Hello all,
I am a recent RX-8 purchaser. I'm having some severe issues with this car. When I bought the car I got a great deal because it appeared to need a tune up. I've replaced all coils, plugs, and wires. It still runs like crap but only at an idle. I've searched the forums over and over. I've tried seafoam, spraying carb cleaner and all looking for vacuum leaks, clean all electrical connections(including crank sensor), and I took the intake off and checked vacuum acuators. The hardest part is I don't even know what this motor is supposed to sound like! It appears to sound like a vacuum issue. I'm attaching a video link and asking for input on what it may be.
Video....

 

Bump!!!!
Is there anyone who can help? I'm about to take a sledge hammer to this pos. I have replace everything I read about on the forum from coils to ssv solenoid. I even disassembled the intake, throttle body, ssv, and cleaned about everything that can be taken apart. Can't find any vacuum leaks and all grounds have been cleaned. It runs great but idles like crap! I even did a cat delete and coolant bypass. I cand hold the idle at 1k and it runs great but under that it shakes and misses something horrible. I've even checked all motor mounts. I just need a little help as I'm running low on $'s now. I also reset the ecu and kam. Everything has been cleaned including the essentric sensor and seafoam treatment was performed.
Ramble, ramble, blah, blah..... I can go on for ever was just hoping someone might have some input on this noise which sounds like a bad vacuum leak.

 

If that air noise was more consistent, I would say that it's a vacuum leak. But it sounds like it's in time with just 1 rotor, perhaps even just 1 rotor face of 1 rotor. No vacuum leak will do that. POSSIBLY an exhaust leak, but still unlikely since it gets merged with the other rotor.

Have you gotten a compression test yet?

 

You need to change your belts, it sounds like it's going.

rough idle can be quite a few things. are you sure your engine mount is not broken? how do you check yours?

seriously, it's hard to tell from a video. Where are you located? anywhere near NYC ? I'm gonna do a spark plug and bracket swap over tomorrow for a member here. probably gonna do the compression test too. so if are around NYC feel free to come to the local meet tomorrow (found @ the NE section of the forum)

 

No I haven't. Been scared to. All plugs look good, I even changed them again after seafoam treatment. All coils are new. It doesn't smoke or make any other rattling noises. The only other noise in the video was the ssv but since I removed it and cleaned it, it doesn't make that noise anymore. It smells like its running rich but I figured that was because of no cat. The SSV was covered in a thick black film and so was the IAC(I think that's what the thing above the SSV is called). I also took apart what looks like an egr which is connected to the ssv solenoid and air pump and cleaned it. The car runs even better and the idle got better but it still has that miss that's driving me nuts.

 

I'm located in Southern Ohio. All belts are good. I'm very mechanically inclined, well I thought I was until this. I took the mounts off and inspected them. I then reinstalled them and had someone put the car in gear while I used a pry bar to add pressure. It still shook and missed. If it helps the noise is only ambient on the back tube of the intake manifold. Sounds like a dead injector but I took them out, tested, cleaned them and reinstalled them.
Motor also only has 38k miles it was replaced under recall.

 

I hear an SSV sticking as well.

 

Fixed that since video. Took apart the entire manifold and cleaned. It don't even rattle anymore. Just the loud sucking noise which is way louder than video when you put it in gear. Also it doesn't shake or miss real bad until you put it in gear.

 

It almost acts like its starving for vacuum when you put it in gear. Brakes even feel hard to push sometimes.