c2k4-8

For those of you with the "N" does your car start up better. I have noticed mine turning over a few times before starting - could this be the "hard start"?

FastRX8

According to the Service Bulletin, here is the exact wording on page 5.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
NOTE:
• This warranty information applies only to verified customer complaints on vehicles eligible for warranty
repair. Refer to the SRT microfiche for warranty term information.
• Additional diagnostic time cannot be claimed for this repair.

I does say 'This [B]warranty information applies only to verified customer complaints on vehicles eligible for warranty'

And, this is from page 1

NOTE: UNDER THE MAZDA SPECIAL PROGRAM (MSP04), ALL CURRENT DEALER INVENTORY AND
RETAILED VEHICLES FOUND TO BE WITHIN THE ABOVE VIN RANGES, AND PRODUCED
PRIOR TO MARCH 12, 2004, MUST BE INSPECTED AND REPAIRED ACCORDING TO THE
INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. THIS INCLUDES CUSTOMERS
WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEIR VEHICLE IN FOR NORMAL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND/
OR RECALL REPAIRS THAT MAY NOT BE RELATED TO THE CONCERNS OUTLINED IN THIS
BULLETIN.

I would just print it out and show them.

Redlands Mazda, (where I go) said they would probably have it in their system this week, and that I can go in and get it updated.

Good Luck
- Cesar -

aldo

I think you are right... is possible that 5m and 6m dipend on the type or gerabox. So I have to ask better !!!

Frank Patrick

Seems most everyone who has goteen would disagree with that statement for
Mazda NA. I had dyno before-(188), and I'll re-test on Sat. -It should interesting, to me the car is a bit quicker with it, but who am I, certainly the guys who built it should know better.

slllygrl10

When did Mazda started reflashing rx8's to N flash? I went last week and they said that I'm up to date. My car flooded first week of Jan. I wonder if I have N flash hmm

Purple Helmet

I got the N flash and My Hemmorhoids went away!!

rkostolni

Sillygirl, my normal dealer told me the same thing. They thought I was up to date because they had not upgraded to the N flash yet. I'm going to Rosenthal Mazda tomorrow. They have upgraded their WDS machine and have told me my PCM is not at the most current level.

acc3d

I went to the dealership to get an oil change & tire rotation today. Here's a scan of my receipt. Does this mean I had the 'L' flash and was updated to 'N' or that they just flashed 'L' onto my ECU?

mitchfried

Mine was built in June '04 so I guess I have the latest flash.

OR DO I?

Frank Patrick

I rented an RX8 last week, when I took the car back I commented to the desk, this rental seemed to have more power then my own 8- he said he had herd that comment before from other 8 owners, he attributed it to theirs were 05's.

slllygrl10

Well I dont know when Congressional Mazda would upgrade their WDS machine. But it was over my Fredricksburg when my car flooded. Aahhh I dont know anymore.

SantozRx8

well that just sucks, our cars cant be rental cars... that would invade in the mustangs territory
BTW... i went to try and get the N flash today and goober head was clueless as to what it was, as well as the ac amp thing, he knew nothing of this, good thing we have finishline to get tsb's from

hdroadking

Haven't had any problems with stalls or starts, but after reading about all the flashes, I wondered if I could get better performance after havig the N flash. Accel does flatten out above 10 K. Getting 17-18 mpg in street and highway drives. 6-spMT, 04 RX picked up on Aug 5, but not sure when it was built.
I just called the Mazda dealer, he checked my VIN and said the N Flashe didn't qualify or apply since my car had this already. Can anyone verify if this may be true for mid year 04's?

hdroadking

djseto,
thanks for the reply, 10k is approx, I'm not actually looking at the tac, too busy too look, just hear the buzzer go off.

zoom44

it doesnt mean either of those. l is just a line number or something there. see the # after "pcm #" its N3Z2-xxx thats the part number for the 6mt flash . you know its the new numbering since it has a Z instead of an H(old numbering) and the only new numbering flash they can give you is the N flash. if they had printed the file number it would have been N3Z2EN00- xxxx where the level after the "E" is the flash level. long story short- you have N.

Go48

Check your build date on the sticker located on the front of the drivers side suicide--sorry, freestyle--door. If it is April '04 or later, you should have the "M" flash which, according to those on the forum who know what they're talking about, is the same update as "N". Which means your dealer is correct in that you don't need it.

selmeralto

I'm not sure this is correct. I thought I had the M flash. I was flashed to N and the car feels very different. Maybe I'm mistaken in thinking I had the M flash...

zoom44

it is apparent now that there is some difference between M and N but that as Far as mazda is concerned they want you to have a least m. if you have m then your fine to them if you arent on M then you skip and go straight to n.

rkostolni

I got the N flash today, upgraded from M, and there is DEFINITeLY a difference between M and N. Anyone who has gotten it will agree!!

I don't think the car is making anymore peak power than with the M, but it feels like there is more area under the curve. The power increases very linearly now whereas with the M flash the power kicked in around 3750 and peaked around 6250, and then began to fall off until redline. Pretty much what was being shown on dyno charts is what it felt like. However, now with the N flash, I'm willing to bet dyno charts will show power will increase steadily from idle to redline.

The engine also revs much smoother and is louder at idle and quieter above 6k. My engine got very loud above 6k, and sounded bad, this is a great improvement. The marble noise everyone is talking about is still there around 6k, but I think this may be related to the ports opening and so it is suppose to be there.

I didn't have a great deal of time to get used to the N yet, but I am almost certain it is preferrable to the M. The only thing I might miss is the power kick at 3750. I was going to do a G-tech run on the way to the dealer and one on the way home to note any differences, but when I went to get my G-tech, it appears to be broken and would not turn on. If anyone else can do this, that would be valuable information. Please try to make the runs as close as possible to ensure constant ambient temps and gas levels!

fizzer

This weekend I had a nice long trip to gauge mileage with the N flash over the M. Looks like I'm getting a 10% increase in milage across the board! City used to be 12-13, now its 13-14. Highway used to be 19-20, now its 21-22.5. I kept the same driving style as I've always had, and these new mileage numbers were on 93 octane. So when mazda says the N flash deosn't add more power, thats pure marketing. More mileage = more power. (at least when we're talkin about a rich running engine).

Also while visiting my parents, I let my father drive the car. He hasn't driven it since before the M flash so he noticed a ton of improvement. I didn't even tell him the car had been updated and the first thing he says: "Did you change the exhaust? It sounds like a proper rotary now!" He also mentioned the torque down low (even peeled out by accident once because he was expecting it to be like before).

Mazda may say they're fixing hard starts, but they're just afraid to admit that thier tuning was so far off in the first place.

One last thing, when I first got the N flash, I had no surge whatsoever at 6.5k or so... the hesitiate-surge has come back a tiny bit, but I haven't lost the low-end grunt at all. My best guess is that when I first got the car back, the 'learning' PCM musta been in granny mode, so maybe I'm just getting more top end now? The way it felt before though... I'd trade a few top-end ponys for that perfectly flat power delivery anyday. Would be nice if we could choose how the thing 'learns'.

slllygrl10

Ok now I think I want the N flash.

khtm

I want the O flash!! I heard it turns the 8 into an AWD car! :D

Frank Patrick

All anyone has to do is drive both (m), (n)- The vehical is faster, lots. I wasn't all that dissatisfied with the M, but it isn't close to the performance I'm getting now, including better gas milage-Please do yourselfs a favor- take the time, I know it's a pain in the ---, but you won't be sorry you did- I'm not using the power all that much, I pretty much drive the limit, but it's nice to know it's there when I need it.. I got a feeling this is the engine Mazda spoke about, when all the critics said- No way RX8 are making that much horsepower, and Mazda had to eat crow. well not anymore-this N flash kicks ***.

rotarygod

I admit I haven't read through 7 pages so if this has been mentioned already I apologize.

I have logged both the M and N flashes as well as looked at what they do at different rpm's and loads. Remember that a map is more than just a full throttle run. A fuel/ignition map is a 3D graph that is based on rpm, load, and the amounts of fuel or timing within. At full throttle, the M and the N flash are still the same. Sorry to disappoint but there's no more power from the N flash at full throttle. Where they differ however is in the part throttle areas of the map. The N flash is trying to get more economy. With the M flash, under light loads and cruising rpms, the total timing advance would get up to 38 degrees. The new N flash is a little different here. It takes this a little farther and makes total advance go all the way up to 41.5 degrees. There is definitely a difference here. Fuel ratios have changed here also. The N flash runs richer than the M at these points to try to counter the chances of detonation. However the added fuel difference almost cancels out an economy gain. It does change a little though. There are many different combinations of timing and air fuel ratio that a car will run good on so don't think that there is any one magical setup. I have never seen anyone run up to 41.5 degrees of advance on a rotary before. Notice this is only at lighter loads and lower rpms. As the loads rise or the rpm's increase, or both, the total advance goes down. Max advance at full throttle for both the M and N flashes is 30 degrees by 7000 rpm. This is a decently high number for full throttle but not unheard of. If you guys want to know more crazy stuff, I still don't know the leading trailing split but I do know that at certain times, the trailing is shut off completely leaving only the leading plugs firing. This was last done on the 1979-1980 RX-7. The trailing does fire ahead of the leadings at idle ti significantly reduce emissions. This does work. There are just different conditions where one setup works better than the other and vice versa. Mazda has decided to take advantage of this.

This is the difference between the M and the N flashes. There is no more power to be had at full throttle but there should be some differences at lower rpm's in terms of economy and possibly power. Any gains felt at full power are in your head.