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Wanna try if it floods? Try turning on the engine, shutting it down fast, then turn it on again, and shut it down... if it passes that, no flood for 2005 cars
Wanna try if it floods? Try turning on the engine, shutting it down fast, then turn it on again, and shut it down... if it passes that, no flood for 2005 cars
I think you'd have better luck flooding it by waiting longer (hours or overnight) between the cold engine shutdown and trying to start it again :D.
Does anybody have a flooded 05 or has that problem been eliminated.
The '05's are not substantially different from the '04's. And they are apparently at the original "M" (or later version of the "M", known as "N") flash for the PCM. So there should be no difference between the model years as far as flooding goes assuming the early '04's have been updated to at least the "L" flash. Flooding has more to do with startup/shutdown procedures and battery strength than model year.
I drive my RX8 on sunny days only in British Columbia, so it sits at times for a week or two between starts. It has started without fault so far. I will be watching my battery charge level very closely (reading the history reports on this problem).
I did have issues with my RX7 but then only on really hot days with a warm engine. Pulling the pump breakers and cranking cleared the fuel from the rotors and it restarted every time. I am hoping this car will not have that difficulty.
I have had my '04 8 for about 18 months now, with 38k miles on it. In the last 3 or 4 months, it has flooded on me 3 times and I have been unable to get it started any of the times following the proscribed procedure. I have had to have it towed to the dealership all 3 times, and I am about to give up on it.
Does anybody else find this to be a completely unacceptable design flaw? My dealer told me that it usually happens when the car is started for only a short time and not allowed to reach operating temps. This was only the case in one of my three floods, but in all cases the car sat for at least a day or more before the failed starts. Even if that were the case though, I find it unacceptable that the manufacturer is telling me that any time I start my care I have to run it for 5 or 10 minutes or I can expect this.
Furthermore, I find it totally unacceptable that Mazda knows of this problem and does not have a fix for it and is basically telling me that I can expect to have to deal with this from time to time.
I think more people will start having this problem as they get more miles on the cars, because I didn't experience it until about 32k.
I am within days of pursuing "lemon law" type legal action to try to force Mazda to buy my car back. I will not tolerate an 18 month old $30,000 car that I cannot rely on to start. Anybody have any input on this?
P.S. otherwise, I have loved this car and will be loathe to part with it, but I might have to start looking into a 350Z Track.
Last edited by crazy naked man; 02-22-2005 at 03:13 PM.
Yes, just sent my certified letter to Mazda under the Lemon Law. I love the car, but find it unacceptable that it floods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazy naked man
I have had my '04 8 for about 18 months now, with 38k miles on it. In the last 3 or 4 months, it has flooded on me 3 times and I have been unable to get it started any of the times following the proscribed procedure. I have had to have it towed to the dealership all 3 times, and I am about to give up on it.
Does anybody else find this to be a completely unacceptable design flaw? My dealer told me that it usually happens when the car is started for only a short time and not allowed to reach operating temps. This was only the case in one of my three floods, but in all cases the car sat for at least a day or more before the failed starts. Even if that were the case though, I find it unacceptable that the manufacturer is telling me that any time I start my care I have to run it for 5 or 10 minutes or I can expect this.
Furthermore, I find it totally unacceptable that Mazda knows of this problem and does not have a fix for it and is basically telling me that I can expect to have to deal with this from time to time.
I think more people will start having this problem as they get more miles on the cars, because I didn't experience it until about 32k.
I am within days of pursuing "lemon law" type legal action to try to force Mazda to buy my car back. I will not tolerate an 18 month old $30,000 car that I cannot rely on to start. Anybody have any input on this?
P.S. otherwise, I have loved this car and will be loathe to part with it, but I might have to start looking into a 350Z Track.
I found that most "lemon laws" have a statute of limitations of 12 months or 12k miles on them though- have you found this to be true/ does this apply to you?
I'm at 38k and 18 months, but most lemon laws also have a provision for the same problem 3 or more times.
Also, exactly where did you send your letter, and did you have to do anything prior to that? I have called customer service, which is basically useless, and officially lodged my complaint- is the next step a letter?
In NJ, it's 18,000 or one year, whichever comes first. The problem is supposed to have happened 3 times, I've flooded twice and told them we all know how easy this is to make it a third time. I love the car but in my situations cannot accept how easily it can flood making it unreliable. At the Philly car show, Mazda did state to me they had the same problems with the 05's. All my info is home, but I'd be glad to share it with you. I also sent the past two repairs bills showing the flooding. It should be interesting, I was within one year but first occurance was at 18,500. I just think they should make good on it. I live in a 2 square mile town making it impossible for me to resond in the 8 to any fire calls in town if the car is not warmed up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazy naked man
I found that most "lemon laws" have a statute of limitations of 12 months or 12k miles on them though- have you found this to be true/ does this apply to you?
I'm at 38k and 18 months, but most lemon laws also have a provision for the same problem 3 or more times.
Also, exactly where did you send your letter, and did you have to do anything prior to that? I have called customer service, which is basically useless, and officially lodged my complaint- is the next step a letter?
I have had my '04 8 for about 18 months now, with 38k miles on it. In the last 3 or 4 months, it has flooded on me 3 times and I have been unable to get it started any of the times following the proscribed procedure. I have had to have it towed to the dealership all 3 times, and I am about to give up on it.
Does anybody else find this to be a completely unacceptable design flaw? My dealer told me that it usually happens when the car is started for only a short time and not allowed to reach operating temps. This was only the case in one of my three floods, but in all cases the car sat for at least a day or more before the failed starts. Even if that were the case though, I find it unacceptable that the manufacturer is telling me that any time I start my care I have to run it for 5 or 10 minutes or I can expect this.
Furthermore, I find it totally unacceptable that Mazda knows of this problem and does not have a fix for it and is basically telling me that I can expect to have to deal with this from time to time.
I think more people will start having this problem as they get more miles on the cars, because I didn't experience it until about 32k.
I am within days of pursuing "lemon law" type legal action to try to force Mazda to buy my car back. I will not tolerate an 18 month old $30,000 car that I cannot rely on to start. Anybody have any input on this?
P.S. otherwise, I have loved this car and will be loathe to part with it, but I might have to start looking into a 350Z Track.
All this time and all these problems and this is your first post.
Location: I've shaken off the sands of SouthWest Asia and returned to Houston and Gulfport, MS
Posts: 497
CrazyNaked and Bowlhead--
Mine is now is 16 months and 30,000 miles. I flooded it once when it was only a couple months old (the classic--had sat in the garage for a day or two, started only a few seconds to back out, then shut down and set out overnight--wouldn't start the next day). I have, since, followed the warm-up/shut down procedures religiously (that takes less than a minute) and have gotten the new flashes (L and M). No problems since, but there is always that nagging doubt---
But I, for one, love this car and am willing to tolerate that last bit of distrust.
The problem, in general, is endemic to rotary engines, and Mazda has made a good faith effort to develop new PCM programming and make it available to present owners. Unfortunately, some dealers, at least in the early months, threw up hurdles and harassment to owners who asked for the updates. I trust that Mazda will continue to work the issue until it is eliminated.
Good luck with your attempts to get a resolution to your satisfaction.
BTW--anyone out there know MazdaUSAs policy about flood outs/won't start after the warranty period? We who are cranking up a lot of miles are starting to look apprehensively at the 50,000 mile mark.
Very good points, except my situation is somewhat critical with dependability. The second flood occurred for no reason, and I was being extremely careful following all directions. I'm hoping that with more complaints, Mazda will change their warranty coverage for this problem. Actually after putting 3 kids through college and finally having the money to purchase the car I really wanted, just find it frustrating to have this problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RotrDoc
CrazyNaked and Bowlhead--
Mine is now is 16 months and 30,000 miles. I flooded it once when it was only a couple months old (the classic--had sat in the garage for a day or two, started only a few seconds to back out, then shut down and set out overnight--wouldn't start the next day). I have, since, followed the warm-up/shut down procedures religiously (that takes less than a minute) and have gotten the new flashes (L and M). No problems since, but there is always that nagging doubt---
But I, for one, love this car and am willing to tolerate that last bit of distrust.
The problem, in general, is endemic to rotary engines, and Mazda has made a good faith effort to develop new PCM programming and make it available to present owners. Unfortunately, some dealers, at least in the early months, threw up hurdles and harassment to owners who asked for the updates. I trust that Mazda will continue to work the issue until it is eliminated.
Good luck with your attempts to get a resolution to your satisfaction.
BTW--anyone out there know MazdaUSAs policy about flood outs/won't start after the warranty period? We who are cranking up a lot of miles are starting to look apprehensively at the 50,000 mile mark.
^Agreed RotrDoc. Check that you have updated flashes and make sure you don't kill your engine cold. Rev it before you shut down the engine as a precaution.
I saw one person over 50k here and his flooded after he reached it. The dealer charged him $200 to tow and deflood. He did not know about the flooding issue and I'm sure he could argue with Mazda and could have gotten his money back. Don't be scared. Just search the thread and be informed. I think a good bunch of the flood issues could be prevented.
i've been reading the site for a while, but never posted until now when my patience is at its end. I too love this car and hate the idea of parting with it, but like I said, only one of my three floods were caused by cold shut-off. The others were after driving 15 minutes home from work and not starting the car for more than a day.
My local dealer has given me no problems with getting the updates, but since a cold shut-off is not the only cause for it, I cannot bring myself to own a relatively new car that I paid $30k for that at any given time may decide not to start for me (twice this has happened when I was trying to leave for work).
I know Mazda has tried to fix it, but they have failed, and now all I am getting is basically "you're going to have to deal with this from time to time". THAT is unacceptable.
They did not have an explanation, said my flash was already updated from Nov, but they said they had a new version of plugs that they put in. I asked if it was fixed, and they wouldn't reply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by czr
bowlhead, what was the explanation the second time? Did they reflash you or change out your plugs?
i've been reading the site for a while, but never posted until now when my patience is at its end. I too love this car and hate the idea of parting with it, but like I said, only one of my three floods were caused by cold shut-off. The others were after driving 15 minutes home from work and not starting the car for more than a day.
My local dealer has given me no problems with getting the updates, but since a cold shut-off is not the only cause for it, I cannot bring myself to own a relatively new car that I paid $30k for that at any given time may decide not to start for me (twice this has happened when I was trying to leave for work).
I know Mazda has tried to fix it, but they have failed, and now all I am getting is basically "you're going to have to deal with this from time to time". THAT is unacceptable.
Try turning on the engine, shutting it down fast, then turn it on again, and shut it down... if it passes that, no flood for 2005 cars 
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