Hey All, I haven't logged in in some time. I have an '04 6-speed (one of the earliest models off the line in '03). It has 78k miles, and Mazda America covered install of a reman at 52k. At the same time I paid to have the clutch resurfaced.

3-4 months back I noticed my idle starting out high at 2k, and then settling into ~750. More recently, my idle at lights with the clutch in started getting unstable and dropping down a bit closer to ~600. It didn't choke out, but I cleaned and oiled my K&N intake, cleaned my throttle body and MAF sensor and ran Seafoam through my gas at quarter tank. That seemed to smooth things out for a time, but then the idle at lights got a little unstable--not jumping between 750 and 2k every 5 seconds, but back to holding at 2k at start and then fluctuating between ~600-850.

I ran another Seafoam @ 1/4 tank recently, and got a CEL light part way through. I didn't check it immediately since I've been getting the evaporative code a lot from a cheap replacement gas cap. I checked it tonight and it gave me a P0850 code. I read the posts here about that code with insight from Jonathan and ASH8, but I move a lot and don't currently have a set of jack stands. I'll follow up with https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-...switch-200453/

In the mean time, I'm wondering if anyone can help me interpret the details of my CEL:

Throttle Position: 15.7%
Engine Speed: 3448 RPM
Barometer Pressure: 29.8 "HG
Calc Load: 19.2%
MAF: 1.88 LB/M
OUT TEMP: 66 DEGF
COOLANT: 93 DEGF
IAT: 66 DEGF
IGN ADF: 31.5 DEG
SECOND AIR: Atmospheric
ST FTRM11: 0.0%
LT FTRM1: 10.2%
VEH SPEED: 27 MPH
ABS LOAD: 17.3 %
FUEL SYS 1: Open-Drive
FUEL SYS 2: N/A
REL TPS: 4.3%
THROT CMD: 6.7%
ABS TPS B: 32.6%
ACC POS D: 31.8%
ACC POS E: 20.4%
CAT TEMP11: 1533 DEGF
EVAP PURGE: 0.0%
CMD EQ RAT: 0.925
CLR DIST: 708 mi
CLR TRPS: 136
FUEL LEVEL: 14.9%
VPWR: 14.277 V
ENG RUN: 01:08


Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

1. What are the miles on your plugs/coils?
2. Are you using a k & n filter in the oem air box? Or is your intake aftermarket?
3. Have you checked your intake for any oil or leaks? MAF sensor still good?

 

Miles on plugs, coils and wires are 26k.

K&N in oem.

Haven't checked intake yet. Will check now and look for leaks/oil. Cleaned and oiled the K&N and cleaned the MAF about 500 miles ago.

 

I checked the intake and it's practically as clean and dry as when I last cleaned it.

The only thing I can think might be an issue is that when I last cleaned the MAF, I stripped out the plastic threading on one of the two screws. I locked it down with electrical tape which is still in place seemingly tight. Does anyone have a tip for how to lock this down tighter without having to purchase a replacement?

My engine started hunting at idle this morning during a wait in drive-through. My clutch was engaged, and the idle dropped from ~800 to ~500 and almost choked twice. I revved it and it stabilized. Not sure what that means.

Thanks for the input.

 

Something I forgot to mention is to give your eccentric shaft position sensor a good wipe and reset the NVRAM (20 brake stomp procedure).

Other areas you can check:
Neutral switch (broken/ loose wires)
Air intake filter
Fuel injectors/ pump

Or try searching Google using this method

site:rx8club.com hunting idle (copy and paste that into Google search bar)

 

It ran smooth enough today.

Thanks, I'll try that.

 

just have the neutral/idle switch replaced.
I had the same problem and replacing it with a new one was the only solution.