Am i on the right track?
 

My First post, just want to check if I'm on the right track, I used to do a bit of work on cars about 12 years ago when I left school, was mainly removing and stripping transmissions so didn't really do much diagnostics.

I've recently bought an rx8, the kat is overheating, (I presume its the kat as its down the centre column, can feel it in the cup holders), not knowing a huge deal about emissions I can only guess its either on its way out, or its choking on too much fuel.

My guess its the latter as it idles poorly. My first port of call is to check the relevant sensors, then the ignition systems (coils, plugs, leads).

I'm a bit rusty on all this and as I mentioned, diagnostics was never my thing, I just took things apart and put em together again.

I realise that there is some sort of forum etiquette about noob threads and posts, but I guess that's what this section is for.

:)

Welcome.
Read the new owner stickies for the best info.
You are correct in that failing coils, plugs, & leads commonly lead to misfires, which cause the catalytic converter to fail.

Warm cup holders are normal. There's pretty much a running gag that those are coffee warmers, not just cup holders.

Hope that relieves some of your anxiety. :)

A good beginning move, besides refreshing the ignition, would be to get an OBD II scanner. It's hard to figure anything out on a modern car without eavesdropping on the electronics.

Welcome to the rotary world and the club.

Ken

Hi guys, thanks for your replies. I've done a brief search, but the parts centres close early today, so I kinda need a fast response, I've removed the coils and here they are:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...749188&type=3&

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...749188&type=3&

Would you say they need replacing?
I've been quoted £320 inl vat

I wont post more searchable questions after this ;)

Short of broken bits you can't tell if the coils are ok. The white spot thing is a myth . You can tell more looking at the plugs :)

The only 2 real ways to test the coils are:
a) using a timing light on each wire to check for spark consistency
b) use a spark tester (looks like a spark plug with a clamp off the side)

Mazda has an official test that checks for continuity on the plug connections, but that doesn't test the igniter, which is the part that fails.

Coils, plugs, and wires tend to need replacement about every 30,000 miles.

Ok, thanks for the advice from both of you.

Its on 69,000, judging by a the neglected paint bubbles on the bodywork. and the state of the alloys when I bought it, I'm going to presume they weren't changed at 60k.

I'll replace the whole lot next week, hopefully it's nothing more sinister.

depending on the work it needs, I plan to spend about 5-8k on it over the next 12 months, learning as I go, so I'll be documenting all the work I do on it with pictures and possibly videos. Hopefully they may come in handy for others at some point.

Welcome!

Neglecting the ignition and getting missfires will lead to damaging the catalyst. Don't let this go on any longer than possible. A plugged catalyst will create a high back pressure that will damage the seals in the engine.