Mygirldrivesstick

D
My girlfriend took her 04 rx8 to a run down oil change shop and this overweight man(i kid you not, half the size of the car) took her car inside their workshop. After she got home, it wouldn't crank anymore.

We checked the oil and the "new" oil she got was the color of my poop after Taco Tuesday(dark brown). So we checked for some pinched wires or other signs of damage, but we were limited as to what we could see because we do not own a jack that would allow us to climb under the car.

Sooo as the boyfriend who fixes computers, she inevitably turned to me and asked for my help with fixing her car(because they are basically the same thing, right?) The most I have ever done to any car is change the brakes, so I basically learned what most things were under the hood and became really familiar with fuses and things to look out for.

So here were the list of theories I went through:

• Replaced the fuel pump and it turns out that wasn't the issue. I chipped both of my thumb nails and cracked a bone in my left index finger. This was because I didn't use anything to loosen up that damn fuel pump ring...

• Took out all the wiring for the amp that had been installed(lots of loose cables, could have been grounding or something along those lines). The trunk had so many loose wires, I thought surely that was the issue, but nah.

• Looked for shorts in the wires around the engine bay. I did see frayed wire on the positive battery terminal connector but I wrapped it up with Etape and felt responsible.

So I looked up the issue with the google machine and couldn't find anything EXCEPT a thread on this website that was eerily exactly like our situation. https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tro...1-fuse-167440/ [COLOR=Blue]He changed the fuel pump, checked shorts, took out amp wires...super creepy coincidence. He said it ended up being the rear 02 sensor causing the fuse to blow. It took him 3 YEARS TO FIGURE IT OUT.


So we ended up replacing the battery(it would only hold a charge for 2 minutes) and we replaced the rear o2 sensor.

Moral of the Story: I discovered that I did not want to pursue a career in being a mechanic.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

My eyes hurt.

Mygirldrivesstick

You should leave the house more often

sonicsdaman

iTrader: (3)

Mygirldrivesstick

Same goes for you buddy. If you arent here because you need help with this issue, than keep your useless comments to yourself. This was meant to help others such as myself fix this very odd issue. The colors are so that you can remember where you left off reading and to divide the parts of the story.

So basically what im trying to say is suck it.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

Yep .................... pretty sure i posted a thread about the same thing years ago.... less the eye hurting stuff

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

eyes hurt ...

neit_jnf

fun read, would read again

Xeqouz

Thanks to the thread starter. Found this on a friend's car..

Zeus1991

Soo im having this same issue i was wondering if at the time your fuel pump was not starting up? because im having this issue with fuse plus fuel pump not starting when i turn the key. Thanks

Mygirldrivesstick

At the end of the whole fiasco, the problems were:

-The catalytic converter on the bottom of the vehicle(lifted it up). It was busted.
-There was oil spraying onto the air intake, not allowing air to flow into the engine
-A few bad fuses
-Bad battery
-Bad battery connectors

I remember telling that dumbass ex of mine to not buy that car. What a **** show that was.