yes the s is the current flash for the 04 mt.

beers

 

You use 6th gear? :P

 

Yea if I am cruising down the interstate I am going to use the highest gear possible. I know that isn't much fun, but hey at that point I am looking for gas mileage so I can redline rev it later on, on the backroads.

 

i use 6th in town at just over 40. my last tank mpg was 18.89

 

It's pretty hard for me to get 18 plus.. It's just too much fun ZOOM ZOOMing around town.

 

For those interested in 'knowing' whats going on with their 8 check on the Scan Guage II. I got one several weeks ago and it has proven very useful in understanding what my mileage is in realtime. It does other things as well, code scanner, trip computer, but I really like the realtime data it provides.

scangauge.com

 

Thanks for the helpful info, as usual. The first post in this thread described the problem I've been having, to a tee. Since the hot weather problem is with constant low throttle usage and I commute about 25 miles each way, I've changed my route away from the Interstate and have not driven at a steady, light throtle speed. Wham,, the problem is no more. I'm scheduled Wed. ffor the new flash and, as usual, I had to take the info from this site to my worthless dealer, argue with them for thirty minutes and then they were able to finally find the TSB and learn they had a new flash for the RX8. Their excuse? It's only been out for less than a month! I complained about the problem the day before, at my oil change, and was told there was nothing covering this problem.............********.

 

My dealer had no idea either. He then proceeded to tell me that Mazda discourages doing these updates unless it's necessary b/c off potential problems with data loss. He also said that the update is done automatically when they run a diagnostic scan.

Any merit to either of these statements? From what I've read it seems like the first statement is BS. Not sure on the other.

 

Re second statement:only if the technician (or service manager)decides to do it.It is not automatic

 

Does anyone know if they made changes to the start up with this flash. Since being flashed, it has started taking a few extra seconds to crank, with the old starter that is. Example, today get out to put gas in the car, 90 degrees outside, it wanted to turn over more than normal to get cranked back up.

 

the new flash makes it take longer to start up even with the upgraded starter.

if you start the car up with your throttle pedel all the way down, it starts up faster though.

 

^^ That is the de-choke start and it turns off your fuel injectors.
That would lead me to conclude that the new flash tries to start the car too rich.
Mine, too, has started to be slightly more cantankerous on start-up. Except in the places where it was already hard to start where it now starts more quickly!
It used to be slightly more difficult to start if it was hot and allowed to sit for 20 or 30 minutes.
Heat soak, I guess. Now it starts the second I turn the key.
All other times, it takes a full second to start. (old starter, BTW)

 

I guess they messed with the starting then with this new flash, but I wonder what they did exactly.

 

yes it does take more time before it fires...it is almost like i spins for a second before the injectors start to fire...

might be to clear the motor.

beers

 

Thanks to a fellow member I learned how to post pics. Anyway, here is a Canscan graph I made shortly after I got the Sflash.

 

I am no expert when it comes to reading these graphs but that does appear to be a bit leaner than most of the other graphs I have seen from other flashes. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

Do you have a graph of the car before this flash? I thought it would run much closer to Stoich AFR in closed loop operation. Any insight here would be apprechiated.

 

According to the graph, the throttle position is at 80% which is open loop territory. Also any RPM over 5500 (IIRC) reverts to open loop operation.

 

No, I don't have a graph before the flash. I didn't get my Canscan setup until the day I got the flash. I made 2 runs and they both looked almost identical.


On my Canscan WOT is 78%. This run was at WOT from about 2500 RPM up to about 9000 RPM.

 

I contacted my dealer today to ask about a possible flash/find out what flash I currently have and they told me that they would have to send my PCM back to Irvine to have it done...Is this right?

 

no thats ridiculous. when was your car made. was MY is it?

 

here is my AFR and Timing done recently with scanalyser. Im not on S

 

Zoom, is that a WOT run in 3rd gear? Do you have any type of engine management?

I'm asking because your AFR doesn't drop below 13.5 until it's > 5500rpm. Mine goes rich as hell (11-12) at 4000rpm. Looks like mine is in open loop the entire run where as yours is in closed loop until ~ 5500 then open loop after that???

 

thats a wot run. i forget what gear. would have been 2nd or 3rd considering where i was. but the start recording trigger was WOT thats why there is nothing before 3500ish. im not running any piggyback engine management.

 

Do you think they changed it to go into open loop whenever the throttle is wide open? That would be a pretty big change. Especially for the people with piggy backs.