RotorFanatic05

Hello everyone, new with the forums but did TONS of research before just jumping into an 8. I'm currently 20 working full time. I bought this car almost 2 months ago and I love every minute I'm in it I went to start my car last night and my cel was on steady no flashing what so ever and went to autozone to get a test done to see whats goin on inside this beast and it came back p0442. Immediately came home to see what you guys had to say and luckily for me its nothing super serious with loss of compression etc I'm prolly gonna bring it into the local mazda dealership to see if they can help me anymore that what i can do by myself ive tightened the gas cap after filling up today and hopefully that works and it turns off soon but me being me I hate seeing this light and do not wanna see this beast go lol any opinions? 04 automatic 74xxx miles
thanks!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You can force a clear on the CEL by disconnecting the negative cable on the battery for a minute or so, and if it comes back then you know it's a persistant problem, and you need to order a new gas cap. If a new cap doesn't fix it, then you might need a shop's assistance with diagnosing the evap system.

That one is usually a loose or failing gas cap though.

Not a big deal at all.

RotorFanatic05

Thats what the dealership said too they reset it and just said if it comes up again its prolly a small EVAP leak but i drove around for a little bit and nothing yet so well play it by ear for the time being

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Keep in mind that the EVAP test (the test that will throw the P0442 CEL if it fails) is only conducted if the gas tank is not full, and not empty. I think the values are lower than 80% and higher than 20%. There are often other conditions, like a certain amount of time since starting, and you are up to temp, etc... But if it doesn't come on in a few days, you should be fine, just a loose cap.

RotorFanatic05

another update..

leaving work today after letting the car run for 20 mins before leaving (Illinois weather) i get in my car CEL flashing like crazy first time its flashed since buying it in october.

as i just wanted to get home and deal with it i throw it in drive and all it did was coast gas pedal didnt do anything so threw it in park and was gonna look at it and it died. go to restart it and it wouldnt turn over.

anyways got a ride home got it towed to my local mazda stealership and they said theyd look at it tomorrow to see what the diagnosis is. dont know when the last time the coils, plugs, and wires were changed but i was literally about to buy the NGK wires plugs and coils since i wanted to get it done now and not wait for this moment.

anybody have any ideas of what it might be? im pretty sure it flooded when i tried to restart it and tried the DIY deflooding and didnt do the trick.

any kind of CEL throws me overboard lol hate seeing that stupid little light

niteshade247

Had same issue ended up being some kind of small valve on the top of the intake manifold. Can't remember the cost but I have some really grate macanics so I don't pay much and work is grate. Auto zone is crap they tried to tell me I didn't need the plugs I wanted and tried to push some AC delco stuff on me auto zone is a last resort around here

RotorFanatic05

good to hear ill wait and see what the dealership says and bring it up when they call. seems like they dont know what they were talking about either tried telling me i dont need to replace plugs, coils, and wires all at once lol

sad knowing no one knows anything about these machines anymore. glad to hear it was nothing major with yours hopefully im as fortunate as you!

niteshade247

Hope the best for you and your 8

RotorFanatic05

came back as expected. 2 coils gone bad needs new plugs and wires but tried charging me 846!!?

told them no and took it to a buddies shop gettin it all done for 330. still steep if you ask me but itll be back in my possession tomorrow morning.

niteshade247

Good to hear it was something simple

RotorFanatic05

obviously this is a normal thing for these to go bad as they need to be replaced every 30k but the dealership was telling me once you start getting problems like this it all goes down hill from here.

i gave him a look and said the manual says to replace these every 30k and his was response was well these engines never last past 35k. again i look at him and say thats a false statement these engines can go awhile if you take care of them.

he went on to say sell my car as fast as possible due to the engine problems. call me a newb but just cause you flood your engine cause of bad plugs thats nothing really to stress about right? sure its nothing to take lightly but just because my plugs went bad doesnt mean my engines goin to **** either.

guys gettin to my head and im dealin with the best of the best here so just trying to get a second opinion.

niteshade247

I got my 8 at about 79k it now has 137k no major issues never flooded changed plugs two years ago going to do it agen this year need coils to but my point is this eney worry I've had I research here follow all the little tips and the engine will not fail until it's due time. And no one flood due to the coils dose not mean your going to loose your engine soon.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

There is a theory that failing ignition CAN increase the wear on your engine, from fuel washing away the oil film that the apex seals ride on. There isn't a whole ton of proof about that, but it's a plausible theory.

The bigger danger from failing ignition is that it kills the catalytic converter rather quickly, and if it clogs, it can kill your engine. Cascading failure.

But yes, the mechanic is just regurgitating rumor and misinformation. Ignore him.

niteshade247

Wow I think I need to get coils soon with you having said that. Don't want or need theory to turn to fact on me and it makes sense in burnt fuel washing out seals

RotorFanatic05

sorry guys went outta town for the weekend also found out friday that my MAIN cause of problems was my oil was overflowing into my air filter and the air flow sensor.

long story short the place i was getting my routine oil change was over filling it. got the 8 back friday afternoon and its never been better honestly. starts up 10x quicker and runs 10x stronger.

hopefully i can avoid these problems for awhile! seems as if i need to re adjust to the car its that much stronger!

niteshade247

Look up the oil catch can DIY follow it and this will from what I under stand stop that from happening any more.

logalinipoo

or use a funnel with a 3-4" long tube on the bottom so when you fill it does not back up into your intake.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

^+1
I use a transmission funnel on mine, they're only a coupla bucks.
You can save a lot of money and have peace of mind knowing the job is done right if you DIY your own tuneups & oil changes if you are able.
8s are pretty easy to work on.