I was explaining the flooding issue to a co-worker. After I completed the explanation of what it was, he came unglued. He thought it was a terrible flaw with the vehicle. To me it just wasn’t that big of a deal. But as I thought back on my buying experience and some of the posts I’ve read at members anger over this issue, I came up with the question posted here.

As I thought back on my experience, my answer was no. I test drove 2 “8”’s at separate dealerships. Neither mentioned the issue at any point in the process. But for me, it wasn’t a big deal because I had read about here having taken the time to research here before my purchase. But I could see where someone that didn’t know and got “bit’ by it would be ticked off.

So what was your experience on this issue?

 

my salesman never mentioned it.

 

Mine told me about the issue. I didn't think it was a big deal, and I still don't. Did you tell your coworker that even if you forget to let the engine heat up, it may still start without any worries. I know I have forgotten to let the engine warm up several times, and I still haven't flooded the engine. It's not like the engine floods EVERY time you kill the engine when it's cold.

 

No, no mention, but then, there are often little things like this in most cars, and the salesmen never mention them. And don't forget, the dealers really aren't that familiar with rotaries in general any more. I read my manual as soon as I got the car, so I knew not to stop and start it cold. But I know a few members have had it flood.

*of course, I've just invoked Murphy's Law, so watch me flood it this afternoon when I get home*

 

I think you heard of it here first, right Elara?

I seem to recall that before the first 8's got to USA we were thinking that the renesis had that "problem" fixed. I know I was disapointed when the flooding stories started coming in. At first, I actually thought it wasn't the real thing. Evidently, it is though...

 

Yes. I purchased in October and had a pretty knowledgeable fleet manager / salesman who was also an RX-8 wannabe. He showed me the Emergency Starting: Starting a Flooded Engine procedure on page 7-20 of the manual but didn't make it sound like a big deal.

 

I was told that I should always run the car for at least five minutes, but I was never given a good explanation as to why.

 

they never mentioned it, nor do I think they need to. Did your salesman mentioned if you leave your lights on all night, the battery will drain?

 

I disagree on that comparison.

The flooding is a problem specific to the rotary engine. Many RX-8 buyers will not have had a rotary engine before.

It should be mentioned by the sales person, at least after you bought it.

My dealer told me - as I took off in my brand new RX-8 - that I need to check the oil more frequently than in a cylinder engine.
He didn't mention the flooding problem.

And no, he didn't mention to turn off the lights either :-)

-Peter

 

My salesman told me to always rev the engine to 5000 rpms before shutting it off. He didn't say why. Thanks to this forum, I've been able to take what he said with what I've read, and worked out the real situation.

 

My salesman told me to let the car warm up for 5 minutes, then rev it up to 4000 rpm for 10 seconds before shutting the car off when cold. I don't remember if he said exactly why, just that it was an important procedure with this car.

 

flooding restart procedure?
What is it?

I never had to shut the car when it is cold so... I will rev the car to 5000k everytime I saw someone in the car park anyway!

 

takahashi -

Duh! I shouldn't have said flooding restart procedure. I was referring to the Emergency Starting: Starting a Flooded Engine section on page 7-20 of the owners manual but I was too lazy to go look it up.

 

no he didnt
he tried to tell me the nav played DVD's

 

On my test drive, the sales guy claimed he hadn't heard of the issue - even after I mentioned that my 1986 RX-7 has the same issue.

 

My salesman said nothing about the flooding issue. I doubt he knew about it tho. I'm not clear how big an issue it really is. I'd love for Mazda to do some cold start/stop testing of the cars to get a better idea how likely it is to flood if we shut down the car cold. If it is a significant problem - maybe they should find a fix for it.

I've heard forum members mention here that some of the dealers were flooding the cars as they arrived off the truck. If the dealers experienced that problem I think they should take it seriously and let new 8 owners know about the issue.

 

i have never had that problem in my turbo II, but i am gald you guys have brought this issue to my attention. and yes rotary motors need more care than piston motors, but if you take the time to maintain them, you will not have problems

 

fluids need to be checked regularly, and oil should be changed every 1,500 miles

 

Where the heck did you get that the oil needed to be changed every 1500 miles?

 

This is really interesting. Just yesterday, as I was getting my hair cut, I was told (by the lady cutting my hair) that a co-worker of hers had recently had her new RX-8 in the shop for a "flooding" problem. I've seen hers... she has had it since the end of Summer. I've never experienced anything like this with mine, but I've only had my RX a little over a month.

I didn't think that flooding was possible with newer, fuel-injected cars. I guess this woman was told by her dealer that she wasn't driving it hard enough. -She basically drives it about two miles to work on a 35-mph road. That's it! What a waste of a great car!

So, can someone clarify this for me? How can the car "flood," or is this really about carbon build-up?

For what it's worth, the dealer told me when I ordered my car that I should never start the car, then shut it down. He said to always let it warm up. He just said that the rotary engine likes it that way, and that I could have problems if I didn't. Is this the flooding thing?

 

"Flooding" problem: the Answer-
Ok, now I'll answer my own post. After reading the discussion about the flooding issue, I called the service manager at Park Mazda in Akron, Ohio. The answer was explained well. YES, this problem is the result of starting the engine, then shutting it off before it's warm... Also, short trip driving (down to the store, and back) will also cause this. The word "flooding" was also used by her, because unburned fuel can be left in the engine (presumably the combustion chamber).

However, the problem is fouled spark plugs. That's it. Unfortunately, according to the service manager, these new spark plugs can NOT be cleaned. They must be replaced. FYI.

 

My understanding - Yep.

It would also apply to the other person you know. It isn't that she's not drigin it hard enough, it's that she isn't driving it long enough. She would need to wait after she arrived at work for the engine to warm before turnning it off.

Again, this isn't an issue for me because I read about it on the board before I purchase. I knew I would have to work arond this issue.

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

The saleman told me to make sure you read the owner's manual... Does that count???

 

Mine told me to always let it warm up for 5 minutes before shutting it down. Said something like "That is just the way rotary engines work."

Never specifically said the word flooding, and didn't really explain WHY you had to let it warm up.

But then again I didn't ask (cuz I already knew), so I consider that sufficent warning.

 

My dealer never mentioned it. It doesn't seem like a big deal until it happens to you and you have to watch them tow it away. For me that was this morning. I pulled it out of my garage to wash it, put it back in after I was done, and then tried to start it to no avail not an hour later. What a pain.