Check engine light :(
 

hello all, i was on my way to work when i heard something weird, its like my 8's gonna die, then i pulled over and yeah it died, then i started it up again and i noticed that my engine light is blinking. What could be the reason why?

i still got the chance to get at work, but im probably not gonna use my 8 going back to my house anymore coz everytime i stop in any intersection my 8 died :(

please help,
thanks

Get the code(s) read and post them here.

sorry bud, i dont have a code reader or OBD2
i'll take it to the dealer later this afternoon :(

Usually not a good sign from what ive seen with my own rx8. I had same problem and it led to mazda giving me a new engine.....not to worry you or anything.

Hopefully if it is a new engine he's still in that 8 yr 100,000 mile warranty.

Yes, My 8 only has 50K and itz an 05. Does anyone know under what warranty campaign that falls under?

Before you start expecting a new engine, how about you tell us the maintenance history of your car?

What was the last work you had done on it, and when was that?
How old are the spark plugs, ignition coils, and ignition wires?

BC.

the last work i did to my 8 is putting a borla exhaust system, that's all,
some said that it could be the reason why im having a check engine flashing but the annoying sound i dont know about that...

coils

Mine has identical issues like yours, and some says, it's the coils that needs to be changed. So, +1 on the coils, and mine has 32k plus miles on the odometer and that is the time needing to replace the coils. I will change the plugs and wires afterward.

so your saying i shouldn't worry too much?
i just hope that everything is under control later,.
i miss my car already :(

Just worry about your wallet if the dealer says you need new coils, wires and plugs.

Blinking CEL is misfire, usually bad coils. Happened to mine rather suddenly, taking out the O2 sensor and cat as well. The car is running like new with the new coils, plugs and wires. I had not noticed the gradual fall-off in performance as the original coils deteriorated.

Ken

how much do you think would that be? so i can prepare myself :)

The full quote was around $1300. Dealer prices for the parts, plus four hours of labor. I'm a regular customer, and just had some other expensive work done, so they gave me a mercy discount - comped the coils and wires, which they listed for about $500. They also agreed to use my spare set of plugs, which I had bought from Mazmart for $85, rather than sell me a set of theirs for $200. Their price on the O2 sensor was $200.

Cat was warranty. They gave me a loaner for free. By the time the smoke cleared, I was out $671 plus my spare plugs.

I'm sure others here can tell you what you'd pay non-dealer for parts, and will cite way less than four hours DIY labor. Fortunately, I'm at a point in my life and finances where the money did not hurt, and getting it fixed by folks who know what they're doing was a real plus.

Ken

If it is your plugs and coils, do yourself a favor and do them on your own...Seriously...The dealership will rape you and your wallet...Unless you just absolutely don't have time to do them...That happened to me once...Never again...I will gladly lose a day's pay to do them myself...lol...Just buy everything from rockauto.com...they're cheap...But once again...If I were you, I would forget about buying oem coils, and switch to the BHR Ignition...I love mine.

thanks for all the input guys, i really appreciate it,
lets just hope for the best

How often should i change my coils and spark plugs? I have 75k last time i changed plugs were around 60k. The coils were covered under warranty around the same mileage..

Honestly, it's completely different for everybody...Some people can last up to 50k miles before needing to change theirs (I would NOT recommend waiting that long), while others may have them go bad after 2k miles...It really depends on your 8 and whether or not it feels like f***ing you over...lol....A number of things can cause them to wear down.

You best bet is to check them every few thousand miles...It's really simple...If I can find the DIYs on how to change your coils and plugs, I'll edit and paste them here.

Cool. Since I joined this site a few days ago I see rx8 owners swearing by the bhr ignition upgrade. Done a little research and this seems to be a nice upgrade if you have the money. I shall look into this, thanks for reply!

It really is a great mod...Definitely worth the investment.

Plugs are supposed to be changed every 35k or 36k miles - it's in the maintenance schedule. I get a good sense from discussion here that coils should be changed at about the same interval. Fits with the data point of mine blowing just past 40k.

I was actually planning on buying the BHR kit. Just a little behind the curve thanks to work load and a recent health problem. I figure my new coils will last the remaining 3 years of the engine core warranty, after which I'll go BHR.

Ken

I would never, ever let a set of plugs be in ANY car I have owned or will own for much over 15k miles.
Coils..........well if I was stock it would be 20k-23k.
It's just not worth taking the chance on either of the above in my opinion. Leads to potentially way too more expensive issues.

Now....I need a break in the weather and work schedule to put the BHR in(sitting in the closet) and take out the ole Mazsport(which is still doing fine at ~20k or so).

Yep, i recently learned that a flashing/blinking check engine light is more likely misfire. In my case, the plugs, wires, coils, O2 sensors and cat "passed" inspection. But the dealer certainly checked them in that order. However they did say one of the plugs was "dirty" with carbon deposits, and apparently they cleaned it - which surprised me cause i read somewhere you cannot/should not clean the spark plugs.

Let's see how long it lasts before the CEL starts blinking again:(

But the car has low miles so the tech advised me to "drive it hard" so prevent carbon build up, LOL.

Anyway, sounds like your problem should be around the plugs, wires, coils as others suggested. Worse case scenario your cat is gone too - but it should be covered under warranty. However, I doubt the warranty will cover the O2 sensor which is probably dead too if the cat is dead.

If anybody can make a DIY video (plus tools need for this and year of car) for changing coils, wires, spark plugs, I think every one would appreciate it that doesn't already know how to. Def. recommended then just upload to youtube. :) I loveee videos.

Have you change these in other cars?