CEL on today, talk to dealer... got a whole ton of info..

Mar 22, 2004 | 06:48 PM

JeupRX-8

Guest

Posts: n/a

CEL on today, talk to dealer... got a whole ton of info..

Well, my CEL lit up today, after the last two weeks of the car barely starting each time. I find myself having to rev the engine to get the damn car to start. So, I went to the dealer; and my service ace told me that they never installed the new "hotter firing" spark plugs that the other dealer was installing on their cars. So, my salesman lied to me about the plugs. BUT, I have other issues.

My questions to all RX-8 owners are...

Is this engine suited for winter driving?

Will my vehicle always go through not starting up, and sometimes having to be revved to start.

What is this "vehicle flooding" info about?

I came from a '04 Saab 9-3 that was a lemon, becuase the engine didn't start frequently, and was towed 9 times in 2 months. Is this car prone to doing this in the cold winter climates of Michigan???

Is there any more info on problems with this engine not starting, and lighting a CEL??

I am very gracious to everyone who gives me input on this. I have taken all aftermarket parts off, because I am ready to have yet another lemon. (this would be my 3rd lemon in 6 months).

I have bad luck,

Troy J.

Mar 22, 2004 | 11:44 PM

musclecarconvrt

Registered

Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 464

Likes: 0

From: Tennessee

Definitely would not try to "rev the engine to get the car to start". That would probably lead to flooding or at least foul out the plugs a little. That in turn would make it harder to start and eventually through a code. What were the conditions when your CEL came on? If the engine hasn't reached normal temp before you get high up in the revs it will hit "safe" mode. I've only had mine a month but I have managed to rack up about 2700 miles already. I haven't flooded it yet. From all the talk in here I was very worried about that, but I haven't had the first complaint from mine. I just make sure it's warmed up enough before I shut down. Oh, the dealer I bought mine from told me to goose the throttle to about 3000 just before shutting it off. He said it clears out any extra fuel. I feel like a ricer doing it, but hey, it seems to work. As for cold weather driving. Check some of the posts from the Canada boys. Several of them post here. I hope the new plugs do the trick for you. I love mine. Please keep us informed.

Mar 22, 2004 | 11:57 PM

310Guy

4AT poor mileage king

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 587

Likes: 0

From: now... 818 area code

Ummm, what's the "whole ton of info" from the dealer???

Mar 23, 2004 | 03:45 AM

Spin9k

Momentum Keeps Me Going

Joined: Sep 2002

Posts: 5,036

Likes: 5

From: Colorado

Re: CEL on today, talk to dealer... got a whole ton of info..

Quote:

Originally posted by JeupRX-8
I have taken all aftermarket parts off, because I am ready to have yet another lemon. (this would be my 3rd lemon in 6 months).

I have bad luck,

Troy J.

What aftermarket parts did you take off? Could these have caused your trouble in the 1st place?? And now the trouble is permanent until repaired? Just a thought, but you don't give a whole ton of info to go by...

Mar 23, 2004 | 05:21 PM

rotary-convert

clocks are striking 13

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 163

Likes: 0

From: K-bay, HI (imported from MI)

jeup,
do a search on flooding..... sounds like you're not giving it enough warm up time and it is never good to rev it while starting, esp if it's cold, also make sure your batt is fully charged

i'm in michigan and the people that i talk to on this forum from MI have not had any problems regarding staring up in cold weather
personally i havn't had any problems...but i've only had mine for 4 days

i'm suprised that you don't know more about flooding and hard starts

i plan to clean my plugs every 3 months or so....

Mar 24, 2004 | 10:29 PM

thered1996

Registered User

Joined: Nov 2003

Posts: 92

Likes: 0

From: Marietta, GA

While we don't see cold here in Atlanta anything near what you see in Michigan, I've never had even a minor difficulty starting when the engine is cold. The only time more than 1 or 2 seconds of cranking has been when it's 'warm' -- 15-30 minutes after running.

Mar 24, 2004 | 11:14 PM

rudy8

Registered User

Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 295

Likes: 0

From: michigan

Re: CEL on today, talk to dealer... got a whole ton of info..

Quote:

Originally posted by JeupRX-8
Well, my CEL lit up today, after the last two weeks of the car barely starting each time. I find myself having to rev the engine to get the damn car to start. So, I went to the dealer; and my service ace told me that they never installed the new "hotter firing" spark plugs that the other dealer was installing on their cars. So, my salesman lied to me about the plugs. BUT, I have other issues.

My questions to all RX-8 owners are...

Is this engine suited for winter driving?

Will my vehicle always go through not starting up, and sometimes having to be revved to start.

What is this "vehicle flooding" info about?

I came from a '04 Saab 9-3 that was a lemon, becuase the engine didn't start frequently, and was towed 9 times in 2 months. Is this car prone to doing this in the cold winter climates of Michigan???

Is there any more info on problems with this engine not starting, and lighting a CEL??

I am very gracious to everyone who gives me input on this. I have taken all aftermarket parts off, because I am ready to have yet another lemon. (this would be my 3rd lemon in 6 months).

I have bad luck,

Troy J.

Troy...
im in kalamazoo and drove my car in the winter with snow tires. had nnoooo problems at all. it sounds as if you have a bad battery and could use the reflash (L) and that should solve your problems....battery is essential to not flooding.
dont give up on your 8 yet...i think it needs some attention and will give you great performancfe. mine starts in the lower single digits perfectly and i never reved it once. it also never flooded.
let me know how it goes...
rudy