PerformRX-8

well im posting this here, because everyone checks here more than everywhere else. If anyone can help me i would be forever grateful.

As I was driving today on the highway on route 78 in jersey, I was driving how i normally do going through all the gears, and when i tried to do my daily 9K to get the carbon out I heard what sounded like a backfire, and as I take the exit off route 78 i'm at a light and a person next to me screams to me there is fire coming out of your exhaust! I was flipping out, well the worst part is after i get to work and shut the car off there is still fire coming out of the exhaust, and now the car is driving really weird!! so if anyone here has an idea of what is going on or more importantly if anyone has a stock exhaust in good condition so that I can take off my midpipe and exhaust and put the stock unit on and bring it to the dealer, i would appreciate it.... if anyone in the NJ area such as chatham, livingston, short hills has one please PM me thank you...

altspace

iTrader: (2)

Check recalls. It's happened before.

dillsrotary

i have a stock exhaust if you want it, i'm in hamilton square outside trenton and princeton

saturn

You kept driving after someone told you there was fire coming out of your car?

dillsrotary

he has a midpipe so i would assume he thought it was just a backfire flash, now a constant fire is a different story.

LiveBlues

You should take it to the dealer as is, so they can determine the true cause of the problem. The fact that they probably won't cover it under warranty should not deter you from finding out if your mods were the true cause of the problem.

The fact that you want to try to put it back in stock form indicates that you think that your mods caused the problem. You made the changes, so man up and take your lumps. No wonder Mazda looks for reasons to invalidate a warranty. It leaves those of us that don't mod our cars to have to pay for your stupidity.

ronk54

Could be a bad fuel injector dumping excessive fuel.

donack456

Don't keep the mod on when you take it in to the dealership!! Use the process of elimination replace the midpipe with the stock exhaust, if the problem doesn't return take it to the dealership have then check the vehicle for past damage and if its clears. Test drive the vehicle for 20-50 miles highway and city driving. If the problem doesn't return don't put the midpipe back on. Check here and around for a recommended modifided exhaust system or just live with the stock pipes. Or get the next exhaust system professionally installed with parts and labor warranty.

You take it in mod and you blow your Dealer's warranty.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

With the cat on the car you won't get the flame out of the exhaust. The dealer will probably know this.

MazdaJeff

+1, Remove the mods!!!

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

they're gonna see that you did something to the exhaust anyway though, since all the connections are going to have fresh wear from tightening that will be different from the wear around the surrounding pipes.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

^^ You are giving them a lot of credit.
Most dealer techs wouldn't notice what model they are working on, let alone things like that.
Neurotic owners notice that stuff. Techs just barely figure out the difference between 10mm and 12mm.

PerformRX-8

thanks guys for all your input, i'm gonna go under the car myself and see what i can gather, other than that im gonna taking off the exhaust/midpipe, and gonna bring it to the dealer....

New Yorker

I feel for you, but my attitude is that anything weird that happens to a car I've modded won't surprise me. **** me off, yes, but I think there's a lot of unintended consequences that happen with not-perfectly-designed aftermarket stuff or, at the very least, mods not installed exactly right. I was lucky with my '91 Miata—I had a really good mechanic install Jackson Racing headers, muffler and cold air induction. Nothing ever happened— but if it had, I would've just chalked it up to what I think of as the "mod risk factor". (Although the constant "droning" on 6-hour trips down the interstate was not something I planned on, and not something I liked.)

And if I was a Mazda mechanic, the FIRST thing I'd ask the customer is "has this been modded in any way?" Not to deny warranty service, but just because that's often a quick shortcut to diagnosing the problem.

Aseras

you probably just got the exhaust hot enough to light off all the carbon and crap in it like a chimney fire.

PerformRX-8

Well i went to the dealer, with all my aftermarket products on, and I must say that they were very nice about it. after 2 hours of waiting, aseras it seems you are right, the reason is there was build of carbon (even though I redline about twice a day) and it somehow caught fire! the mechanic lets me go under the car with him while its on the lift, and the worst part is that it burned a hole in my B&B exhaust!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH so now i don't know what to do.....ill post pics if i ever take it off!!! if anyone has any suggestions please let me know

Duke15

1. When car is on fire, get out of it. Do not continue driving it (special exceptions made if the Army of Darkness is chasing you - but then again, you'd have a chain saw for a hand).

2. If it does not place you in any risk, put out the fire. If it places you at risk, call the fire department.

8is>enuff

3. Graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows?

shaunv74

+1 for swapping to stock and seeing if the problem is still there. If not then problem=mods. Else then problem=something else=dealer.

8is>enuff

Pssst, hey...

Check out post 16