Big problem, help needed.
 

Hi, my RX8 gave up on the way to work the other day, loss of power then into limp mode then died, got it to restart but did the same again. As I work away all week when I came to start her no joy. Was turning over but not firing. So had it towed home. Now I'm not a man with the funds for Mazda to start looking at it and have been told it sounds like the coils, I have found a man that can get codes off it but what I want to know is, is there a code that will say coils if it is the coils.
I Really would be grateful of any help you can give, thanks in advance.

1. Is the CEL lit?
2. How many miles? What year? AT/MT?
3. When was the last time you changed coils and plugs?
4. There's a good chance that you won't get a CEL or code from bad coils, unless you have a missfire.

37,000, manual. Cel not lit at min. I take it cel is the engine management light, sorry I'm not very techy. It just turns over doesn't even try to fire. How can I find out if it's coils.

Not change coils or plugs in the 2years I've had it.

Did get engine light come on when it went to limp mode and died.

Yes, CEL is the Check Engine Light.

There really isn't a way to truly test coils. If you've never changed them, I would order some regardless. You can get them from some of the vendor on the site for around $40 a piece, or you can go with the BHR system. They are simple to change and there are DIY's on the site for it.

Pull you spark plugs to start with. See if they have oil or gas on them. They should be dry. I'd replace these as well. Again, something you can get from the vendors, and there's a DIY or two on this site. I'd pick up new wires as well.

If you don't want to throw money at it yet, Pull the plugs and check them. You can also try swapping the coils around, but this my not yield any results, or just give you a misfire if it does.

I suggested buying coils, plugs and wires, because there is no way to really check coils, and if you do end up having to take it to the dealer, it will be the first thing they replace. It's about 3 times more expensive for them to do. If you don't have any major issues, they will most likely fix your problem. Once you have them all changed out, I'd recommend taking it to the dealer for a compression check, even if it does seem to run well.

Also, Search the forum. This problem has come up more than once. Find the threads, read what was done, and go from there. There's a good chance you'll find an exact answer to your exact situation, and you won't have to start out by throwing parts at it.

Thanks, if there is no compression does that mean the engine is dead?

yes. Even low compression means the engine is dead.

Any thread in particular that you can think of as there are loads. Cheers

You'll have to read through them and find the ones that fit best.

Start here. It will show you the best ways to search

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...+and+potential

Ok, I've just took a spark plug out and it's soaked in fuel and black carbon looking stuff, is that any help??

There's a good chance that you flooded at this point. Because you probably need new coils, your chances of de-flooding are slim but not impossible. Order yourself coils, plugs and wires. If it doesn't start after that, follow one of the de-flooding DIY's.

I tried the deflooding before I got towed in as I flooded once when I first got it. No luck. Just wondered what story fuel and carbon told on my spark plugs. Will have to buy coils plugs and that as you said.

fuel on the plugs is simply unburnt fuel. Pretty common with a flooded engine. Carbon on the plugs is normal over time. Most people replace them every 10k to 15k. Weak spark and bad plugs will make de-flooding impossible.

no !

it depends on WHY there is low or no compression. IF your coils were failing that would cause a loss of spark. a loss of spark causes incomplete or NO combustion . incomplete or no combustion causes fuel flooding. fuel flooding washes away the oil sealing film. no oil sealing film at low (starting) rpm causes LOW compression.

get the coils and plugs changed FIRST then deal with the likely flooded situation and get it started. ONLY then do you need to worry about compression.

Right, Which is why i told him to get it running first, then to do a compression check. :p:

reading spark plugs

http://www.aa1car.com/library/reading_spark_plugs.jpg



another version http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_su...qs/faqread.asp

Good find Zoom. I've never seen it spelled out so nicely. :icon_tup:

:p: i just wanted to make sure it was clear. besides I hadnt read the whole thread when I posted :eek:

But would coils or spark plugs cause an rx8 to fail mid trip and go into limp mode and cut the car out. Where are the best prices for spark plugs and coils in the uk, sparks are coming up at £100 a set on eBay and coils the same. Thanks.