omido

Hi people,

Does anyone know whats happening to my rx8??

I took my rx8 2004 GT 6 speed manual two weeks ago to body shop to paint some scratches and fix a few dents. After couple of days I received a call from the body shop saying the car is not starting! So I got there and we towed my car to the next door garage and have it checked and I left to work.

The next day they called me saying spark plugs were all ruined and needs to be replaced with new ones, and after the car is ready come take it. Here is what the spark plugs they put in:

2 Leading Spark Plugs - RE7CL
2 Trailing Spark Plugs - RE9BT

So I came and took the car to a car wash nearby to get it cleaned up (just outside).
Then when I was ready to leave, the car wasn't starting! It was just cranking, cranking and no start! I cranked for lets say 10-13 seconds, then I pushed the gas pedal a couple of times it started working but very very sick! like the whole freaking car was shaking and weird noise was coming out from the engine as if there is something in the engine or only 1 rotor was working instead of two!

I realized a little different smoke color of smoke like light black/brown but not that much is coming out that made everyone in the car wash to caught.

I was pretty much shocked by what was happening to my car and tried driving it back to the mechanic who checked it up! while driving i realized my car has lost a lot of power and shaking, and dropped a lot of horse power and if i would let it idle, engine would for sure turn off!

As soon as I got to the mechanic realized there is smoke coming out from my car! At first I thought smoke is coming out from the engine, I took a look underneath the car realized a glowing neon light inside Catalytic converter! ya, all the smoke was coming out from the CAT!! I called a friend helped parked my car near the garage and came back the next day to let the mechanic know and have it checked.

Mechanic said he sees the problem but couldn't find anything! They plugged in the computer got a few errors:
Crank shaft position sensor, Random missfire, and another two about ignition sensors or something that i don't remember.

I took it to a friend who's also a mechanic have it checked and said looks like one of the rotors is not turning on, its probably because of a bad coil. He says lets replace that coil and give it a try! If you run the car for 7 mins, the CAT gets really hot glowing like a neon light because of the other rotor not working and gas is coming inside the cat and burning inside the cat causing it to get really hot and glow or something! I didn't quite understand that or maybe i got it wrong but anyways, i wonder, wouldn't that ruin the cat? I just hope the CAT is not ruined cuz I don't have the money paying 2500$ for a new cat!

I heard about this place called "KNS Autosports" in Montreal that knows about rotary rx8 engines but not sure if they're good or what, I really don't wanna take it to Mazda dealer cuz I will get shafted there big time! Mazda dealer is a rip off!

Please help me find a solution, I worked hard my butt off to get this car, and now its not working, getting depressed

Thanks,
Omid
email: omid_ice@hotmail.com

Mazurfer

Go read my reply in your other thread.
You should delete this one.....no need for two!

wcs

iTrader: (2)

LOL
Rotor not turning on ... omg ....
Mazurfer plz provide link to the other thread ... I'll go get the popcorn ready

Beers anyone?

Clogged cat can cause many problems .... cheapest easiest fix is to remove the element ..... wear a dust mask if you do this ... heavy metals not so good for the human body

Enzyme

Where are u located omido? I know a guy in the GTA who previously rebuild Rotary Engines for Mazda Canada... Maybe he can help u...

omido

Thx Enzyme, I'm in Montreal, Quebec.... Do you know any rx8 mechanic around here??

omido

lol wcs, ya All this happened in the wrong freakin time man, I was in the middle of moving and midterm exams... and then boooom, my rx8 stopped working lol when it rains it pours! I gotta find a way of fixing it soon, can't take it to the Mazda dealers to fix cuz those guys will get your butt shafted all the way... lol ya i guess i should change all four coils and take out the cat and make a midpipe out of it lol
hey so if i remove the element from the CAT what are are downsides, i heard its going to be abit load and it will shoot fire? lol sounds like fun! :p

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

It was flooded...then you flooded it again....get it started...and drive it till it is warmed up ...and then drive it hard for a while on the Highway

You should be fine then

Body shops almost always flood 8's when they are working on them...if they start and stop them without warming them up that's what's happens

Might want to do an oil change to get rid of the gas in the oil as well if it was really flooded

PS: If it's a manual transmission...fastest way to start it is to put in the front tow hook...and get your buddy to tow it for a block or two till it starts

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

^ Just get a long rope. You don't want to run into him when it finally starts.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Downside is
1) AND THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT: You will not pass your emissions test

2) The smell of unburnt fuel, mmmmm you know what a two stroke snowmobile exhaust is like?

3) The cost of getting another Cat to pass the emission test. Some of the forum members swamp Cats in order to pass the emissions test then remove it again.

I wouldn't go this route unless you are certain that the cat is fried. Its not hard to remove and have a look, might behoove you to do so.

omido

Dannobre, It was flooded the first time and I replace all the sparks with new ones but this time it doesn't start, it starts but runs on one rotar, missfires and stuff... i guess its the coils this time i gotta change all 4 of them and give it a try, and if CAT is blocked I'm gonna remove the stuff inside and use it as a midpipe put it back and give it a try... but ya dude I don't think its flooded this time! :s

omido

I'll take it out and look at it but you think you would get a new Cat if you were me? I called Mazda 2 days ago they said CAT is 2500$ thats alot! I checked online, I saw a few choices:
http://www.srmotorsports.com/RX8_Per...tem_Parts.html
what do u think i should get other than mazda dealer? any suggestions are appreciated

omido

Here is the exact same thing that is happening to my rx8! car shaking, flashing engine light and same exact sound and everything!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXzcYmHOrew

danysrx8

lol u stole my vid but yeah the problem is no laughing matter please help us hey if its the engine arent we covered by the extended warranty on the engine??????? i called a mazda dealer and they told that yeah to bring it if it was the engine they werent gonna charge the 105

omido

but i live in Canada! Mazda Canada will also cover extended warranty 100miles/8 years?? otherwise im screwed!

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Ok ok .... well wow .... doesn't sound good

First I would try replacing the coils .... bad coils will cause misfires and could even prevent a rotor from firing at all. (Plug wires as well)
This cause to unburnt fuel to dump in to the cat ..... thus the smoking cat.

Unfortunately it could be bad compression as well .... which means bye bye motor ...

Sorry to say but this is going to cost some money to diagnose and fix.
What I would do if I was short on cash.
- Buy one coil and replace the leading coil on the rotor that isn't firing..... how do you know which rotor? Timing light or plug inspection....
- Replace plug wires if above doesn't solve problem (I believe you said the plugs had been replaced)
- Clean the eccentric shaft sensor ... this is simple and easy to do
- Last but not least a compression test.

Actually I think .... if I was on a tight budget I would go buy/borrow/steal a timing light and see if there is a misfire ...... if a misfire is the case you can breath easy .... no misfire ... prolly new engine time.

PS: I don't think its the cat but it never hurts to inspect it ...... if you're inclined to do so ...

-=drift=-

Hello Omido!

Heres another thing to pick your mind.

The car ran right before right? Then they changed plugs.

The cat, or ignition coil problems are things that come up over time, not usually directly after an incident. Though it would be good to change them, I doubt they are that bad not to fire your car like that. If you feel like getting coils, and have an Ebay account, I know where and who to get them from for the price of less than 1 coil from the dealer.

I would almost bet they mixed up the wires. I have done it before on my first 7, many, many many years ago.
I say this because the 2 ignition codes(2 wires switched, hint hint), crank angle sensor( the rough running would throw it out) and misfire.
the cat will glow from all the inproperly lit fuel in the exhaust.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/05_mazda_rx8_firing_order

This is where the wires should lead to if you stand at the drivers fender, and look down. If you have small hands, you should be able to put them in there and feel around. unbolting the 1 nut on the Air conditioning bracket will give a bit more clearance, but be careful!


I would also check to see if the plugs are tight, you dont actually have to tighten them to see, just listen for the sound of wind coming out while its running.

Hope that helps, and that this IS your problem, because its an easy fix.

omido

Ah man I hope its not going be the engine! I hope not!
ya Im ordering the 4 coils right now online, then after replace them with the old ones, i'll find a way of cleaning the eccentric shaft sensor....
if none worked!.... i'll give it a compression test..... hopefully the coils are gonna get here soon in a few days! if its the cat problem, if cat is fried do u suggest i go for RX-8 High Flow Catalytic Converter: here's the link, its the one on the left:
http://www.srmotorsports.com/RX8_Per...tem_Parts.html

omido

wow thx, I was actually suspicious if the mechanic who changed my plugs didn't know which one goes where and screwed up! im gonna lift the car and check it out myself at my friend's garage! Thanks alot man, I'm going to try what you told me to do and let you know this Tuesday.

Mazurfer

I guess that's possible. I assumed he knew what he was doing.....and maybe I shouldn't have. Well a picture is owrth a thousand words, so..............






Make sure each one click or snaps in place. A lot of times one of the two front ones will wiggle off if not seated properly.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

+1
I never thought about the plug leads being put back in the wrong order ..... booya that sure would make the car run like ****.

omido

ah man thx alot, I never thought about that!!! I wish i could check that out now but I had to leave the car in the garage and and its closed today cuz its is a holiday in Canada!! Tomorrow morning I'm going to check it out and let you know!! I hope that solves the problem!

One question! if that is the case and the first mechanic who checked my car put those plugs & wirings in the wrong place, is that going to damage my engine and now needs to be cleaned up?? would that damage the catalytic converter? inside the Cat was glowing like a neon light when my car was on for 10 mins, and burnt smell with smoke was coming off of it! I hope the cat is going to be aight!

Bluerenesis

Call the autobody shop up and chew them out to make you feel a little better since you cant prove they did it. I guarantee they flooded it moving it from point A to point B. I also guarantee it is the coils. You might want to get new wire if you havent already too. Your CAT sounds like its toast which is caused usually by bad coils. You dont have a warranty on the CAT where you live????

omido

I called up the autobody shop told them about it, they just said "i havn't changed the plugs for along time or something and its not their fault!!" I havn't given them the insurance's check yet so...ya I'm gonna find out who's fault it was and then give them their money!

I live in Canada, you think Mazda covers the cat replacement?? see thats something confusing, mazda announced they extended rx8's warranty for 8ys/100Kmils for North America,... so Canada should be covered too! but I'm not sure! I bought my rx8 last january... It was working fine until i took it to that damn idiot body shop!

Bluerenesis

Those people are used to piston engines so I bet anything that they did it. When I bought my car in 03, three months later I got nailed by a 18yr old girl who ran a stop light. Needless to say, my car sat at the shop for a month. When I got it back, my car had the most roughest idle. Before the accident, it was a smooth as can be. The dealership kept feeding me BS since they were new to the Renesis too, saying after 3000 miles, the car reprograms to my driving habits. After all these years of learning about the RX8, it turned out to be because of fouled plugs,coils and wires which were most likely from the body shop.

Bluerenesis

I guess you need to call up your nearest dealership to confirm the CAT warranty. In my opinion your CAT is toast.