

-It seems my motor mount are bad so ill have to replace them
-My power loss is probably due to a bad ignition system so i plan to get new coils, wires, and plugs. I am also going to see if its the origanal cat if so ill probably go with a high flow cat.
-Im going to check the oil and trans level first thing today and to them off... well ill do a n oil change today most likely.


so all my questions in post 1 are answered however i have come upw ith a few more that i have not read answers to.... yet.

-when WOT or almost WOT at about 4k RPMs it clicks and gets louder... almost liek a Vtech. is this normal?

-when the car is running if you are out side of it wether is a t idle or driveing it sounds like it has a cherping whistling noise. coming from it... i am assuming this is normal and im just hearing the engien run though th CAI.

 

also due to reading on the forum i have found another issue with the car and found how to fix it... my car has long starter times, and starter sound a little worse for ware... so ill be changing that out as well

 

The clicking may be a loose spark plug/ wire. Check those to make sure they are on correctly.
If that doesn't solve your issue, then perhaps a video of the noise could help.

The chirping/whistling noise could possibly be an air leak in the intake. Check for any cracks in the couplers, and make sure all the clamps are tight. Could be a few other issues, but let's start there.

 

yeah just checked the intake and its all good and tight. but the car sounds like its whistling at idle. kinda od

also just took a vid of the Accel from 0 to like 85... really slow off the line kinda dogs a bit. ill post it in a sec

 

ok here is the video of my car. i put it to the floor from a stand still. almost no power off the line. and around 4-4.5k rpms it kind gets louder and pulls harder liek a vtech. might be hard to tell in vid. i never let out of throttle and i let the car shift itself

 

sorry for crappy vid. i took it from my phone

 

i launched the car at about 7 seconds in the vid andd at about 17-18 seconds i hit 60. thats a 10 second or more 0-60 time. seems really slow. is that normal. i know its not a race car but seems oddly slow. our escalade can accel faster

 

I've never bothered driving an automatic but that does seem a bit slow.

The auto's have significantly less hp than the manual models, especially the 4ports so that could be normal I'm not sure...

You should replace your spark plug wires, coils, and wires. Check your CAT.
Then check your compression. If your car has low compression it could be time for an engine replacement.

 

so i picked up some NGK plugs and wires today. was gonna get coils but they were almost $70 each from the local parts store. for tha price id rather get some nice ones.

 

bump. hoping to find more answers about why this car seems so slow mainly in 1st