Ok here is the situation, I was driving on the highway today and my car went into slug mode. Going up hills on the highway and the thing was loosing speed. I put it in fourth and still no power.

After the highway I was driving around town and it would become real sluggish and just not running smooth. It also was making a swooshing type sound (like coolant moving around the hoses etc.) Sometimes it was fine though and everything was back to normal.

I brought it in for a oil change and had them check for loose plug wires and they were fine. I just had plugs, wires and coils replaced less than 10k ago so I don't see that being the issue. I know that my water pump is on its way out, could that cause it? It started leaking out the weep hole and I plan to have it replaced in a week or so.

Any suggestions are welcome. The only other thing I can think of is a bad tank of gas, messed up cat (no smell or glowing though) or my engine is about to blow up.

 

I should also mention no CEL lights of any sort.

2004 Rx8
107000 miles
manual

 

Does the water pump pulley still spin or is it seized?
That weep hole indicates a seal failure within the pump, but you want to ensure its still operating.
Have you noticed if the temp gauge climbs when you start experiencing problems?

 

Nah man, the temp gauge stays normal in the center. Today was warm too.

 

Check you intake for oil (not likely, but worth taking a peek).

Also, how many miles are on the cat?
Just because its not glowing doesn't mean its not partially clogged.
The more clogged it becomes, you'll notice power loss at lower and lower RPMs and the exhaust tone/sound will change.

 

The cat as far as I know and have owened 70k has not been replaced. Should I seafoam this thing? I read some methods for seafoaming and heard you can add a little in the gas tank. Is that a option?

 

That is a good amount of miles for our cat.
Take a peek inside and verify the material isn't broken apart.

Option yes, solution... probably not.

 

i've noticed something similar on mine recently:

some (not all) runs sound clearly different--
...like my exhaust (exoticspeed) has a sore throat - kind of more raspy.
...when this happens i notice a clear sluggishness when trying to accelerate.

was thinking to--
... change coils/plugs but I have a pretty smooth idle.
...replace my aem filter since it looks oily.
...now it sounds like it might be the cat (quote Jon316g:The more clogged it becomes, you'll notice power loss at lower and lower RPMs and the exhaust tone/sound will change)

is this right or does anyone else have more suggestions?

(60k, no cel's)

 

My issue seems to be resolved. I replaced the water pump so I think the engine was getting to hot (can't go by the gauge that thing is bogus). Cleared the ECU and no problems yet (knock on wood).

 

Ouch, the factory temp gauge won't move until 230F but that would only take a minute to happen if your pump wasn't working. Good luck, hopefully your coolant seals are ok.

 

Nah I replace the pump before any overheating etc. so i'm not worried. I was working or at least partially.