Xeak

My first post here, so Hi everyone :P I just bought a 2004 Rx8 and i absolutly love it. Had it for a week so far, and 2 days ago it started doing something funny.

Before I describe my issue I guess I should give you a few info on the car. The car has 28k miles, its an Automatic Transmission and i bought it from a dealership in Ohio who apparently inspected it before i bought it. I had to drive up there to pick it up, from Evansville IN and drove it all the way back (500 miles trip), never had any issue, car ran perfectly until 2 days ago.

After driving it around for a bit, my gf an I were looking at houses and while being stopped, the car started idling funny, the engine was making a weird sound like it was sputtering maybe? I was looking at the RPM and it kept going down below 1k and at some point it even got to the 1st notch above 0 and then died. It felt like the rotor was rotating slower and unsmoothly.
I started it back up and it started fine but the RPM kept wanting to get lower again, so we started heading back home and at every stops or lights i had to keep revving the engine so it wouldnt go too low on its own as it felt everytime like it was gonna die on me. The check engine light never once turned on yet.

I think I saw a similar post somewhere but wasnt sure that was the same thing. I called the Dealership and they cant get to it until next week. I read about making sure they Flash it if its not up to date and I want to make sure all the recalls were done on it since its an 04. The Person i spoke to over the phone said they were "just gonna have to plug it on the computer" and figure out what the problem is. So im wondering if that is really gonna show them whats wrong with it or something else could be wrong that wont show on it. Any suggestion would be apreciated.

Im not as good technicaly as many of you about cars but I can figure out things quickly when explained... I used to work for a technical support once but it wasnt about cars Oh and im sorry if anything i typed is unclear, my first language is French Canadian, so let me know and i can try to explain my self differently if unclear.

Old Rotor

They might need to do compression test or vacuum test. Good luck getting it there. Is there not a closer dealer?

Go48

If there are error codes related to this problem stored in the PCM, they will be able to read those and do the appropriate troubleshooting. If no codes are found, they will have to troubleshoot the traditional way which may involve replacing parts until they find the problem.

BTW, isn't the language Canadian French vs. French Canadian? Just messin' with ya cousin.

EDIT: Oh, and Old Rotor is correct. Make sure they check compression and vacuum in this car. Unfortunately for you, the early AT cars had greater than average number of engine failures, especially in hot-dry climates.

Xeak

Oh yeah there is a Mazda Dealership here in Evansville, thats where im gonna take it to get it fixed.

The weird part about this issue is i drove it this morning and yesterday and didnt have problems this time. But I see it rev at the notch below 1k when idle, is that what everyone else's AT doing?

Thanks for the replies, much apreciated

I always heard say it as French Canadian :P not the other way around, who knows! All i know is its not the same as the frenchies from oversea :P

Go48

All I know is that both my GFs were French-Canadian and they spoke Canadian French, which as you say is not the French of France. Close, though.

Old Rotor

Yes that idle is OK. Is it smooth? Without an error code or seeing the problem they might not do much for you. Depends on how busy they are. If they are looking for some work. Here are two TSB's you should print out and bring with you and ask them to perform. Let us know how it goes.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...14-08-1924.pdf

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...13-08-1925.pdf

Xeak

Thats Awesome!, thanks for the answers and the links to print for them.

I drove it to work the last 3 days and didnt have problem... its only 4 miles from where i live so im not sure i drove it around for long enough for the problem to arise again. Im kinda scared to make it happen again as i dont want to damage anything more than it might be already or get to the point that it dont start up after it died even if that has not happened so far.

When I had problems with it, it would idle weirdly, it was making the whole car rattle/shake and felt like the rotor was spinning slowly and unsmooth. It was pretty bad, as soon as I would hit the brakes to come to a stop at a street light or something it felt like it already wanted to die on me. An other thing is it felt like it would shift very strangly into 2nd gear, like it had a hard time shifting.


I also saw about driving it above 6k RPMs a bit to help clean the seals i think it was? Did that, dont know if it helped or not, also learned about revving the engine to 3k before turning it off so it doesnt flood.

Xeak

Well i took my 8 for a small ride around town and at first it ran fine, at the end it really started to act up.

I was lucky on the way back home as all the lights were turning green in front of me so i didnt have to come to a complete stop but everytime id press the breaks it felt like the engine wanted to die and car was vibrating. I also felt a huge decrease in power, at some point it barely wanted to go. When I went to turn left across traffic into our appartment complex i had to come to a complete stop and it happened, the damn thing died on me. I started it back up barely, went to go and it died again as i was in the middle of the incoming traffic lanes, was kinda scary lol :\ At that point it didnt want to start again, i put it in neutral and rolled over to the side. Waited a bit longer (30 sec) and started it again barely, was able to get all the way to my parking spot.

Does this mean i need a new engine? :\

Xeak

So they needed to flash the computer with updated version and ran diagnostics on the car and said there was no problem with it that they could see... that kinda made me mad.

So I told them to go drive it around for 30 min and I told them it would start acting up then as it has for me... and it did. Now they said they need to use the Zoom cleaner and change the spark plugs... so far im at $390 and i havent had the car for 2 weeks yet lol...

Old Rotor

They still need to run a compression or vacuum test. That will be after they do the Zoom decarbon cleaner. It's all in the print outs you have. You might be able to get some of your money back if you ask them(or call Mazda USA) if they have any luck with the TSB or have to replace the engine. Did you print those pages out and show them? This is part of your warranty. Ask when why you are having to pay when they are done and they might have to give you a free loaner car(ask them). Keep us informed how it goes.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

your car is still under the powertrain warranty, you should not be paying a thing.

call mazda na.

beers

Xeak

I just got the car back, drove it around a bit and it has not died on me when idling so thats good but i still got vibrations. They said I do need to get the engine mounts replace which is gonna cost me $700 ????? I said i'd wait on that, thought that was part of a recall or something? isnt it? im kinda confused with the terms used I guess. The stuff that is on the TSB is that recall material or warranty ?


I gave them the papers and im not sure they did anything with them. I asked if they did a Vacuum or compression test and they said yeah that was part of "the lack of power" recall he said where they had to reflash the computer. I dont think that guy understood much of what I was trying to tell him. But I did print both documents and gave it to them, i found em on my seats when i took the car back.

I dont think the powertrain warranty is applicable in this situation is it? as far as the Zoom cleaner and new sparkplugs? And the car is an 04 and has 27k miles on it isnt it out of powertrain warranty? . I know the Engine warranty is now 100k miles and 8 years but does it cover this or is it the same thing as powertrain warranty? and what about the engine mounts???


Thank you guys so much for your help btw, you have no idea how much i apreciate it.

Xeak

An other question, the whole deal with engine flooding because of weak starter and battery... do they replace the starter and batt as a recall or you gotta pay to get that fixed/upgraded? It has not Happened to me yet but im trying to make sure all the issues with it are taken care of, I plan on driving up to Canada next month to see my family, id hate to see the car die on a 2400 miles round trip :p

Go48

Warranty on the powertrain is now 5 years or 60K miles. Core engine warranty is 8 years or 100K miles. So, I would press the dealer for replacement of the motor mounts under the 5yr/60K miles warranty. If they balk, contact Mazda Customer Service at the toll-free number in the owners manual.

Xeak

Oh cool! thank you for that info What about the starter/battery deal?


And does any of you find that damn dip stick for the oil hard to read? Ive checked my oil every 2 days since i had it and i can barely make out where the oil lvl currently is.

Go48

The battery and starter were replaced with more robust units on the early model year cars under a service bulletin for cars that flooded or were hard starting. Tell your service manager that the car takes a long time to start and it feels like it's not going to start, then if he doesn't pick up on your hint, show him a copy of the bulletin. Send a PM to Expo1 and ask him for the PDF file for that service bulletin.

The dip stick is hard to read. Yes. You might try sanding the lower part of the stick to remove the dark coating. That seems to help a little. You can also get a redesigned dip stick the has marks on it to indicate how low the oil is. Probably not much easier to read I suspect. Hint: turn the stick over and read the level on the back side.

Xeak

K thats what i thought i read. The problem is I havent had that problem yet but only had the car for 2 weeks, so I dont know if it was replaced in the past already or not. I dont wanna lie to them since it does start fine atm, but who knows in the future what will happen.

I asked them if i could get a copy of the list with all the recalls that had been done on it and they said they couldnt give me a copy of that...???

Old Rotor

+1 on everything they are saying about getting a hold of Mazda with your questions (800# in the manual). Find out when your car was first sold, because thats when the warranty starts. Here is the motor mount TSB you should have a copy of. HESITATION / IDLE VIBRATION DUE TO CRACKED ENGINE MOUNT . Open up this site that has all the "TSB's" and look about half way down for it.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com....php?pageid=11

Before calling Mazda up get all your info in front of you. Write down all your questions, vin#, car history, problems, dealer receipts, what they told you(names of people at dealer and positions they hold),copy of the 5yr-60K mile warranty(pdf they talked about above). Mazda should be able to give you a copy of all TSB's that have been performed on your car.

Go48

Call the toll-free Customer Service number in your owners manual, tell them you are the new owner of the car and would like to know which recall and service bulletin have been done on the car. You will need to provide the cars VIN.

To check the starter yourself, see the attached image. Raise the car and take a look at the starter motor. The one on the left in the image is the original model and the one on the right is the upgraded model.

Xeak

Awesome, thanks guys gonna get on that

checked carfax on my Vin (JM1FE17N540122667) again and these are what shows at first:

02/16/2003 Dealer Inventory
Cary, NC Vehicle offered for sale

03/19/2004 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Raleigh, NC First owner reported
Registered as lease vehicle


Did the warranty start on 03/19/04? if so i still got a few month for the 5 year warranty.

Old Rotor

If that is when it was first sold then that is when the warranty starts.

marcika

Hi!

I bought my RX8 3 months ago (model 2004 revolution). I love this car, I think it was a perfect choice. It haven't had any problems since last Saturday. The engine was hot (I drove it for ~200 miles, and the air temperature was very high). I turned it off for 30 minutes, and after I started it, the engine didn't go smoothly at all. (less than 500 rpm). Before I would have been able to push the pedal, it died...I have to say again, the weather was very hot, and I felt the whole car was "glowing". I tried to start it again, and it started without any problem. BUT. While I was driving out of the city, I had to stop at a red light, and the engine went rough. Very rough. It didn't die, but I haven't noticed this kind of problem before...
I don't have lack of power, it goes as it has to. Do I have the same problem what Xeak does?

Oh and one more thing. When the engine goes on low rpm at idle, the engine has an interesting noise...I don't know what is the proper word for it...it is like a tweeting/squeaking which suddenly disappears when I push the pedal, and the engine passes the 1200/1500 rpm. It doesn't have this noise on higher rpms at all...any ideas for this?

Thanks in advance!


And sorry for my English, I hope you will understand me, I'm from Hungary.

Xeak

marcika, it kinda sounds like it.

UPDATE:

Well like i said last time. The dealership wanted to charge me $700 to change the engine mount, i told them it should be covered under powertrain warranty and they said that it wasnt. I called Mazda's 1800 # from the OM and spoke to some nice lady but she had no technical knowledge at all of what i was talking about. She said she would contect the dealership that had been doing the "repairs" and would let me know if its covered under warranty. Well she finaly called me back 2 days ago and she said it wasnt. She said that it woulda been under the basic warranty ?! and that ran out. I explained again that I was told it was under warranty and etc and that didnt lead anywhere, she said to contact my dealership.

Well 2 days ago when i started the car the Check Engine Light came on out of the blue... I brought it to dealership and gave them the Service Bulletin papers again and explained that the engine mounts should be covered under powertrain warranty and that I also wanted them to perform a vaccum and compression test on the engine. One of the top guys in there was listening and asked where i got those papers from... and then he made a call to Mazda apparently to check again and then he FINALY realized that it was covered under warranty. I cant believe it took that long for them to realize it, after telling me so many times id have to pay the $700....

As far as the CEL being on, they said they now have to perform an OTHER Zoom Cleaning?!?!??!?! and said they had some parts on the engine to replace, they wont get the damn parts till next tuesday. I think he said something about a sputter valve or something? I dont remember. Good thing is he said that was covered under warranty too...

Old Rotor

See stick with us, now go out and do some good for a newbe......

swoope

iTrader: (5)

you are welcome?

beers