If anybody can help me I'd greatly appreciate it. I just bought sn 04 rx8 the other day with 79,000 miles. On my way home from buying it the engine light came on it didn't blink or anything but stayed on. The gas cap was opened by the guy I bought it from so I figured maybe it wasn't tight. I refueled it and tightened the cap and it went off after starting it back up a few times. I ran it about 75-100 miles and was at a friends and tried starting it up and it never turned over the lights and gauges all came on but the car didn't do anything. I took the key out and locked/unlocked the doors (don't know if this mattered at all) after trying again the car started with no problem, but the engine light came back on. The car has plenty of power and idles and everything fine. Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else ormif anybody knows what the problem may be. Thanks

 

A good start would be to clean and tighten all the battery connections.

 

Clutch pedal disconnect switch thing problem maybe? And maybe the engine light is a bad gas cap and just a coincidence that it happened at the same time?

I mention it just because when I had my (snapped) clutch pedal replaced, the new one has to go ALL the way to the floor for it to start, and it scared me the first few times it happened...

 

Find out what the CEL code is..that will go a long way towards helping you figure it out

 

Since its an 04, it might still have the inferior Starter. They have an upgraded starter but its not under warranty. You may want to also ask the dealership if the coils, plugs and wires were ever inspected. In most cases not all, an 04 with that many miles usually needs new coils, plugs and wires.

 

Ok I'll look at checking all these out. The positive terminal was very loose anx shouldn't tighten done so I'm going to pick up a new one. The dealer cant get me in until next week. Does anybody know where I can get the wires plugs and coils at a good price. Id like to change out everything since I recently bought it anyways. Thanks guys anymore suggestions let me know too

 

I just bought mine through my mechanic (not a dealership) but I am sure people in the forum have already posted about where to find them cheaper. Just go into the search above and type in "where to buy coils cheap".
There is an aftermarket ignition system made by Black Halo Racing. Even if you go with stock, they arent the greatest product and can possibly go bad in the future. A bad ignition is the leading cause of the flooding issue that the RX8 known for. The aftermarket has been known to help prevent flooding.
If you stay stock than you will definitely want to make sure not to shut your engine off before its fully warm. Alot of us including me have stayed stock (OEM) and just make sure to warm car up before driving and shutting the engine off.
If you need to just move your car a short distance, than you will need to rev your rpms up to about 5,000 for 10-15 sec before shutting off. I like to just move the car and let it sit idling until its warmed up but obviously that wastes gas and always the possibility for someone to hop in it and take it for a joy ride when your not looking