Ok so I am taking the car in should I do it soon as possible or wait untill 2000 miles or so?

 

just do it now and do not wait. longer you wait, the more that could go wrong.

 

Ok I'm going to call them today. So it sounds like a clogged cat, or possible electrical?

 

What's the plan when they ask why you're turning 9k? Just curious .

Paul.

 

this

 

what is the 'official' break in period according to the 2009 Owner's Manual?
If I remember correctly, the 2005 manual called for a 500 mile break in period.

Mileage aside, I still believe this engine should be capable of hitting 9,000 rpm's. Is it good for the car? not IMO but the fact remains it's physically struggling to hit that mark and is an issue that should be looked into.
The problem however is that Mazda could tell you that you are abusing the engine by not following their break-in guidelines and it could create issues with getting warranty work performed.

 

Well the car starts to sruggle around 6k. And I'm not sure about the break in they didn't have the owners manual so they are mailing it to me.

 

And I have only done this twice. First time to try it and second time to see if it was a fluke. I'm new to all of this cam from the 4x4 world had a 2005 jeep lifted 6 inches. So onlyvthing I know is what I have read. So please keep that in mind.

 

go to www.mazdausa.com , you should be able to register to the site using your VIN.
once you do that, you'll have access to a PDF version of the owner's manual for your vehicle.

I would honestly suggest you read it form cover to cover, all kinds of good info in there.
try and look up the break-in period, I'm curious what Mazda recommends these days.

 

I'm thinking you might possibly want to wait until the recommended break in period is over(whatever the 09 manual says). Follow what Jedi54(Jorge) says and go get the pdf version of the manual and read what it says. Then after that is over is when I would take it in.
How the hell did you get an 09 model without an owners manual?

 

Here is what the 09 manual says about engine break in.


No special break-in is necessary, but a few
precautions in the first 1,000 km (600
miles) may add to the performance,
economy, and life of your Mazda.

• Don't race the engine.

• Don't maintain one constant speed, either slow or fast, for a long period of time.

• Don't drive constantly at full-throttle or high engine rpm (over 7,000 rpm) for extended periods of time.

• Avoid unnecessary hard stops
  
  
• Avoid full-throttle starts.

You can download the 09 owners manual in PDF form here:
http://www.pdfee.com/2009-mazda-rx-8-owners-manual.html

 

Thank you all very much, you been very helpfully. I will keep you posted.

 

you car is brand new and didn't come with the manual? how many miles did it have before your purchased?

 

Had 47 miles on it and no manual. They said they lost it and they had no more rx8 on the lots so they are sending one to me.

 

good luck in getting your car fixed man. bottom line is it's not doing what it's supposed to be doing. it doesn't state anywhere in the manual that you can't redline it, so just go for it.

 

This is what Id say,

"HI! I just recently bought a $30,000 car from you and when I rev it up, it doesnt work. This isnt normal and shouldnt be happening. Its a free rev engine, you know. I need you to fix it now please. Thank you. Ill also be requiring a rental car."

Pretty sure that will get the job done.

Keep us posted

 

I am also seeing this problem. I have an '09 GT. There is very little power above 6k rpms and sometimes it won't rev past 7.5k. When it does rev past 7.5, it feels like the car is straining very hard. I have stopped trying in fear of doing damage to the motor.

I have 7500 miles on the car and this showed up around 7400. No CEL. I called the dealer/service dept I have been taking it to, he basically told me he can't do anything. He suggested changing gasoline brands (I have been putting shell 93 octane in it almost exclusively).

The lack of power I'm talking about isn't butt-dyno. The car feels like it has nothing to give. Definitely not fun.

[edit] so to be clear, I am well past the break in period. The car felt great until about 100 miles ago. Something is weird now, dealer blew me off.

 

^^ bad cat?

 

Sounds just like mine. The plan is just to wait until 700 miles and take it in so I don't hear any bs. I have 500 on of now so next week I'm going to make the appt. Let me know if they say anything about what is causing it with yours.

 

I'm probably gonna have to find another service dept to look at it, the guy was not exactly nice to me when I described my problem

he said "what are you doing revving the car to six thousand rpms? how fast are you driving?" and when I described the lack of power (basically saying it was fine, and now it is not), he replied "the rx-8 is not a power car" as if I was saying I wasn't pleased with how fast the car is. Basically he wanted nothing to do with me.

 

I wouldn't be suprised if the cat was the problem (at least with my car), as the car puts a TON of black dust (carbon?) out the tailpipe. I clean them once a week and they are covered by it.

 

most rotaries will end up covering the tailpipes in soot. they run quite rich off throttle and at idle. especially the renesis.

 

I have an '09 too. Had 60 miles off the lot. I gave it a good but not brutal thrashing on the test drive. Careful to 600, then beat on it. It's happy as a clam, and so am I. Tail pipes do not soot up, it's just gettiing it's shoes on at 6000 and can't wait to get to 9.

I'm a newbie to rotaries, but I can assure you, based on what you said, there is something wrong with the car. I am not qualified to hazard a guess as to what it might be. If the dealer's a knucklehead, find another one. Also, go in to the dealer. You'll generally have better luck face to face. It's too easy to blow someone off on the phone.

 

I am also a rotary newb fwiw. Mine had 39 miles off the lot, and I was pretty careful during the break in period (I did it for ~1.5k miles).

Honestly I'm not upset about the car at all. Before this started happening the car was amazing, and I'm sure once I get someone to look at it it will be that way again. That's a good point about going in face to face. Even without a CEL it's clear something is not right, so if I can get someone to drive it for 30 seconds it'll be in the shop.

Its strange though, the car feels normal up to about 6k rpms and then starts freaking out.

 

No one has suggested he reset the ECU. Easy to do and can't hurt, right? I don't know anything about this, but I'm wondering if the experts here might see some reason to reset the ECU.

Maybe even have the dealer reflash the ECU?