MazdaRX-8SPEED

i have a 04 M/T sport with 53k on it...

So about 3 months ago my car started running like crap when it was warmed up. did some searching on what might be the problem so i checked the cat, maf sensor, coils, plugs. and i only found that the coils were bad so i changed them 2 days ago and took it to mazda so they can do the recall check and reset the computer to the new coils and plugs. okay so when this was done, the car ran a lot smoother, no rough idle, more power, didnt bog down and better throttle responce. yesterday i wanted to test the car with the new coils and plugs, and went up to the mountains. the car ran great right until about 20 min into the drive with some hills. the car started to lose power, had a rough idle and had long starts. and the part that really made my day is that the car wouldnt start after a tough 10 min run up hill (50-70 mph in 3rd gear).
also i should say that the "lincoln memorial" light keeps turning on when running high rpms for a while which is about 4.5k- 5.5k rpm and turns off when put in neutral or when clutch it engaged..

can i get some help! pleasse!! Thanks! marek

Edit: its not compression because the car runs fine on colder days. but when its 80- 90 the car starts running like ****

Mazurfer

Marek...let's tackle the easy one first. Assuming you have plenty of coolant(you should check), it is not uncommon for the coolant temp sensor in the bottle to go bad. It does just as you describe and will get worse over time and eventually stay on all the time. There are a couple of threads on this and you can just search "Coolant" or "Coolant bottle" if you like, but I speak the truth. The Sensor is inregral to the tank so your options are:
1.) Get a new coolant bottle......about $170.00
2.) Unplug the sensor(one of those threads will show you where) and just live without the light warning at all, but this means you will have to check it often and you've no lost the ability to detect a leak elsewhere in the system. FYI..........The gauge on the dash is pretty meaningless unless it shoots up on you real fast..........in that case, shut it off immediately.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/coolant-light-dash-118947/

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/coolant-bottle-greatest-secrets-revealed-182793/

https://www.rx8club.com/australia-new-zealand-forum-37/engine-coolant-sensors-197986/



In terms of your other issue........it sure seems as you need to go get your compression checked. This seems like a possible classic case of losing compression.
You said you've checked the CAT.......so how did you do that?
Believe it or not, it's not unheard of for coils to go bad right away(even brand new).
You never said if the plug wires were changed. Those can go bad aswell. Also, go look to make sure that they are seated on good and that they kinda snap.

What recall check from the delaer?
What reset to the new coils and plugs? There is no specific reset for these that I am aware of........other than the 20 brake stomp which will reset the E-shaft(NVRAM). There is a reset due to the battery being disconnected.....for the DCS/TCS as well.

Jon316G

iTrader: (1)

Its not uncommon for failed coils (or any ignition component) to also cause the cat to go bad because more fuel is being dumped into the exhaust without combustion.

And listen to Mazurfer's advise... he has helpful tips.
Except for how the NVRAM clears fuel trims, those are actually stored in the KAM.
But.... minor details

Mazurfer

Oooops! Typing too damn fast..............I fixed it.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

well when i changed the coils i also changed the plugs. and i checked the cat by looking under the car and looking if it is glowing red, which i just today after running it and from the looks of it. the only glowing red i see is where the o2 senser is and i can see inside that the cat is red. idk what the dealer did, all they said is that i should come in for a ecu reset after i change coils and plugs, which this was covered under warranty. also i doubt that ist compression cause wouldnt the car run like crap all the time? mine just runs crappy when its hot outside and when its being run kinda hard, like yesterday when i went up to the mountains.

Old Rotor

I would try a can of Seafoam($8 Walmart) and add it to a half or quarter tank of gas and ring it out give it a few revs to the redline after it warms up.
If you see a little improvement with the first can do it again.

otakurx

fuel pump?

MazdaRX-8SPEED

^^ yea i was thinking about that too. im going to try to get to it this weekend. the ring is a pain in the *** to take off. lol

C-PHLAT

My cat was glowing red a few weeks ago...it was glowing so decided to replace with high flow. My friend and I took off the midpipe section and immediately grey dust and chunks of honeycomb started falling. We made the decision to gut it rather that start chopping up my midpipe. Runs stronger, better gas mileage, smells like a racetrack though.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

does the whole cat need to be red even the cover protecter thing? sorry not a big gearhead. lol

C-PHLAT

As I've stated before I'm no expert. But if your cat is glowing red or orange at all, it means there is broken up honeycomb in there that is just getting cooked. If too much breaks off and gets in the way, it will restrict exhause flow enough to make you lose power. You will notice it first at higher rpms. This is what I noticed that made me look under the car in the first place. I'm still having slightly rough idle though. I have new coils, I'm just waitin for a day when its less than 95 degrees to tackle the job since I have stock intake box, which I understand must be romoved to replace the coils.

MazdaRX-8SPEED

yea coils are not hard at all. took me 30 min total thats including plug change too, which i would change as well when changing coil. lol so your saying that my cat could be going? cause i only see red where the o2 sensor is which has some space around it that i can see red when its dark... idk my cat is covered under warrenty so ill go to mazda after i repaint my trunk lol