Thenewfather14

So I found a 04 rx8 with a 6 speed transmission on Facebook marketplace it ran and drove when I looked at it (it's very loud cause the previous owner cut off the cat) I drove it about 45 minutes home and it wouldn't start after that I replaced the starter and ignition relays as they were busted up and also fixed a wire that had been cut and was showing wire after this it fired up for about 1 day when I parked it for the evening I noticed when I got in the drive it bogged down so I drove it about a mile and back and noticed I could get up to 100 no problems as long as I kept it lower rpms if I got too high or ga e it too much gas at once boom bogged down bad like half power if that after getting home and parking it now it won't start again once u start turning the key everything turns on like normal and when you crank the ignition it does absolutely nothing I tried jumping it and haven't had enough help to push start it. But I'm not mechanicals inclined in the slightest please help....

Red line envy

Coils, plugs, wires then check fuel pressure.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

rx8help.com, read up.
Looks sharp but by the sound of it, neglected. Are there OBD codes other than for the cat?
Any mods?

+1 to ignition replacement


If it has trouble starting when warmed up, you'll want a compression test. Typically best done before purchase to determine what condition the engine is in. Do you know if it had been recently replaced?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Welcome.
Did you notice a flashing Check Engine Light (CEL) ?
It's possible you bought an 8 with easily fixable problems the previous owner didn't know about, or maybe it has a bad engine. Unless you have some disposable income, you should avoid spending a lot of money before you can get the compression checked.

If you can't get a pull start, you'll need to figure out why it won't turn over.

First things first, you'll need to get it started before you can start troubleshooting.
Check your battery terminals to see if they're clean and tight.
If you don't have one, borrow or buy a battery charger, with an 8 you will likely need it sooner or later.
You can try charging it, but if it's dead, it would be a waste of time.
Repeated discharge of the battery will mean a premature end to it.

If the terminals are clean and tight, take the battery out and get it checked.
If it looks old, or you can find a date on it that's more than a coulple of years old, you might need a new one.

If you get it started, take it back to the parts store to get the charging system checked to be sure your alternator is working, and ask them to check your OBD system for codes.
Disconnecting the battery will clear them, but if you're having misfires, it might throw a code.

If the cat is gone, it's possible the exhaust has been blocked by broken chunks of cat strata.
Misfires kill cats, bad cats kill engines.

Good luck.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

I have a couple questions if I may please:

1) Why did you replace the starter? Because it wouldn't turn over or you upgraded the starter? Do you think the starter was actually broken?
2) Ignition Relays, you mean the Ignition Coils packs? (Sorry if this seems silly but I just want to be clear).
3) The ignition relays (or coils if we are on the same page) were busted up. Sorry again but what does this mean? Where they actually broken/cracked/damaged?
4) OMG a wire was cut! What wire? Where? Any chance you can upload a picture?

Ok next block of questions after you got it running again and went for a short drive.
Keeping it in lower rpm's it would run fine but giving it too much gas or it would bog down

1) You need to check if there are more check engine codes triggered (as Loki asked)
2) Do you have a modified intake (as Loki asked)
3) When you turn the key to start it again you literally mean it did nothing the starter didn't even try and crank the engine?

Hmmmm well without knowing the answers to my questions and understanding that you're not mechanically inclined, its tough to say what is going on.
Assuming you replaced all four coils with new OEM coils, plus a new starter...
I've had that bogging issue that you've described and it was the front o2 sensor, but do NOT go and buy a new yet or get it fixed I'm just saying that is what it feels like to me.
(the PCM goes to open loop and falls flat on its face this could be a bad O2 sensor or Maf or a horrible Vac leak)
The other strange part is that you get it home and it won't start again, physically will not turn over. This one sounds like electrically gremlins.

If you don't already own a ODBII Reading/Scanner I suggest you buy one. No RX8 owner should be without one.
This will help you read the check engine light and clear codes.

Loki is our #1 troubleshooter IMO so just follow his lead but yeah a darn ODBII scanner is super sweet to have and can be used on any newer vehicle.

Killawatts

I would suggest a compression test before doing anything else. Most Mazda dealerships will do them for a couple hundred or so. How many miles are on the car?



It's common at this point for someone to sell one of these cars with known bad compression, and it acts mostly fine when the engine is cold. Get it home and it doesn't want to start again, typical hot start problems.

Sounds like normal hot start problems and now the battery is dead from trying to start. Got a multimeter? Can use one to easily find out if the battery is toast or if you're getting voltage to the starter.

blue17

You say that "I'm not mechanicals inclined in the slightest" but you have changed starter motor ignition components etc. Don't know why you would do that without knowing the real cause of the problem is. The obvious answer is that it has low compression which will make hot starts more difficult. Yep try a push start to try and get it to someone who can check compression and the ignition system. On the positive it looks like a nice car worth saving.

HuntrNL

any reason an 8 would misfire when it shift up a gear usually to 2nd and 3rd