hoosier8

Up to now I have had no problems. 2006, stick, 23,700miles, bought it new in 2006.

Today the outside temp reads 100-101 degrees and over 50% humidity (first time since I have owned this car) and after driving for awhile, the engine starts bogging down when accelerating, then if I push it too hard from a start, it dies. I wait 5 minutes and can restart the engine and go again. I can drive awhile before the same symptoms start again then it dies again.

No codes are thrown.

It is acting like vapor lock in the heat but it could be something else.

Taking it in to Mazda tomorrow and they suggested replacing the plugs (need an oil change anyway) but I doubt that will fix anything.

Anyone else have this problem? Any ideas?

CRO8TIA

How much fuel in your tank, maybe your pump is failing. Due you have means to monitor fuel pressure's .

Old Rotor

How many miles on wires,plugs,coils? Has it been flooded ever? Do you see the CAT glowing after a drive? It could be the fuel pump. It could be bad coils. You best put plugs,coils,wires on yourself for about $250-300(takes about an hour). Dealer will charge about $500-700. This might fix it and its due...

okieiggies

That's exactly what mine was doing that ended up needing a new engine. I would definitely take it in to have the engine checked before paying out $$ to see if it fixes the problem.

hoosier8

How many miles on wires,plugs,coils?

23,700

Has it been flooded ever?

Never.

Do you see the CAT glowing after a drive?

No.

It could be the fuel pump.

Agree.

It could be bad coils.

Agree.

You best put plugs,coils,wires on yourself for about $250-300(takes about an hour). Dealer will charge about $500-700. This might fix it and its due...

No time and may have to pay dealer.

Like I said. I have never had a problem but the temps here are very unusual and Indy has a heat warning till Saturday. I know it should not make a difference but these cars run hot anyway. Last time it quit, I was babying it to get it to a gas station before it quit. I waited about 5 minutes and tried to start it in between. Last time I tried it would not catch while starting so I turned the key off then on again and it started right up. I don't think this is a coil problem since there are four of them but do not know what is before the coils for control. Just my opinion. It acts like a classic vapor lock but could be other things. Once it cools down it runs like a champ and accelerates like normal.

amazon_jade

coils on the 8 do not last very long.. 20k miles till replacement is actually normal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosier8

It could be the fuel pump.

Easier and cheaper to replace coils/plugs/wires and see if that helps. I know it's not the BEST way to solve a problem, to throw in parts and see what happens, but at least you got the simple and cheap stuff done before you start spending a ton of money on a new fuel pump. Eliminate the simple stuff first. And with 23k miles, your coils are probably due to be replaced soon anyway

Something else to think about- you bought it new in '06.. have only driven it 23k miles.. has it been sitting long recently? The gas in your tank can go bad if it sits for a month or so.. If that's the case, I'd stick a full can of seafoam in a full tank (or 1/2 can in the 1/2 tank of gas left- 1 fl oz per gallon of fuel) , change coils/wires/plugs, and drive the **** out of it, it it was me

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosier8

Once it cools down it runs like a champ and accelerates like normal.

I was having the same symptoms with my car last month. If I drove it hard, it acted like it was overheating, would bog down, stall out, etc. and once it sat and cooled off it was just fine. Once I replaced the coils it went away.. one thing I've read is that coils can fail completely, OR they can fail only under load, when you drive it hard or for long distances. I believe that was my problem, that the coils were failing under stress. It's a possibility.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

^ Yep, nice to see someone searches. It could be a few simple maintenance items or it could be a loss of compression causing the stalling (same symptoms I had on my first engine that died at 22k years ago and my second that died after 75,000 miles).

monchie

Heat kills the rotary is what they say. Anyway, i'm having the same issue, but not as serious as the op has. Someone said i just need a tune-up and check the status of the fuel pump.

xexok

I do not think heat is the cause of your problems. My car runs daily in 105+ degree heat and does fine. My car would bog down in the heat out here before but after I rerouted the coolant lines that go into the throttle body it has not given me any trouble like that. Out hee humidity is generally like 10% but sometimes it goes as high as 30% or slightly more.

I agree with most everyone else, at least your plugs and coils need changed, and while your at wires might not be a bad idea. I know my plugs are at almost 31k miles right now and they are fine but some people get different wear.

hoosier8

There are 4 coils. What would make them all quit at the same time? Wouldn't it be more likely that one would go out? What bothers me about the coil/spark plug idea is that the car dies completely until it cools off.

Before it dies completely this is what happens. I will take off from a light and if I give it too much gas, the engine dies until I back off on the gas, then it might keep running, sometimes it does not and that is when I have to wait. Wait 5 minutes and I have full power with no problem accelerating.

I drove it to the dealer and checked to see if it threw a code and it did not. It was late so I drove it home via the interstate and did not have trouble with it until I had to stop at intersections in town which leads me to believe it is the heat pushing something over the top. The dealer did not have a clue and suggested plugs, but I don't think that is going to fix this problem. My experience with bad plugs/wires is rough running, not complete silence.

PeteInLongBeach

This is simply not true. I've collected various cars over the years, many of which sat in storage for months at a time. Generally, gasoline seems to stay usable, without noticeable deterioration in performance, without any stabilizer or other treatments, for up to about a year (depending on the fuel blend, storage conditions, etc).

Also, stale fuel would not account for the performance failing ONLY when fully hot. It would have noticeable effects throughout the temperature range.

hoosier8

I have been driving it this summer and was about 1/2 way through a newer tank of gas when this started happening. Yesterday was the first time my outside temp read 100 in the car since I have owned it. I do have to sit and wait for someone I pick up and while I do that I idle with the AC on for sometimes longer than I like.

hoosier8

Taking it into the dealer today. I originally had an appointment for oil change and replace plugs but have asked them to diagnose the problem before doing anything.

hoosier8

Dropped the car off and the tech writer said that they had an RX8 in with the exact same symptoms that ended up replacing the engine and that he had experienced it himself with that vehicle. No codes, no flashing lights, just dies then starts back up after a wait.

I read the troubleshooting procedure for this problem and the list is very long.

I live in town and most of my driving is in town. The tech writer said that they see more problems with cars with little mileage on them, like mine, than they do with higher mileage. My car sits all winter and I have to idle a lot in town and while waiting in heat like this when I pick up my daily passenger for work. Whatever happens when I get it back, I am going to zoom zoom it much more.

hoosier8

Got a call from the dealer. The did some checks on the engine, none of which I know enough about to say what they are but they said it ran within specs but they did notice (forgot what they called it) so checked the plugs. The plug ends almost don't look like plug ends. They look like something you would find in a cave with buildup. They sent me a pic. Nasty. They checked the fuel and fuel pressure and said that was OK. They said with buildup like that they "assumed" that the SSV assembly could be dirtied up too so they were going to replace the plugs and do an induction cleaning. They said a stuck valve could give those symptoms. I should get it back tomorrow and be able to test it in the same conditions that it started in. It was 104 on my rental today so should be around 100 tomorrow.

Even though this is seen mostly in automatics, I drive a lot in town and have to idle quite a bit so this makes some sense to me.

monchie

Mine's an 05 with 32k+ miles on it. This looks like what my issues are right now. I may need a compression test before i go any further. The car still runs fine in the morning when i drive to work (4 miles total round trip), and drives fine when i drive home. That short commute is okay and the car never stalls, only when driving long distances, specially when the temperature reaches over 100 degrees.

zeke04

I can relate to these problems a little bit, I bought my 04' gt rx8 back last august (100x on the odo and 40 on the newest motor) and didnt have many problems. But the hotter it gets the more problems I seem to have. But I've noticed some improvement since replacing all my plugs and coils. Also I removed my cat and just have a straight pipe on it for now. This summer, shes died on me once, the first day it got really hot. Since then, not a whole lot except my engine coolant level light comes on, and either stays on for a short amount of time or turns right off. But when i check my levels there well within the recommended levels. Other then that I just wish I knew the exact problem, and could fix it.

Old Rotor

If your ignition is in top shape then.....Have you tried a de-carbon cleaning? The simplest way is add a can of Seafoam($8 @ Walmart) when your car has about half to quarter tank of gas remaining. Give it a few hard drives reving it to the redline after it has been warmed up well ofcourse. If you feel some improvement after the first can then your in the right area....repeat. Mazda has the best way on this TSB.....

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...5-08-1883f.pdf

hoosier8

Went back on Friday to pick the car up. it was another 100 degree day so I decided to drive it around town and on the freeway and see what happened.

It did not die like it did before, but after getting on the interstate, it would start misfiring above 5K when I poured on the gas. I drove it back to the dealer and I have to go out of town next week so I won't get back to the car until next Friday. They said the induction cleaning sometimes loosens some stuff up but some remains and messes up the SSV valves. At least this time I got an engine light so assume a recorded code also.

They did a compression check and it was in the low to mid 8s which is supposed to be good. They said the car was in real good shape. The only other problem I have had with it is that they had to replace the rear differential as it shelled out at 20K miles. That was taken care of by warranty.

It runs like a scalded dog when it runs well. I bought the lowest end model and have not had any trouble without traction control. When I test drove them, this one seemed to perform the best. Just my opinion. I almost spun it out once on wet pavement but had no trouble controlling the slide.

hoosier8

Got it back from the dealer and it runs like a top except at full throttle.

If I take it out on the interstate and give it full throttle, it hesitates, cuts out and boggs down. If I let it run up with minor throttle, it runs fine. It runs fine around town unless I try full throttle. Last time I was in the code said the front rotor was cutting out.

I am taking it back again to the dealer on Monday.

Mazurfer

Not sure that I read the entire thread and what all they have done..............but have they changed the plugs, wires, and coils yet?
If not....for Christ's sake........please get them to do that!

Bladecutter

When ignition coils go bad, the issue might not be noticed until they are hot, after the car warms up. When an ignition coil stops firing properly, it then can cause excessive build up on the spark plugs, and in the engine.

So, I highly recommend you replace those ignition coils before you foul up the new spark plugs they just installed.

BC.

hoosier8

Well, took the car back to the dealer on a hot hot day and they could not duplicate the issue and neither could I, so hopefully it is fixed. All that has happened is plug replacement along with a compression test (passed with flying colors). They also commented on how nice it drove, like a new car compared to others they get in. Did I say it runs like a stuck pig?

Seems OK now and I will be running up higher RPMs when I am able.

hoosier8

34k, replaced coils with BHR. Same problem. Runs like a stuck pig if in the 70s out, starts cutting out if in the 90s. Seems to be better with the tank topped up. Barely got to a gas station with the tank 1/2 full so decided to see if a full tank made a difference. It did, burned off 2 gallons and topped up again just to get home. Amb temp said 91.

Phil B

I have the identical problem 2004 RX8 6spd. 2nd reman in it now with 48k. When driving on the interstate ( cruise control on 76) with AC on for about an hour here in South Carolina in 95 degree setting it starts to buck like a bucking bronco. It eventually loses power more and more until coming to a complete stop. Wait 5 minutes starts up and runs like a Ferrari. I suspect I need to upgrade the cooling capacity eg; a cooler thermostat , upgrade to a more efficient Koyo radiator or just replace the fuel pump which become very temperamental when getting old. I checked my coolant level . It was a little low I topped it off and I really think it made a difference. I ran it through stop and go driving with the AC on for about 6 miles and it ran fine. Great acceleration. I’ll take it on the interstate again and keep you posted. PS. No I DOUBT IF ITS THE PLUGS, COILS AND WIRES. IT HAD THOSE SYMPTOMS IMMEDIATELY AFTER HAVING MAZDA OE PL,COILS,N WIRES.INSTALLED.