Mazda RX-8 LS-1 swap
06-23-2010, 11:13 PM
#61
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Tach signal is gonna be the killer, its generated inside the ecu and sent via CAN-BUS to the cluster, figure that one out and make a small fortune in the next few years.
06-25-2010, 07:33 AM
#64
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Im not one to by a swap as it think it needlessly complicates everything, but to me putting an aluminum block LSx motor in an RX8 wold be akin to da vinci putting the finishing stroke on the mona lisa.
Perfection put simply.
If anyone is selling swap kits do drop me a PM, i know im not alone in this thinking.
Perfection put simply.
If anyone is selling swap kits do drop me a PM, i know im not alone in this thinking.
10-15-2010, 12:06 AM
#68
thats for sure, i use to have one of these....gutless, and horrible gas millage, not to metion they consume oil, I think their epa is what 17mpg highway. ls1 in one combined with the good suspension would be a good combo, with this thread would update more...
I see there is another one on youtube, but its a gen 1 sbc, and its carburated. just total ruined the car, to much weight on the front end, killed the handling, and the carb isnt helping the gas millage any, plus they did a bunch of cutting on it. I think he was trying to sell the car without the motor for about 10k....you can find a good running 04 for under 10k.
I see there is another one on youtube, but its a gen 1 sbc, and its carburated. just total ruined the car, to much weight on the front end, killed the handling, and the carb isnt helping the gas millage any, plus they did a bunch of cutting on it. I think he was trying to sell the car without the motor for about 10k....you can find a good running 04 for under 10k.
12-23-2011, 01:52 PM
#72
^^ Yes, I've seen that, but will not be using Hinson for anything. The few times I've talked to him on the phone, I've caught him in a lie... not to mention the $100k worth of stolen cars the police found on his shop's property. Not only that, but his car is supposed to have been running for 18 months now, yet no one has seen pics or videos of it.
I'm just curious as to how the OP solved the bump steer issue.
I'm just curious as to how the OP solved the bump steer issue.
11-04-2012, 01:14 AM
#74
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Sweet sweet thread revival.
Anyways, hope this finds everyone well.
As many here and @ rx8club have said they really want this swap to be easier i.e. a kit.
I'm not here to boast about how i'm going to do it and potentially fail and look like an ***, but rather collect information and hopefully get some questions answered regarding the swap.
As a person I usually prefer to learn how to do something before trying it instead of going in blind and end up fubared.
So I will say that i know the rx8 platform enough to avoid stealerships, the engine, the wiring diagram, etc however i don't know the ls1 platform (obviously i will study the platform before attempting the swap).
With that being said i can affirmatively say that mounting the trans and engine will not be a difficult task for my person. I would however like to discuss the electrical side of things in order to have a seamless swap. Someone on here did mention to keep the original computer in and use it's sensors to work the cluster abs etc, that's exactly what i was thinking!
Now for some questions that i hope a member can enlighten on.
What would be the easiest way to have the ls1 computer control the fuel pump while having the rx8 computer read the fuel level?
For the tachometer how would one mount the eccentric shaft position sensor (this is how the rx8 gets the rpm's) onto the crankshaft? does the ls have a crankshaft sensor? could the rx8 wires be spliced into the ls crankshaft sensor and have the same readout as the eccentric one?
For the oil level sender how can the rx8 oil level sender which is in the oil pan be placed inside? drill through and weld shut around a rubber filled rod?
For the rx8 vehicle speed is needed for the cruise control if the ls1 computer doesn't get the vehicle speed input from the ABS system how would it go about controlling this? would it be wise to splice into those wires from the ABS and feed them into the ls1 pcm input for speed?
should the rx8 air compressor be used for A/C and fab a mount for it?
would you trust the rx8 coolant temperature sensor to handle the cooling fans and the ls1 water pump to move the water? fortunately ls1 runs colder than the renesis.
should a t-splitter be used for both the ls1 and rx8 oil pressure sender to read to both pcms? Same with the coolant temperature sensor?
If splicing will produce the same voltage and ohms going to both computers then it would be very easy to go this route, but i'm no electrician.
with all these questions answered the swap wouldn't be that difficult unless something important is missing.
sorry for the long post btw
there needs to be v8 rexes out there
Anyways, hope this finds everyone well.
As many here and @ rx8club have said they really want this swap to be easier i.e. a kit.
I'm not here to boast about how i'm going to do it and potentially fail and look like an ***, but rather collect information and hopefully get some questions answered regarding the swap.
As a person I usually prefer to learn how to do something before trying it instead of going in blind and end up fubared.
So I will say that i know the rx8 platform enough to avoid stealerships, the engine, the wiring diagram, etc however i don't know the ls1 platform (obviously i will study the platform before attempting the swap).
With that being said i can affirmatively say that mounting the trans and engine will not be a difficult task for my person. I would however like to discuss the electrical side of things in order to have a seamless swap. Someone on here did mention to keep the original computer in and use it's sensors to work the cluster abs etc, that's exactly what i was thinking!
Now for some questions that i hope a member can enlighten on.
What would be the easiest way to have the ls1 computer control the fuel pump while having the rx8 computer read the fuel level?
For the tachometer how would one mount the eccentric shaft position sensor (this is how the rx8 gets the rpm's) onto the crankshaft? does the ls have a crankshaft sensor? could the rx8 wires be spliced into the ls crankshaft sensor and have the same readout as the eccentric one?
For the oil level sender how can the rx8 oil level sender which is in the oil pan be placed inside? drill through and weld shut around a rubber filled rod?
For the rx8 vehicle speed is needed for the cruise control if the ls1 computer doesn't get the vehicle speed input from the ABS system how would it go about controlling this? would it be wise to splice into those wires from the ABS and feed them into the ls1 pcm input for speed?
should the rx8 air compressor be used for A/C and fab a mount for it?
would you trust the rx8 coolant temperature sensor to handle the cooling fans and the ls1 water pump to move the water? fortunately ls1 runs colder than the renesis.
should a t-splitter be used for both the ls1 and rx8 oil pressure sender to read to both pcms? Same with the coolant temperature sensor?
If splicing will produce the same voltage and ohms going to both computers then it would be very easy to go this route, but i'm no electrician.
with all these questions answered the swap wouldn't be that difficult unless something important is missing.
sorry for the long post btw
there needs to be v8 rexes out there
01-31-2014, 09:10 PM
#76
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10-27-2014, 04:30 PM
#77
We drove it for the first time yesterday.
It has plenty of power
The gearing is very low, we are using the stock 4,44 differential.
First gear is almost useless.
We are using a Camaro steering rack and oil pan.
And there are no gauges yet, the 8 uses CAN bus cluster so I think it is impossible to use it with this setup.
It has plenty of power
The gearing is very low, we are using the stock 4,44 differential.
First gear is almost useless.
We are using a Camaro steering rack and oil pan.
And there are no gauges yet, the 8 uses CAN bus cluster so I think it is impossible to use it with this setup.
Can you elaborate on that trans crossmember? It looks like it's just bolted to the diff brace. Any issues with rigidity?
