Hello all,
i did the search button, and i didn't come across what i wanted to find... ::sigh::

Anyways, 2days after i installed my cz 1.1 with stage 2.0 map, i ran it hard for about 2 hours, let it rest for 1 hr, and i drove it for 4 minutes... hard acceleration. I thought the engine was warmed up, but maybe not.

I went into the dry cleaners, and when i attempted to start it, there was NOTHING. the battery was good b/c my 1000watt amp would power on, sub would bump, and all my headlights and auxilary compenents would work...

However, there was NO sound at all... Like, not even the click click click when the car tries to start. It was just dead silent when i attempted to start it.

So just incase, i thought it was the battery, so i called the Hopkins Police to help me jump start, but still nothing...

So this is what i did:

there was a slight hill, and i called a friend who is a modest racer. Great driver, brilliant kid (pre-med at johns hopkins), and this is what we did. We pushed the car uphill, then i pushed the car down to a rolling start at about 10mph, and he dumped the clutch at 1st gear and the car started!!! I think this is terrible for the engine, but it got the job done. As i was pushing the car uphill, a middle age lady helps us also (she claims she used to race back in the day, and she was very intelligible about cars)... So anyways, i got the car to start and i drove it to the mazda service station...

Turned the car off, and didn't start again... so i'm wondering if it is flooding??

WELL, LONG STORY SHORT:
1) IS MY ENGINE FLOODED?
2) WHAT IS FLOODING EXACTLY?

i know how flooding can occur, and what are the procedures to take care of it? Is it covered under warranty and what needs to be replaced??

thanks for all your help..
James.

 

Since there is no sound, is your starter turning the engine at all?

If this never happened before the Canzoomer, turn it off (after push starting it) and try to start it again.

Starting your car by popping the clutch is not bad for the engine. How can it be? The engine is spinning because the clutch is allowing force from the transmission to be sent to the engine through the flywheel. When you start the car normally, the starter also interacts with the flywheel and allows the exact same thing to happen. Popping the clutch will allow a flooded rotary to start every single time. Why others flatbed their cars to the dealer is beyond me. Do not use 1st gear though. Use 2nd. To avoid a long explanation, just trust me on that one.

 

The manual says not to push start your car....I've always wondered why...? I used to push start my last car all the time. But yeah, listen to the god ^ definitely use 2nd gear

Can't the dealership answer your 1) question?

 

rotaryGOD, i won't ask about the second gear thing... WHY? because the woman that told us to pop the clutch said she does it in second gear... and she also said -- long story short, it's less harm and wear on the engine. so she said do it in 2nd as well...

there is NO starter sound at all, and i did turn the cz OFF and tried it... still NO sound (clicking and brarrararr) the sound that the engine makes when you first attempt to start it. It was just dead silent.

So do you tink the engine is flooded?

 

If the starter isn't turning the engine over, it's a starter issue. If the starter was turning the engine over but it wouldn't start, then it might be flooded. I'd check the starter first. The starter either has a problem or there is a wiring issue going to it.

 

my car is pretty new... any ideas on why my starter would go out?

 

cuz you messed up a ground when messing with your cz?

 

how can i mess up a ground when i'm messing with the cz? Olddragger already had the cz unit in the car for quite some time... and the only problem with it was slight stutter at the low-mid range rpm's under partial throttle.

Lastly,
i installed last year with no problems (but i had a no-slight gain cz)
Just wondering, how can i mess the ground up from the cz? I didn't tamper with the cz at all!!

 

i dont know all the facts of your install or your car . i was just suggest a possible reason for the starter not working. dont take it so personally. maybe you had a battery cable disconnected at some point?

 

Coincidence in time...........there is nothing in the CZ that would effect the stsrting circuit. Take it out...and take the car in to the dealer. Probably the solenoid..........

 

also you said
so was it 2 days after installing the cz meaning recently or did this happen a year ago since you now say you installed it last year?

could also be the clutch safety switch. it wont let the car try to start if the clutch pedal isnt fully engaged. a problem with this switch will cause the same behavior

 

Who knows, maybe you bumped something or maybe coincidence. You need to troubleshoot. Even if the starter were bad, you should still get a click from the solenoid. You're not, so start there. Is the solenoid getting power when the ignition key is turned? If not, work your way back from there. Could be a fuse, relay, bad ignition switch, bad connection, etc.

 

so flooding is not the issue... i guess that's good.

zoom44, i didn't mean to "vent" and i didn't mean to "bark" back... so if i gave that impression, i apologize. You know how it is when you're car is "dead...!"

Iknow everyone is trying to help, but i have NO idea why the car would die.

as for the cz, i installed it a year ago, and i dont' know why, but the cat blew out... lost performance dramatically!!! then took it out, and the car ran fine.

After that, i've done a racing suction, rp midpipe, and have a borla, - so i went witht he stage 2.0 mapping! it ran very well, but now i have this...
so i'm a little confused/frustrated

Not to mention, i had to drive 300 miles today on my sister's car (jetta 00), and that was a PITA!!

thank you all, suggestion and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

ok so did the cat blow and was replaced? or did taking out the cz by itself make the car run better. and yeah i understand what its like when a car dies

 

Since there was no sound at all when turning the key but the car had full power (stereo worked, even engine worked fine after the jump) then it is the starter. Why it did not get power is to be found (as mentioned above: solenoid, relay, wires, fuse. etc.) and none of those have nothing to do with the CZ unit... So the dealer should fix it - and there is a TSB for updated starter, so maybe you get lucky and have them change it for you too

 

So the audio system, the exhaust and the CZ are the only add-on's to the car?

No alarm?

 

i had a question also, this is kinda related to the thread topic. ive been having some problems starting my car too, but all it does is make a clicking noise and the needles start moving around. it seemed as if it only happened on very short trips, like it was the flooding issue, which is what i had initially assumed but its happened several times. i thin k it might be a dead battery but a couple of people have told me that theres no way its the battery, that there has to be something else thats wrong. i explain this to the dealer all the time to no avail. i know you guys are pretty damn handy and i wanted to know if any of you know what the hell is going on. thanks

 

If your solenoid is clicking and the gauges go up and down...check the connections on the posts.

If they are tight....new battery time

 

Please point me to the service bulletin on the starter. I haven't seen that one. Thanks.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/rx-8-modified-starter-56227/
This thread has more info... Looks like it is part of a "flooding fix / prevention" package, together with a stornger battery and redesigned spark plugs. For now, cars that flooded and experience slow cranking should get those....

 

Yeah, I'm aware of that thread, but I haven't seen an "official" service bulletin on the phantom "new" starter. It seems to me that if it does exist, that Mazda is not advertising the existence of an upgraded starter--possibly to avoid a rush by owners to have one installed.

 

True, they probably don't have enough starters made just yet to issue a wider TSB...
It took weeks to get the new oil dip stick shipped and the dealer mentioned there are just not enough for all the cars with the old one - the same should apply to the starter... Hopefully by next winter, starter and battery are new so I don't join the flooding club

 

the service station is going to get going on my car on monday... so the starter should be under the warranty right? i currently have 19k to my car.

Lastly, i don't have the m-flash (brake pump test didnt' work), but the Tech said that my car was running under the latest flash, which i received MONTHS ago... what can i ask for?

i dont' think he knows what the n-flash is... which i want with my cz 1.1 with 2.0 map.

 

THE VERDICT:

THE CLUTCH SWITCH IS BROKEN. The mech said that it's like a lightbulb going out. It's just a fault in the system. There are mechanical as well as electrical parts to this component, and it's just not functioning.

So Warranty is covering it in full!~!!!! and i shall get the car back wednesday... i hope it runs well!

 

Good call Charlie!