Hi, first time posting so I am new to this; I have a 20011 RX8 and it starts and then shuts off. The problem is intermittent. It might start and run fine and then next time I go to start it, it just starts and shuts down. Any suggestions? Started having some issues 6000 kM ago. Fuel pump, pressure regulator, filter, plugs , wires & coils have been replaced. compression is good. All done by Mazda Dealer. Apparently they can't find or fix the problem so not much point going back there. I would appreciate any help anyone can offer.

 

Are there any check engine codes?
Are there any modifications to the intake?

 

Car is completely stock and has been running great until this. But I.ve had a few problems over the past year that seem to haven't gotten solved at the dealer and then this again.

 

Check to see if your battery terminals are clean and tight.
Maybe a ground wire could be loose, corroded or rodent damaged.

You don't have to bring RX8s to the dealership, except for the internals of the engine, they're like any other car.
Find a reputable local auto shop and ask them to check it out.

Sometimes simple things get overlooked.

 

Hi....I did check all the obvious stuff, as I hope the dealer did. I was really hoping someone had a similar issue to save me some time. I used to be a mechanic in another life so I guess I'm going to start and dig into it my self. If I find the issue I'll post the solution.

 

Check the clutch safety switch. If it's sticky it can cause problems.

What do you see as fuel trims on a warm idle? There might be clues there.

One other thought is the eccentric shaft position sensor. It would be unusual for it to stall out the car entirely, but make sure it's clean, undamaged and reset the profile in memory. I'm not sure what the procedure for that on a 2011 is, but on series 1's you press the brake pedal 20 times while the car is ON but not running.

 

I suggest a maf sensor. Blast it real good with maf sensor cleaner. See if the problem comes back.

 

Have you run a health check to see what codes are presently stored or in the history? If you are able to pull event data from a freeze frame, that could be exceptionally helpful.

 

.Solved!!..The problem was the fuel pump resister.....jump it out to troubleshoot if you have a similar problem....Thanks for all the comments......cheers!

 

Glad you got it solved! That would definitely cause the issue as it would have caused the pump to operate at one speed and it appears your was operating at low speed only, causing the engine to stall.

 

I am having a similar issue. Runs perfect for 300 - 400 miles and then dies. Sometimes hesitates before dying. Takes several tries to restart and is good for a while. What exactly is the fuel pump resistor? where is it? should it be replaced or cleaned? I was originally thinking the fuel pump was starting to go.

 

The fuel pump resistor is bolted to the air pump bracket. It allows the fuel pump to run at either high speed or low speed, using resistance to limit voltage.

 

Is it possible that a fuel pump can be going bad if it runs perfectly for 300-400 miles before being a problem? It has done this 4 times so far. My experience with fuel pumps has been the problems tend to be ongoing. Any ideas on what it could be if not the fuel pump? Tuned up 15K miles ago with C coils. 49K original miles. Runs excellent otherwise.