Matt G

Cant tell you of a difference between an auto and a manual...But I can tell you this, my manual GT has never flooded once...My technique?..No throttle at all during start up... I am in so cal where the weather is good but it's started fine in pouring rain and cold as well...Good Luck

G8rboy

You should never use any throttle on start up on a modern, fuel injected car... and on a throttle-by-wire (vs cable actuated) car like the RX-8, the computer decides everything for you anyway at startup... for the most part.

And for what it's worth, I have seen more floodings reported from auto owners on the forum, but it's just not scientific enough to be valid statistically. I've never flooded it, and because I let it warm up like you're supposed to, I seriously doubt ever will.

BoxerGT2.5

I have never flooded mine???? Your not doin anything funky are ya??? lol Lettin it warm up (5 min) on cold starts before you shut it down? Poppin the revs above 3K while your shuttin it down????

bagman

I have never flooded mine either (auto). I never rev to 3k before I shut her down either.

cas2themoe

I'm yet to have a flood in my car and I have the auto! I almost had one last week when I started the car and then cut it off 10 secs later. But I think I have never had the flooding problem because I always let my car warm up and then I drive off. DONT EVER start the car and then turn it off when the engine is cold!

MEGAREDS

See this thread which suggests that one out of eight MT owners have flooded their cars, while about half of all AT owners have done it. This may be because AT owners allow others to drive their cars... the only time mine flooded was when my wife moved the car, which is a pretty standard story. Overall, it appears that one in five RX-8 owner has flooded.

Trx8

Adapted from an earlier thread:

I think flooding is mostly an "operator error" and I am skeptical that it is an "MT/AT problem". Anecdotal reporting on the internet is inherently unreliable. As someone else said, "I don't go to every poll and report that my car hasn't flooded". Its possible that people that have flooded are more likely to vote in these polls.

I haven't seen anything (except possibly battery differences) that would explain why AT or MT would be more likely to flood. Its also possible that AT or MT drivers have styles that would change their flooding probability, but again, that is a property of the driver, not the car.

Rotary Nut

I have an AT and have never flooded it. I really don't see how an AT will flood more often than an MT since you can't stall an AT the way you can an MT. Cold starts and short drives not withstanding how else can you flood an AT?

sadams21

Had mine 2 months and 3000 miles, never flooded once. I let her warm up for 4 or 5 minutes and then I'm off, no other special techniques.

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Jeup just let the neddle get to half way b4 shut down its not hard.

Len

Heh, during the winter months the needle barely made it to halfway at the end of my 15-minute commute! My rule of thumb is drive it until the temp needle moves at all. That ought to be enough to keep unburned fuel from pooling in the engine.

MRX_Rotary

iTrader: (1)

My RX-7 makes me push in my throttle to start it. I know there's a way to bypass it by messing with a couple wires. Worth the trouble?

And Len, how much fun do you have with your car during your commute?

Len

In the winter, with snow tires, and keeping the tach low until it warms up? Not nearly as much as last summer.

(It's supposed to snow tomorrow. No summer tires for me yet. )

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Well your obviously not driving it hard enough.
:D

Rule of Thumb add 1000 to 4000rpms every increment your temp goes up, that way at about quarter the way up you can redline it making it warm up a whole lot faster.

Rotarian_SC

I think that drivers who have owned a rotary before and know more about a rotary while most automatic drivers are making their first rotary purchase, so I think it is partly driver error. But you have to manipulate the clutch wrong in the manual to stall it, while in the auto you can stall just pressing the gas. That is my experience with the manual, at least that is what I've heard about the auto. Supposedly the best way to determine whether it is safe to shut down is by the idle RPMS. If your idle is at 800 rpms (after you let it idle for 15s or so) then the car won't flood cause the fuel isn't rich enough.

Len

That sounds like a good rule, except it only works after the needle reaches the bottom of the gauge, which didn't happen until I was nearly half-way to work when temp was < -20C! The RX-8 takes a lot longer to warm up than other cars I've driven - which I guess means it has an efficient cooling system.

My engine has never flooded, though.

Rotary Nut

Come on get real! That is one of the silliest statements I have heard in a long tiime.

Yes this is my first rotary but my dad had an old RX-3 back in the seventies so I am quite familiar with the rotary engine.

In my 25 years of driving experience I have never had an automatic simply stall just by pressing the gas pedal. Only cars that have an underlying problem in the engine may do this.

It is a more common occurance to have a MT stall by releasing the clutch than it is to have an AT stall just by pressing the gas!

Rotarian_SC

First of all just a theory and not applicable to every person who bought one. That means that yes, there are exceptions, but most cases of flooding I have heard the people didn't know that the car could flood. That means that besisdes not knowing that rotaries have flooded in the past, they didn't have their salesman tell them or read that part in the manual. This site is also probably not really representative of those who have an automatic and are previous rotary owners because previous owners would probably know about this site than more than first time buyers.

I have however heard one auto user say that in the mornings when they would drive it to work the car would have to be warmed up. Otherwise the engine would stall when they tried to accelerate, and that it was like the car didn't want to go. I stated that this was not my experience driving an auto cause I haven't driven an auto. That is the only explanation I have heard of how the auto stalls. I have never had one of my previous auto cars stall, and it looks to me like there isn't much you can do in the 8 (besides letting it warm up) to prevent stalling the auto. Yes it is a more comman occurance to stall with a manual because you can stall at any time, but it seems with the auto it can only stall when it is not warmed up. Therefore I concluded that while the car is not warmed up it is easier to stall the automatic, than stalling the manual, but that depends on driver skill. I hadn't driven a manual for 5 years before I drove the 8 and have yet to stall the 8 in 5k miles. I would assume that most people out there would be better drivers than me because that manual 5 years ago was my first. If your individual experiences have differed from the experiences I have heard about so far I would appreciate it if you would tell me those experiences.

Trx8

I have ~3000 miles on my AT, most in winter weather. I use the "initialize" method to start it, give it no gas to start, let it idle until it drops below 1750 RPM (5-30+ sec), then put it in reverse without giving it gas. It backs down my driveway where I back into the street, put it in drive, then drive gently as it warms up. Its never given a hint of stalling. My main commute is 6 miles to work and (depending on temperature) it takes 1/2 the drive to get full coolant temperature, and I assume the oil may only be approaching full temp by the time I get to work, so I don't drive it hard during that commute. I get good revs a few times a week after its warmed up.

I suppose if you started a cold AT, shifted to drive and then floored it while the engine and tranny were cold, it might stall. With an MT, you could start it cold, shift to 1st, floor it and then release the clutch, and it would be less likely to flood. I don't know, these aren't things I would do to a cold AT/MT engine.

So its possible that in an abusive scenario it would be easier to stall an AT, but coming from blacksmith territory, the family comment was that you can break an anvil, but why would you do that?

Positron

I agree 100% with Rotary Nut. I have never had my AT stall (or any other AT I have ever driven) because it was cold or from attempting to accelerate. I also cannot think of a reason for this to happen unless there was some sort of engine problem. I would be interested in hearing from any AT owner who's car stalls when cold (or at any other time) and it isn't in fact some engine/tuning related problem that was fixed by adjustment.

mm

Rotarian_SC

I know, that is why i had to go with somebody elses experiences because I had never heard of an AT stalling from cold temps, or ever had one of my previous AT's stall. I would be interested in hearing other instances when other AT owners have stalled their car, and if they had fixed it and what the problem was. I can't really think of a reason for the engine to just stall. Maybe this person just floored it out of the driveway, without letting it warm up at Northern Canada cold temperatures (-20 or so) and it stalled.

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

I can't wait till these cars are like 5-10 years old and out of warrany...maybe by then people will have a clue and we will be spared all the annoying threads about stupid stuff.......