brutalbrad

About a month ago my rx8 wouldnt start.....just a consistant crank and no spark
So i call roadside wait 3 hours and the next day my local dealer said that the spark plugs had been flooded with water and they were damaged.....know i accepted that theory due to the massive monsoon rains that hit LI...still didnt believe it because i really didnt drive the car in the rain that much and never had a prob before...

Anyways problem fixed....until yesterday when the car did the same thing again......consistant crank no spark. Now no rain in the past week and i havent driven the car in a week so spark plug problem I dont think so

So i called roadside again 3 hrs later & have the car towed over to a different mazda further away but i know the service dept is awesome. Service Writer calls me back and informs me that there is a Defect in the Starter on the 2004 and Mazda had corrected the problem in the new starters......he knew this because there was 2 other cars in the shop for the very same reason

Does anyone know of this starter problem or is this the beginning of something
or have they experienced the same problem in their car

msrecant

What you describe sounds like the traditional RX-8 engine flooding, that is excess gasoline in the combustion chamber that makes ignition impossible. Flooding will typically foul the spark plugs to the point where they require replacement. An oil change is also done because of fuel getting into the engine oil. Mazda will also upgrade your ECU firmware to the latest level which contains changes that help to avoid flooding.

Colder spark plugs, a weak battery and a weak starter can be contributing factors to causing an engine flood and Mazda has been replacing spark plugs, batteries and some starters for cars with consistent flooding problems.

The condition is usually caused by turning the car off cold after a "short trip". An example is starting your car, backing it out of the garage and turning it off immediately. The next morning it won't start. Always let the engine warm up before shutting it off (temp gauge at the normal position). See your QuickTips booklet for details on Mazda's recommended short-trip procedure (idle for 5 minutes, rev to 3K for 10 seconds, let go to idle and shut off).

Note, even with upgraded spark plugs, battery, starter and ECU firmware you still want to avoid cutting your engine off cold.

A number of people have experienced this problem. See https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/engine-flooding-info-questions-17498/ for a detailed discussion of this issue.

Glyphon

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...hlight=starter

read this thread, and then ask your dealer about it.

brutalbrad

Well the car is back and working great now they changed the starter in the car
The service manager said that there is a problem with the starters but who knows as long as i didnt have to shell out penny im fine

msrecant

Glad to hear you are back in your 8!

You still may want to make sure that your always warm up the car before turning it off.

brutalbrad

that engine flooding thread is too long to go through

Is there a DIY way to deflood the motor without getting it flatbedded everytime if its not the starter and it is the flood problem.......obviously warming it up will make sure it doesnt happen but sometimes i have to move the car and dont have alot of time to wait

Go48

Yeah. It's called the owner's manual. Check it out.

msrecant

Yes, use the Mazda de-choke procedure first. If that doesn't work, I have not done this personally but STROKERCHARGED95GT used the following procedure:

Pololo_RX8

My car is at the shop right now with this same problem!!!

Lately I have been having problems starting the car... I went on a business trip... 3 days later engine will not start!

When I called the dealer they said... "Don't even jump start it... 'cause it'll fail again. We know what the probelm is"

My car is getting a new starter, new spark plugs and new battery and I am in California!! where cold is ~ 42 degrees!

I can't imagine the guys on the east coast where weather really sucks!

Why can't Mazda issue a recall if they know what the problem is? This is bad!!!

Anyways, issues are being fixed now.. 3 trips to the dealer in ~ 4 months... I guess this is not the most reliable car outhere... but I LOVE IT!!

Carlos

msrecant

Is yours a 2005? Did you buy it new, if so, when? Is it MT or AT? Do you turn the car off without letting it warm up?

From the repair description (not the original problem) it sounds like the traditional flooding problem, but I would expect the newer RX-8s (late 2005) to be much less susceptible.

Pololo_RX8

I bought my car used. It's a 2004 model assembled in Sept/03. I know about flooding so I am being very careful about this.

The thing is a combination of weak battery, weak starter and long period of shutdown will cause this....

Funny since my beater (Nissan Maxima with 220K miles) always stays outside, sometimes I don't even use it for 1 week or even 2 and it always starts right up...

Definitely quality issues with the 8 and as long as I don't pay a dime I don't care.

Carlos

msrecant

The early RX-8s definitely have weak batteries and weak starters. This is the third winter for the 2003 builds and it sounds like a lot of them can't hack it. Mine is hanging in there (knock on wood) but its garage kept, low mileage and lives in VA.

brutalbrad

well update starter worked but motor blew picked up the car from the dealer the idle was all messed up and then took it instantly back compression was all messed up and then they told me they are going to have to get me a new motor from mazda this is all BS and now im without a car probably for a month

RoXanneBlack8

sucks about the engine man. but FYI, u can deflood them w/o takin them to the dealer. the whole unplug the fuel pump and crank the engine with no plugs in it isnt the suggested way. i am a tech for mazda and this is what the mazda techlines and their instructional videos tell u....

if the engine cranks and does not start, let it sit for a few moments b4 retrying. before u recrank it, put your foot on the gas pedal and put it to the floor. this disconnects the fuel pump. crank the engine for up to and no more than 8 seconds. release the key and let of the gas. wait a few moments and try again w/o on the gas pedal. go back and forth with this method. after a few trys it should start as long as ur foot isnt on the gas pedal. stepping on the gas pedal cuts the fuel aand allows the rotors to spin out the excess fuel. retrying after this with the gas pedal in its normal position incorporates more fuel into the chamber and a second shot at starting. after a few tries your battery will be good as dead so if it dont fire in the first few, have it towed.

once we get the car we do that method a few times to see if it can start w/o any repairs. 50% of the time they start w/o us doing anywork. if owners knew this trick it would save them a lot of time. all it does is **** off the other techs, cept for me bc i love rotaries.

if it dont start for us we will
a) wipe off the plugs and try again
b)replace the leadings
c)replace leading and trailings
d)plugs and battery recharged
e)plugs , battery, and new starter

aftrer all that they alwasy start up. not the first crank but after a few, and god almighty does it smell and produce a butt load of smoke!!!!!!!!!!!

you can avoid all this by not moving the car an inch b4 it is fully warmed up
________
Body Science

Pololo_RX8

I just picked up my car. What a difference!!!!

They changed starter, battery, plugs and re-flash.

Also the tow truck guy said that he has towed 4 RX8 in 1 month!!!

As I was leaving the dealer, I bumped into 2 more guys describing similar problems.

Coincidence? i think not...

Pololo

Red_Rotor

Hey, just took mine in for a CEL flashing and complained about slow start ups when the engine is cold. The dealer is changing my plugs, battery and starter, and I have never flooded the engine or have had to tow it in. To bad on the code though... P-0300 Random Missfire, at least that is what they told me. I couldn't go back there with the mechanic to see the code due to insurance reasons for the dealer.

gunit28vp

Same problem here i tried all day to defloood my engine, it almost fires then nothing just dry cranking, i've never had this problem with starting until today now i have to wait all weekend until i can get it to my service shop.

tripwire

Add me to the list. I know what it was... I had to move the car last night and I didn't get it properly warmed up. I pulled the plugs and they were soaked and looked terrible. And good luck finding those specialized laser iridium plugs anyhwere. I did try the dechoking procedure from here: http://www.finishlineperformance.com...4-05-1448b.pdf

I did everything but the Procedure for Restoring Engine Compression, it started to get too involved. Had her towed. I'll be sure to ask them to replace the starter and battery as well, it has been taking a bit longer than usual to turn over lately.

katzoomed

pololo rx8
I've had same problem. Also no confidence.
Now have high RPM's when starting. Should timing be checked?
Thank goodness no out of pocket costs here, except for no use of the vehicle for days & getting it back filthy with extra miles on odometer.
I'm fortunate, I keep an 89 nissan that starts every time here in northern california with the coldest day of 42..
Are you perhaps getting assistance with local nor-cal dealers?

VOODOO8

BB - might want to check this thread out...
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/blown-motor-77861/

NEWireless

Got mine 9/03, 40,000mi and 2 New England winters with no problems.

Wife takes car, uncle moves car to plow snow = car flooded.

Did all the published de-flood procedures; no start. What finally got the car started was the extra cranking power from my SUV jump.

Plugs look bad, battery probably bad too.

RotaryJeff

Hi All,

I think Mazda is getting proactive on this issue. I just went to the dealer for my 35K service, and missed thier callback in the afternoon. So I just drove back to the dealer thinking that I had no issues and the service would be routine.

I have never had a flooding or slow-to-start problem with this car. Nor in my previous 15+ years in my RX-7. Never shut it off cold, and alwaays have used common sense. And my (perhaps weak) understanding of the new plugs/stater/battery is that it was only for cars experiencing a problem. I never expected to have a problem (and probably never would), so I've ignored much of this issue.

So I go to pick up my car, and they say "no way, dude. Parts on order. Your getting a new starter and better battery." I say I'm not having any problems. I ask "why am I getting this?", and the response is: "because you can." They say they are doing it to all RX-8's, period.

Maybe its just this dealer, but I'll take the deal. Because I can, LOL.

Jeff