Hey guys,

So check it, this morning, as all of you GTA-ers know that it was approx. -16 degrees celsius, which is approx. -30 degrees celsius!

I went to start my car (which was sitting outside overnight) and here is what happened:

1) As soon as the engine turned over, the rpm's shot up to arouond 3,000 rpm - 3,500 rpm....so far, it's pretty normal.

2) Now the weird stuff started....the rpm's dropped to around 1,500 rpm and then quickly rose back to 2,500 rpm....then immediately back down to 1,500 rpm and back up to 2,500 rpm. This cycle kept going instantly - it was up, down, up, down for about three to five minutes!

3) At some point, I applied some gas, taking it up to 3,500 rpm, and let go, and the up/down cycle still resumed. I did this twice, but no luck....finally, it stopped and a steady decline of rpm's to the natural 1000rpm point came about when the car was warmed up and everything was fine. If I knew, I would have taken a video for proof, but God-willingly, this problem won't happen again.

I was alarmed, because the only time I ever experienced this behaviour was on a previous '90 Integra, and that was in bad shape and leaking coolant! In that case, the engine was overheating. So I called my service manager at Mazda and he thought that was weird, however, not unusual for the extreme cold weather. He asked me if I had recently washed my car, I said yeah, I washed it this past Friday at the touchless car wash and took it through the extreme wash package with the underwash as well. He said that some water could have leaked into the engine that could have reacted with the cold weather, but no reason to come in unless it happens again.

So for the rest of the day, no problems....I went out for lunch and the car is fine....have you guys ever experienced this problem? Maybe the guys in Calgary or colder areas can answer this as well? What's your advice?

Thanks and God Bless you guys.

Ben.

 

I lived in Mississauga for quite some years. Yes. The weather does suck. Roads are nasty. Salt everywhere. Thinking about it already given me chills.

 

That RPM revving is normal for colder days as the engine heats up.

 

Cool! Where do you live now, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Yeah I understand it revving high and then eventually coming down, but consistent up/down revs for three to five minutes?

 

Ummm, why do you have to freak out over this???
As you mentioned, it was really freakin cold this morning. Of course the car is going to do strange things.
It's nothing to be alarmed by. It's certainly not a "problem".

My 3 had a hard time starting. Took 3 cranks longer than usual. And then of course the revs shot up to 2000rpm before I let go of the clutch and let it fall back down to 1500rpm.
You don't see me picking up the phone and calling the dealership asking them why the car did that.

Sometimes it's better to leave the car alone. Let it sort itself out. If you call or bring it in for every little thing the dealership is going to start doing things to the car so they can purposefully make you come!

Just leave it alone and drive it!

 

Don't worry about it...........Love that Arctic Air

 

Well, I was just cautious....I realize I'm probably more cautious than the rest of you....probably because this is my first rotary car and I'm trying to familiarize myself with the car. And yes, you're right I will stop calling the dealership next time until it's something really serious....serious being the car won't start or something like that, which God-willing won't happen.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

I love the weather, think of it as the best Intercooler ever made :P

 

If you check the other "cold" thread, I mentioned it in there, as did another member. It was -40+ with windchills here in CGY. It's normal...it looks stupid though when you're in a public parking lot and it happens

 

Vancouver +8C.

 

MIne is faster in the cold weather...

Almost thought it wasn't going to start on Sat. morning because baby8 hadn't been out in 1week...

 

something you guys might want to consider living in such cold climate is that, your engine may warm up, but your other parts of the car such as CV joints, suspension bits, motor mounts etc. are still brittle cold. Don't go nuts until your car is truly warmed up.

 

Mine did the same thing last year in the Winter when I left it outside overnight in extreme low temps. Not nice I admit but I guess not a concern given the other posts.
Live with it Dude.
Railton

 

Do you have wireless internet that reaches your driveway? If so, you should take your laptop out with you every time you go near your car, so you can do a quick SEARCH whenever something "weird" happens.

 

My car barely started up this am......mostly because I forgot to fill up the gas last night when the light came on so i had to give it some gas on start up for it to fire up. And, yes, my car does the rpm up and down thing a little bit as well.....not such a large range but it does it.....as does every car I have owned that I have driven in -30 degree weather. Its ok to get worried, but think thru it logically before you get yourself worked up. Also, your service manager is a tool...... " water leaked into the engine "....come on!!! I really have no respect for the people at kingston mazda........... they've told me so much bullshit over the last few years its ridiculous. The service manager is the worst as he doesn't want to deal with stuff so he comes up with stupid answers that make no sense. Its sad when you know more about your car than the service department does.

 

I feel you man....although my service manager is a good guy, and he was genuinely trying to help, so I do appreciate that, as I appreciate everyone who helped/helps me on here as well. I understand that some guys are gonna flame you no matter what, but overall (compared to other boards), you guys are pretty good and really nice and helpful, so keep it up! Also, next time, I will take more time in searching or rather researching an issue before making a post on here. However, confidence for me will come the longer I own this car. Currently, I'm a new owner so I feel my actions are justified, but as I learn more about this awesome car and drive it more, my precautionary measures will lessen.

Thanks again and God Bless you guys!

Ben.

 

That's awesome bro! I would love to move to Cali, God-willing for work, as my head office is located there!

 

Would you please stop saying god-willing? My god. Jesus christ.

 

My brother used to work in sales there. He sold me my Rx-8 .... at a pretty good price

I've never had to deal with their service dept though.

 

Everyones car revs int eh cold. When I start mine up and its below -10 then it revs up to 3000, drops to 2500, then constantly ups and downs between 2500 and 1000. jumping up and down for about 5 minutes until it warms. It is just a quirk of the rotary and its cold ECU mapping. Try pushing in the clutch, that always stops it for me.

And SEARCH FIRST

 

It's funny though cuz when I first joined the forum, all I had to do was wait for people to post the same experiences that I've been having and I didn't even have to search (and get flamed)

 

smart man. Me too! Allahu Ackbar!!!

 

started my car last night since almost 3 weeks ago, it felt like the car was stuttering for a bit and i tried the rev the engine and the engine light started blinking... after a few mins it was fine... guess there was some un-burnt gas left in the engine...

 

Ben,

I don't mind your concerned posts at all cause my car is going through it's first winter and I like to know others are going thru the same thing as I am. Of course, all my other cars were affected similarly in the cold but it's good to know everything is ok.

But man, my BB is getting so trashed with salt. It looks grey/white rather than black. So got off work and washed it (just quickly) and the water practically froze on contact. I have a garage (not heated) so at least it'll be a little cleaner for about a day.