So last week I started up my car, and low and behold i couldn't get up the drive way with out revving the engine way up. It simply had NO low end power when it was cold. I had to get a running start to get out of the driveway and then i truned on the a/c and smoke started blowing through the vents (...thought i was being gassed or something) After the car warmed up it had a little more power in the low end, but still not much. Once the car reached 5,000rpm it would take off with what seemed like the normal top end power.

So i took the thing to the dealer and they have been running test after test for the past week and cant figure out. I thought i had burnt coils, but the checked them and said that wasn't it. They also checked the cat., checked the compression (make sure the apex seals were fine) and checked everything they can think of. They have been talking to engineers from Mazda and keep running tests and cant firgure it out. They think it is an internal problem, but cant put a finger on it.

If any of you have any ideas that i could tell them i would appreciate it...cuz at this point they r thinking of flat out replacing the engine.

 

I have no constructive advice, just wishing you good luck on getting everything back to normal. Did the smoke from the vents smell like anything distinguishable ??

 

Yikes- no suggestions either, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you...

 

it sure sounds like coils. the smoke in thru the vents should be should at least give them a place to star looking. was it elctric smoke or oil smoke? could you tell from the smell? i fthe compression is good then it aint the motor. what codes if any do/did they find when they hooked up the WDS to the PCM. i wonder if it is the PCM?!

did they open the air box to make sure something didn't get sucked in there(plastic?) somehow and block the airflow?

did they actually change the coils to see if that was it or take them out and test them for shorts etc?

 

It sure sounds computer oriented. If it were not breathing, it would get worse at high RPM, not better. Same with coils, RPM doen't make them better, I guess the rear coils could do more if the fronts were burnt, I don't know. It sure sounds like the computer. I know it goes to different fuel/air ratios at different RPM ranges. Could also be a sensor for the injection or the throttle position sensor.

 

The smoke might have been from burnt clutch.

Is it running normal now?

What if you were actually stuck in 3rd gear instead of 1st...

 

They said they "checked" the coils and said it wasn't. To me it sounds like burnt coils as well, but they say that it isn't.

The computer didnt throw any codes when they hooked it up. They r running test after test to check the sensors but nothing yet.

The smoke didnt really smell like anything (i tried to notice what kind of smell it was) but i know it did not smell like oil.

Im all out of ideas but ill keep you posted. I may stop by there tomorro and have a chat with the technicians and take a look for myself. And ill keep you posted.

 

you're in hotlanta so could the "smoke" just been water that had condensed in the ducting and then been blown out as vapor? someone mentioned this phenomenom on here before@ last august. perhaps unrelated to your power issue.

 

I agree with Z44; I wouldn't try to connect the "smoke" with your problems. If it didn't smell weird, it was 99% likely to be water vapor, which is normal in some cars. Other people have posted a similar experience on this board.

T.

 

tough luck ... Hope everything turns out good ... keep us posted

 

I live in the hot, humid South myself, and the "smoke" from the vents when the a/c is on happens pretty frequently, as it has on my last several cars. Just water vapor.

Of course, I would say this applies ONLY if the vapor/smoke had no smell.

Keep us posted. I'm with the majority (thinking coils), and would be very interested to hear the outcome.

 

Just have them look at the coils. If the trailing coils are toast, the computer will NOT record ANY event about it. I had to go through that pony show already. Have them physically check the coils with a timing light.

 

Yup, that's what I'm betting. The "smoke" from the vents is almost always water which has condensed in the system and gets blown out as steam when the temperature of the air is suddenly dropped by the AC system. This is a natural adabatic effect.

Now, for the purely speculative part. Condensation doesn't just happen in the vents. It happens in the fuel tank too. How long was the car sitting before you fired it up, and how full was the gas tank? You can get enough water condensed into the tank to cause the car to run seriously off or even make it impossible to start within two weeks of the right atmospheric conditions. If the tank isn't full, just fill it up and try again. I am loath to recommend dry gas because that product can damage some fuel intake systems, and I have no idea how it would effect the RX 8.

It's pure speculation because I have no idea how your car has been kept and used, but water in the tank is an explanation for what you are experiencing.

-H

 

its the coils man, classic symptoms. search this forum for the info and pictures you may be able to spot them yourself. anyway hope it's the coils!
good luck
olddragger