RX-8 struggles while redlining?
 

Hey all, so I have a situation. For some reason, when I'm driving my car on the highway and I'm in 3rd, 4th, or any gear higher than that, when I try to gas it to red line my car, it seems my car starts to stutter or struggles to hit the red 8,000 + rpm. I do manage to hit it and hear the beep; just seems my car struggled in doing so?

I have taken it to the mechanic about a month ago or so, he said my car seems fine? It's a 2005, with approximately 94,000 miles or so on it. My 3rd party warranty expires at 96,000 :mdrmed:

Did you get a CEL?

I had some hesitation issues recently, mostly in the 2K-5K RPM range. It ended up being fouled plugs. Check your ignition system health, that's where I would start.

Did you get a flashing CEL? That indicates a misfire if so.

I do have a "CEL" on the car at the moment, is this something serious, or an easy fix that my Mechanic can do? And Chrishoky, I'll check that out as well, and see what my Mechanic says. Again, I was wondering if I should worry about it or not, cause I also need to purchase some tires soon and fix my sound system, since the clips are broken...

Its not ideal, so yes you should worry a bit. I would go to Autozone or something similar and have them read the CEL code for you. Then you can search google for what the code means. Sputtering could also be related to ignition coils, MAF sensor not reading correctly, etc. Could be many problems. The CEL code should give you a good starting point.

Anybody who drives an '05 with that many miles, but doesn't own a code reader -

is to be admired.

However, anyone who has a check engine light and asks people on the internet
"What is this fault that my car is desperately trying to bring to my attention?"-

is a genuinely special person.




.

My ultimate concern was if it's serious enough to take care of as soon as possible or if it can wait a bit, trying to prioritize things I need to do to my car; maintenance wise. A "CEL" can be numerous things, minor or serious. Now I know :)

Thanks for taking the time to input your thoughts though cutie ;)

With a rotary you should always check out any cells you get immediately. Don't even drive it around until you know what the issue is and if it's "serious" (if the light is on, it's usually serious with these cars). These motors don't last long if there's an issue with them. One big detonation, and you just cost yourself over $2000 for a rebuild.

My car literally just did this last night. It is an 05 automatic and it does not usually redline. Well last night it decided to and it did exactly what is being described here. Stuttering and CEL was flashing for about 30 seconds. Is this a serious problem and if so how do i fix it. Or how do i avoid having it happen again. Could it possibly be the fuel im using as well. I was not able to put 93 in so i had to go with 87 bu i usually put 93 in her most of the time. I very rarely put 87 in. So if you could possibly help me understand what is the problem that would be awesome. Thank you!

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Likely ignition coil failure and/or catalytic converter failure. Do not drive the car in this condition, get it fixed. What do you mean "decided to"? Did you press full throttle or not?

Okay so i decided to red line it I completely messed that sentence up sorry and I did press full throttle. I hope it is not the cat or a coil failure. That would not be good, but if it is one of those... How much would it be to fix either of them?

The coil is relatively "cheap." But that word and this car, do not go well together. Coils can be cheap, i beleieve you can get them OEM from Autozone or similar for $120ish. Unsure about the CAT as i have a midpipe. If you are going to keep this car for a while, i HIGHLY recommend getting the BHR ( BlackHaloRacing ) coil kit. Relatively easy to install if you are a monkey with a wrench. This kit costs more, but it has an amazing guarantee, works for the car much better than any other coils, ( my opiniom ) and Charles will be a huge help!

Chris

Just had another member with somewhat similar issues, and it was a clogged cat. Do not drive until you diagnose your cel and fix it. Get the cel read. we have a list on the forum of what each cel means. If you just have 2000 miles left on your warranty, by all means stop driving it, get a proper diagnosis and get it fixed while you still have some warranty left. (though we don't know what your third-party warranty covers ??)

Alright thank you so much for the help and I will keep you posted on if the problem goes away.

No thing, but i would do what the other member recomended, dont drive it ti you diagnose and fix the issue. These cars are fickle....Good luck.

I guess it wasn't clear, if you continue to drive with a clogged catalytic converter, you will destroy your engine. This isn't like a "maybe it will be fine" problem. This is a "do I want to replace only the catalytic converter or the whole car?" problem.

+1 this is a serious issue.

ALWAYS use premium.
Flashing CELS are always misfires.
Misfires don't just go away.
Usually caused by faulty ignition components.
They in turn can cause your cat to go bad, which in turn can cause misfires even after new ignition is installed.
Clogged/bad cats cause engine failure.

Misfires kill cats, bad cats kill engines.

I cant imagine never redlining an rx8, i redline mine a few times every drive #gutrevving

Your engine requires the use of premium gasoline. 91 octane is just fine and 93 won't hurt a bit. Using anything less can cause knock and once the ecu gets a knock signal it will retard your timing (to save your engine of course) and you will get reduced power until there is no knock.

A flashing check engine light means there is a catalyst destroying misfire present. This is very bad and you should not drive the vehicle until the misfire is corrected. If you do not, not only will you ruin your catalytic converter, but you risk detonation and possible engine failure.