I'll make this short and brief as possible. My daughter's car is an 04 RX8 and well maintained. For some reason when the car gets too hot it has trouble starting so has to sit for a couple minutes and then it will fire it up. One day she drove it home, got something to eat, went back out in the car wont start. I figured it was the battery so I went ahead and put a new battery in but connected it backwards by accident (noob move). The ACC fuse was blown so I went ahead and replaced it and it still wouldn't start, it would crank but not start. I disconnected the fuel pump, disconnected air handler and took out the fuse for the fuel pump, and I cranked it about 10 times for about six seconds a crank. I figured for sure this would deflood it. I put everything back together in the same thing cranks but would not fire. I disconnected the fuel pump again and fuel came out of the fuel pump. The car is in my house and the nearest garage is an hour away! I'm no ways a mechanic but know my way around a car pretty good, can somebody please help!? Please, no smart crack remarks. ...

 

hey bzak1pgh, welcome to our little corner of the interwebs.

Sound like you're quite mechanically savvy but to me it also sounds like your daughter's car is suffering from 'hot start' issues which almost always refer to a motor that is losing compression.
Where abouts are you located?
might be worthwhile to look at having the compression tested at your local Mazda dealership or a trusted rotary mechanic in your area.

If the compression is indeed low, you'll need to start considering a motor rebuild / swap.

 

I'm in London Ky. Closest Mazda dealership is in Somerset ky which is like an hour from my house....I've got power to everything but, I noticed my check engine light never lights up, even when I put the key in and turn it, the check engine light never comes on, never. It that normal? Shouldn't it come on for a second or two when to turn the kettle to acc.?

 

you should get the CEL light on startup



London - great town near wonderful dual sport trails. Many a ride down that way years ago.

 

Ya, it's about 30 minutes from me. So if I don't have a check engine light. ......what's that mean?

 

Have a look through this thread
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tro...t-here-222584/

 

Its time to pull the spark plugs and inspect them and clean them. They are no doubt fouled. If the plugs were clean and dry I bet the engine would start. This does not mean you won't still have hot start issues however. As stated, hot start issues are a sign on low compression, which will require an engine rebuild or replacement. How many miles on the car and has the engine been replaced?

 

The motor is a rebuild through Mazda and has around 50k on it. Is there a diy section first pulling the plugs and is there a specific plug to put in, and gap on the plug? Thank you for all your responses!

 

NGK Iridium Spark Plugs OEM Heat Ranges | Black Halo Racing

they also sell an ignition system with plugs thats the best in the business. pulling the plugs is easy. turn the wheel all the way to the right and you can get to them without even pulling the wheel. driver side btw

 

Is there just 2 plugs? Probably a dumb question....lol

 

two plugs per rotor housing, four plugs in total. two leading plugs (bottom ones) two trailing plugs (top ones). the housings and plugs are both marked L and T

 

Ok...thank a lot

 

The starting issues thread posted by RX8Soldier has the most info: read that for sure

Starting the Engine
• Starter
• Battery
• Engine Compression
• Grounding Wires
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors

 

There are many detailed DIY threads that are easy to follow. Check the DIY subforum

 

Well changed the plugs and still won't fire....this sucks. Time to pay out the big money I guess...

 

Time for a compression test rather than fork out big money

 

Can i do this? Can I rent the gages from Advance or O'Reilly's or somewhere? Can u walk me through the steps to do a solid compression test? If it's not to much to ask....

 

Rotary engines need special equipment to do a compression test. Only Mazda dealers, some rotary shops and individuals who have this specialized equipment can do a proper rotary engine compression test. Regular compression testing equipment for piston engines wont simultaneously read and give you the six numbers you need (one for each of three faces of each rotor, times the two rotors, for a total of six).

One of our moderators, however, did write how to do a compression test with a standard tester, but it is complicated, as you have to do one plug hole at a time. :
http://www.rx8help.com/before_you_bu...sion_test.html

 

It sucks around here because no one works on rotary engines except the Mazda shop....thanks for all the info!

 

You will need that compression test. The costs vary from Mazda dealer to dealer. Anywhere from $100 to $250, even more in some extreme cases. Your engine warranty is long over for that car, but if it had still been under engine warranty (8yrs/100,000 miles ,from first sale date) and Mazda did the compression test, and it failed, then Mazda would have paid for the compression test. That was the scenario in my case.

One other chance to do it cheaper. Check this forum for other members in your area. Reach out to them, maybe they know of a rotary shop or individual who has the right equipment and is willing to do it cheaply for a fellow RX8 club member. Best of luck, don't give up.

 

That's a good idea! Which link would I use to reach out?

 

Look in the regional forums section. You can also start a new thread post looking for any owners in Kentucky. Most folks here check new posts regularly.