I am look into a 2006 rx8 grand touring. they are great cars but i was wondering how well they will start/run when it is below zero? I live in montana so this is a big deal, we see everywhere from -10 to -40 in january. if they will run would this be an ideal situation to flood my engine?

 

Hmm, I remember someone saying if it gets that cold to get a engine block heater or something??? other people say they live in those climates in Canada and have 0 problems... Idk man, You should be fine

 

I think you are an honorary Canadian at that point

I am going to try to head off some stuff at the pass:

1 - When the RX-8 was introduced, flooding was a common problem with turning it off when not fully warmed up because the ECU would dump a ton of extra fuel in (as all cars do, not just rotaries), during the warmup. The problem is, piston cars don't have a serious flooding risk, where there is nowhere for the excess fuel to go on a RENESIS, so it pools up at the bottom of the housing, and you get a flood. Prior rotaries had peripheral ports, which were better located to push excess fuel out on cranking, so less of a risk, though still more than a piston engine where it can just drain away.

2 - Complicating this issue was that the battery and starter of 2004 and early 2005 8s were weak, causing a weak ignition on starting, and increasing the flooding chance.

3 - The above problem #1 was largely fixed in a reflash (call Mazda North America with the VIN to see if it was done, 2006's and newer have it off the factory floor), the reflash didn't start dumping in tons of fuel until the engine was spinning for a short time, greatly helping to ensure that if the engine is shut off during the extra fuel warmup period, the spinning of the rotors would greatly help to push the fuel out the exhaust ports.

4 - Problem #2 was fixed through a TSB in which the starter and battery were replaced with an upgraded one that handled it better. Again, call MNAO with the VIN to see if it was done. 2006 and newer has the upgraded starter and battery off the factory floor.

5 - The 'cold weather' thing was mainly due to extended periods of warmup needed, compared to southern California and Florida, so a greater range of time in which the pre-flash owners were in risk if they shut it off. Nothing inherent in cold weather is a flooding risk.

6 - IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO FLOOD YOUR ENGINE. We get flooding reports and problems posted all the time. But it has nothing to do with the temperature, and EVERYTHING to do with your ingition system. In every single flooding issue I have seen posted in the past year, the ignition system was failing, be it coils, plugs, wires, battery, or starter, and the weak ignition was insufficient to ignite the extra fuel, causing a flood. Often adding a tow, dealer costs for fixing the above stuff instead of the far cheaper 'self' option, and burned cats.

So...moral of the story? Keep your ingition healthy, and flooding won't be an issue.



You should probably check with the Canadian people for advice on oil pan heaters, block heaters, and other tips useful for that tempurature.

The 8 will do just fine.

 

thx, good news. I'll check with the canadians

 

block heater would be a plus...IMO....I never had any problem living in Northwestern PA with in was in the negatives....I think the coldest I started my 8 was in the low neg 20's

 

which is better, a block heater or an oil pan heater. or would both be recomended

 

I dont know much about either but using my intelligence id say block heater.... just a guess... I think both could possibly be overkill or not needed? once again, idk :/ dont worry though, you should be fine as long as your ignition stuff is good Assuming your buying your car used id buy BHR's Ignition system with new spark plugs. BHR's ignition system uses Yukon coils which are a huge improvement over stock coils etc. Its a for sure start and you even get a small bump in HP

 

my car runs like a charm when its cold down here but then again this is texas cold nothing like what your looking at!

 

In extreme cold I always preferred block heaters over oil (dipstick) heaters as a more thorough solution.

As already cited make sure your complete ignition system is in good order. The BHR coil/wire system is a plus thanks to its more powerful and reliable GMC Yukon coils, but the stock should be fine as long as they're not too old. Of course a top notch battery with equal to or preferably better than 550 CCA is a given.

 

[quote=RIWWP;3320159]

I am going to try to head off some stuff at the pass:


2 - Complicating this issue was that the battery and starter of 2004 and early 2005 8s were weak, causing a weak ignition on starting, and increasing the flooding chance.


4 - Problem #2 was fixed through a TSB in which the starter and battery were replaced with an upgraded one that handled it better. Again, call MNAO with the VIN to see if it was done. 2006 and newer has the upgraded starter and battery off the factory floor.


quote]

I just bought an 04. I haven't called to verify the upgraded starter/battery. If they need to be replaced, I assume this is not done at Mazda's cost?

 

IF you are still within the bumper to bumper warranty, then it will be at Mazda's cost, though I highly suggest printing out the TSB to bring to the dealer. If you are outside of the bumper to bumper warranty, then it is on your dime.

 

There was a TSB that freely upgraded the starter and battery on all '04's and early '05's, but since the B-to-B warranty is up for that group it's no longer available.

The germane TSB was 01-004/05 dtd 12/1/2005 "Engine Cranks No Start" (note that later editions of this TSB did not discuss the new starter and battery, for the aforementioned reason). I don't have a softcopy, but from my hardcopy: ~"if the VIN is at or below JM1FE173*****150745 then visually inspect the starter placard. If the placard indicates N3H1 replace the starter. If the placard indicates N3H1 A or later you have the upgraded starter."

Early cars came with a Panasonic battery that was upgraded to an Interstate, so that's another way to know (unless the original owner just happened to get an Interstate). The starter placard is on the driver's side of the unit. You may have to jack up the vehicle to read it (use a jack stand).

 

This isn't really compairable, but when we had an ice storm down here, the temps dipped down to the teens and lower *never negative, I think...* and I started up without even an issue. I can't see why the engine wouldn't kick off....*I'm not an engineer though!*

 

I don't think there is a block heater option, even in Canada.....unless it's a recent addition.

I bought a stick-on heater pad for the oil pan and when my dealer saw it, he ordered some for local owners.

I make sure not to move the car when the secondary air injection pump is running - you don't want to risk a stall while it's 'doing its thing'.

A battery blanket can make a lot of difference.

S

 

^i've seen the stick ons but never had any experience with it. Did it get the job done well?

 

Yes, it was a 500watt IIRC, heated the oilpan and the car started like it was a summer day.

(I had to fill a couple of the grooves on the bottom of the pan with strips of aluminum to get a flat contact area.)

S

 

well thats good to know if i end up moving back north and decide to drive the 8 yr round....but prob just buy a beater

 

You'll be fine, I live where you do and mine never had a problem starting. And mine is at Butte GM. It's a 2007 white grand touring with 26K miles. give em a call see if they still have it.

 

Was that 4206f? Cars built up through June1, 2006, VIN ....206995 still had the prior flash. It was a recall campaign, so if it has not been done it's still a freebie. There's a thread on this site with the service bulletin and various associated letters.

Ken

 

dogeater:
I believe that it is gone. one question for ya, was ground clearance an issue.

 

that's too bad it's gone, I'm sure you coulda got a good deal on it. I wish I didn't have to get rid of it. Ground clearance was a problem at times, like this past week with all the snow. It's when they plow and the snow builds up in driveways/middle of the road etc... then freezes. If you use the well travelled path you'll be ok.

 

I love the look of the rx 8 and my last two cars took more than one quart of oil every 3000 miles so I am used to avidly watching my oil level so i do think I will get one. I have heard that the 09 may have significantly increased durability and will likely cost no more than 17000 by next year. i will wait for a few months and see how the 09's hold up with miles. til then i will learn the car inside and out (heard that was a good idea as well).

btw, was winter the only time clearance was a problem.

 

Yep, well... You can't use the auto car wash at the new town pump in belgrade, that thing has a mega tall guide rail.

 

dogeater, could the clearance prob possibly be because of the appearance package? i don't seem to have too much of a problem at all with clearance. (ocassionally but less often then when i was in a 97 neon)

edit: and i don't have the appearance package for the record

 

No the appearance package didn't seem to be a problem, I guess I forgot to mention I had Koni ots shocks which did give me about 1/2" less clearance in the rear, but I had stock shocks the first winter and the snow/frozen slush build up at times was a problem. The snow around here gets fairly deep. we got 16" last week in a freak storm, they were predicting like 5" i think.