Mr Rican

Hello names Dan, New to the site so sorry if i miss anything ill post again more likely but iv'e been working on my rx8 some bit now, its a base model 2005 rx8 with 77k miles on it.

Stuff that ive changed was spark plugs, battery and added a cold air intake. But anyways as of yesterday i was driving and came to a light then the engine died on me, had to move to the side and wait for a tow truck to come by. Tried starting and it just kept cranking.

My history with the vehicle, bought it used was running great for a year then i started having problems with it. First was the starting problem after a hot start, ill drive to the gas station kill the engine then try starting and it would take me like anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes for it to start up again. Anyways then this second problem starting appearing as well, ill start it up and it'll be idling and the rpms would go up then drop to the point where the car will start shaking almost stall, in which it did on me last night at a light.

AS far as maintenance goes sparks, battery, headlight assembly and rear were replaced, plus the intake, signal markers. Next step was to change coils and starter and hope for the best in getting that engine to run well. I did take it to mazda and they ran a first diagnostic test and wanted solid $100 but found no problem, then they wanted to run a compression test for $315. Lol i decided to just leave and wait for another time on that test. So at the moment i am here looking for help and advice.

Im located At Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Gravey

iTrader: (3)

Compression test will tell you the most. Do it!

Steve Dallas

If you have not replaced the coils, plugs, and wires, that is the place to start. They only last ~20K miles.

iTs Ghastly

while the plugs is one right move, the intake was likely a poor move, as the OEM one is generally near perfect, the only one that is superior is the AEM intake, and even then you may lose HP from that, (it has the ability to raise around 5HP or lower a few HP). This information is available throughout the modification threads, the new owner threads, etc. improper intakes can also cause problems as the air flow is very touchy on the 8s, as the AEM needs two filters to my understanding to correct the air flow enough for the 8 to run appropriately. More than likely your problem is with the coils and wires though. Make sure your plugs are in appropriately (we having a trailing and leading plug setup, so the correct plugs must be in the correct holes, and the coils often fail between 20k and 30k miles, which you appear to have significantly passed, especially if they haven't been changed by the previous owner. Might I suggest the BHR ignition kit, as it is one of the best reliability mods that you can do with your 8. It is a little costly at 580 usd with the plugs , but well worth it. On top of these, compression test is highly helpful as it will let you know if your engine is failing, though you are getting significantly over quoted , as my compression test quote from a local dealership was 145 usd, and only takes between .5-1hour. I would highly suggest searching the forums a little and checking out the new owner thread. There is tons of helpful knowledge available here if you just search for it. If anything I said is wrong, I am sure somebody will correct me, but I believe I am correct in the majority if not all of what I have said.

iTs Ghastly

Also forgot to mention, as trivial as it sounds, make sure the spark wires are tightly secured. They can be tricky and cause some issues if not properly attached and secured

RXeligion

If Mazda didn't find anything without running a compression test - then a compression test is your next step. Not much sense in replacing coils if you really need new seals... Is the car still on the first engine with that mileage?

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Two air filters?
I think you mean the air flow straighteners. Which are the wire mesh screens in the intake tube.

Of which, and I've personally seen this, can get ummm how can you say, knocked out of alignment so they do more harm than good.

I don't know maybe they weren't installed properly the first time, it wasn't my setup.

Mr Rican

Yes it still on the same engine.,

iTs Ghastly

yes this is exactly what i meant , i couldnt think of the name for it or how to explain it. keep in mind most of my posts are written as i have a minute. as i nurse i hardly have time to think about anything that isnt my job. sometimes my two or three sentence post takes a half hour or more to be typed and posted lol.

Colon Terminus

Get the compression test done, it's the only way you'll know for sure that you have a healthy engine. But find another dealer to do it, that one is ripping you off. A rotary engine specific compression test costs $130 in my area.