Zoomingx8

Just bought the car used a month ago with 77,000 miles on it, it now has 79,000 on it. I was driving on the highway and it threw a code and never shut off, when i bought the car and first got on the highway it flickered and then shut off and never came back on till now, i never though anything of it. Here is what its doing, when i floor it, it studders about like 6k and bogs down, i have to switch down into a lower gear and accelerate again. It doesnt feel like it has as much power as it used to. It idles great, never stalls, it starts right up, hot or cold. I dont know what it could be, this also started happening after i followed the procedure to seafoam, i dont know if that has anything to do with it , but its certainly possible. Also can i damage the motor driving it like this? i have to drive it to work for another day till i get it down to the dealer that i bought it from so they can look at it

thanks
Ryan

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Check your VFAD nipple...often this code is a vacuum leak

Mazurfer

Dan....you honestly don't think this is a Kitty or rear o2 issue? Just seems like his series of events was misfire(coils?), then eventually bogging down and lean code due to possible exhaust restriction or bad rear sensor.

To the OP................is this the only code you have?
What is the maintanace history on this car?
What mods are on the car?

Zoomingx8

I am not sure on the history maintenace because i just bought the car a month ago.. It is the only code that is showing up. When i got out of the car last night i looked at the cat and it was glowing around the middle O2 sensor, but i have been told that if it was a bad cat it would throw a different code. I was also told that if it was running lean then the cat would glow red as well. It feels like it should have more power, but the power doesnt feel terrible either, it accelerates smoothly from what i can tell, maybe i have a bad coil ? and also where is the VFAD nipple? are those the ones you take off to put the seafoam into the motor? is the 2096 code for the O2 sensor before the cat or after? because that would explain more too, if it was before then it couldnt possibly be the cat because the rear o2 is reading normal which wouldnt happen, someone correct me if im wrong but it seems to me its ignition related, or o2 sensor related

Zoomingx8

well guys just got the diagnosis, turns out its a stuck valve, or malfunctioning valve thats causing the o2 sensor to read lean, i guess they are referring to the SSV valve, and what do ya know, they are wanting to charge me to fix it

Mazurfer

Hold on, are you mechanically inclined?
I will link a thread for you in a second.

However, I'm not throughly convinced the SSV is the real issue, but look at Jon316G's thread that I link and maybe post in there. He will certainly chime in. https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-remove-ssv-beta-teaser-video-184663/

Also, check these two threads out and it will help you with the P2096 and you will learn it's the rear sensor.
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=P2096
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...highlight=2096


Bothers me that the CAT was glowing around the o2, that usually means clogged CAT, but I'm not a mechanic.
You can unbolt the CAT at the front and kind of force it to the side and peer in with a flashlight and see if the honeycomb is intact or not.
Oh BTW......you are covered for the CAT for 8 years or 80k miles.............it's federal warranty!

Case in point...........Ex girlfriend had a check engine light two weeks ago, she went to Toyota and they told her that her CAT was bad and it would be $1,000 to replace. She said she would let them know, then she called me. I told her just what I told you and to NOT let them bullshit her. She called back that evening and left a message for the service manager to call her in the morning because the CAT should be covered by the federal warranty. He called the next morning and apologized...and yes, it would be free....including all labor and to bring it in. @sshats........like they didn't know that......argh!

Having said all of this.......I would really have to ask why the hell the mechanic(was it a mazda dealership?) pointed to the SSV? I don't think any of your symptoms or code point in that direction, so I'm hoping you research this on your own by searching and don't get taken advantage of.

Good luck and make sure you let us know how it turns out.


Hoping someone with more experience than I will chime in about this, but so far, it just don't smell right.

Zoomingx8

thanks for the info, i do have a couple important questions, does the p2096 code coming from the o2 sensor before the cat or after? if its before then it cant be the CAT, usually if its the CAT it triggers a code from the o2 sensor after the cat, and i did a test back when i first started having problems. i would go in 3nd gear and floor it, and right when i would get around 6k it would bog down completely and then i would have to shift down to third and accelelrate again for it to pick up power again..but also the car was running lean so wouldnt that make the cat glow red just like it would make the headers glow red on a car that was running lean? it just means there is more air getting through the exhaust than there should be. They went through a series of tests and said it was sticking, and no its not a mazda dealership, its a well known privately owned dealership where i bought the car from, I was having another problem and they replaced it for free, so i dont think they are trying to jerk me around , i did get a good deal on the car, also when i was testing the car and taking it to 7,000 rpms it did it for about 4 or 5 times in a row then i would either park it and wait a while and do it again and it went all the way up to 8500 no problems, so if it was a cat wouldnt it do it all the time ?

Mazurfer

Zoomingx8

okay so the p2096 code has to do with the front o2 sensor then? well that would deffinitely indicate a lean condition more than a cat, but i really think that they are right on the diagnosis of the car, if they arent then it wouldnt hurt to have it replaced anyways, and if it turns out to be the cat which i doubt it is, im still covered under the emissions warranty