Well it seems the smart thing to do is push the engine to redline regularly if I want to avoid engine problems. So now I do. But I'm wondering if it's a little too late…

THE GOOD…
• No power loss or idling problems. Car pulls nice and hard when revved to 9K.
• Just 4,200 miles on the car
• Got S-flash last month
• Don't live where it's super hot—only drove a couple of times in 90º weather

• Followed Racing Beat break-in rules:
- Didn't do full throttle acceleration first 1,000 miles
- Didn't exceed 4,000 rpm first 1,000 miles
- Expanded RPMs upwards from 1,000—2,000 miles, still no full throttle acceleration
- Finally brought it up to 9,000 RPM after 1,800 miles


THE BAD…
• Trying to use less fuel, I've only had it up to redline two or three times in its first 4,200 miles, plus…
• I've spent a lot of time cruising/shifting between 2,000—3,000 RPM, sometimes shifting between 3,000—5,000 RPM. Haven't been pushing her very hard until now.

So… think it's too late?? Do I have the beginnings of carbon buildup? (With no power loss or idling problems, the dealership won't be testing my engine when I go in for the recall.) And, if I do have carbon buildup, will regularly redlining it from now on clear out whatever buildup there is?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Aren't they required to test all the components regardless of whether he's experiencing any problems?

 

If you broke it in correctly and changed the oil to get all the metal shards out you should be gravy. A few redlines a day won't hurt anything, in fact I heard that some of the RX8's that weren't ever driven hard had some carbon build up issues. Just don't hit the fuel cutoff or power shift and it should be fine.

 

what's wrong with hitting the rev-limiter?

 

you dont mention the year or the build date. but from what you are describing i would not worry at all... if you have the problem you will know it...

unless it is an auto... then it is 50/50, but it will be tested anyway..

beers

 

you're fine...

 

Thanks for the responses. It's a 6-sp '05, built end of March, '05.

Just to clarify, I know—now—that it's good to do a couple of redlines each drive. My question was, will I have carbon buildup because I WASN'T redlining much before?

As I interpret the recall info, the dealer will NOT be performing the engine check on all cars. All cars will get the new flash and plugs—but they'll be performing the engine test ONLY if:
a) your car's previously had problems with power loss/idling (it's in your service history), or
b) you tell them you're now having problems with power loss/idling.

If that's true, they won't be doing the engine test on my car because it's never had power loss/idling problems. (Unless I "lie" and say "yeah, I'm noticing loss of power now"—then they'll perform the test). At least that's how I understand it.

 

Nothing wrong with lying every now and then. Its not like it could hurt.

 

Same 'vintage' here. Tuesday March 29, 2005 build myself. No problems either.

Related, is there any benefit to a periodic injector cleaner gas additive?

Hmmmm... Then again, I 'think' I lost some power during the 100 degF+ days of early August.

 

That's some nice overreacting New Yorker, lol

 

Ah yes—now that I think of it, maybe I had some power loss, too.

(Actually, reading the details of the vacuum test/test drive, I'm not so sure I want them to do it—especially if I haven't had any problems. Then again, maybe it's wise to get the test for peace of mind. Hmm… what to do, what to do…)

 

I know. (FWIW, I'm totally **** about the car—but only about the car. I used to be **** about lots of things, but I've managed to get it down to just the car. Often my bed's unmade, the apartment needs vacuuming and clothes need to be folded and put away. Doesn't bother me.)

 

I know, I'm the same way. I wash my car every week, sometimes twice. People think I'm crazy. But I think some people aren't confident about the Renesis and become worried.

 

I just want to hurry up and get my PCM flash so I can keep the RPM’s low on occasion. Typically there are 10-20min stretches of my drive that I can be at 50mph constantly. Currently every 5 minutes or so I’ll drop it down to 2nd or 3rd gear and leave it there for a minute just so I’m above 4k RPM. I’ll also slow down when possible and run it up to redline in 2nd if I can. I’ve not driven on a highway yet because I’m waiting on the flash.

 

That's how I interpret it. If you havent had history and tell them you have problems they will start with the dealer driving test and go from there. I did the test myself and didnt have any problems.

 

What you have been doing so far is totally fine. I wouldn't worry about the engine too much, as long as you have fun with it once in a while . Just don't forget to let it warm up first.

 

Mazda must be getting hundreds of people thinking/doing the same thing.


My 2 cents, if you're having problems, report it! If not, dont! Sometimes if it aint broke, dont try to fix it. I learned this a long time ago, THE HARD WAY!

Goodluck!

 

That is a tough break in rule I think. Did you ever go on a highway?

I tried to be **** about my break in, until I thought about test drives. I am sure everyone takes the car out on a test drive and whoops it up, maybe not hitting the rev limited but definitely getting over 4,000 rpms. If no one did, not many people would buy this car, so I conclude that some hard driving in the break in every now and then isnt going to damage the car too much.

I actually have difficulty finding a place to redline it on a daily basis (Fvcking new jersey), but do it whenever I get the chance.

If you've only hit redline once or twice in 4,200 miles, you are missing out on a lot.

 

About 70% of it was highway, often driving almost an hour at a time without stopping. I don't drive to work, and mostly take the car out Sunday mornings. Traffic tends to be very light—so there weren't many times in the first 1,000 miles when I had to accelerate quickly.

I'm sure pushing it during break in is no big deal. I chose to follow the RB break in guidelines because I'm ****.

As I said, now I hit redline a couple of times whenever I drive. I know it's better for the engine and, of course, it's fun. But I also like to maximize my mpg by shifting early, provided doing that doesn't hurt the engine. So now my 8 has a split personality: the fun one, where I redline a couple of times each drive, rev freely for passing and getting on the highway—and the boring one, where I shift early when I don't have to push it so that I can save a little gas.

 

let me ask again. Is there anything wrong with hitting the rev-limiter every now and then?

 

No, keep doing it...

 

I said fuel cutoff, if you need to ask why hitting this is bad then go buy yourself a kia.

 

Yeah thanks for the straightforward answers.

 

considering i just bought a 06 shinka and have only 400 mi so far..i have kept it under 5k rpm for the most part and never taken it over 6k...but...

would there be a chance of something bad happening if i were to take it to 8k?

this car is so freakin light on its wheels its amazing (but maybe its cuz i have been driving a 01 F150 for the last year or so...)

 

Try driving it like a madman for a week...I think you'd be quite surprised at your MPG. It's either going to be the same or better. I always consistently get my best MPG when I do multiple runs over 4000 RPMs within a drive. With a rotary, you'd probably be getting your best power:distance covered ratio at high revs, so you might be using your gas more effectively at high RPMs assuming you're not in bumper to bumper traffic.