I already talked to the guy at the shop where I got it installed. He said it's a simple fix if that's what the problem is. And what Ricky said was right. it's over an hour away and a hassle to drive. Plus if it's as quick a fix as it seems then there's really no point to take it just to waste gas for 2 hours on a 5 minute fix.

The code is P0850. There are 4 connectors coming from the tranny. Two black and two white. They're connected black to black and white to white but there's two of each so i don't know how to tell if the black is plugged into the correct black and vice versa with the white. I'm still doing some research on it but if anyone has any info on how to tell which four males go into which four females that would be great. (no jokes or pun intended. promise)

This switch is what's supposed to be making my idle go crazy like it has been for the past few days.

And sorry for the tease boys. I wanted to keep it going for a day longer but Ricky messed that one up by posting before me. -___-

Thanks for the help so far guys!

damn Didi, if i was your boyfriend i might hang myself with how much teasing you do! ;P lmao Emil must be REALLY patient xD lol jk

These connectors take quite a bit of effort to connect improperly. The blacks go together and the whites go together and there are only two of each.

so youre saying the neutral switch would have to have gone bad?

What? How do you make THAT leap......?

I am saying that there are only two white connectors and two black connectors for the reverse and neutral switches on the transmission. I am also saying that someone who works on cars for a presumed living has to be pretty stupid to mix those up and connect them improperly.

If the harness is correctly connected, then we can presume one has a bad neutral switch. Until then, one cannot make such presumptions.

except that there aren't only two of each. it's 4 of them. let me break it down:

black 1 with black 2
black 3 with black 4
white 1 with white 2
white 3 with white 4

what's to say that white 1 doesn't go with white 4 instead of white 2? get me now?

ISO, that's what. Then, if things are still not clear, the FSM.

what didi is trying to say, there are four pairs total, two white and two black, for eight plugs total, four male four female.

IF the sensor is still good, there are 3 other pairing possibilities that may make it work (unless which ____ color male plug can be connected to either ____ color female plug in the event that doesnt matter)
I need a lift so i can figure this out -___-

You're fine as long as you don't mix the colors.
Just connect the males to the females of similar color... don't make these simple circuits complicated.

You can verify/test the sensors easily if you want:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-test-neutral-reverse-switch-200453/

Hey I could check that. Damn thanks for that helpful link. So if I don't get a reading in neutral or I get a reading while in gear, the switch is bad and gotta get a new one. Sweet thanks for that help.

I'll check on that stuff once I figure out what happened with my clutch now.. Ugh. I swear I'm spending more money on repairs than I am on gas to drive the car.. That's sad.. I had to be a rotary-loving puertorican didn't I.....

You might have popped a line with that race clutch. Damn thing grabs tighter than a virgin xD
Find the issue so we can finish getting your car broken in and we can worry about getting me into/getting a stick shift or your ridiculously yellow headlights :P

Jeez, I've been gone a few days and still not fixed?
Not given you both a hard time, just saying............and I know it can be frustrating.
Look like you got a lot of good info in the past few days and have made headway, so that's good.

Now, go test that neutral switch!!! :)

if didi was still living down the road from me i wouldve had her car up and going, but sadly shes living a little further away now and she has a pretty hectic schedule. (i dont blame her) but we're working on it little by little.

WTF?

There are TWO white female and TWO white male.
There are TWO black female and TWO black male.

Hook the whites together. Hook the blacks together. Just think Birmingham in the 1950's. You'll be fine.

That said, a bad neutral switch will make the idle crazy, but it shouldn't make the car hard to start.

hahaha!!! and yes thats what i mean.

so its connected that way, so simply put the switch is bad. damn Didi is pissed, her radiator blew and engine blew at the same time which made for a costly repair bill. replaced her clutch with a performance clutch while she was at it. gets the car started runs shit cuz of this switch and other stuff. got the communication problem fixed and find its the neutral switch. before it can be solved, her clutch goes on her. not sure what part but now thats shot = more money. shes pissed right now lol

Sounds like she is hooked by a pretty shitty mechanic.

Who knows :dunno:

Meanwhile, I'm trying to find a way to get my autotragedy under the knife and come out manual. Issue is I have no job and no DD so I can't put her under the knife just yet. When I do I plan to sell all the auto parts I don't need to go towards the cost of the manual ones.

ooooook.. It's been a couple weeks but here's whats going on. Finally got the clutch fixed. It was losing pressure because the clutch line had split right down the center. Got it replaced with a Russel Stainless Steel Braided clutch line, bled the system, and got my pressure back. Clutch working great. Took a look under the car at those damned switches as well. What happened was that one of the white ones seems to have gotten caught somewhere under the car and also split. So my boyfriend fixed that and no more check engine light.

So everything is almost good......

Except that the car is still idling low and stalling on me everytime I decelerate or stop the car. Well it's trying to. I can keep the car running by slowing down without the break and making sure i keep tapping the gas periodically. But if I leave the car in neutral with no pedals or decelerate without keeping the revs up over 2000rpm it just stalls out. What else can it be? Can those connectors maybe still be bad and have to replaced? Does the idle have to be moved up? If so how do I go about doing that? :scratchhe HEEEEELLLLLPPPP!!! :(

I'll give you a hint:

Go to the very first response on the first page of this thread, and follow the instructions. In fact, you might want to start at the beginning of the thread, and go through the first several suggestions and start over.

BC.

Nice hint genius. Except that I don't need sarcasm. I need help. Even though I'm a girl I believe I'm still smart enough to have tried everything on the thread and, well, being that I still have the same problem was open to more suggestions. Because after all that's what this forum is about. Helping people and getting info from someone who might know something more than me.

So if anybody else has any information that maybe wasn't covered in this thread previously please let me know. I'm taking the car to Mazda tomorrow anyway so I can have a tech drive it and see why I'm so frustrated. Once I get my news I'll post it up.

And again thanks for those of you who have been helpful. Means a lot to me.

Hey dick mouth, how about you shut your trap and take your heckling to another thread, she is having trouble with her car and merely asking for help, she isnt asking for word vomit from the town crier, last i checked this is PUBLIC FORUM, where questions are asked and answers presumably found, so lose the smart ass ego and if you dont have something productive to add to the thread, then do not anything at all you pedantic piece of _____________< fill in the blank with insulting word of choice......

- Emil (MiaS13) Diandras Boyfriend :git::git::git:

Comin in late and without all the info but have you checked the intake by chance? Gummed up MAF or intake screen from the boiled coolant would cause a crap idle.

My replacement engine had an erratic idle (surged, fell, surged, fell, stalled).

The dealer replaced my SSV (probably unrelated) and did some sort of Mazda service which cleaned not only the injectors, but also the throttle body, air intake system and intake valves.

It idles perfectly now ;)