£1000 RX8 sprint/track-car project
Discussion
Well, that was an intense weekend!
First up, off to Uxbridge to pick up a set of bare wheels. Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic was in full swing, it was hot, and the air-con doesn’t work. I’d forgotten how much heat these things generate! Still, wheels collected I headed back to the M25 and down to South Kent. I’m a complete Waze convert now, as well – it managed to steer me round a closure on the M25 that the gantries weren’t showing, and another set of traffic on the M26. Total driving time from Marlow to the Marsh was 3.5 hours including a stop for the wheels, which wasn’t too bad really. I was absolutely sweltering by the time I arrived though!
First things first, I had to introduce Pete to his new race car! We took it for a nice run around the marsh back-roads and confirmed our list of jobs to tackle for the weekend. That done, we had beer and caught an early night.
One of the biggest jobs we had to do (and so, the one we did first) was sort out the blowing exhaust manifold. It had a stainless aftermarket unit fitted which has been farting away merrily since I picked the car up, but Pete had managed to get a good standard unit off a breaker all ready to go after a bit of fighting with stubborn studs:
2017-07-07_11-08-48 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
So, as of 8am Saturday morning, we got to work!
2017-07-08_10-33-23 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
And after much (much!) swearing…
2017-07-08_10-33-38 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
No prizes for guessing where this POS was blowing from….
2017-07-08_10-33-53 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Next job was to go hunting for another set of wheels – this time, to swap the 19s for a set of standard wheels with good tyres we can use on the road. I’d slightly underestimated the journey involved for this one, as it turned out, but after a 65-mile drive to Brixton and changing someone’s wheels in the carpark of a swanky hotel (a pretty surreal experience, I have to say!) we came home with the goodies:
2017-07-08_10-34-25 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Our work not over yet, we managed to find time for a full service (oil, filter, plugs, coils and some EMC Yellowstuff pads) before calling it a night. It was getting dark by this point…
2017-07-08_10-34-38 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-07-08_10-34-53 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Up early again on Sunday, and it was time for the fiddly jobs. I got started fitting the new numberplates – which wasn’t much fun given what I faced after pulling the old ones off!
2017-07-09_10-44-35 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
More important, perhaps, was securing the previously unsecured battery and correcting some pretty horrendous wiring bodges. Someone at some point has fitted a catch tank, the location of which was pushing the wiring loom against one of the pulleys. No damage to the wiring, fortunately, but it was only a matter of time! The unsecured battery tray was also a victim:
2017-07-09_10-44-46 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
So, another tray from the breaker and a bit of swearing later, we had this:
2017-07-09_10-45-00 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Much better!
On to the last jobs now, we got busy stripping some weight out of it. Front interior and seats are remaining for now, until we get some decent seats and a cage so we can run proper harnesses, but we still managed to remove a fair amount from the rear!
2017-07-09_10-45-11 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-07-09_10-45-31 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
And, for the full-on Ricer Special look (well, I was starting to get attached to it, so what better way to cure that!). Purists, look away now…
2017-07-09_10-45-41 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
And with that, time for a test drive! It immediately felt much happier – the engine was pulling better, idling better, and (mercifully) there were no blows from the exhaust. It’s actually quite civilised on a steady throttle now! We were suffering with a fairly horrendous noise at WOT though, which after a bit of reading up turned out to the an issue known as ‘marbles in a tin can.’ Pretty alarming at first, but after replacing the BP 95RON with some V-Power it has gone away. I was a little nervous about the long drive home, but made it with no dramas despite the M25’s best efforts. We really need to fix the aircon, though…
So that’s it for now, it’s pretty much ready for race weekend in a couple of weeks. There are a few other bits to sort in future (a front splitter of some sort, refitting a standard airbox, investigate a Sohn adapter) but we’ll see how we get on at Blyton and take it from there. Assuming it survives to tell the tale
2017-07-10_10-51-59 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-07-10_10-51-44 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
2017-07-09_10-46-05 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
First up, off to Uxbridge to pick up a set of bare wheels. Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic was in full swing, it was hot, and the air-con doesn’t work. I’d forgotten how much heat these things generate! Still, wheels collected I headed back to the M25 and down to South Kent. I’m a complete Waze convert now, as well – it managed to steer me round a closure on the M25 that the gantries weren’t showing, and another set of traffic on the M26. Total driving time from Marlow to the Marsh was 3.5 hours including a stop for the wheels, which wasn’t too bad really. I was absolutely sweltering by the time I arrived though!
First things first, I had to introduce Pete to his new race car! We took it for a nice run around the marsh back-roads and confirmed our list of jobs to tackle for the weekend. That done, we had beer and caught an early night.
One of the biggest jobs we had to do (and so, the one we did first) was sort out the blowing exhaust manifold. It had a stainless aftermarket unit fitted which has been farting away merrily since I picked the car up, but Pete had managed to get a good standard unit off a breaker all ready to go after a bit of fighting with stubborn studs:
2017-07-07_11-08-48 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrSo, as of 8am Saturday morning, we got to work!
2017-07-08_10-33-23 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrAnd after much (much!) swearing…
2017-07-08_10-33-38 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrNo prizes for guessing where this POS was blowing from….
2017-07-08_10-33-53 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrNext job was to go hunting for another set of wheels – this time, to swap the 19s for a set of standard wheels with good tyres we can use on the road. I’d slightly underestimated the journey involved for this one, as it turned out, but after a 65-mile drive to Brixton and changing someone’s wheels in the carpark of a swanky hotel (a pretty surreal experience, I have to say!) we came home with the goodies:
2017-07-08_10-34-25 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrOur work not over yet, we managed to find time for a full service (oil, filter, plugs, coils and some EMC Yellowstuff pads) before calling it a night. It was getting dark by this point…
2017-07-08_10-34-38 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-07-08_10-34-53 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrUp early again on Sunday, and it was time for the fiddly jobs. I got started fitting the new numberplates – which wasn’t much fun given what I faced after pulling the old ones off!
2017-07-09_10-44-35 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrMore important, perhaps, was securing the previously unsecured battery and correcting some pretty horrendous wiring bodges. Someone at some point has fitted a catch tank, the location of which was pushing the wiring loom against one of the pulleys. No damage to the wiring, fortunately, but it was only a matter of time! The unsecured battery tray was also a victim:
2017-07-09_10-44-46 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrSo, another tray from the breaker and a bit of swearing later, we had this:
2017-07-09_10-45-00 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrMuch better!
On to the last jobs now, we got busy stripping some weight out of it. Front interior and seats are remaining for now, until we get some decent seats and a cage so we can run proper harnesses, but we still managed to remove a fair amount from the rear!
2017-07-09_10-45-11 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-07-09_10-45-31 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrAnd, for the full-on Ricer Special look (well, I was starting to get attached to it, so what better way to cure that!). Purists, look away now…
2017-07-09_10-45-41 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrAnd with that, time for a test drive! It immediately felt much happier – the engine was pulling better, idling better, and (mercifully) there were no blows from the exhaust. It’s actually quite civilised on a steady throttle now! We were suffering with a fairly horrendous noise at WOT though, which after a bit of reading up turned out to the an issue known as ‘marbles in a tin can.’ Pretty alarming at first, but after replacing the BP 95RON with some V-Power it has gone away. I was a little nervous about the long drive home, but made it with no dramas despite the M25’s best efforts. We really need to fix the aircon, though…
So that’s it for now, it’s pretty much ready for race weekend in a couple of weeks. There are a few other bits to sort in future (a front splitter of some sort, refitting a standard airbox, investigate a Sohn adapter) but we’ll see how we get on at Blyton and take it from there. Assuming it survives to tell the tale
2017-07-10_10-51-59 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-07-10_10-51-44 by Ben Edwards, on Flickr2017-07-09_10-46-05 by Ben Edwards, on FlickrEdited by seiben on Monday 10th July 13:03
So, I've just been sent this:
Tango by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Don't think we'll lose them any time soon
Tango by Ben Edwards, on Flickr
Don't think we'll lose them any time soon
seiben said:
Yep, £1000. It has a recent rebuild from Apex Rotary, starts well from hot and cold, and has clearly had some money spent in the past.
Looks like a lovely car mate. It's amazing what you can get for a grand these days and with all the scaremongering and engine woes with these cars, they are great value for money.Just a quick question with the above. Does the rebuild on the engine mean that the car can be turned on from cold and driven straight away? Or do you still need to do the usual RX8 start-up/shut-down procedure?
culpz said:
Just a quick question with the above. Does the rebuild on the engine mean that the car can be turned on from cold and driven straight away? Or do you still need to do the usual RX8 start-up/shut-down procedure?
I'm not sure what procedure you mean tbh - the only thing I'm aware of with the RX8 is that you can't switch it off when cold as you risk flooding the engine, meaning it's tricky (and often damaging) to restart. I doubt the rebuild would have made any difference to this, although I suspect it's had a remap at some point which may have helped. seiben said:
I'm not sure what procedure you mean tbh - the only thing I'm aware of with the RX8 is that you can't switch it off when cold as you risk flooding the engine, meaning it's tricky (and often damaging) to restart. I doubt the rebuild would have made any difference to this, although I suspect it's had a remap at some point which may have helped.
Sorry, it came across as a silly question after i posted it, as i know it's still a rotary engine at the end of the day, regardless of having of rebuild or not. I just always thought that you cannot drive these straight away when cold. If that's not the case then no worries.
culpz said:
seiben said:
I'm not sure what procedure you mean tbh - the only thing I'm aware of with the RX8 is that you can't switch it off when cold as you risk flooding the engine, meaning it's tricky (and often damaging) to restart. I doubt the rebuild would have made any difference to this, although I suspect it's had a remap at some point which may have helped.
Sorry, it came across as a silly question after i posted it, as i know it's still a rotary engine at the end of the day, regardless of having of rebuild or not. I just always thought that you cannot drive these straight away when cold. If that's not the case then no worries.They over fuel when cold and can easily flood. With low starting compression they can be a pain to start if you do this. It only takes a couple of minutes though to warm enough, tends to be the 'I'll just move the car' scenario that catches you out. Their is a set procedure then to tell the car not to fuel while you crank it to clear the flood.
However. Mazda fitted a faster starter to later cars which significantly helps starting and often, the real reason for bad starting is coil packs. These seem to fail more than normal. You first notice very poor fuel consumption then bad starting (though it also manifests as bad hot starting as it gets worse) and the unburnt fuel is then well known to damage the cat which then collapses and blocks the exhaust.
Vocal Minority said:
I can recommend replacing the coils with D585 coils from the various specialists.
The difference between D585 and normal (admittedly on their way out) was 1.2 seconds up Shelsley Walsh
It's on the "something to do over winter" list. We've put new plugs, leads and genuine Mazda coils on for now, once we're happy the car is actually going to last more than five minutes on track we'll start being a little more strategic about what we spend money on.The difference between D585 and normal (admittedly on their way out) was 1.2 seconds up Shelsley Walsh
In that vein, if anyone can recommend a reasonably priced bolt-in cage (or half cage) I'm all ears
Right. Who wants to see me go backwards into a field?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcsDvL6qCuY
And my fastest run from Blyton:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVty-2QX3sE
Car performed really well. More details and pics when I have time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcsDvL6qCuY
And my fastest run from Blyton:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVty-2QX3sE
Car performed really well. More details and pics when I have time!
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