I just brought my RX8 into the dealer for the 3rd time since purchased. The check engine light came on about 300 miles ago and they reset it. They said the code was for "cat. efficency". I suspected it was caused by flooding a couple weeks before. It certainly can't be good for the catalytic converter to have a ton of raw gas run through it. The light stayed off for 300 miles and then came back on. It went off later in the day. It came on again this morning (2 days later) and I brought it in to the dealer. It is still there, and they said they are "reprogramming the PCU". I have heard about the L and M flashes that take care of starting and flooding problems, but not for the check engine light.

Has anyone else had check engine light problems that were solved by reprogramming? I have an early car purchased last August. Great car to drive, but the engine has been a pain in the bum.

 

Unfortunately this has happened a lot. Do a search on "CEL" and check out the other threads on this.

Hang in there!

 

Just last week my wife was driving the car and the CEL came on for no apparent reason. She took it into the dealer and the service advisor said that after checking with Mazda the fix was to reflash the PCM. So they did the "L" reflash. So far that has taken care of the problem. Also the car seems to run a little smoother since the reflash.

 

I got the car back last night after the reprogramming. They said the light comes on because of excess gas during start up fouling the converter. The reprogramming as outlined in the "Cranks/No Start" bulletin takes care of this problem.

I'm not sure if this is the L or M flash. The car starts and runs the same as before, but so far no light. I know some have mentioned smoother running and better mileage, but I have not noticed any difference. I will keep track of mileage, I have been averaging around 19 mpg. I filled up yesterday and have travelled about 60 miles on 1/4 tank. So, it appears to be about the same as before.

I'm just looking for relief from the flooding issue and no check engine light. If this solves those problems, I'll be happy.

 

Had a CEL, brought to the dealer. Fixed it that day with a PCM reprogramm (L flash). My god, its a different car.
smoother, throttle more responsive, and feels like there is more pull and power. Also, no CEL!

 

I had CEL earlier this month, and a flooding episode months prior. CEL code indicated CAT efficiency; dealer ordered a new CAT. By the time it came in, they'd read the 3/11 TSB and decided it needed only the L reflash, not a new CAT. They did that and been fine thus far. Not aware of any reports yet about what the M flash does or who should receive it. Watch for a Canzoomer posting ....