ReX8One

Anyone in the Seattle/Tacoma, WA area that is good with Rx-8 electrical issues? Or any recommended local specialists?

My, new to me, Series II R3 has been being a twitch following a series of misfortunes. I am ready to throw in the towel with it.

Been browsing these forums for months now trying to find someone with similar experiences and nothing . It seem as I have found a new behavior for this platform.

being a newb here I can’t post to anywhere for help that it makes sense yet .

Danhig

posting the actual issue you're having might help, hopefully someone will be looking in the new member area and can help. off the bat I would say if you haven't already done so the best thing to do would be to pull the wiring for whatever it is you're having issues with and hitting it with some electrical cleaner since it seems like this car collects enough dirt and debris over time to degrade those connections. otherwise you and I are stuck in the same boat waiting for that 10 post & 30 day limit so we can get what we need.

jcbrx8

If you desire help with an issue ,you MUST detail the issue...in detail...what are the symptoms...frequency...any triggers ...include any CEL...OBDII scan codes, what you have done, etc. Did I say be detailed?

From your original post we know:
- you live near Seattle /Tacoma
- your car has "generic" electrical issues
- you're a newb

Speak words that matter...

ReX8One

Oh, I understand how to get help with an issue . Just looking for local mechanics who are good with the electrical system of the RX-8, this one is a 2009 R3. Also, didn't think the Newbie forum was the right place to request help with issues before we met our "post requirement".

So, now that it seems to be alright . Here is a bit about my journey and the issues I am battling .

TL;DR;

At 8krpm under load, or after engine is warm and vehicle is parked, the alternator is producing 17v to the battery. At which time ALL of the dash warning lights light up like Christmas, and the car seems to go into limp mode until I have my foot off the throttle for a few seconds. Read on for the details of troubleshooting and more info on how it came to this point.

When I purchased it the owner, a close friend, had been chasing the dreaded voltage drain problem that the wonderful keyless entry system provides. The car was being driven several times each week and all things were golden until a few years ago when he began driving it less. He went through two batteries before starting to simply disconnect the battery after each drive in hopes that it would keep from killing another battery. However, between 2018 and 2019 it went through 2 batteries which both developed "dead cells". Both were Optima red tops, charged on an Optima charger. Note, if you EVER run an Optima battery that last part is important as using their charger has been the saving grace on other Optima's I have owned and getting them replaced under warranty when if they fail a second time in their warranty period, or just outside it as one I got replaced 6 months after as it showed signs of internal defect which "was not found to be linked to the operational condition of the vehicle".

So when he decided to sell it I purchased it as who would pass up a 2009 R3 with under 45k miles on it, which was well kept? I have read through so many articles on the electrical issues people experience with these cars and none of the resolutions have worked. When I took it to a Mazda dealer I trust, I know a mechanic there. He diagnosed it as simply a dead cell in the battery. After experiencing this issue with the 3rd Optima I swapped the battery with a lead-acid group 35r, which was installed free of charge at the dealer (after diagnosis fees anyhow ;(). Thinking "how lucky could my friend be to get 3 defective Optima's in a row?" I ran it with the lead-acid battery for 3 months before the same issue presented again. This time I had been driving it daily as a commuter, over an hour each day and as much spirited driving as I could get in on the weekends. So off to the alternator shop I like that is out of state I went. The tech there said the OEM alternator was showing an over voltage condition under load and that I should look at replacing it due to the wear he saw on the field coils, he gave me a deeper explanation that went in one ear and out the other for me. So I took his advice and swapped my stock alternator for a reman unit. Installed that, and another new battery for good measure...damn this has already been expensive! Drove with the reman alternator for just under 2 months and had a catastrophic alternator failure. Driving along a stretch of I-5 at 60mph the battery indicator light came on and I lost power steering. I couldn't pull over for another 1/2 mile due to barriers on both sides of the road. When I did get pulled over and stopped it was evident the car had overheated as 100yds before I passed the barrier I smelt hot antifreeze and started seeing the indicators behind me . I was devastated! Opening the hood reveled that the alternator pully had broken at the hub as the hub of he pulley was still attached to the alternator but the pulley itself was broken off, still in a complete circle. Like when you pull a screw through a washer which is a bit too big and the washer and screw are still intact.

After that I got the reman alternator replaced again and then a new problem presented itself. That new problem is:

After the car gets up to operating temperature, or maybe it is "time based" and is actually when the computer has "re-learned" after a reset, the alternator goes into an overvoltage condition above 8krpm. To diagnose, and troubleshoot this issue I have been running a voltage gauge in the interior connected to the battery positive terminal and a chassis ground. When I get up to 8k the voltage jumps from 14.3-4v to 17v! Also, all of the dash warning lights come on and power steering goes away, the engine seems to go into limp mode, and it goes away only after I have my foot off the throttle for a few seconds. Once I do that the car goes back to "normal~ish" and I can drive it as long as I stay under 8k rpm. This alternator has been tested by two shops and passed all tests with flying colors. No evidence of any defect, or voltage drop. In the vehicle is the only time the alternator is over-volting which indicates something is fubar'd in the ECU . Or other component of the electrical system that I can't diagnose due to no diagnostics code being stored in the ECU. Either that or the alternator is at fault and testing methods don't adequately measure the behavior under load at alternator RPMs which would be present during high RPM pulls on the engine.

So, that is why I was looking for someone good with our electrical system instead of diving into the problem. One post that came across recently is close to the same behavior but like me the OP is looking for the cause/resolution.

ReX8One

jcbrx8, thanks for the info on how to get help and the reminder I am a newb…on here. IMHO, and shared by most admins around, newb intro channels are not the place to request help with troubleshooting, related tot the core subject area of the forum, or other types of asks/posts which even a newb can see are aligned to category within the site. So I naturally tried to “be a good newb”, only new to the Rx-8 family .

One day I will grow to be trusted enough to actually post questions where they align within this community. Only 6 more posts too go! SMDH! Being a good newb here is more difficult than any other automotive related forum around.

In the end my question is still valid. And why I posted it as I did versus asking for tech help in a general channel. Since following the rules says use the search button first, which did return any names, asking here seemed proper. Sorry that this became an ask for troubleshooting which I wasn’t originally asking for.