Dustin4u

Hey guys,

I'm trying to decide between a Type S RSX or a RX8. For $4,000 Canadian i can jump into a base model RX8...even though i know when it comes down to it, i will get the GT lol.

My main concern is i read that you need to let the car warm up for 5 minutes, if your only going a short distance.

I own my business and work from home. The only place i go everyday is to the gym and its mabye 3-4 KM away. I can get there in 3-5 minutes on average.

Will i have problems? I don't really want to have to go to my car, warm it up, then head out.
I want to jump in and go.
But i do hear if your going a short distance its going to flood all the time.

HELP! any thoughts?

CjsfastSS

My dealership recommends letting it warm up for about 2 to 5 minutes before taking off or you could risk flooding the engine or fouling out the spark plugs. I've owned my RX-8 for 2 days now and no problems so far, thank God.

CjsfastSS

My dealership recommends letting it warm up for about 2 to 5 minutes before taking off or you could risk flooding the engine or fouling out the spark plugs. I've owned my RX-8 for 2 days now and no problems so far, thank God.

Psylence

The car will be fine after that trip of several KM. Not to worry. Problem is overblown by people moving the car 5-10 feet and shutting down.

I have a 7-11 1/8th of a mile away that I drive to all the time. Haven't needed a tow from the parking lot!

RX8_GT

Get the RX8 - get in it and go - after about 10 to 60 sec warmup that is . The colder the weather - the longer the warmup - like any car IMHO. Should you stall it before it warms up - then gas pedal to floor and crank engine as you let up on gas. If the car is not warm when you get to work - rev it to 4K for 10 seconds then ignition off. Of course if it is like -30C - lengthen the warmup even more.

My 2 cents for want it's worth.

mmmdowning

Get in, start car and go. The flooding is due to start car move in garage , or move a few feet and turn the car off. That floods. Other wise just get in and go.

RX8_GT

By the way - ex-Canadian hence the Centigrade temperature. Drove in Canadian winters for 25 plus years - including about 6 years with a 1986 RX-7. Flooded it once about one year after getting it. John

Rotary Titus

so if an engine floods because there's unburnt fuel in it, why would reving it before turning it off help?
from video clips and instruction of how to turn the 8's exhaust into a flame thrower, reving it creates a rich unburned gas environment. so if as mazda suggests we should rev it for a bit before shutting it off, wouldn't that CREATE more unburned fuel?

RX8_GT

The recommendationis to rev it to about 4K - hold it there - then shut it off. Should have no unburnt fuel in engine, John

Rotary Titus

I see... so only high rpms create the flame thrower effect?
how high do you have to rev for the flame thrower effect anyway?

rx8rookie

What RPMs do you let your car warm down to?

I was told that 1000 rpms is ideal but the 5 minute wait is too long for me (especially when late for work).

Aratinga

[rant]

Jeez, this is getting ridiculous! Pardon me for yelling, but:

TO PREVENT FLOODING YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LET THE CAR IDLE TO WARM UP AFTER A COLD START --JUST GET IN IT AND DRIVE TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!

Now, this is assuming that:

(a) it will take you at least five minutes of driving to get where you're going;

(b) the ambient temperature is warmer than, say, 20 degrees F;

(c) you aren't such a klutz with a manual transmission that you stall the car before the engine gets warm.

The point is, oh paranoid ones, that the engine just needs to be warm before you shut it down. That's it. Honest. Warming the engine up is best accomplished by DRIVING the damn car.

About the only time you'll need to let it sit and idle is if you only want to move it a very short distance (like between driveway and garage) and the engine is cold when you start it. So in this case you start it, move it the 20 feet or so, and then LET IT IDLE for five minutes or so until the coolant temp. gauge moves up a few notches. Rev it to 3500 a couple times then shut it down. It should start up fine the next time.

Why is this so incredibly difficult for people to get? It's a rotary, fer chrissakes!!

Okay, I'm going to go have some chocolate now....

[/rant]

RX8_GT

Aratinga from CA:

Calm down - must be that warm salt air - although you're not on the coast. The original poster is in Ottawa CANADA. Low tonight is 15F and this Tuesday -5F. And these are mild winter temperatures.

In Canadian winter - it is very wise to warm up any car for a few seconds - even 5W20 is thick at these temperatures. Lived there for 40 years - drove there for about 25 years.

John

Haze

Gas mileage -

Anything that you buy will get horrific mileage since that distance will never let ANY car warm up to operating temperature including the RX 8. Just to let you know it is highly probable on that 3-4 KILOMETER drive (about 2 1/2 miles max) you will be lucky to get thirteen miles to the gallon. If that is all that you intend to do with an RX 8 then you should be aware that you will be at the low end of the mileage graph. Although this will be true for an RSX as well, you might be able to get better mileage out of that. This is something that you should probably think about.

RX8_GT

Dustin4u: Just a side point you do walk / run to the Gym when it's nice - right ? John

Haze

You are also revving it and then shutting it off at 4K RPMs allowing the rotors to spin with the engine off clearing the combustion chamber. At least that's been my take on the thing.

Aratinga

Yikes! -5F is "mild"? I'd call that uninhabitable.

Okay, I'll concede that a pre-drive warmup idle is a good thing when the oil is as thick as molasses... but you'd do that for any car, not just a rotary. So I still don't understand why the 8 is getting bashed for being a finicky flooder when all that's needed is common sense and minimal stickshift skill on the part of the driver.

Now if you'll pardon me, I've got to go put on my UGG boots and throw another log on the fire; it's a chilly 55F outside. :D

Nubo

I'm guessing that it has more to do with raising the temperature on the plugs' insulators; burning off some deposits.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

No burnong, no temperature, no flames.

It is purely for the pumping action.
With the car in neutral, even at 4000 RPM, it is drawing almost no fuel at all.
When you turn the ignition off at that RPM, the injectors shut off immediately (as do the spark plugs) but the rotors continue to spin several hundred times, driving everything out of the combustion chambers and into the exhaust system.
The rotary engine is, after all, just a pump.

i3man

I just wait for the real high idle at the start of about 2000 RPM to fall to about 1200 RPM and I'm off...takes about 30 seconds for me but it gets no colder than mid 60s at night here.

Katchoo

I let my idle get down to 1500rpm and then drive carefully for the first 1/4 mile (its an automatic - I can feel the car not wanting to accelerate just off-idle). Warming the engine to the 1500 drop takes 1-2 minutes. Once I get to the end of the road (1/4 mile) the car feels much better.

The car is sufficiently warmed up (past all the little lines on the meter) in about a mile that I would feel comfortable shutting it down.

The RX should have no problem being fully warmed up in 5KM.

That said, driving short distances like this is not what the RX is about and they do make special, hotter plugs for the engine if your driving is mostly around town/stop and go.

rotarygod

How often do we have to beat this topic to death when there are dozens here already like it? That little feature at the top of the page called "search" will take you there.

It is very easy to never flood a rotary. Those that flood them don't know what they are doing. You need to learn your cars quirks. Every car has them.

First of all every car should be warmed up before driving them. This is even more important in colder weather. Oil settles down to the bottom of the engine. At startup it takes a few seconds for this oil to recirculate through the engine again. This is why they say that most wear is done at startup. It is. In colder weather the oil is even thicker and slower. This all applies to every engine.

When you get in the car, every time you start it floor it before you turn the key. Hold your foot there as you try to start it. Let it crank over a couple of times and then just take your foot off the gas while still cranking. It starts. So it takes a second or two longer to start but it did. The other recommendation is to rev your engine up a little as you turn it off. With the rpms up a couple thousand turn the key off. There is no more fuel being injected into the engine but it is still turning over a couple of times. This expels and dissipates any remaining fuel in the engine. This is all very simple. Do not rev it up and then shut it down after the rpms fall back down. This is pointless.

There was someone on this forum somewhere who insisted that my startup recommendation was to ONLY be used if the car had already flooded since it is what the manual recommends. I love when people use this excuse but then go out and change to aftermarket parts when the manual also says to use only genuine Mazda parts on the vehicle. Double standard or ignorance? By the time the engine has flooded it is too late. Better to be safe than sorry. The reality is that you will most likely not have flooding issues even if you drive it regularly. The people that post the most on this topic are the people that have had problems. It is so easy to avoid too.

Should you let the engine warm up? Yes but you should do this to any other engine out there as well. Use the above tips and don't worry about it. It may be a different process than other cars but the rotary is a different engine that deserves special attention.

Pavehawk

I keep seeing 4k used as the target RPM. When reading the quick start guide that came with the car last night I noticed Mazda actually recommends 3k. I recently read that the second fuel injector opens at 3750 RPM. So wouldn't going to 4k actually inject more fuel? The guide also said to let the engine return to idle prior to shutting it off.

RX8_GT

Aratinga

Please be careful out there - multiple layers of clothing - it's 55F after all.

Winter temperatures to Canadian generally much colder than most of the US - ask anyone in Winnipeg Manitoba - January Average High is 8°F Average Low is -10°F Mean is is -1°F . That's burr... but not for a friend I have north of 60.

John

RX8_GT

Rotarygod:

Have tried your technique - it works well. Not necessary most of the time.

Original poster lives in Ottawa CANADA - warm up of ALL cars is necessary there 2 to 3 months per year. Average low in January and February is about 5F.

John