Irish_in_a_RX8

iTrader: (1)

This perhaps ( I will admit ) may of been my own fault - just not thinking!

Temperature was 65F, car was running fine during the morning detail. I believe this is when the flood happened. I had to pull out of the driveway to straighten out. Must of taken, say 45 seconds. Did not wait for the car to warm up - my error?

Well I tried the suggested crank method 3 times during the day ( no more than 8 seconds), and once early this morning. It was a no start. With the rain pouring down, my poor ole 8 had to be towed to the nearest dealer. They confirmed it was flooded. Waiting for the call back now.

I got the M Flash last week which is the frustrated part, still if human error, no flash is going to prevent flooding it seems.

Sigh.

Thanks guys
Wayne

msrecant

Wayne,

Is yours an MT or an Automatic?

Irish_in_a_RX8

iTrader: (1)

Its an AT.

MEGAREDS

Classic flood in every respect...

Irish_in_a_RX8

iTrader: (1)

Indeed.

RX-8 is back on the driveway, new plugs and unflooded. Apparently 'better' plugs.

KBert

I finally found out what the code was and in fact it is PO 420. Are you telling me that this dealer doesn't know what is going on with the car as well? I have been driving with the engine light on for over a week now and they tell me that it is fine to do so. I called today and they still don't have to converter in yet. They should get it in a day or so.

What is a PCM problem and how can they fix it? Is it serious?

Thank you

sferrett

According to the list (which is a sticky thread in here, just like this one) the code is:
P0420 Catalyst system efficiency below threshold ON 2 Catalyst

I doubt there's any harm done driving it with that code present, until they fix the issue - especially since it's only going to be a few more days.

Universal Anarc

Hey Guys,
i'm new here, in fact i don't even own an RX8...yet !
i'm getting a new car this summer (next fall tops) and i'm a big fan of sporty cars. the only problem is that i never really appreciated coupes since i never liked the idea of someone pushing me out of my seat to get out (bad childhood experience with my grandmother's 1976 VW Beetle).
Anyways, when finally i've been able to put that conviction aside, i've considered many options, Audi TT, the new Mustang 05, BMW Z3, Nissan 350Z and even weighed the Peugoet 307 CC. (all this to quench my thirst for a Porsche 911, a longtime desire of mine). 3 or 4 days ago i've been browsing and i accidentally took a look on Mazda's range (never even remotely considered it before).
i instantly fell in love !!! RX8 was the coupe i've been searching for in terms of looks, performance, technology and space.
Did my research on the Yahoo Auto section and started reading the users' feedback, i read many of those were mentioning an engine flooding problem, so i expanded my research and i found this incredible website!
i immediately ran through searches of engine flooding, engine failures, etc... till i reached this thread and i read all 28 pages of it !
i really must adress a "Thank You" note to every single post here as it expanded my knowledge on rotary engines, previous mazdas, problem fixes, engine handling and so forth. my buying decision was put on hold when i heard about this problem but it was gradually eased out while reading through this thread. i'm totally sold now, if all what you say guys about this car is true then i'm willing to handle a flooded engine once in a long while !

However i still have a couple of questions :

I currently own an Alfa 156 1.6 L T. Spark; it approximately makes about 18-20 MPG; i first thought that the 1.3 L Mazda engine would give out plenty more mileage, however i was shocked to know that it gives it less or equal at best ! can anyone help me with that ? [COLOR=red] In Addition, can someone plz explain to me why is it that a 1.3 L rotary engine does less or the same mileage as a 1.6 L piston ?

2- Does anyone know when is the 05 RX8 is due to hit the Middle East ?

MEGAREDS

I was also surprised what poor gas mileage the RX-8 gets. I was mislead by all the hype over the 2003 Engine of the Year award materials my Mazda salesman gave me. In that brochure, it said:

"Mazda has dealt with the emissions issue -- it already meets the 2005 EURO 4 requirements -- and has seen to it that the same vehicle can achieve a respectable 8.3L/100km (34mpg)."

By the time I saw the window sticker (24/18mpg for my AT), I had pretty much already made up my mind. I've also flooded the car once. These are the two "big issues" for me, but the fuel issue is the really complicated one.

I currently have 4697 miles on my car in six months of driving and have purchased 261 gallons of fuel, meaning I'm getting about 18mpg. Now, if I were getting 34mpg, I would have only had to purchase 138 gallons. The average price I've paid for premium fuel is $1.862 per gallon, meaning the lost fuel mileage over what I'd optimistically hoped for has cost me 123 gallons of fuel to date, or about $229... which rounds out to about $460 per year.

That is not a very big fuel cost for me in consideration of the benefits the car gives... I really do love it, but I still wish it were easier on gas. My wife wanted a Prius (another car with a cool, different engine), and that car would likely have gotten more than 50 mpg. I figure the cost of not getting that kind of mileage, for us, is about $620/year.

The real fuel issue from my perspective is related to my memory of sitting in gas lines for hours in the mid-1970s and the taking of the U.S. embassy in Iran. Those things had a great effect on me. I hate that when fuel gets wasted it has to be bought from governments I'd rather see find another way to finance themselves. I'm also not happy about cars with high emissions -- especially having to live in a large metropolitan area -- and the 8 is no champ in the emissions department.

As I said, on balance I absolutely love this car... it's relatively comfortable for both me and my pasengers, handles beautifully and I don't think there is a better looking car going (maybe the Nissan 300ZX/T-top, but those days are gone). My hope is that Mazda keeps working on it and eventually get the 34mpg they apparently thought was possible in 2002/2003.

Out of curiosity, what does fuel cost in Beruit? I would have guessed that fuel is particularly cheap.

In any case, good luck. I think you'll enjoy the 8 if you go that way.

snap-on

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&pagenumber=26

Universal Anarc

well it used to be real cheap about 8-10 years ago, maybe about $4 for every 20 L, that's roughly about $ 0.75/Gallon
but since then we had a succession of politically and financially corrupt gvmts who figured that the best way to indirectly embezzle the citizen is by imposing a rise on gas prices , so it hiked up gradually over the past 10 years with negligible increases to about $16 for each 20 L, that's about $3/Gallon

SmithtownMazda

Check with your local Mazda dealer. There is a service bulletin (not a recall) in which Mazda states that reflashing the rx-8's PCM stops most of the engine problems.

MEGAREDS

The service bulletin regarding the "M-flash" is here. Best print it and take it with you to the dealer, just to be sure they are aware of it... the newest one was released 4-12-04 and makes clear that all vehicles with a prior ECU version should have this done.

snap-on

The TSB will be useless if the dealer has not updated the computer they will use to re-flash the car.

Seems many members have gone in for the latest update the dealer has to offer and still didn't even get the "L".

SmithtownMazda

Yes, this is true, Mazda has been rather slow in anouncing this fix to the dealers. The only way the dealership I work at found out about it is surfing message boards and then contacting our district manager to find out more about it. I did it to my own 8 and saw a big difference in the idle RPMs when cold starting it.

zoom44

mazda has been slow in announcing this fix? they updated the TSB nearly a month ago and it was all over this board the next day. yes mazda did not call every dealer and say "hey look at this particular tsb and pcm update because it helps with flooding". but what does happen is minor WDS updates come out every week and major updates come out each month. these updates are for the whole ford family so may not be just "mazda" updates but it is the service centers responsibility to do the WDS updates. also Mazda issues the TSB's but they can't make everyone read them. the service people need to take responsibilty to make sure they are familiar with them. if they don't it is not Mazda's fault. instead of searching message boards perhaps your dealership should spend more time reading the TSBs and making sure the WDS is not 2 or 3 updates behind.

snap-on

Dealers!!

SmithtownMazda

Thanks alot for this info zoom, I'm primarily a service advisor for a Mitsubishi dealership that is owned by the same person, however I fill in for the Mazda service advisors, I used the info you just gave me and asked around about why they didn't realize there was a tsb sooner. Apparently the mechanics had a hard time understanding the importance of checking the TSB's frequently. They wont anymore. Thanks again.

snap-on

Do you get the TSB's from the internet?

flatso

"I really do love it, but I still wish it were easier on gas. My wife wanted a Prius (another car with a cool, different engine), and that car would likely have gotten more than 50 mpg. I figure the cost of not getting that kind of mileage, for us, is about $620/year."

For the record most of the real world driving test I have read are getting about 41 mpg which is great but of course not as good as the window stickers says and would agravate me if I bought one because 41 is not that great in a car that needs expensive batteries every 8 years if not sooner. And another reason not to get a Prius is the EMT's are afraid to touch them in an accident because of fear of getting shocked.

SmithtownMazda

Yes snap-on we do use the internet for the tsb's, but our manager is the one who is supposed to print them out and put them on our tsb board in the back. Apparently he wasn't doing that as much as he should have.

SuckerPunch

I have heard of this... the mazda dealer warned me of it. I'm picking my 8 up 05/14/04 ...I'll let you guys know if I have any problems.

zoom44

doesn't do much good to print them out and stick them on some board if nobody reads them.

snap-on

It's a shame every employee can't get them sent directly to their own personal e-mail...

OH WAIT!!

THEY CAN!!!

rx8cited

Do they know that? And do they know how? Is there a way for use RX-8 owners to get on that list ?