kcott

Just spent $2,256 on my 2004 RX-8 at the dealership. I was having an issue where my car would hesitate after starting it up. In first gear (this is an automatic mind you) it would rev up high and then slam into second. Then it would start to drive normally until the RPMs were high enough to go into third and then it would slam into third. After getting into fourth gear, the RPMs would jump up 2-3 thousand and then settle at a normal RPM. For the most part, I can completely avoid these hard shifts initially if I keep the RPMs below 3,000 and just manually shift it myself. The interesting part in all this is when the RPM shoots up, the car isn't driving if that makes any sense. It will rev up and the finally catch and the car takes off making it feel like a hard shift and a nice squeal of the tires.

I had a check engine light on the time and it was the dreaded p2070 code that I have often read about on these forums. I knew about some of the symptoms and although it wasn't exactly what I had, I figured I needed to get it fixed anyway and took it the dealer. I complained about what I described above and then also told them how I was popping tht code. I saw the DIY video on here on how to replace the SSV but I didn't really have the motivation to get deep into the car like that by myself.

The dealership ended up replacing the SSV actuator and all solenoid valves. They also replaced my oil lines because they noticed a leak. Part of me was hoping somehow replacing the SSV valve would make a noticeable difference. In the end, I paid all this money just to get the CEL extinguished.

I started up the car and the EXACT same issue. Even in the write up when I picked up the car, it read: "ATTEMPTED TO TEST DRIVE BUT TRANS SLIPS AND BANGS HARD INTO GEAR, DID NOT DRIVE VERY FAR. NO PENDING CODES AT THIS TIME."

While an easy diagnosis might be a bad transmission, here is what I don't understand:

- The car drives relatively fine after warmed up, especially on the highway, no issues shifting.
- If I hit the brakes hard while city driving, let's say at a stoplight, the car will act up like previously described. I will hit the gas and nothing happens, the RPMs will shoot up and then finally the car will take off.
- The engine will cut out while backing up after being started. Luckily my driveway is on a downhill slope so I just put it in neutral to back up. After the car is warmed up, not an issue.
- If I make a sharp turn, the RPMs will shoot up before the car will finally accelerate again.
- No CEL.


Some car history:

- rebuilt engine (via 8 year/100,000 mile warranty)
- coils and spark plugs are good
- engine mounts do need to be replaced, car will shake at low RPMs


Thanks for any help you guys can provide. I tried researching as much as I could but hardly found anything specifically matching my issue.