Scoot RX-8

This issue sounds the same as Thunder's but it isn't. My battery is confirmed dead! Died last year and I am still waiting for the red top to come in (order 2 weeks ago).

Last year I had a problem with my car and some really hard starts! I decided I would replace the sparks and wires. Before I could do any of that work ... I went to start it up, it tried to crank, then died. I think it may have flooded at the time. I could not get it to crank any more.

The entire car was dead!! I mean completely! But if you boast it would crank, but no start! If I drop in another battery it cranks well, but if I try my original battery, it has "0" power. I had decided, since it was the end of October, that I would let her sleep for the winter!

Today I grabbed the battery out of my Talon and hooked it up (had to use a jumper as the positive post is too far to connect. The alarm activated and voila! I had power. Still no start. The thing is, I hurt my back leaning over to reposition the battery so I could not do much more for the moment. So I thought, hey! Maybe some of you guys would like to come by and give me a hand ... possibly work on some of your cars too! If anyone is interested ... I am in Whitby. Let me know! As this is Easter this will be difficult as I will only have mornings, but next weekend should not be a problem if anyone is interested.

Takers?

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

We can make it out. Well I can, pretty sure Thumper can, he's based in Ajax. What's your schedule like tomorrow?

Scoot RX-8

I'm available until 2pm ... then I have to do that family thing with the Outlaws!

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

Don't f**k about trying to deflood it - just push (or pull) start it , assuming you have a manual .

Scoot RX-8

Yes on manual ... is there any other kind?? Lol!

Mazurfer

Oh boy................asleep since October. This could be a real challenge, but yeah push/pull start it and be prepared for quite a bit of smoke. Did it have gas in the tank all that time with no stabilizer?

Scoot RX-8

Full tank WITH stabilizer ... no way was I going to abandon here with bad fuel!

Mazurfer

Thank God!
Phew!
I feel much better now.
Sorry for thinking you might do such an insane thing.

Scoot RX-8

Lol ... I don't blame you for fearing. Up here the winters are cold and long! if your letting the car sit ... lots of fuel and stabilizer! Otherwise ... might as well try to run it with peanut butter!

01Racing

Big DANGER there. If you let it sit all winter with fuel in the rotor housings you likely will have washed all the oil of the apex seals. Make sure you dont dump anymore fuel in while its cranking. I would pull the plugs and squirt some 5W20 oil in the chambers and spin it over with the fuel pump fuse pulled.

Scoot RX-8

Good advice Al ... thanks!

Thumper3322

U have an extra set of plugs?
Cancel your order for your red top, go over to walmart and pic one up, they stock them (35)
I am never touching someone else car that has a screwed battery (cough cough pros) haha...it is going to take lots of cranking so a strong battery is required. Also, have a battery charger and have that hooked up.
Pros and I are getting mine out tomorrow, but don't know if we will be able to make it much before 2 It will take a few hours of screwing around with it.

Scoot RX-8

Well ... no worries on the timing. Can always put this off another week. The plugs that are in are new as well as the wires. I have the old ones. Did not know til now red tops are stock anywhere around here, but I have a deposit already on the one I ordered.

Scoot RX-8

And from death ... there is resurrection!

Well ... Prospectjaz and Thumper stopped by to give me a hand. Definitely flooded!!

After a while of pumping out fuel from the spark plug ports ... the plugs back in and it still took a while to get her runnin' again. Lots of smoke! But she fired up!

Many thanks to Prospectjaz and Thumper and Thumper's girl ... tell her I said 'Hola!'

Thief

Weird. Last year, I went into Wal-Mart and they had red tops on sale just sitting on the shelves. And I didn't put fuel stabilizer in this year cuz I forgot but the car started right up with only a bit of hesitation. :D

nate340

every yr i worry that my car wont start up but it always does. isnt it great to be driving the 8's again instead of those damn winter beaters.

Scoot RX-8

No kidding! Finally I am back and sitting in those leather seats again. It was awesome just to get behind the wheel and redline it a dozen times to clear her out!!

Yes!!!

heyarnold69

iTrader: (1)

just wanted to say i feel your pain .. and thank you klepto again ... got it on the 70th try

wrenchrob

hey scoot love the picture of the smoke! but come on whats with the bottle of Miller? must have been on sale or did the easter bunny bring it? HaHa!

Scoot RX-8

Hahaha!!! Nice! You don't know how right you are! It was left at my house during Easter!! Hahaha! I am more a drinker of Irish Whisky ... now you're talkin!!

Scoot RX-8

The car is running ... but she gives me hard start issues. This morning I got in and it started up with no problem. Then I warmed it up for a while in the driveway as it was early and I was not ready to go anywhere yet. I ran it for about twenty minutes then turned it off to work on hooking up my amp. About 5 minutes later I went to start it and I had to crank it 3 times to get her to start. So I took it for a good morning run ... red lining often. Brought it back home and parked it as normal. I worked on cleaning it up for a few hours to brighten her body up. I got in and it started fine. Drove to Costco to get some things and when I got in ... it started ok. Then I drove to pickering to drop something off for someone so the car was off for maybe 5 minutes tops! Took about a 10 second crank to get her going. I took it along the 401 in 3rd ... red lining often from Pickering to Whitby. I have shut it off and left it while I worked on cleaning the interior. I have not tried it since.

This is similar to what it was doing at the end of the season last year. My battery died completely and would not take a charge any more. Maybe I had different issues going on, but I thought it was just because of the dying battery that it was giving these hard starts.

Last summer all the coils were replaced. I have brand new NKG wires and plugs in her now. Could this be a fuel problem? If so, how can I verify? Can I easily measure the load from the coils? Seems the problem becomes more of an issue if the car is warm when I attempt to start it up.

Neo

What kinda fuel stabilizer did you use???

Just to say, I've always topped the car off with fuel and stored her since early Nov. Car started up without a problem 2 weekends ago.
I gotta figure out what weekend I can take to wind her through her paces so I can go through the tank of gas. But I've never used fuel stabilizer.

Just make sure I do an oil change before I start her, double check the plugs, and away we go.

Scoot RX-8

Hmmm ... I cannot recall what the name of the product was. That was a while ago now ... you know ... anything more than a week .......

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

The fuel stabilizer most commonly used for storage is called "Sta-Bil".

Scoot RX-8

B - I - N - G - O !!! That's it! Thanks!