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Mazda RX-8 Care & Maintenance

129 messages,  Last post on Dec 24, 2012 at 12:18 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda RX-8, Auto Body, Engine, Fuel System, Interior, Oil, Paint, Coupe

Messages Page 9 of 13

#80 of 129 Re: Fickled Car (won't start) [4drrx8] by yellowrx8

Nov 30, 2007 (3:40 pm)

Replying to: 4drrx8 (Nov 30, 2007 9:29 am)
I have had only one occurrence of this....I started the car on a cold day and ran it for only about 30 seconds and then shut it off. 15 minutes later it did not start. Otherwise this has not happened. I have a 2004 AT with 32,000 miles. Runs great. I had heard before that the 2004 batteries were under sized and I think my delaer did replace it with a larger model (not positive on that though, would have been awhile back).

#81 of 129 Re: Fickled Car (won't start) [4drrx8] by phil59

Nov 30, 2007 (5:38 pm)

Replying to: 4drrx8 (Nov 30, 2007 9:29 am)
sorry to hear you having that type problem,I have a 2004 rx8 which have 37,500 mi.I have let the car sit sometimes a week before I start it but have not experience that problem.I bought this car last May with 32,000 mi.so there is not a lot miles on this car.

#82 of 129 rx-8 general info by speedfreak13b

Mar 04, 2008 (6:32 pm)

i came accross this post bsin on the net i have been workin for mazda for about 4 years now. i read all your posts and i have a few responses. first, is oil it should be checked every 500 miles at most it should be about 1/2 a quart you would be surprised how many people dont, and mazda recommends 5w20 not 30 changing might not hurt but if you live in an area where emission is regulated i fully recommend 5w20, emission standards are different in canada as opposed to here in america so refer only to your owners manual not some dumb sh&t workin behind a counter. second is to the question about starting your car every so often which also refers to the people who have issues with flooding i dont want to make people feel stupid so if you already know cool if not listen to this when your car sits up for a while the oily film inside the rotor housing begins to in a sense wear off if there is no lubrication then the engine will not build up the necessary compression to start the car this is more prone to happen in a automatic as well as engine failure a note if you own an automatic where rpms are kept lower aand the metering pump is not pushing out alot of oil so try to stay in the manumatic option and keep your rpms in the mid range, "constant lower rpms destroy these engines over time". also if your car floods and your out of warrenty dont bring it do the dealer there are a few rare case where this is necessary follow your owners manual they are a few ways to unflood the engine that another day another time type answer

#83 of 129 rebuilt engines by mdw1000

Mar 06, 2008 (10:34 pm)

For those of you that need rebuilt engines, check out Mazmart.com. It is run by some great guys who will build you a great engine. They are also great with any parts you need. They built me a custom differential with a 4.77 gear. I also have their water pump. Better cooling and frees up a few hp.
 
They also recommend premixing, espeicially with the ATs. If you want to learn a ton about premixing pros and cons, etc, go to RX-8club.com and search on it.

#84 of 129 Loud thumping noise from rear axle by pensfan30157

Mar 17, 2008 (11:29 am)

2004 RX-8 with 25,000 miles. Noticed really loud/bad thumping noise coming from rear of car/rear axle. Progressivly worse as speed picks up. Tires are fine with 32 PSI in both rear tires. I did rotate them also but the noise and thumping vibration continue and actually seems worse now. Any ideas? Maybe bad rotors? I have no issues when breaking, no scraping, no thumping, no problems at all, just when driving do I hear the loud noise and feel the vibration. Not too bad at slow speeds but from 40 mph up its really bad. I do not drive this car very often and am getting concerned with all the little issues I have had with it (CEL on 3 time in 6 months, the AC turn knob broke off, now this really bad thumping noise from rear of car).
 
Thanks!

#85 of 129 Re: Loud thumping noise from rear axle [pensfan30157] by mdw1000

Mar 21, 2008 (8:12 pm)

Replying to: pensfan30157 (Mar 17, 2008 11:29 am)
Hmm, I'd take it in and have it looked at. I'd say look under the rear suspension and see if anything is obviously disconnected. Not sure if a broken endlink from a sway bar or something could do that.
 
I'd also say to check your differential fluid level. I've never done it on this particular car, but on my old truck you basically just stuck your finger in the fluid fill hole and it was supposed to be filled up to a little below the hole.

#86 of 129 My RX8 an experience with accident and oil question by lesch

Apr 01, 2008 (9:45 am)

I own 2 MazdaRX8's both 2004, one is black with black/red leather interior, the other is black on black leather, saying I am a car nut is putting it lightly LOL My husband is 6 ft. 5 inches and he does not fit into my car well, which further makes it mine, mine, mine !!
 
Anyway as 2004 was the first year they were produced (please correct me if I am wrong) they will both be collector cars in the future, both are fully loaded 6 speed manuals with everything but navigation, I just don't like the look of it personally.
 
But this past September my car really proved it's worth in gold, I was sitting at a stop light in Golden, CO (a great little town if you ever decide to visit, we were there on vacation) waiting for a green turn light, there were two lanes of traffic to my left that were stopping for their red light, the lane to my immediate left was full, the lane to the left of that was empty, they were on a small incline, there was a stop light 1/2 way down their hill for pedesterian walkway and then your regular stop light at the top of the hill. When my light turned green, the lane to my left stopped and I proceeded, I was the first car in a line of about 5 cars waiting to turn, as I made my turn and was 1/2 way through the intersection I saw headlights coming at me in the lane that had been empty, I realized we were going to get hit as I could not go backwards as there were cars behind me and if I went forward she was going to hit my rear quarter panel and I had a full tank of gas, so I crammed my foot on the brake as hard as I could and told my passenger to hang on, laid on the horn but it did no good.
 
She hit me and pushed me 3 ft into the intersection further, crushing my left front fender, breaking my A-Arm, bening my front suspension bar, crunching part of my front door, cracking my front bumper and that is all I could see at the time of the accident of course there was more damage that I could not see.
 
I could not get out on my side and that is probably a good thing as I was plenty mad and would probably have ended up in jail had I been able to get out, there were tons of witnesses that saw her run the red lights and hit me, she was going about 35 miles an hour when she hit me, she ran the red light half way up the hill and the one at the top of the hill, as she was driving a big SUV she received only a scratch on her bumper but we were lucky that she did not run right over us.
 
I was amazed at how well my car took that hit, of course we had our seatbelts on (she did not) but we both walked away with bruises (on me from my knees hitting steering column) and sore necks, but it could have been much worse, I am a nurse and I have seen accidents of 5-10 miles an hour and have patients in serious to critical condition.
 
I was more mad then anything else, I had only had this car for 6 weeks, I bought it from a military guy who was too tall to drive it and it had 5000 miles on it when I bought it and had never even seen the rain ! She sobbed to the female policewoman that she was not "concentrating on her driving as she was going through a rough divorce and the policewoman felt sorry for her as she had just gotten out of a bad marriage herself, so she ticketed her for only running one read light, not speeding (speed limit was 10 miles per hour), not for running the first light for a total of two, not for not wearing her seatbelt (which she admitted to) not for having an expired drivers license, not for not have a registration and finally not for not having proof of insurance.
 
I had everything the policewoman asked for and here I was out of state visiting. So I asked if I could charge her a ticket as a citizen, which I did, she ended up in court and ended up loosing her license as this was just one of a long string of problems with this gal and tickets. I am sorry but why do most of us do the right thing and carry the right documentation and then someone hit you like this and have nothing they are required by law to have?
 
But what I wanted to convey to this forum is how impressed I was and even the tow driver was with how well my car took this direct hit, so not only is the Mazda RX8 a great car to drive, fun to own, an unusual car on the road (you rarely see them in my area), a truly beutiful car, it is a well made and unbelievably safe car to own and drive.
 
I do have one question though, I have been using 5/20 oil, but have read about "Royal Blue" oil, have gotten several accounts that it is better for the car, makes it run cleaner, and lasts longer, does anyone have any other information abuot this oil? Any help advice would be greatly appreciated, I check all fluids every 300 miles and do not intend on inviting trouble by ignoring my cars needs, but am always interested in learning about something new.
 
Thank you very much and happy ZOOM ZOOM....
Pam

#87 of 129 Re: Loud thumping noise from rear axle [mdw1000] by 4_my_8

Apr 01, 2008 (11:09 am)

Replying to: mdw1000 (Mar 21, 2008 8:12 pm)
i believe the oil that you're refering to is Royal Purple. BTW... there's a grand discussion about this on the rx8club forum. general consensus is that synthetic oil (which Royal Purpe is) is not good for the rotary engine. Once again, to each is own. From my understanding, synthetic oil caused rings in the pre-Renesis engines to go bad. Mazda claims that they have used better materials for the O-Rings in the Renensis engine but also disclose that they have not done any long term testing with synthetics so they do now recommend using synthetics. my advise to you... refer to your bible (Owner's Manual) and choose an oil that meets the criteria listed there. I'm a believer in synthetic oils for piston engines however, i'm not going to go against the folks at Mazda since they haven't done long term testing and I myself don't have the money or will to conduct my own long term test should things go wrong and muck up this sweet engine. i use Castrol GTX 5w20 religiously. i have a N/A engine and have no need for synthetics at this time. just my .02. BTW... if you like debates here's the link the the discussion on the RX8 club forum. Be prepared for a lot of back and foward but hopefully you'll be able to draw your own conclusion. http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=52856
 
Happy Reving!

#88 of 129 you answer to my question.. by lesch

Apr 01, 2008 (4:53 pm)

Replying to: 4_my_8 (Apr 01, 2008 11:09 am)
Yes I meant Royal Purple, not sure why I said Blue, must have been concentrating on something else when I wrote that, I knew it was called Royal Purple and as I have done some reading on this, I don't feel that a synthethic oil is the way to go until Mazda does their own testing and reveals their opinion, as I certainly don't want to do anything to harm my car's engine nor do I want to void my warrenty, thanks also for the link to the discussion, I will definately check it out. I simply can't imagine why anyone would take a risk if you are not sure of a positive outcome. Oh well, it is a beauty of a day and I am off to run some curves..
Thanks again,
Pam

#89 of 129 Is the RX8 Inherently Flawed? by johnxyz

Nov 12, 2008 (7:28 am)

Honestly guys I'm looking for a good value sports car and the RX8 fits the bill but geez does the calendar turning from '06 to '07 or '07 to '08 magically make all these engine/drivetrain problems (design flaws) disappear? There just does not seem to be any end to these RX8 problems followed by Bandaids from Mazda that really do not address the issues.
 
Are the 07/08's trouble free?
 
Should I wait for a new model replacement (is one even planned by Mazda) or just completely cross it off my list and move on to a Miata or another marque?
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Messages Page 9 of 13

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