thered1996

Please do us all a favor, Topgun, and see this thing through to its conclusion. Don't give up or give in.

You mention this is your "toy"...please don't trade it until it's perfect as it will end up riding the auction train out of state and into the hands of someone else.

Sounds like there's little wisdom in your dealer's service department. They are using trial-and-error techniques which will cost them big. You need to up the ante next time you need to have it in for service: tell them you've sold your other car(s) and that the 8 is now your daily driver. You must have a loaner. Things at some dealerships get done better and faster when one of their cars is out being driven with little financial return for the dealer.

Unfortunately, Florida is a miserable place to find a good dealer (spoken as a native Floridian, now an ex-pat.) The constant churn of people in and out of the state leads to short-term and shady practices.

You may have to drive to Tampa to find a better dealer. There used to be a good one in Clearwater...can't remember the name...but they took good care of me years ago when I bought my 323GTX.

zoom44

Top Gun please tell me why they replaced your engine. was it becasue of the "pinging"? was coolant leaking into a combustion chamber? what was the reason they said that the engine needed sawpping?

Topgun

I hate to sound like a pampered pet but time is money. This is a toy car for me and was meant to be a fun thing to do and relax when I am not out teaching people how to fly high end airplanes.I buy a new toy car every 12 to 18 months but not every three months like this is leading me to do.It will be up to Mazda to do something for me at this point. But they do not seem very interested in customer satisfaction right now. I do understand everybodys concern and appreciate all the feed back. Maybe the answer is here in this group somewhere if enough people here about the problem.Thanks again!!

Topgun

Zoom 44 They said it needed the engine because of a coolant leak in the block. It had dripped on the floor of my garage a few weeks ago and when I brought it in for the airbag recall I told them about the coolant on the floor a few weeks ago. I do not think I was burning it but they say it might have been and if they did not replace the engine it could cause major damage down the road and fail.

zoom44

ok thanks. now if you would humour me some more? can you describe the pinging you hear between 3 an 4k rpm in 3rd and 4th?

edit: others here may see where i am going with this but please wait until after his description as i may want to ask another question or 2.

Topgun

Zoom 44 I just did a few posts ago. It sounds like a piston engine on bad gas or a piston engine that the timing is set wrong.If you have any idea's please let me know. But I am not looking to play games with you. Thanks in advance

zoom44

sorry i am not trying to play games with you. i do have an idea but i want to make sure i have an understanding of what you are hearing before i jump to conclusions.

so it sounds like a metallic pinging/slightly rattling sound? sort of a high pitched metallic rattling?

if so i would like you to try something for me. take the car out for a spin. in 2nd 3rd or 4th(3rd or 4th maybe better since that's when you hear it) bring the revs up slowly from 3500 to @3700 until you start hearing the sound then hold your rpms there if you can and see if it continues to "ping" when you hold it at that rpm. don't zip right past that point but try to hold the "note" longer. if it does even a little then i know what it is.

Topgun

Zoom 44 Are you talking about the rpm where the intake valves change?

zoom44

yes. are you sure that is not what you are hearing? don't take offense please but we have had people on here who mistook that sound for pinging. i didn't want to just say it without getting an idea if you knew about the intake system or not. sorry that's strike one for me i guess. do you always hear it between 3k and 4k even in the new engine?

Topgun

Zoom 44 I just took it out for a spin. I do hear what you are talking about only in 4th at 3700 That sound is a higher pitched sound and is a faster tempo than the one I get. I did stomp on it in 2nd from about 2k to 8k.It ran strong and it even seems to me to have more power than the last engine. I could be wrong because I have not driven it in a few weeks. But it did starting pinging under high load at about 5k in 2nd but stopped pinging at about 6.5 to 7 on the way up to 8. By the way what is making that noise in the intake valves at just that rpm if you happen to know?

zoom44

ok we have gone far enough astray from the thread topic. lets take your problem and question over to another thread....

Topgun

No problem I am done with it and the car.

zoom44

here is the new thread

picosrx8

Im at 10500 and around every 3000 im a quart low. My first rotor, but from what Ive read it normal. Mines automatic also and gas mileage is the same as yours. I just got 282mi on a tank (trying to control my lead foot). I was happy with that. If I wanted better milage, Id would of bought a 93hp Civic Hybrid! And for the valet issue...I have only once. Back in December my wife and I went to a very exclusive restaraunt and they had the usual suspect sports cars lining the curb. When we pulled up the guy said to me that he was going to park me in front. When I came out, she was shining like a diamond between a porshe and a ferrari. I was so proud I couldnt possibly valet it again!!!!!

musclecarconvrt

I'm courious. What do you call "pinging". When does your car do this? Under load? At a steady state of driving i.e. highway? High RPM or low? Does it sound like a meatal hammer on an anvil or is it more like '80's Pop Rocks? There are some normal sounds that could be mistaken for "pinging" that are harmless.

I ask because your tech is doing a dis-service to the car when "he said they all ping and it is the nature of the engine". That's just not true. Mine has never made any odd noises and I regularly wring the pee out of it. My gas milage has ranged from 17-22. They run pig rich which is why the tail pipes get so sooty and why the power was down from the prototype. That alone would keep it from pinging unless something in ignition was way way off. If the ECU was managing a pnig, your CEL would light up too. If it really is pre-ignition or detonation something else is up. I would not let my service rep get away with such a broad and dismisive statement. Thanks for keeping us updated.

musclecarconvrt

Sorry for doubling up on Zoom44's Q&A. I jsut cought it. Excellent new thread on all the rpm tune changes. Very cool.