Just going to start by saying that I have read through a bunch of trouble shoot threads. I'm 17 and bought this Rx-8 last Saturday. My dad is a good mechanic and has been working on cars since he was 14 as a hobby. We bought this car at a buy here pay here lot and it used to be the owners personal car.

I have always been a fan of Rx-8s and after he told me what had happened i thought it would be a quick fix. He said that it was in the way of his friends parking lot during a Christmas party so he moved it and went back in and every since then it hasn't started. I automatically thought "Flooded" and bought the car for 3 grand. So we towed it home and as soon as we got it there we put new plugs, plug wires, a battery, coils, and even a new fuel pump in/on it. It starts every now and then but always shuts off. I let it warm up and then as soon as I let it run in idol for a few mins it shuts off.

I'm really worried about this investment and if I can't get it started soon I might have to sell it. I really love the way this car looks and we got it to run for about a mile the other day and I absolutely loved the way it drove. I really don't want to get rid of this car so any ideas would be appreciated.



Thanks, Aaron

 

Hello. I have no experience with my 8 doing that but once I had an old RWD Maxima that did & it was just the ground wire from the battery to the block had corroded and was barely hanging on. Sometimes we overlook simple things. Hopefully it's an easy fix. Good luck.

 

Thanks. I'll check it out in the morning. Hope that is the problem.

 

What happens when you try to start it after it shuts off?

 

If I try to start it again it just keeps trying to turn over, I will usually go at it for a good 30 mins before it starts again and I have to recharge the battery. Then it just shuts off in idol, but if I push past 2000 rpms it stays started. ? Also when I put it in gear it shuts off. ? I can post a video tomorrow if that would help you to see.

 

videos always help lol, do the electronics freak out when it dies? It sounds like low compression to me. Try getting it running and keeping it above 2k for a couple min (or until it's warmed up) then let it idle. If it dies and doesn't restart then it's most likely compression

 

Thats what my dad says it is. How could I fix it if it is compression?