Last night I was out and stopped at a gas station for directions. I got back in the car, started it, and found I couldn't turn the wheel! Damn is this beast hard to turn without the power steering. The little power steering light was on - it hadn't been on 5 minutes prior. Seems kind of strange that it works fine all day, then after shutting off/restarting it quits. Oh well, to the dealer I go!

This happened with my Transmission.

I was driving for like maybe 1 hour. I come home shut it off... Go back out 30 minutes later to go somewhere and it wont shift into reverse.

The damn car thought Reverse was Neutral and Neutral was Drive.

The next morning I go out to the car to see if it works and everything was fine with it.

I seriously had no idea what was up with this.

Mazda said I had flakes in my Trans Fluid.

well its been almost 24 hours now, many restarts and such, still no worky
I actually like the way it feels at speed without the PS, but it's not worth the impossibility of not being able to navigate into a parking spot :)

Blown fuse?

1.3L

Did you have the battery disconnected for any amount of time? P/S does not always come back after battery disconnect. Need to reset the steering angle sensor to eliminate that possibility. With engine off, turn ignition to on, do not start engine. Turn steering full left to lock, then full right to lock. If p/s doesn't come back after starting engine, time for the dealer.

I second the fuse idea. It is a 60A fella under the hood.

I second the fuse idea. It is a 60A fella under the hood.

I third, since this happened to me and that is what the dealer fixed (supposedly)

I checked it out (at night, with a flashlight) and it seemed ok. I'm away on business, so if it's just the fuse it better be done when I get back :)

called the dealer, they're still looking at it, they've determiend it has an "electrical problem." no, really?

no chance of being done by the weekend, they say.

Got my car back yesterday. Record states only "bad P/S module, replaced."

yeah one time I ran my 8 out of gas right when I was by the dealership- they towed it in and finally fixed it- the record said "out of gas module reset"

My rx-8 is going thru the same deal now...04 6spd manual. This is the second time going back they already replaced the module and it still went out again..

this happened to me twice when testing the car on a skid pad one night. and the 8 over heated all the way to the end of the red and boiled all the water out. this was my own fault as i was revving the car and having fun with my g/f and not monitoring the temp. was scary steam was everywhere and it was hot hot. no problems after though. strong engines. wont take my 8 to the skid pan again... power steering a mystery after time the light went off and worked normally again.

try turning a 8 with 20's and no power steering...

There is a connector on the passenger 1/2 of the radiator fan. This has caused a problem with a number of cars. use contact cleaner on it and some silicone.....and the problem might go away. My dealer replaced the steering module...and was about to change the rack....when I cleaned that connector.................and have had no problems since. A 5 min fix caused them to replace a $1k PART because of poor diagnostics :(

thanks will ''apply the silicone and cleaner''

thanks. i will ''apply the grease and clean'' ; )

use contact cleaner on it and some silicone.....and the problem might go away!! Well that didnt work at all...back to the dealer I went 5 times now and it even happends when driving just lose powersteering. Had regional service tech look at the car and He said he never even heard of anyone having this problem..Meanwhile theres another RX8 RIGHT NEXT TO MINE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM!!!.... Wonder where did they get this guy from..

One month with this car guess I made a bad choice in picking it>>>

^^ yours sounds like the torque sensor on the rack....take it in if you are still under warranty. I think the rack has to be replaced if this fails??

The connector is on the shroud for the rad fan...kinda under the battery box area. there are two connectors as i remember...one large one and a smaller one.

thanx guys. will keep up 2 date. i dont hate my 8. keeps me on my toes if it has tits or wheels it'll give ya shit 4 eva...

Just had this problem also - it fixed itself though so I'm picking it is the connection danobre talks about .

I am having the same problem after owning the car for a month. It's going in for service now. Thank goodness I haven't sold the car it replaces yet.

Quick question where is the power steering module located?

oh well, tonight, when i went down to parking lot, i got into the car and started, it was still warm(not below cold) cuz it was in the heated parking. while i was waiting for my girlfriend with the started car, the check engine light went on after about 2 minutes; it wasnt flushing so i knew it wasnt a big deal, its probably just the cat....but after my girlfriend got into it, the power steering wheel light came on, so then i couldnt turn the wheel as easy as before; i had to shut it down( of course i rev it up a bit then shut it down). However, when i restarted it, the power steering wheel light went off but the check engine light is still on. i wonder what problems should be with the power steering wheel? does sound like everyone above there.

Quick question where is the power steering module located?

By the engine. Look at the pulley.

oh well, tonight, when i went down to parking lot, i got into the car and started, it was still warm(not below cold) cuz it was in the heated parking. while i was waiting for my girlfriend with the started car, the check engine light went on after about 2 minutes; it wasnt flushing so i knew it wasnt a big deal, its probably just the cat....but after my girlfriend got into it, the power steering wheel light came on, so then i couldnt turn the wheel as easy as before; i had to shut it down( of course i rev it up a bit then shut it down). However, when i restarted it, the power steering wheel light went off but the check engine light is still on. i wonder what problems should be with the power steering wheel? does sound like everyone above there.

replied ur question in the other post.

use contact cleaner on it and some silicone.....and the problem might go away!! Well that didnt work at all...back to the dealer I went 5 times now and it even happends when driving just lose powersteering. Had regional service tech look at the car and He said he never even heard of anyone having this problem..Meanwhile theres another RX8 RIGHT NEXT TO MINE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM!!!.... Wonder where did they get this guy from..

One month with this car guess I made a bad choice in picking it>>>

If the problem is the connector, just disconnecting it and reconnecting can make it go away for awhile, but often comes back. Same with cleaning, etc.. What happens is that the computer checks the sensors when you start the car. If they are out of range, it disables the power steering. If the connection is flaky, it adds resistance and the computer sees that as bad sensor values.

The connector sucks, and temperature changes and vibration affect it. Also, the overflow for the radiator is situated so that it sprays onto the connector. I tried various things which worked, for a while, but for the permanent fix I followed MazdaManiac's lead and just cut out that damn grey connector and soldered the wires together. No problems since and it has been many months.

Or, you could get the revised wiring harness, which supposedly has an improved connector. Frankly, 20 minutes with a soldering gun, heat shrink, and silicone tape makes a lot more sense to me.

If the problem is the connector, just disconnecting it and reconnecting can make it go away for awhile, but often comes back. Same with cleaning, etc.. What happens is that the computer checks the sensors when you start the car. If they are out of range, it disables the power steering. If the connection is flaky, it adds resistance and the computer sees that as bad sensor values.

The connector sucks, and temperature changes and vibration affect it. Also, the overflow for the radiator is situated so that it sprays onto the connector. I tried various things which worked, for a while, but for the permanent fix I followed MazdaManiac's lead and just cut out that damn grey connector and soldered the wires together. No problems since and it has been many months.

Or, you could get the revised wiring harness, which supposedly has an improved connector. Frankly, 20 minutes with a soldering gun, heat shrink, and silicone tape makes a lot more sense to me.

There is one ? hmm ....

Meh, my PS works so why bother ? :)

If the problem is the connector, just disconnecting it and reconnecting can make it go away for awhile, but often comes back. Same with cleaning, etc.. What happens is that the computer checks the sensors when you start the car. If they are out of range, it disables the power steering. If the connection is flaky, it adds resistance and the computer sees that as bad sensor values.

The connector sucks, and temperature changes and vibration affect it. Also, the overflow for the radiator is situated so that it sprays onto the connector. I tried various things which worked, for a while, but for the permanent fix I followed MazdaManiac's lead and just cut out that damn grey connector and soldered the wires together. No problems since and it has been many months.

Or, you could get the revised wiring harness, which supposedly has an improved connector. Frankly, 20 minutes with a soldering gun, heat shrink, and silicone tape makes a lot more sense to me.

is there anyway you can do a DIY? im having the exact same problem. thanks in advance