Q: I have a 2005 Mazda RX-8. I love my car, but it can be fussy. If by any chance you start the car and within one minute you turn it off, it will not start again. One Mazda dealer suggested changing the starter, which I did. Three times it has happened and the only remedy is to call for a tow truck. Luckily I am a CAA member, and had it towed to a Mazda dealer. It is very expensive because they have to reset the control panel, etc. It seems that with a rotary engine it can flood easily. I was wondering if there was anything that can be added to the starter, such as a booster that when you turn off the engine, within a three minute time frame it will stay running until it warms up and then will turn itself off to avoid this problem. It happened in Florida so it seems it has nothing to do with the temperature.

I have asked a few Mazda dealers if anything can be done and they come up blank. Can you help me?

-Betty

Desrochers A: Yvan Charlebois, who has 30 years of experience as a mechanic, says he recently heard about a similar problem.

"A former Mazda technician was telling me about the RX-8 problems on restart after a short drive," Charlebois said. "He mentioned that these engines must run for at least 30 minutes before being shut down.

"If not, it would flood excessively and not restart."

He added that many factors can cause this problem, and they have to be diagnosed by experienced technicians on these cars, which might be expensive.

Letting the car run for 30 minutes, as the former Mazda technician suggested, is not eco-friendly and will cost money in wasted gasoline, so that is not an ideal solution, Charlebois says.

The question was forwarded to Mazda Canada, who sent this reply:

"We are sorry to hear that Betty is experiencing occasional difficulty in starting her Mazda RX-8. Mazda does not offer an accessory that performs the described functions. In addition, we are not aware of and would not recommend an aftermarket solution as we can't assure the quality or benefit such devices might provide," Mazda said in an e-mail.

"We would recommend that the vehicle be brought to a Mazda dealership to ensure that all recalls and updates have been performed. Emissions Recall 4206F was issued in 2009 for 2004-2006 RX-8 vehicles produced between April 23, 2003, and June 1, 2006, and may address the issues Betty has described."
- - -
Have a question about your car you would like one of our mechanics to answer? send it via e-mail to gearbox@montrealgazette.com.Please include your name and as many details about your car and the problems you are having so the mechanic can give you the best possible answer. if possible, please also send in a photo of your vehicle for publication.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette