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Mazda RX-8 Problems and Solutions - READ ONLY

1414 messages,  Last post on Oct 18, 2006 at 10:17 AM

You are in the Mazda RX-8 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda RX-8, Coupe

Messages Page 141 of 142

#1397 of 1414 please help me ease my mind !! by worrywart

Oct 01, 2006 (6:59 pm)

I've test driven the 8 now a few times and the thing is a fire breathing dragon.... and trying to get myself to finally pull the trigger on a 06 or 07 . but i'm SO WORRIED. After owning a Ford Probe and dealing with that nightmare of repairs and Mazda parts - please tell me i'm gonna be ok when the warrantee is up and i need a mechanic, parts and labor. who can i go to - only mazda? are the parts really expensive - i want an 8 really bad.. can't get the desire outta me... any comments will be apprec..

#1400 of 1414 Screaming whistle by trispec

Oct 02, 2006 (5:35 am)

I've always had the "Screaming whistle" noise BTW, on my 2005 RX-8 AT. PathStar, "Wizard of the rotary", says it's the cold start blower. Mine turns off after about a minute. It's in the manual, that you should let the car run for twenty seconds or so after cold start. I believe the manual's advice is because the cold start blower is making sure that the excess gas from the starting choke on the engine is still blowing unburned gas out of the cold system.
 
All I know for sure, is if I start driving my RX-8 before the the "Screaming whistle" noise stops, there will be a very pronounced popcorn/rattle from the exhaust system the moment I put the car in drive position. The popcorn/rattle appears to be normal in the RX-8 AT as the engine and PCM are trying to take gear selection into account. The PCM in the RX-8 AT isn't able perfectly balance the fuel/air mixture because of the AT, so the excess gas pops in the exhaust system. Popcorn/rattle happens all the time at low RPM, especially in stop and go traffic.
 
But I don't need perfection, and god knows I don't care about gas millage numbers, but I do absolutely need my paddle shifted RX-8 AT. My clutch knee and ankle are shot from 15 years of sticking it so paddle shifting through the city traffic jams, is the only way to drive....

#1401 of 1414 Re: Screaming whistle [trispec] by oldtimer2

Oct 02, 2006 (11:26 pm)

Replying to: trispec (Oct 02, 2006 5:35 am)
Trispect, thank you for your quick response.
 
My wife's RX 8 is a 2005 6 speed where as yours is an automatic.
 
In this connection the screaming whistle sound in our RX 8 only begins after it reaches the hot operating temperature and continues until the motor is shut off at the end of the trip.
 
For your info, I had commented to the chief mechanic that I would have bought an Automatic transmission RX 8, but due to all the problems we had heard owners were having with the automatics we bought a six speed manual stick instead.
 
Interesting enough, the mechanic said the 2006 and later model automatics should not have the same problem as the 2005 automatic models. The 2006 automatic car computers have been updated to handle the 6 speed automatic transmission instead of using the automatic 4 speed computer controls for the 6 speed automatic, as Mazda did for 2005. Well what do you know Mazda/Ford knew all along what was causing the problem while they acted surprised with the customer. They must have known this as they sold them this way.
 
It appears like if one can not put up with lots of flim flam service claims and can not afford to put up with incompentant car design and inflated labor repair times you should not buy an RX 8 even if it looks neat.
 
If it was not my wife's car and she likes it I would have got rid it months ago.

#1402 of 1414 Screamer and 4 speed control of 6 speed tranny by trispec

Oct 03, 2006 (5:43 am)

Certainly sounds like a vacuum or intake seal is not doing it's job. I'd be POed too.
 
I've never really heard the 2004-2005 RX-8 AT described as a 4 speed control of a 6 speed tranny, but I guess I can see why. Essentially the 3rd and 4th gears both have automatic over drive gears.
 
Not sure if any of this matter much though, because the practical reality of the rotary's low torque means you always need to shift down for performance so driving the 3rd in manual mode and having the AT automatically shift to a lower gear from 3rd's over drive is actually quite nice. The 4th gear and it's over drive are only useful for highway.
 
I had heard about the six speed computer controled AT before I bought mine. I also read all about the issues with the AT. I think engine differences 197HP vs 212HP point to tweeks that might be good but not significant enough for me. The torque numbers are actually a bit higher in the 197HP 2004-5 AT and the gas millage is identical. I'll definitely take the higher torque however small.

Messages Page 141 of 142

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