Intermittent Engine loss/funky smell
 

Folks - my '04 MT car has been solid for 56k miles. The only thing that I have encountered is that hesitation that some people talk about when the car is cold. But last night - I was driving normally and all of the sudden - huge loss of power - pressing the gas pedal did nothing. Sort of felt like when you run out of gas. The engine light started flashing so I pulled over quickly. The engine was barely staying running but I was smelling something funny. I wish I could tell you that it was burning clutch or oil smell, but it was just a funky smell. I thought that maybe for some reason it was burning rich or something. Sat there for a while then started it again and it ran fine for about 6 miles before doing it again just in front of my house - so I lucked out.

Plenty of gas.
Temp gauge was fine.

Haven't touched it today. Any ideas?

your help is appreciated.

Yeah, your powertrain warranty runs out in 4,000 miles, so I would advise getting it to a dealer very soon for diagnosis. Could be any number of things, so reading the DTC's (error codes) should help with diagnosing the problem. Also, there are several recent service bulletins that may apply to your problem.

Check out the service bulletins at the top of the list:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com....php?pageid=11

My catalytic converter is being replaced for the same symptoms, I don't know if that will fix the problem though. The cat is more a symptom of the real problem, which in my case might have been bad gas... no clue...

CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Blinking check engine means misfire, funky smell is your cat burning up, your loss of power is because your car is constipated!!! I had the same EXACT thing happen a month ago. Im willing to bet my pink slip its your cat :)

My car did this and it was the coils failing. Once the coils failed it took out my plugs, wires and cat. It smelled like an eletrical burn and burning rubber or plastic.

The car seems to be driving fine and strong during a couple of test runs. I will take it in next week and keep you updated. The engine light quit blinking - it is just steady on now.

Puzzling to me is that if it is carbon or the cat - why is it driving normal today?

To the two last guys that posted - kinds cool - one from Auburn CA and the other one has an AUburn logo icon (went to BAMA myself)...

coils failed, misfire, plug clogged, cat pwned

gg

That's funny I didn't notice the Auburn, CA. FYI, it's been over 2,000 days since Bama bet AU :-)

Be careful this is exactly what my car did. It was running fine then it limped along a few times then was fine. Finally, some of the coils decided to go on the interstate and I was toast. By the time I made it to an exit the coils were melted, wires were melted and the cat was gone.

Where are you at in Bama?

I'm up in Huntsville!

I thought we were going to stop the counter this last game - but nope!

I'll give him two years to beat AU before he gets thrown out of town....

:)

OK - back to the car issue - so the coils can fail but still work fine sometimes ? (As opposed to act up all of the time if they are bad)

If so - that would explain why it is not acting up all of the time...

I don't know how common it is but that's what happened with mine.

How many miles do you have on your 8?

Meow!

The cat was causing a stinch in mine. That was my opportunity to tell the wife I needed a RP SuperCat. All's well now and my car smells & sounds much better now. :D:

OK - so if it is the coils and cat - I'll get an upgraded cat system...

Should I get OEM coils or aftermarket?

The car has 56k miles - btw.

get the mazsport ignition upgrade kit!

FYI, the cat is covered by an 80k mile warranty. So unless you want to upgrade a new cat is free. The only other good option besides OEM coils is the Mazsport ignition upgrade.

Mazsport Ignition Raffle.........only 3 left....get them while they are hot!

http://www.rx8botd.com/raffles.htm


Quino.............Let Mazda do the CAT and THEN put in the new coil solution of your choice........the Mazsport is available now or what for Ray's(BHR) system, which will also be a fine product I'm sure! https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-major-horsepower-upgrades-93/bhrs-product-line-135070/

Well CRAP! I missed it!

Well - it appears that it was the coils/wire. I argued with dealer/Mazda customer service and they will cover the cost - so I'll hold off on getting the Mazport coils until the next time.

Nothing was mentioned about the catalytic converter. I will ask if it is cover til 80k miles....

thanks for your help/comments guys

My cat was not covered by Mazda service because in my county, there are no emissions test. I think that was a line of crap! Anyway, that's when I decided to go with the SuperCat.

OK - now I got the call from the dealer telling me that there may be some cat damage that they have removed and most likely will mean trouble in the future. SO I'm asking him to take care of it now - but he says it may not be covered cause there's impact damage (like I ran over something that hit the cat) - we'll see what the regional Mazda rep will determine....

FYI, in the US the EPA mandates that cats are covered under warranty for 80k miles.

I'd ask to see the damage to the cat. If you haven't done it you should replace your plugs too.

Yeah - I took MY own extra plugs into the dealership since I didn't want to pay $200.

I know that I haven't hit anything - but I will say that during the car's last run before going in - something popped loud right after the loss of power - like a backfire. There was nothing on the road...