my daughter has a 2004 RX8 which stalls after driving for aprox 1 - 2 hours sometimes sooner, and she has to let it sit for 30 - 45 minutes before it will crank again. very annoying. dealer in DC not helpful at all - tried to buy car for pennies, told her it is piece of s**t.
when my son picked it up in dc and drove to S Carolina it ran for aproximately 4hr on I 95 when he stopped to get gas it would not start for 55 min. he went on 1.5 hrs and car stopped on I 95 he sat on side of I 95 for 45 min b4 it started again and 1 hr later same thing . he says it acts like it is running out of gas ? does anybody have any idea what is happening. what causes this and is there a cure??

 

KDA,

It could be something as simple as the fuel pump. So for starters, check the fuel pump.

I must warn you, HOT start issue's are the most known sign of compression loss. So, i would also recommend a compression test.

How old is the Ignition on the car? I.E. plugs, coils, wires.



Travis

 

I would check the fuel pump as well.....

The only othe simpler thing that could do that could be a relay that is getting hot and staying open...when it cools off it operates normally. Check the power to the fuel pump and the injectors when it won't start and see whats up


There are other possible things.....shaft sensor, ECU etc...but most things die and then stop working...not work and then stop and work again when they cool off

 

I am with those guys..

For fuel, run it with more than a quarter tank, ideally more than a half. See if it gets better. Your sons run of 4 hours is basically emptying the tank. A weak fuel pump hates to get hot. The fuel is what keeps it cool. If it got hot, it may have stopped for a bit. The good news is that most auto parts places stock a complete pump assembly. the down side, is it is a lot easier to get out with a special tool, that is not stocked. You can also get just the pump, or an upgraded pump, and install that. However, I think that is a bit more involved. I just got the Advance Auto one. then again, I was dead in the water at the track, 280 miles from home, and was kind of sort on options.

the only other thing that might be it is ignition, but I have a feeling that is not the case here. If it were ignition, the attempts to start it would likely flood it, and that does not seem to be happening.

I think there is a DIY here on the fuel pump. REMEMBER, the tank has to be below half a tank when you open it.

For an 04, I suggest looking through the Congrats thread below, there are a lot of things I learned in there.

Also, stay away from that dealer. there is a strong possibility someone wanted that car. It might be that you have a gem.

let us know how it goes.

 

Classic failing fuel pump scenario. same thing happened to me driving a few hours straight at highway speed in hot weather along I-95 between SC and NJ. A failing pump with low fuel level in tank will overheat and just shut down under that scenario. Once it sits and cools off it will start up again and once you fill the tank back up it will run fine. Usually the tipping point is around 1/4 tank where the pump is uncovered with not much of any fuel to cool it down. I replaced my pump at 54,000 miles with a DW200 from BHR.