Guys I may be chasing ghosts here, but I need input.

I replaced the coils last week and found a huge difference in performance. I monitor my car using the android torque app. Before the coil change i was seeing misfires in the msid test results. They were all but gone so i ordered plugs and wires to finish the job.

I changed the plugs and wires today to find the orinal wires (stamped 2003) practically falling off the plugs. So with new wires and plugs added to the new coils, idle was super smooth. Took it for a test ride and it didnt feel like it was pulling that hard. Ran the msid test again and had a few misfires on cyl 1 which i can only assume front rotor. Double checked and tightened everything plugs are snug and in the correct positions, wires firmly attached coil connection solid. Reset the nvram and kam, still the same.

Cleaned the maf too. I gave up on it for tonight as it seems to be running well, its just the misfires registering in the torque app. Power does seem a little down. Maybe i am crazy but my friend riding shotgun noticed the power loss too.

Any ideas? No check engine light by the way.

 

Make sure your coils (front to back) are wired to front Lead, front trail, rear lead, rear trail. (L and T are visible on the rotor housings.
Clean your ESS.

 

Wires are correct. I did one at a time so the order is correct. Plugs are correct as well L and T in the right spots. ESS was not cleaned though, I will check that tomorrow. Warranty is up end of this month so taking it for a compression test this week.

 

It could be "phantom" feeling of power loss.
Did you reset the NVRAM/KAM properly (watch for oil gauge sweep/unplug battery and pump brake pedal)?
Are you sure all wires are leading to the correct plug?

try reading this
https://www.rx8club.com/tech-garage-...t-here-222280/

EDIT: Damn internet is SLOOOOWWWW right now. This thread had a reply AND a response from OP by the time this posted...

 

Thanks! That is great info! I did do the 20 pump brake reset, and also disconnected the battery for 15 minutes. Def sure the plugs/wires are correct.

Car is an 04 with 57k on it, bought it with 44k last year. Warranty is good until end of this month so if its compression i should be covered.

Fuel was at a half tank, premium.

The torque app was recording a ton of misfires before the coil change, the coils pretty much cleared it. After plugs and wires cyl 1 (per the app) started recording more misfires mostly at idle but some must have been at high rpm. No misfires on the expressway at 70 in 6 th. I watched the app count from 12 to 19 misfires in about 2 minutes at idle.

 

Just a quick update. Cold start this morning took a few turns to kick over, which is weird because it was firing right up yesterday before the plug/wire swap.

Torque app read 2 misfires on cylinder 1 this morning, on the way in. That's about a 25 minute ride into work mixed freeway and city driving. Power still felt down from the previous day. The mid range torque just didn't feel the same. I'm going to clean the ess today after work if I have time. I might also take it to the dealer today for the compression test if I can get there before they close today. Worst case by the weekend I'll the the comp test done.

 

i can tell you your compression is bad.. i just had mazda replace my 05 rx8's engine.. and they put a gen 2 engine in it.. and im having my car run like ****.. it feels like switches are coming on when im flooring it up the rpms.. the car is running like crap and they said they replaced my coils and plugs.. so i think my problem is injectors.. but by the sounds of your problems thats what was happening with mine and the compression was low.

 

Ummmm are you sure they put a Gen2 engine in it?

Like .. um it's possible but I highly doubt they did.

Check out this thread ... your dealer did all this for you?

https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...n-done-222458/

 

^I don't think he really knows what he's talking about

 

2 missfires in 25 minutes is normal.

Does the light come on? The trigger wheel is a bit finnicky and will show missfires even when things are OK....

Hundreds per 25 minute is a problem...but 2 in 25 minutes is fine

 

That's kind of what I was thinking. I had a drive cycle with 0 misfires over the weekend, and this morning on the way into work it logged 4. Once again this is over a 25 minute time frame.

I think the power loss was probably my "seat of the pants" dyno not working. It seems to be running just fine, gas mileage is improved big time, and the power is super smooth.

I wonder if what I was really feeling was just the low end power come back. I was so used to such a surge at 5k rpm due to the bad coils not firing well in the low rpm that I'm expecting the surge. Truth is, it's pulling a lot smoother now. I think the power is about the same.

 

Well guys, quick update Warranty was coming up in august so I took her in for a compression test. I will be getting a new motor next week. 58,000 on the original. It wasn't too bad honestly, in fact im suprised it failed the test. No questions asked by dealer. New motor and most likely replacing the cat as well. Feeling pretty lucky and working with a great dealer. I will post up results of the engine swap in about 2 weeks.

 

Charles, should i expect the same life out of the new motor as well? 50k max? If so thats a very depressing stat. I take meticulous care of my vehicles, and normally get 200k or close to it before I move on. If thats the reality I am looking at I might have to just sell and move on to something else.

 

*facepalm*

To be honest, these engines are hand build so it depends on a few factors

the part's quality (new/used, any manufacture defects in the first place, etc)
the builder's skill - like did he/she check all parts before buidling, was he/she in a good mood/bad mood that day. Right/wrong seals can make it zero compression.

200K? very possible. a lot of people have reach over 200K on original engine. but again, just like everything else in life, it depends.

 

Just got the car back from the dealer with the new motor. I only have driven it from the dealer to work so far, but I can tell you that I am not impressed. The car does seem to run smooth, idle seems better but still some vibration. Power just doesn't seem to be there...... I don't know if it really needs to be broken in or what, but man it feels like a dog right now.

The CAT and rear O2 sensor were also replaced, so I know it's not a clogged cat.

The coils were just changed, and the dealer put in new plugs during the swap under warranty as they fouled the ones I had just put in when they decarbed the old motor.

I'm wondering if I have intake issue or stuck valves in the ssv or vfad.....

 

I would say drive it a bit then take it in for a compression test. Also, by driving it a bit you may get it to generate a fault code. There's always the chance that something didn't get hooked up correctly...

 

Well, drove it home from work last night, and around town a bit. Then to work this morning. The car seems to be running well, smooth acceleration all around and smoother idle then before. Hot start fires right up, no delay. As far as power, I think my butt dyno is broken. The rental I was given had over 330hp and 276ftlbs of torque with a 0-60 of 5.7, in a luxury sedan.... so yeah the 8 feels slow and and I feel it's age getting back into it. I need to re-adjusted to driving my own car again.

 

Dealer might have forgotten to perform the ESS profile reset. Seems to be a common complaint.
So, go stomp your brake pedal 20 times after you first turn the ignition switch to on.

BC.

 

Good call, I did the 20 stomp brake reset this morning before I drove into work. We'll see how it goes later today.

 

So how did it go?

 

Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been extremely busy at work. The car is running really really well. The power is back, and then some. After about 300 or so miles, it started feeling better, and by 500 miles it was running like a bat out of hell.

If I'm stomp on the gas at 15mph or so, it will now break loose the back end with a nice squawk. All the low end is back, and the acceleration is better than before. Gas mileage is also way up for me. I drive a LOT of stop and go traffic, and my mpg rose almost 2 miles per gallon over the last motor.

I have about 1000 miles on since the swap, and the dealer filled it with 5w20 so I'll be switching that out here very soon. I figure I would break it in first.

I do however want to do something about the motor mounts, maybe fill them as noted on the DIY on this forum. There is a little vibration at idle here and there, but I thinks it's the mounts for sure.

Overall I'm happy, but I'm watching everything and this will be compression checked before 12k miles is up as I am out of the 8 year warranty now.

 

Good to hear.

The shaking at idle isn't necessarily an issue, fyi.