My gf bought a 2004 rx8 automatic from a dealership like a month ago.

It always had the 2097 CEL, but recently we started noticing a lack of power when taking off and at low rpms..

It also takes a bit longer to start and kind of "chuggs" before starting...

You can hit the gas pretty hard from a stop and it barely gets going... Almost seems to get faster as you start to let off the gas...

High rpms feel fine.

On a side note... What is the compression for these engines supposed to be?

CEL confusion

Now, I know P2097 mean "target A/F trim too rich"....

Now does this mean the 02 sensor is actually bad?
or is the car running rich for a different reason?

I've seen like 15 things it could be which would be a crap load of money to just start randomly buying parts...

Can anyone help us?

 

when was the last time plugs and coils were changed out? Those should be changed every 25-30k miles.

 

Not sure, she's only had it for about a month. It has 78k on it right now.

Excuse the major noob-ness but... 4 coils and 4 plugs?

I have the manual at home but I'm at work right now and bored... lol

 

that is correct, do not forget the wires... The BHR has them for sale here on the forum.. that is probably the problem, high miles chances are they were never changed

 

What about the "chugging" while cranking? it just started recently...

da_da___da_da___da_da___start....

 

If you/your girlfriend plan on keeping the car for a long time, it may be worth it to get the BHR coils, as speed_8 mentioned.
They are supposed to last the life of the car, plus they work more efficiently.
But, they are kinda pricey....

EDIT: The chugging could be a weak battery. You may also have the outdated starter. Call Mazda and find out if any recalls have been performed on the car.

 

Well at $500 we would want to know 100% that the existing coils are the issue...

No point in spending that much on coils if the issue is still there....

But the chugging while cranking is concerning....

 

where do u live?

the reason why I ask is that it will be better to have someone that knows this car that's willing to help u look at it.

 

check this thread to find out which starter you have, and how to change it yourself (if you need to).

Checklist:
find out which starter you have
check plugs and coils (chances are, they're fucked...)
Have your battery tested

And, I noticed you said the CEL was always there? Even from the dealership? If so, was that documented?

 

Profile updated. Eau Claire Wisconsin, not too many rx8's here though... :-/

 

the chugging could just be the lack of proper spark, ( kinda like attempting to spark ) and the lack of power could also be related to the lack of spark. Just pull the plugs out and have a look at them before investing money, however I would still do it as part of your maintenance ( just like changing your oil ) good luck hope all works out well.. enjoy the car

 

thanks and ok, that was gonna be my next step, I was just reading the 11 plus pages in the DIY section. lol

and yep, just changed the oil today actually.

 

taking the from driver side tire off, would probably be the easiest way to get at them, unless you have really girly arms ( arnold voice ) . but honestly if you are going to go that far just change them. if you cannot afford the bhr ones, just go to an auto zone they have the plugs at 20 a piece, I live in canada and drive to watertown ny for parts, a spark plug here for the 8 costs 90 a piece lol, now don't get me started on the price of coils.

 

ah-hem.... sorry to interrupt, but you could also do as I suggested above :P

 

haha sorry, I totally missed post 9 and 10.

1 - Will check the starter..

2 - Will check the plugs, not sure how to check coils except for a visual spark test...

3 - Battery seems fine but will test too

4 - CEL was always there, Not sure about documentation, It just says P2097 bank 1 sensor 2.

Yea I'm not a fan of stealerships...

I wonder if all coils are basically the same.... I have 5 spare igniton coils off my Twin turbo 300zx =)

It uses 6 coil for 6 plugs too...

You can get them used for like 10 dollars..


that would be killer.

 

well the rx8 uses 4 coils for 4 plugs, ( 2 per rotor ) 2 leading and 2 trailing plugs, you can get all that for under 300 at autozone.. if ur military even cheaper ( i showed my canadian military id and i even got the discount ) also go to mazda and see if you have the latest ecu flashes.

 

it's illegal for a dealer to sell you a vehicle with a CEL. If they did, you should have them check it and fix it....

 

1 - Ok, I think we're gonna check the existing equipment first before dropping 3 bills.

I'm 99% pretty sure they did but I dont know if we have any proof of it.

Oh yea... There is a big *** list of stuff that has been done to it from the dealership.

It's a tad hard to decypher but there are 2 events title "Block (short)" or something similar...

Does this mean they already replaced the engine?

And my GF says the plugs were last replaced in 06 :-/

Oh yea, and she did flood it out once and it wouldn't start so maybe that fouled the plugs...

 

'short block' could mean engine replacement. How many miles are on the odo?

As a preventative measure, I'd change the plugs and coils. Also, check your cat to see if it has any damage

 

that's what I was thinking... but it's on there twice... lol. 78k on the ODO.

How would you even check the cat? the only thing I saw was to check if its glowing red. lol.

and I though clogged cats affect high rpm power.

And thanks to everyone for all the help!!!

 

driving hard then checking if its glowing red is the best way to see if the cat is finished, the short block is pretty much a new engine ( did the dealer say its on a new engine ? )

 

apparently it does have at least one new engine...

and were going to check the cat tonight.

And apparently there is documentation saying the car was sold with a CEL "As-Is"....

 

if the cat doesn't glow, I'd recommend pulling down the front of the cat and inspect with a flashlight.
Was that documentation in the small print? That's kinda shitty...

 

kk. Any idea's on the CEL? Think it's just a bad 02 sensor or what?

 

hey supermario..... theres a guy on the forum selling plugs for 70 for the set... pretty good deal