New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

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wreeve
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New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by wreeve »

New kuro owner here, picked her up Saturday. Bit of a culture shock as not driven much smaller than a 5 series for the last 30 years! I just fit! So far, so good. I have a few niggles I cannot easily find solutions for by searching the forum. I hope some of you can answer. In order of priority 😊 :

Drive line shunt – this only happens when going from zero throttle back onto the throttle when moving. If you are a BMW owner this feels like classic guibo bearing (or the prop shaft doughnut). Basically, when the car moves from the momentum(wheels) driving the engine to the engine driving the wheels. The Clutch is engaged so I do not think it’s clutch. Happens in all gears. Pulling off from a standstill is smooth as butter. I suspect engine mounts (some on order!). Might be an RX8 characteristic?

When the cooling fan cuts in at idle the engine revs drop about 100rpm and you can feel a vibration in the car. Engine mounts again and maybe a battery? I fully charged up the battery last night. Might be a RX8 characteristic!

Flat spot between 5k and 7k; seem a little flat then picks up like a rocket again. Otherwise, engine is smooth. I was worried about compression, but hot starts are on the button it seems to start to quickly the starter seems to spin a second to long! She’s had 5W30 all her life and at 53k; will be changing to 10W40 as soon as the garage is free I think.

All in all, loving the RX8. Appears solid no rust apart from a little bubble at the bottom of one of the rear doors (which I thought was strange) wheel arches are fine. Alloys need a refurb (city car not in the sticks of Norfolk!)

Keep well all
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by Honkytonk »

wreeve wrote:
Mon May 17, 2021 9:13 am
New kuro owner here, picked her up Saturday. Bit of a culture shock as not driven much smaller than a 5 series for the last 30 years! I just fit! So far, so good. I have a few niggles I cannot easily find solutions for by searching the forum. I hope some of you can answer. In order of priority 😊 :

Drive line shunt – this only happens when going from zero throttle back onto the throttle when moving. If you are a BMW owner this feels like classic guibo bearing (or the prop shaft doughnut). Basically, when the car moves from the momentum(wheels) driving the engine to the engine driving the wheels. The Clutch is engaged so I do not think it’s clutch. Happens in all gears. Pulling off from a standstill is smooth as butter. I suspect engine mounts (some on order!). Might be an RX8 characteristic?

When the cooling fan cuts in at idle the engine revs drop about 100rpm and you can feel a vibration in the car. Engine mounts again and maybe a battery? I fully charged up the battery last night. Might be a RX8 characteristic!

Flat spot between 5k and 7k; seem a little flat then picks up like a rocket again. Otherwise, engine is smooth. I was worried about compression, but hot starts are on the button it seems to start to quickly the starter seems to spin a second to long! She’s had 5W30 all her life and at 53k; will be changing to 10W40 as soon as the garage is free I think.

All in all, loving the RX8. Appears solid no rust apart from a little bubble at the bottom of one of the rear doors (which I thought was strange) wheel arches are fine. Alloys need a refurb (city car not in the sticks of Norfolk!)

Keep well all
Hello and welcome!

Without experiencing the first issue it does sound like something that could be engine mount related (there's a few threads that show you how to find out if your mounts have collapsed), but it could also be the alignment/clearance on the PPF is out of wack - search.php?keywords=PPF+alignment

Your flat spot in the rev range sounds like the classic sticky SSV - tldr, this opens around 6k and gives you extra oomph, so if it sticks you get a weird flat spot around the 5-7k range. search.php?keywords=sticky+SSV

The usual welcoming committee will be about shortly no doubt, but welcome to the club and wankling in general!
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wreeve (Mon May 17, 2021 12:50 pm)
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by HarSc »

:welcome: good to see that you picked up a nice looking Kuro, #001 no doubt ;) :lol: there's gotta be a little photoshoot coming along at some point =D> :lol:

The 8 is a bit whack and rather different to most cars, also has its own unique niggles, but most if not all are well documented and known on here and most 8 communities, so generally not too bad. With the high RPM hesitation, I'd be leaning towards SSV as Honky-tonk says, worth a check.

Vibration is common-ish? Mostly when idle settles to around 800rpm, it does feel more shaky, and often the gearstick bobbles too, that's pretty normal, at least in my experience. If the revs are stable but it's just vibration, then all good, if it's a shaky idle them something else may be at play. As soon as the revs go above about 950-1000, it'll likely be buttery smooth again, it's just the low idle. Common to get a mini-map and raise the idle speed for town driven cars, can help with keeping the engine a bit happer and also reduces that vibration.
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by wreeve »

Thanks, guys, issue one can be driven "around" gear lower, keep the fuel flowing. Much smoother.

Had a quick look under the bonnet; looks like a vacuum hose should be pushed onto this? Can't find anything around the area. Any pointers?

Just to the left of the dip-stick
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by Boston Rotary »

No hose to go on there
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New kuro owner and wankle convert!

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Hi & :welcome: to the RX-8OC :thumleft:

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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by Scartlead »

Welcome along and get some pics up 👍
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by YORKSHIRE777 »

Welcome 👍
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Re: New kuro owner and wankle convert!

Post by Shagrington »

Hi and :welcome: wreeve. :D I get the impression you've done plenty of reading already, but it would be rude of me not to post my usual list ... Have a good read through whatever in the FAQ section you didn't already read :study: and then (and just ignore me if you know all this already) here are my best tips for keeping it all running sweetly:

1. To start up turn the key to position 2, wait for most of the lights on the dash to go out (I watch the airbag light by the glove box), press the clutch to the floor (optional, but reduces drag), turn the key to start and do not touch the throttle until it has started. You can drive off straight away, just keep the revs down for a bit (see #4 below).

2. Never [-X turn off the engine before it has reached at least somewhere towards normal operating temperature (should only take a minute or two, but best to go for a short drive if just swapping cars round on the drive etc). Switching off cold risks flooding, which is a real :censored: with a rotary engine. Mazda recommend rev to 4k and hold it for 8-10 seconds switching off while still revving if you have no option but to switch off cold (it is not necessary to do this in any other circumstance).

3. Check the oil level regularly (use the dipstick - the oil gauge tells you nothing other than that you have or don't have pressure) and top up if necessary with semi synthetic 5w30 (most people and specialists are advising to use 10w40 now though) ... small amounts at a time, no more than ½ a litre then check the level again before adding more as you don't want to overfill it.

4. Use all the revs once the engine is nice and warm (don't sit idling to warm up, start up and drive but keep it below about 4k until the needle on the water temperature gauge is pointing straight up, then give it another 10 minutes for the oil to warm up too before really thrashing it :twisted: ) and hit the beep often. Best acceleration is from 4k revs up - to pull away you really need to rev to 2k - you can let the revs drop after lifting the clutch if you are in traffic, cruising steadily at 3½k revs and changing down to go up hills or accelerate gets you the best mpg ... which still won't be great. ;)

Tip number 5 is the most important - but you have already joined the club =D>
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by Delanor »

Hello & welcome
First of all start off as you mean to go on its "Wankel" and secondly there should be a special edition build number on the sill kick plates we record the number in a register so let us know what it is.

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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by HarSc »

Delanor wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 3:59 am
Hello & welcome
First of all start off as you mean to go on its "Wankel" and secondly there should be a special edition build number on the sill kick plates we record the number in a register so let us know what it is.

*
*
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by Delanor »

Kuro No.001 has now been added to the Special Edition Register.

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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by casey »

Hi Will, good to see you posting up on the forum :thumleft:
wreeve wrote:
Mon May 17, 2021 9:13 am
Flat spot between 5k and 7k; seem a little flat then picks up like a rocket again.
As has been said, this sounds like a sticking SSV (Secondary Shutter Valve), which opens in this rpm range. This typically happens when the car has been driven like a standard piston engine, never going above 5000rpm, so the SSV never actuates and carbon build up causes it to stick.

A good "Italian decoke" using the full rev range (to the beep) for a good period (just watch the temp gauge, but all should be fine) might sort it out - but only do this when the engine has warmed up, at least 15 minutes from cold. Failure to drive the car using the full rev range, at least now and again, will add to carbon build up in the engine, so you'd be doing the car a favour by revving it. Taking the car on a track day is also a recommended health treatment ;)
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by wreeve »

Hello everyone. Had the RX8 for two weeks now. Loving it. I have replaced the engine mounts, replaced the gearbox oil and she is much easier to drive now! Also getting 23ish MPG so my new temporary daily is saving me money! 800 miles in now, poor thing must hate me as it is used to 2k miles a year! The Italian tune-up suggested has fixed any hesitancy, it is smooth as butter up to the “beep” now. The engine mounts have toned down the vibration when the AC condenser fan cuts in at idle (this still causes a drop in rpm…battery maybe?). The old mounts were not leaking just a bit compressed; probably only me who would want tham changed! The gearbox oil…a revelation; the synchromesh how helps push the gear change in rather than its previous tendency to fight it! I do not believe Mazda changed the oil like they said and charged for in the history, the bolt condition mainly, I caused most of the marks on the bolts! Still, a few things to do; but the learning curve from my old man’s car to this has been fun, must close the doors myself, put the lights on, use a key, use windscreen wipers, etc. LOL!
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by qwakers »

i once had to change the rear diff oil on a fsh dealer maintained car.

it took my biggest impact gun on max uggaduggas for over 10 seconds to get it to crack off...
for scale, that would have undone the flywheel bolt on a rx8 in 2-3 secs.

methinks it Had been changed.... and a complete guerrilla did it back up. the copper washer looked like a anti-rattle washer when i was done.
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by warpc0il »

The engine mounts very rarely "leak" they just sag so the weight is transferred to the safety tab and compliance is lost.
Glad to hear that the new mounts have made the difference.

The A/C compressor engagement is controlled by the PCM and shouldn't cause much noticeable change in idle rpm.
It's possible that the magnetic drive clutch is sticking, so not engaging/disengaging smoothly as the PCM demands.
This can also cause a hesitation in acceleration, as the drive should disengage the instant you floor the throttle.

Try flooding the drive clutch with Plusgas, while avoiding getting any on the belt or pulley.
WD40 can also work in the short term but then dry like toffee, causing further issues later.
Some have had success with graphite oil spray, as used on locks.
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wreeve (Thu Jun 03, 2021 3:33 pm)
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by wreeve »

Thanks guys. Fixed the idle drop! For free! Was looking at the battery in order to clip a multimeter on and the positive terminal clamp was loose! You could rotate it by hand. Obviously, the resistance was higher, the huge load from the AC electric fan clicking in was causing a voltage drop which I assume the alternator was then loaded up to fight! The engine mounts were squashed so I don't feel too bad for replacing those. The Gearbox oil was the large revelation, now 100 miles in it's really nice! I don't believe my car has had an AC regas, nothing I've noticed in the mountain of paperwork anyway. It's luckily ice cold still after all these years!
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Re: New Kuro owner and Wankel convert!

Post by GrantRL »

That looks like a fun project! Welcome