I haven't seen a thread about this yet, so I am going to describe it as best as I can:

Every now and then, my car has a little bit of trouble starting. The only time this happens is when I turn off my car, and say I go into the store for something really quick, and then start it right back up. It won't turn over right away, and it takes a second or two for it to start.

Does anyone know what the problem might be that is causing my car to do this? And how can I fix it?

It doesn't happen everytime I do this, but it is a problem that is bugging me.

Thanks for any help.

 

Could be a loose connection to the battery.
Earlier model RX8s are also known to have a weak starter.

Have you received and CEL lately?
Could be a sign of bad coils, wires, and/or plugs if so.

 

When you say "It won't turn over right away, and it takes a second or two for it to start." Do you really mean it does turn over but it takes a few seconds to eventually start? You see if the starter has engaged the engine and it is rotating it is "Turning Over."

 

That's the info I managed to pull out of the hat.
How many miles on the engine?
Could be low compression and time for a new engine.

 

What I mean is when I turn the key to try to start it I have to hold it there for a couple seconds before it will start.

I haven't received any CEL or anything...I bought this as a used car so I don't know if I will get one or not.

There are almost 33,000 miles on the Engine.

 

sometimes my car takes up to 5 seconds to start.

in the winter.

 

It's not Winter yet though lol. I am taking my car to the local Mazda dealership for an Oil Change on Friday, so I might have them take a look at it.

But I feel like they might try to get me to pay for more than I need fixed.

 

It means your engine is on it's way out. May take a while but it really amounts to that. You're an 04 too, so if you haven't had the updated (years ago) starter that will help. Shortly afterwards your engine will be kaput though.

 

Anything I can do to make my engine last as long as possible? I don't know if I can afford a new Engine (not sure how much they cost, but I am sure a lot).

 

If you only have 33,000 miles, then you have 67,000 miles remaining on the factory engine warranty, so I wouldn't stress out about that.

Still, premix (4-8oz of 2-stroke oil in the gas tank every fillup), redlining (at full throttle in gear) to clear carbon, and checking on your ignition status is probably a good idea. Coils fail around 30,000 miles, so yours might be dying. It might just be that simple. Coils are ~$30-40 each, don't let a dealer rip you off for more.

 

Sounds like you are within the warranty period of the engine, but I believe you are going to need more than a long start to prove that you are losing compression...

FWIW my car routinely has long starts in hot weather, with new plugs and coils, I think it is fairly routine for our motors.

 

And install the coils yourself! It is simple...

The warranty has a time constraint too, IIRC 7 years, so depending on your build date that is another thing to consider...

 

Well I am glad that there is still a factory Engine Warranty, that's a relief.

Hopefully it is just something minor and maybe the dealership can fix it if they figure anything out.

And I am trying to read up on how to change coils myself...just not the best DIY-er.

 

After driving and Fully warmed up, do you ever notice at idle your RPM's drop below 750?

 

It is simple, all it takes is a socket wrench and a sharpie.

 

The engine warranty is 8yr 100,000 miles from the original sell date. A VIN check with carfax or something can get you the original registration date, which is generally pretty close to the sell date, if you can't find it otherwise. You probably have ~3 years left on it.

And don't trust that the dealer will A) Find the real issue, or B) cover it under warranty without prompting. Almost every dealer will try to charge you for things that are covered until you speak up about it. And anything not covered is probably something you can do yourself. Your coils, plugs, wires are about $200 in parts and maybe an hour at most, even for a novice, and most dealers will charge you another $500-800 in labor to replace them. Our ignition system fails frequently, and keeping it healthy will solve most engine health problems right away. The rest of the problems are generally related to lubrication, which premixing can help with. Nothing is a fail-safe though, just reducing risks of total system failure.

 

That was a good explanation lol.

One other question:

This has happened twice. I will be driving with the A/C on and when I come to a start my car will stall on me and shut off. I have to turn it back on and one time I had trouble starting it again. Any ideas?

 

That sounds like a weak/dying alternator, which has probably also weakened the battery from trouble charging it, which certainly can give you long start times, or trouble starting.

The ignition system from start to finish still includes the battery/alternator to get the voltage to the coils, then through the wires to the plugs, etc... I'd have it checked. You can probably find a place to check it for free.

 

Any idea on how much that costs to fix?

 

No, I don't. It hasn't been a common enough problem for people to post about to get an idea for the price. The alternator is top center on your engine though, very easy to reach, so something that should be doable yourself as well. Your call on that obviously, but it isn't buried or anything hard to get to. Might have to remove the battery box and/or strut bar. Nothing a socket wrench and a minute or two of work can't solve. Though the battery box is a bit deceptively attached, have to remove the middle piece that is clipped on before the bottom piece.

 

I will see if I can check it out. If not, I will see what the dealer says about it, see if they will tell me the same thing you guys are telling me.

I'll keep you guys up to date.

 

You need compression to start. When the engine heats up the housing (combustion chamber) expands a bit. The compression seals ride in slots, on top of springs, so that they can extend and retract as needed to compensate and maintain a seal with the housing. Carbon deposits can make the seals "sticky" in their slots.

Do a search on "de-carbon" or "zoom zoom cleaner". No guarantees but it's a good place to start. Personally I'd do a de-carbon procedure and then put in a new set of plugs and coils and do an oil change; you're about at the replacement mileage for plugs anyway.

 

Come to a stop from driving in town or highway?
Could also be related to coils/plugs/wires I think. I could be wrong on that diagnosis, but with the mileage of the vehicle, the symptoms presented, I think that is the most likely place to start looking.

 

Well seeing as mine is AT, it usually drops below 1k RPM, but stays above 750. It has dropped below 750, and once it does that is when it stalls out.

Driving in town. I haven't taken my 8 onto the highway yet.

You think I should just ask the dealer to see if I need new plugs? I just don't want them to automatically say "yes" and make me pay a couple hundred for them.

 

I agree, he could easily have a coil problem, although the problem occuring easier when he turns on the A/C points towards alternator problems as well. Not conclusive, but suggestive. Coils problems generally don't manifest related to A/C usage.

Just asking them to check is probably going to cost you. And coils fail before plugs, and are normally the ignition problem. It is common to have people post up that they went to a dealer, the dealer replaced the plugs, and the problem wasn't solved. 99% of them turn out to be coils originally anyway. Not saying plugs don't need to be changed, just don't get stuck on plugs. Between coils vs plugs, coils fail first, and if your plugs have failed, your coils have probably been dying for a long time.