RX8 mod! Solenoid replacement. Read video description

This is to show what a pain in the arse it is to get to the ssv, vdi and airpump solenoids. If you're having issues with one people will tell you to swap it with another one to see if it fixes it the problem is the ones who say that have never done it because the don't know what is involved.
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[@JayCras]

One last update. After getting the selenoid failures I replaced them and saw misfires. I pulled the plugs and could see the engine was running rich (Black plugs) anyway with the selenoids replaced and working the midfires went away after a couple drives. The advise on replacing all three is GOOD and I kick myself for not doing it.

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell excellent mate, I'm glad you got it sorted out!

[@hoescallmebear9474]

I would pay u to do mine as well how much and where you from haha

[@avalueduser3234]

@@pmm4177 Sir I just wanted to say thank you again. Since this fix she has been running great and I love this car. I never had a chance to drive anything close to having this kind of handling and it goes 0 to 60MPH in 5 seconds. Life is good!

[@garethsaunders939]

I literally after seeing where they were from this video took them out without removing anything lol thanks I couldn’t find them

[@partyhardmonks]

the coolant to the throttle body doesn't keep the throttle body cool. It heats it up to prevent it from getting iced in cold weather.

[@pmm4177]

Living in the south for the first few years I owned it I never thought of that but having lived in the northern Midwest for the past 2 winters I can see how that would be useful now, thanks for the comment buddy

[@Spraakgebrek]

You can put 12V on the contacts to open the valve. You can check the valve itself to suck or blow air through it to see if it's working.

[@pmm4177]

Dee Miller yes you can, that's how I'd bench test one, thanks for the comment!

[@JayCras]

Thanks - good info. What I discovered was the the SSV selecnoid was just dead 12volt to the contacts and nothing. The other two appear to have worked for a day but then failed in a different way. I did the 12 Volt test and while they clicked air "leaked" in either position. Wish me luck lads. I replaced the other selenoids last night and buttoned up the engine and will try turning the key today to see what I've got going. Someone made the comment that young kids who were handed an RX-8 and then treated it bad are good for giving us $1000.00 project cars. My take on it is that when you put your time into a car you come to appreciate what you have. If nothing this has been one hell of a learning experience!

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell truer words have never been spoken lol. I currently have my resume in with a company and hoping I get the job, it would possibly be a 40k a year increase so if I get it the rx8 will be a project car for me as I will need a vehicle for traveling and hauling a trailer so if all goes well my 8 will go from a basic Daily driver to badass project car. Best of luck to you sir!

[@JayCras]

Thanks man. Good luck on the job. Jeeze I would take the increase without the regular pay. You must be working in the right biz.

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell happy to report I got the job! I start on the 21st of this month! After I start bringing in some better money look for some new update videos on my 8! Good luck with yours as well my friend!

[@mikelate2390]

I have a 04 w/ auto trans. I found that when i replaced my brake booster( res. still connected), it gave me easier access to the 3 solenoids, which i changed. Easier than removing the intake.

[@pmm4177]

Ah ok, awesome man thank you for the info

[@JayCras]

Well the third time taking it apart to replace the other two solenoids wasn't bad. I think its just a matter of finding a way to get the socket on those bolts by the firewall (using two knuckles) and then have the ratchet in a position to have it as straight as possible. Now that I've replaced all three all the CEL codes for those are gone. I still have the misfires in rotor 1. I traded plugs to see if I had a bad plug but its staying with rotor 1 misfires. It doesn't bog down and while the Idle seems a little low I cleared the ram so I think its relearning. SIGH new problem. Can bus errors. I almost had a stroke - watched my Dash go totally nuts for a second. Like 10,000 RPMs then 0 then 10,000 (And the car is running normally) I called about the recall for the defective airbags and the lady at the dealer looked up my car and said I had a lot more then that which they would replace due to recalls. I asked how much it cost to "Diagnose" the car. She said $69.00 I asked if this was plugging in an ODB reader or real troubleshooting? She claims its real troubleshooting. So.... I might as well get input from the guys who work on this on a daily basis.

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell I've had my tach do that 2 or 3 times months ago and hasn't done it again, I suspected a failing alternator so I called my brother that owns an alternator and starter shop and he told me a random misfire isn't generally caused by a weak or failing alternator so I'm also at square 1 on the occasional random misfire, I'm hoping someone will chime in on a solution to this. On the RX8 forum I can find someone with a similar problem but no one has a solution

[@JayCras]

Well this will sound odd but I want to pull the alternator anyway to see about cleaning it up. Its got that awful "crust" around it and it might well need rebuilding or replacing. In any event the tacho is no longer jumping around and my misfires have gone away as well. For the misfires one thing I would suggest doing as a test is to remove one (or all) of the spark plugs and look at the condition they are in. There are some web sites that spell out all the results but mine were new and were black which indicated the engine was running too rich (Too much fuel versus air) This makes sense because the CEL would start flashing when I let up on the gas. Turning and burning it was ok. Anyhow the interesting thing is that with the selenoids all replaced (And working right) the Misfires went on for a test drive but disappeared totally which might be just the engine working properly belching out the crud. Another thing not mentioned is to check for Vacuum leaks. If you look over all the small hoses carefully (Cigar Smoke test them or spritz water where they connect and see if its getting sucked up) you may find the misfires are just a cracked hose leak thats a 30 second fix. BTW if you pull the plugs and see indications or the engine running lean thats something to fix before running it. Running Rich might clog up your cat eventually but its my understanding that running lean is potentially engine ruining time.

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell I'm ahead of you on the cat, I gutted mine last year because it clogged up on me shortly after this very video. As for the plugs I changed mine not too long ago along with the coils, that said about 2 months ago mine started running bad, like bearly idle bad and I kept getting a random misfire code so after I eliminated the coils as the cause I pulled my plugs and noticed one of the had little to no indication of even firing so I replaced that plug because the rest looked fine, no corrosion or gunk and it did run a ton better BUT still not 100% and still the not too often misfire so I believe I have mine narrowed down to a semi faulty eccentric shafts sensor so I'm going to order one and give that a shot, they're less than $100 and probably wouldn't hurt to change it anyway. I can do the 20 brake pedal push and reset it but it doesn't take long for the symptoms to come back and I've cleaned the thing 3 or 4 times, each time does help but never to 100% so I'll give the sensor a shot and hope for the best. I've just started getting a new issue though, when the engine is cold, like hasn't been run in a few hours sometimes it wants to act like it's flooded but that's not possible, I drive to work, 30 miles one way and when I come out of work it acts that way again, not all the time but sometimes and if I leave it sitting over the weekend it's hell to get it to start, it's almost like I have an injector leaking causing it to flood as it sits and it's never a hot starting issue, always when the engine has sat for a while. Maybe I'll figure it out, maybe not lol. Best wishes!

[@JayCras]

Don't laugh but I had an "engine" problem and it turned out to be the Clutch Neutral switch. Depressing the pedal just wasn't closing the contacts so I fixed that and no more turn the key and nothing

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell I had that issue once years ago on a little Honda I had, very frustrating because that's the last thing you'd think to check

[@xESPplayer500x]

Funny thing is that youre better off droppin the trans and changing the clutch and the solenoids all in one cause thats easy and makes the solenoids very accessible

[@chrisfila9294]

my car dies when put into drive or reverse anyone know anything? i've tried everything , compression is good i don't know what else to try

[@pmm4177]

Drop the catalytic converter and look through it, you should be able to see light through the hundreds of tiny holes inside and if not it being stopped up could be the cause. Mine is 6 speed and idled perfect but spit and sputtered under power when I discovered the cat was mostly clogged which rotary engines are notorious for so I gutted it with a metal bar and hammer and it ran like new!

[@DanMarcelino]

Thanks for posting this vid! But I have to ask.. why did it take you 4 hours to remove the upper intake manifold?

[@pmm4177]

The short version... noob lol, no I also checked the vdi valve to make sure it and the ssv were clean

[@pmm4177]

And at the time I was a rotary noob...

[@DanMarcelino]

Ahh I gotcha! Haha I was gonna say, I’ve done it a few times and it usually doesn’t take that long but that makes sense!

[@luisaliceaortiz7791]

Thank you I'm having that problem now

[@pmm4177]

Luis alicea Ortiz glad to help

[@jaleelpowell37]

Will this cause your car to run bad(Mifire)?

[@shylahholle7351]

Hey could u change the wholeintake

[@Alejandro-ej2hn]

U got all there solenoid from where ?? Where the o.e.m ones?

[@Alejandro-ej2hn]

Three *

[@ve2430]

Where is the APV stepper motor? Code p2004

[@71solid61]

Can them make the car stall

[@yaboismeernoff1717]

When im at 5000rpm my power drops, at 6000rpm it goed back to normal. Is this also a symptom of the ssv?

[@pmm4177]

Either that or a clogged catalytic converter

[@mychaldelorenzo1443]

Throwing a code for P0443 any advice?

[@Salsa-Lizano]

If one of these go bad, can it cause the rx8 to stall once the car is warm?

[@pmm4177]

Lizano are there any other problem? does it stall under acceleration? or refuse to Rev past a certain rpm will driving in any gear?

[@Salsa-Lizano]

My Rx8 starts up fine and will idle properly to warm, but once it's fully warmed up and idling past 20mins it will shut off on its own. It also shuts off when I come to a stop sign (when the car is really warm 10 mins driving). I literally have to switch it to neutral and give it gas every stop to prevent it from stalling. (2004 Automatic with Manual Mode)

[@Salsa-Lizano]

The car has no check engine lights and only started doing this once I disconnected the battery and replaced the alternator.

[@pmm4177]

Lizano check the catalytic converter

[@Salsa-Lizano]

Don't bad cats usually throw up a code first? Ill definitely check it out tho.

[@orlieelias4653]

I just got a P0443 code on mine. I have an 04 RX8. The code is evaporative system purge control valve circuit. What could be the reason for the code?

[@pmm4177]

Orlie Elias www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/p0443-anyone-237722/ hopefully this will get you pointed in the right direction, it seems like the original poster had a connection that was unplugged. hope this helps, thank you for the comment

[@orlieelias4653]

Thanks for the response. I just took the car to autozone. Their diagnosis said that the most likely solution is to replace the evaporative emissions purge solenoid. The suggested part is the EGR vacuum solenoid. Does that sound right?

[@pmm4177]

Orlie Elias yes, that's what I found online

[@orlieelias4653]

Sounds good! How can you clear the CEL after changing out the solenoid?

[@pmm4177]

Orlie Elias if you don't have a diagnostic code reader you can unhook the battery for a few mins, sometimes when the problem is fixed they will go off on their own, sometimes, not all the time

[@bigboycombo6342]

going through withdrawls? that was shaky

[@pmm4177]

Yeah sure.. if you say so

[@ELGG619]

Quick question is the VDI and the SSV valves two separate valves and sizes like is one short and one longer??

[@ELGG619]

I have a Mazda 2004 rx8 6speed Manuel have P2070 code changed out the solenoid sensor and the vdi valve now all I have left is the SSV valve to replace both valves have been cleaned or prior to this all

[@pmm4177]

Saul Carrillo yes the vdi is the shorter of the two, also check the solenoids for both valves, they're located behind the intake underneath the AC line nearly against the firewall, they are identical solenoids but they will throw a different CEL code from one another. is yours running sluggish around 4500 to 5000 rpms?

[@elgato9663]

I was able to get mine out with out taking the intake off

[@pmm4177]

Justin Smith i couldnt even see them with it on lol

[@elgato9663]

pmm4177 it is very tight but I got my day was hand back there.

[@XevilangleX]

Hopefully I can try to get mine out that way as well

[@kavibasdeo3191]

Can you message me about this

[@JamilCarboDesigns]

Could these cause issues in lower RPMs and rough idle?

[@pmm4177]

It is possible but if you're having rough idle I'd suggest cleaning the ess and resetting it then letting your car idle for 20 mins to relearn engine parameters. What else is yours doing? Do you have a check engine light?

[@JamilCarboDesigns]

@@pmm4177 ok. I have 3 codes: p0301 misfire rotor 1 p06601intake manifold tuning valve control circuit 1 p2259 secondary air injection system control B circuit low Replaced coils, sparks, and o2 sensor. Cat was already gutted, and i put stock muffler back. It had a custom straight pipe with resonators the size of 20oz bottles. Rear rotor spark plug was very wet and dirty. Front was dry and normal looking light brown carbon deposits. However, the spark wire on rear leading plug was very loose, slid off with total ease.

[@JamilCarboDesigns]

@AYE OK SURE yes, I changed all 4. Leads and trailing in corresponding order. I have to double check wire order. Recently I used obdii scanner and got codes for ssv, vdi, and misfire on cylinder 1 which I suppose it's rotor 1.

[@ryansmith7515]

@@JamilCarboDesigns how did you fix it? I have the same situation

[@theshared001]

Im throwing a code P2259, Air intake solenoid B low. does anyone know which one that is?

[@pmm4177]

Captain Captain from what I've read bro that is the air pump, the black round thing connected to the right side shock tower under the hood, it pumps air into the catalytic converter during start up. if that is the case 1 of those 3 solenoids is what controls it, which one exactly I don't remember but you can try to trace the hose from the pump to the solenoid. hope this helps man, those solenoids are a pain in the @$$ to get to. there is no way that I'm aware of to get to them without some serious disassembly. thank you for the comment bro!

[@theshared001]

thanks for the reply man, ill have to see if its worth doing myself or paying someone for the trouble of it. leaning towards the latter.

[@pmm4177]

Captain Captain it's doable but a pain, if that's the only code you're getting then I wouldn't see the need to fix it unless it's causing a problem or you're like me and just don't want a check engine light on lol

[@Mitch3343]

Im assuming that you got it taken care of now. but for other readers, air injector B is the top on with a blue clip. You can test all 3 of them and you want them to be between 40-60 olmes. (37 olmes is new)

[@hectorgonzales3581]

so all 3 of the solenoids are the same?

[@pmm4177]

Hector Gonzales yes, same part number lol but they have 3 different operations, 1 is for the air pump, 1 for the secondary shutter valve and the other is for the vdi valve

[@luisarizpe4623]

pmm4177 can you send me the link where you bought them??

[@luisarizpe4623]

pmm4177 I got a p2259 code and a p0661 code

[@YOOOOOOOOOOMAMA]

I don't really wanna go through all these msgs to see if you've answered this question or not but can u give us the 3 Valve Part # I have a 2004 RX-8 and my check engine light gave me a code and it's one of those Valves. I wanna change all 3 of them so if you or anyone reading this could help me out with the part # for all 3 Valves that'd be great. Thanks

[@pmm4177]

Johnny Fajardo sure man, this is the closest thing I can find, I can possibly track the exact number of mine down but will take some time, in the mean time try this. I hope this helps and thanks for watching mate www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/DC/8610-07163428.html?DN&+Mazda+RX8+Vacuum+Switching+Valve+Dorman+04-11+Mazda+Vacuum+Switching+Valve+2008+2005&PartsGeek+Google+Base&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5arMBRDzARIsAAqmJezaxiVCX_iBMJNAPzjtF-T3qdDSIBJtQL4yC6IR6UDApqJ4ffB4RIAaAnnCEALw_wcB&ad=47433967812

[@YOOOOOOOOOOMAMA]

So all 3 valves are the same ???

[@pmm4177]

Johnny Fajardo yes, the one for the ssv valve, vdi valve and air pump are all three the same. The just draw a tiny vacuum for open/close operation

[@fliplefrog8843]

Read the numbers on the solenoids... Google knows everything :D

[@imdualwield2377]

Omg thanks for the link

[@PBShiFu]

I think you might be scaring some people off from working on their 8's. The upper intake shouldn't take more than 30 mins to take off. All you really need are pliers and a size 10 socket with extensions.

[@pmm4177]

I had intended to clean the ssv and vdi valves until I discovered they are both still clean

[@PBShiFu]

I was only being cheeky lol always glad to see another 8 owner =)

[@pmm4177]

lol I do love this car. this is one of those cars I didn't like when it came out and then I drove one! nothing g sounds as good as a rotary wrapped up to 9000 rpm!!

[@PBShiFu]

HAHA I always loved the RX8. Just was out of my budget when it first came out. No one could understand why but I'm glad I have one now.

[@pmm4177]

I know right, I'm glad I got this one

[@jimmymartin]

My rx8 is throwing the p2040 code "ssv stuck open" would you know what it is?

[@pmm4177]

Sounds like either the solenoid for the ssv stopped working or the ssv (secondary shutter valve) has stuck in the open position. The intake of the rx8 has a couple valves that open and close at different rpms to create power across the rev range and sometimes they get stuck. The problem comes if you have to remove the ssv for cleaning. If you do I'd suggest a video from whitney automotive, he is a rotary engine specialist that has some great informational videos. Hope I helped brother!

[@jimmymartin]

@@pmm4177 alright thanks. I'll go check out those videos

[@nardy78]

Will changing my whole intake with an aftermarket one fix the problem?

[@JayCras]

F*CK S*HIT and or piss... I just replaced the bad SSV selenoid and the car ran perfect... to the gas station last night and back. I took her out today and.... I get P2259 and P0076 and random misfires came back. What did I do to deserve this? Waaaaaa..... There are 4 bolts that are laughing because I have to somehow get a socket on them. You know when you only have room to turn the wrench one ratchet click you are in for some fun. If I didn't love this car I think I would get a brick and smash myself over the head.

[@pmm4177]

James Craswell believe me I know the feeling, I'm dealing with the occasional random misfire myself

[@Urkardaddy]

Hey brother loved the vids I subscribed as well ,, Mind helping a fella out?? I got a RX8 I bought for $550.00 has just had engine swap done and now I'm trying to work out the bugs it got bunch of codes heavy misfire no power but runs drives idles great doesn't run very well though under load ..Let me know if your willing to help and if so I'll start by reading off my codes ..Thanks in advance.

[@pmm4177]

I'd start by taking the catalytic converter off and checking to see if its clogged, these cars are notorious for plugging a cat. I have a video where I checked mine. Mine would not do much of anything past idle, most of the time it would rev just fine but under load it would struggle to get past a few thousand revs. Start there bud. Hope it helps brother and thanks for the sub!

[@Urkardaddy]

@@pmm4177 cats gutted

[@Urkardaddy]

@@pmm4177 ,,,I'm getting code for crank position sensor and SSV could this cause my no power and car wanting too stall under loads?

[@markflint2629]

First it’s RPM not Rpm’s as it measured over one minute, second is parts don’t “ go out “ unless it’s to dinner or something they fail, lastly the air pump heats up the converter not cool it down by adding fresh air on a cold start up.

[@pmm4177]

Thank you genius, ill be sure to consult you when making future rotary videos since you're not only a car expert but a grammar nazi too! Thanks little buddy

[@DriftKilles12]

god Damm. took you 4 hours to just remove that? lol. takes only 15-20mins max to remove it. and 2 1/2 to pull the engine. right tools & and knowledge goes a long way.

[@pmm4177]

DriftKilles12 I'd be willing to bet that you're full of shit lol, I am sure it doesn't take as long as I did but even a mazda tech in an air conditioned shop couldn't do either of those jobs that fast, either way I don't have the luxury of a nice shop behind mommy and daddy's house like some people, some of us work for our stuff. thanks for watching!

[@nickoli9889]

pmm4177 For real, takes me 10 min just to get the air box off and on without breaking all those plastic clips and shit

[@DriftKilles12]

Lets bet pretty boi

[@DriftKilles12]

Will only take me less than 15mins to remove the upper intake manifold

[@DriftKilles12]

pmm4177 lets bet