New Member, Without questions. Just signed up to say Thanks.
09-27-2017, 01:36 PM
#1
New Member
Thread Starter
New Member, Without questions. Just signed up to say Thanks.
Hey Guys,
I have been an automotive tech for 15yrs, working on cars, trucks and heavy equipment. My fortes are electrical problems, electronic problems and engine rebuilds.
I like to take things apart to understand how they work.
Having said that, I bought a 2006 Mazda RX8 6spd, 2 weeks ago as a flip / learning experience. I have no interest in keeping this car. The car did not run and had not been driven since january, It arrived at my house on a tow truck.
I started by replacing the battery, because the old one was beyond recharging. It was bulging on the sides and had leaked in the past, to the point of corroding the hold down plate.
Next step research No-start symptoms for an RX-8. Thats when I stumbled upon your community. Let me just say, Bravo. The wealth of knowledge on this forum is amazing.
Special mention to /u/RIWWP, and
"RAY FROM WHITNEY AUTO IN FREDICKSBURG VIRGINIA"
Thanks to these guys, I had the vehicle running by the first day of working on it. I started my removing the air intake system and visually inspecting the coils and sensors. I notice the ESS had been disconnected. I reconnected the ESS, verified that everything else was connected and reassembled the components and started to deflood the engine.
The vehicle did not start but it seemed like it wanted to. So I started by replacing the plugs and wires. How ever I did not replace the coils immediately. After the plugs and wires were replaced the engine started immediately. It was a great moment for me and everyone around me, but it did not last long.
After the initial backfires and heavy smoke cleared, the rough idle began with MIL light flashing. Checked the codes,
P0301
P0171
P2096
So I removed the Coils for Rotor Number one and tested them, they were with in spec of the Manufacturer recommended Specification. Unfortunately, as I was running more tests on the coils, I ended up damaging them. So i had to replace them anyway. But it did not improve the situation. When I rechecked the codes it was the Rear Rotor that were misfiring now. Removed the coils, checked them, they were within spec once again and on par with the new ones. Hmmm. I reinstalled the coils, performed the IDLE reset and took it for a test drive to see how the car and engine handled.
The start up was long and needed to be aided with a steady foot gradually depressing the accelerator. At idle the RPM fluctuated between 650 and 1200 RPM, if a load, for example the AC, was applied the engine would stall. There was blue smoke during the initial start up but wore off as the engine got warmer.
On the Highway,
- The throttle response was lagged or non responsive, during take off in first gear.
- Multiple small backfires.
- A few loud backfires.
- Odour of unburnt fuel.
- No power on the highway.
- The engine seemed stable above 2000 RPM but below expect sputters, vibrations and stall.
I drove the car for a week or two to get the oils moving but it did not improve. I kept monitoring the DATA and the codes that the PCM was providing but nothing out of the regular misfires and running lean issues.
When i finally got a chance to revisit the issue, I started to check if all the Sensors were giving the right signals. The only sensor that seem out of spec was the MAF sensor. I had checked the MAF/IAT sensor initially and everything was to spec. So as a last ditch effort I unplugged the MAF while the engine was idling and everything seemed to reset and the engine ran well. So I decided to with out testing the component again to replace the MAF. That did not help either. So whats next, Vacuum leak. I got my can of brake cleaner and proceeded to start spraying the lines to see if that would increase the RPM. I must mention that there wasn't a significant increase in RPM, however it was impossible to determine if the test was having an effect because of the fluctuating idle.
So after racking my brain I decided to take it to a MAZDA dealer, so they could perform a professional Compression test and if the compression was good to perform an oil change. They said rotor number 1 has no compression. I do have my doubts about this dealer especially when they dropped the oil first before performing the compression test.
So at this point I am in the market for a used engine or a rebuild kit. Any suggestions? Also I would like to know if any one knows how the oil injection system works in the RX8 engine. Specifically, if a clogged oil injector can cause a decrease in compression?
As my adventure continues, I look forward to chatting and collaborating with you guys. Thanks once again for all the help.
I have been an automotive tech for 15yrs, working on cars, trucks and heavy equipment. My fortes are electrical problems, electronic problems and engine rebuilds.
I like to take things apart to understand how they work.
Having said that, I bought a 2006 Mazda RX8 6spd, 2 weeks ago as a flip / learning experience. I have no interest in keeping this car. The car did not run and had not been driven since january, It arrived at my house on a tow truck.
I started by replacing the battery, because the old one was beyond recharging. It was bulging on the sides and had leaked in the past, to the point of corroding the hold down plate.
Next step research No-start symptoms for an RX-8. Thats when I stumbled upon your community. Let me just say, Bravo. The wealth of knowledge on this forum is amazing.
Special mention to /u/RIWWP, and
"RAY FROM WHITNEY AUTO IN FREDICKSBURG VIRGINIA"
Thanks to these guys, I had the vehicle running by the first day of working on it. I started my removing the air intake system and visually inspecting the coils and sensors. I notice the ESS had been disconnected. I reconnected the ESS, verified that everything else was connected and reassembled the components and started to deflood the engine.
The vehicle did not start but it seemed like it wanted to. So I started by replacing the plugs and wires. How ever I did not replace the coils immediately. After the plugs and wires were replaced the engine started immediately. It was a great moment for me and everyone around me, but it did not last long.
After the initial backfires and heavy smoke cleared, the rough idle began with MIL light flashing. Checked the codes,
P0301
P0171
P2096
So I removed the Coils for Rotor Number one and tested them, they were with in spec of the Manufacturer recommended Specification. Unfortunately, as I was running more tests on the coils, I ended up damaging them. So i had to replace them anyway. But it did not improve the situation. When I rechecked the codes it was the Rear Rotor that were misfiring now. Removed the coils, checked them, they were within spec once again and on par with the new ones. Hmmm. I reinstalled the coils, performed the IDLE reset and took it for a test drive to see how the car and engine handled.
The start up was long and needed to be aided with a steady foot gradually depressing the accelerator. At idle the RPM fluctuated between 650 and 1200 RPM, if a load, for example the AC, was applied the engine would stall. There was blue smoke during the initial start up but wore off as the engine got warmer.
On the Highway,
- The throttle response was lagged or non responsive, during take off in first gear.
- Multiple small backfires.
- A few loud backfires.
- Odour of unburnt fuel.
- No power on the highway.
- The engine seemed stable above 2000 RPM but below expect sputters, vibrations and stall.
I drove the car for a week or two to get the oils moving but it did not improve. I kept monitoring the DATA and the codes that the PCM was providing but nothing out of the regular misfires and running lean issues.
When i finally got a chance to revisit the issue, I started to check if all the Sensors were giving the right signals. The only sensor that seem out of spec was the MAF sensor. I had checked the MAF/IAT sensor initially and everything was to spec. So as a last ditch effort I unplugged the MAF while the engine was idling and everything seemed to reset and the engine ran well. So I decided to with out testing the component again to replace the MAF. That did not help either. So whats next, Vacuum leak. I got my can of brake cleaner and proceeded to start spraying the lines to see if that would increase the RPM. I must mention that there wasn't a significant increase in RPM, however it was impossible to determine if the test was having an effect because of the fluctuating idle.
So after racking my brain I decided to take it to a MAZDA dealer, so they could perform a professional Compression test and if the compression was good to perform an oil change. They said rotor number 1 has no compression. I do have my doubts about this dealer especially when they dropped the oil first before performing the compression test.
So at this point I am in the market for a used engine or a rebuild kit. Any suggestions? Also I would like to know if any one knows how the oil injection system works in the RX8 engine. Specifically, if a clogged oil injector can cause a decrease in compression?
As my adventure continues, I look forward to chatting and collaborating with you guys. Thanks once again for all the help.
Last edited by RotatoTech; 09-27-2017 at 01:43 PM.
09-27-2017, 11:48 PM
#2
What's your budget for engine replacement? There is a significant chance that any used engine you find will be in a similar shape to yours, so the recommended path is to purchase a known good rebuilt engine from someone who knows what they are doing.
A clogged or failed oil injector will, over time, lead to seal failure due to lack of lubrication, which manifests as irriversible compression loss. You can google how the OMP system works, there are plenty of examples. In a nutshell it's a positive displacement pump that drives engine oil through thin plastic tubes up to the injectors. The injectors don't spray oil out, they just kind of dribble it directly onto the housing and the apex seal smears it around from there.
If unplugging the MAF gives you a good idle, you may want to hook up an OBD scanner and see what the MAF is actually sensing. I would not expect a car with no compression in one rotor to run better with the MAF unplugged.
A clogged or failed oil injector will, over time, lead to seal failure due to lack of lubrication, which manifests as irriversible compression loss. You can google how the OMP system works, there are plenty of examples. In a nutshell it's a positive displacement pump that drives engine oil through thin plastic tubes up to the injectors. The injectors don't spray oil out, they just kind of dribble it directly onto the housing and the apex seal smears it around from there.
If unplugging the MAF gives you a good idle, you may want to hook up an OBD scanner and see what the MAF is actually sensing. I would not expect a car with no compression in one rotor to run better with the MAF unplugged.
The following users liked this post:
RotatoTech (10-02-2017)
10-02-2017, 08:03 AM
#3
New Member
Thread Starter
What's your budget for engine replacement? There is a significant chance that any used engine you find will be in a similar shape to yours, so the recommended path is to purchase a known good rebuilt engine from someone who knows what they are doing.
A clogged or failed oil injector will, over time, lead to seal failure due to lack of lubrication, which manifests as irriversible compression loss. You can google how the OMP system works, there are plenty of examples. In a nutshell it's a positive displacement pump that drives engine oil through thin plastic tubes up to the injectors. The injectors don't spray oil out, they just kind of dribble it directly onto the housing and the apex seal smears it around from there.
If unplugging the MAF gives you a good idle, you may want to hook up an OBD scanner and see what the MAF is actually sensing. I would not expect a car with no compression in one rotor to run better with the MAF unplugged.
A clogged or failed oil injector will, over time, lead to seal failure due to lack of lubrication, which manifests as irriversible compression loss. You can google how the OMP system works, there are plenty of examples. In a nutshell it's a positive displacement pump that drives engine oil through thin plastic tubes up to the injectors. The injectors don't spray oil out, they just kind of dribble it directly onto the housing and the apex seal smears it around from there.
If unplugging the MAF gives you a good idle, you may want to hook up an OBD scanner and see what the MAF is actually sensing. I would not expect a car with no compression in one rotor to run better with the MAF unplugged.
Last edited by RotatoTech; 10-02-2017 at 08:05 AM.
