Email from Mazda NA on flooding/stalling
 

Since this isn't an official engineering response, take it for what it's worth.

I emailed Mazda NA about the flooding problem, stating it wasn't the "shut the engine off cold" flooding I was concerned about, but rather that if I blew a shift or simply didn't apply enough gas pulling out of a parking space I could stall the engine - the same as shutting the engine off cold.

The reply I received was that the flooding problem only occurs if the engine is shut off cold and the engine is allowed to sit for a period of time.

The email also mentioned that engineering was indeed researching the flooding issue and was working on some type of fix.

In short, aside from the valet parking issue, that pretty much resolves the flooding issue for me, assuming the information about the engine needing to sit after being shut off cold to flood is correct...

That's interesting. I am trying to imagine what condition would manifest over time in a shutdown state that is not already present in the cold engine immediately.

Fouling the spark plugs maybe.

Or it may be a matter of the spark plugs cooling back down...

When it got to 21 F here mine died three times successively (before I switched to 87 octane) when I started it and tried to let it idle and it cranked right back up each time. So maybe there is some truth to the "not letting sit" comment.

had that on my car at -28C the other day, the engine was somewhat warm (the needle vwasn't way down but just getting over the first 2 lines) and it started right up after i stalled it.

I went to start my car to take it in for the oil pan exchange and it wouldn't start. The car has been sitting in my cold garage for months and the battery was low and so the engine flooded when I tried to start it.

I jumped the battery and (as per starting a flooded RX8 in other threads) kept the gas pedal floored. Every 30 or 40 seconds I turned the engine over for about 10-15 seconds. After about 12 tries the engine finally kept going on its own but not after filling my garage with black smoke (just as the other threads said it would).

I was able to drive it to the dealer where they changed the oil pan. I told the service guy about the hard starting and he ordered a set of the special spark plugs that are supposed to "fix" the hard-starting/flooding problem. Apparently the spark plugs are in short supply (they aren't off the shelf items yet). Their parts guy is calling all over - including Mazda dealers in other states - and has not been able to locate the new plugs (which were made for the RX8).

If anyone gets a chance to grab a set of those plugs, I suggest you hang on to them so that you'll have them when needed.

billk are you saying flooding occurs when the engine is allowed to sit for a period of time after shutting down cold or before? i htough ive read wher people are trying to start it right back up after accidently shutting down cold and it still wont start.

I don't know of anyone that couldn't immediately restart after a cold stall. I taught my teenager to drive a stick in my 8 and I know it was stalled cold and restarted.

Please someone post if they've stalled and couldn't immediately restart.

What Mazda told me is that flooding occurs when the engine is shut down cold and then allowed to sit; it should restart with no issues after an accidental stall.

Now whether that is true in practice is another story and is a question I cannot answer...

It also sounds like it would be a good idea to charge the battery before starting if the car has sat for long periods. With it trying to start slow, it is probably contributing to the flooding by not turning over fast enough so the fuel is accumlating.