After reading numerous reports... and after flooding the engine once (which required the trip to the dealer), I would suggest to everybody that you let your RX-8 warm up before shutting it off, otherwise you might be pissed off one day. Generally you won't have a problem, but once in a while you might get bit... and when you do... it will definately be when you need the car the most.
I can assure you that all these people with flooded engines are not making up stories.
Peter

 

While some have experienced flooding, this has afflicted very few considering how many RX8s are on the road today. In addition, Mazda has taken steps to alleviate the issue with the reflash.

With a "Z" you have other issues like trashed tires after 10,000 miles, among others.

 

Good point. I am a firm believer that everyone should get the M Flash. However, both the M Flash TSB and the recent MSP-04 letter that Mazda sent still warn that you should let your car warm up, even after the M Flash is installed. IMHO the dramatic drop in reports of flooding in this thread attests to the fact that Mazda really improved things with the M Flash, but I don't hear anyone at Mazda claiming it to be a 100% fix and, with a little warm up, you can avoid being part of that small percentage of people who still might get nailed.

 

Our RX8 dealer (San Jose) says that the recent SW change did not improve the flooding so they are not doing it anymore. New SW change is in the works, but they didn't have a date. This is a big annoyance because we've already experienced the flooding problem once and it was very painful (took about a day to get it back running again, with Mazda Roadside svc helping as well).
I hope they fix this flooding problem soon.
Luwom

 

Sorry guys for my previous post, I just read the sticky "flooding" message and saw that the M-Flash upgrade for flooding was discontinued last week:
Sadly, it's true ........ https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=45330
Luwom

 

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...2&postcount=58

the flash is now good to go.

 

I'm a newbie here, although I've been lurking for ~6 mos. Add me to the list of those who have flooded their car.

Now that I've read this thread and other related ones, I had all the symptoms of the "classic" flooding issue. I've had hard starts in warmer weather after not letting the car warm up, but over the Thanksgiving weekend, I moved the car twice, then let it sit for two days. Monday morning -- flooded. Finally got it running last night after reading all the tips here: boosted the battery off of my wife's SUV, cranked it for about 10-12 repeats of ~10 sec. each w/the gas pedal to the floor. Huge clouds of smoke, flashing CEL once I finally took it out and drove it (thoroughly warmed up) above 6000 rpm. Seems to be fine today.

I've got 11,500 miles on the car, and have already had an oil change, and I do have the M-flash, for those that are keeping track of such details.

Thanks to everyone here who posted tips on getting the car running again!

 

Joliver,
you say you've had an oil change? I know the owner's manual doesn't insist on it but you should really step up your frequency. It's just plain healthy, especially now that you've flooded and potentially diluted your oil a bit with gasolene.
Just my humble opinion.
By the way, I sell these engines for a living. If you want to fatten my wallet un-necessarilly (or be inconvenienced), don't heed my warning.

 

hey sorry if this is the wrong forum

I was wondering if anyone has taken there car in for the flooding recall yet should I do it immediately or whats the deal with that.

 

Well that depends on when you bought it. If it was built after March 2004 it should already have the new PCM reflash. If not I would take in into a dealer and have it done.

 

But hold on, I think they have put a hold on the recall because of the CEL problem. Me personally, I took my car in the week I got the notice in the mail and haven't had the problem, but I'm also inclined to call my dealer to make sure they don't need to flash it again with some other update.

 

i have a question , im kinda confussed,,,, flooding the engine, is this only with the standard 8 or both standard and automatic rx8?

 

Yes, you can flood the standard and high output engine. The newer engine computer updates should lessen the occurance but you should still take precautions.

 

It is my view, from reading these posts for over a year now, that the less-common standard transmission (AT), like mine, floods far more than the manual transmission (MT). That's not to say that the MTs are immune, just that the AT people should be particularly careful to warm their cars up as the weather turns cold and wet. The tinkering with the computer Mazda has done this past year is all well and good, but I'm betting there will be plenty of stories this winter of people who have trouble.

BTW, developing the habit of always looking at the temp gauge and confirming that the needle is centered before shutting off the engine is almost a magic bullet. It will protect you the great majority of the time, the only exception being then those times when someone else must borrow or move the car.

 

I have to change my vote on this one. After 13 months and 22k I finally managed to flood it. I had parked it for a few weeks and the battery dropped down quite a bit. As soon as I realized it was too low to start I stopped and charged it back to full but the damage was done. It was flooded, but good. I followed "Procedure A" of the TSB to no avail and was going to pull the plugs when I noticed the TSB covers plug repalcement so I'm leaving the repair to the dealer When I get it back I'll be investing is a better battery and a storage charger.

 

If your car is a manual, all you had to do was push start it or in the worst case scenario pull it down the street behind another car. No need for the hassle and downtime of a trailer ride to the dealer. Every flooded rotary will start this way.

 

Probably true but the trip on the flat bed was harmless and since it's under warranty this was my best option.

 

No flooding so far in about 8 months. Since the M flash I've gotten somewhat complacent about moving the car, etc. Note to self - warm it up anyway.

 

Add me to the list. I had to move my car late last night and it was very cold, so I didn't feel like letting it run too long. I knew i shouldn't have shut it off so quickly, but I thought to myslef, "This is the year 2004 and I just paid 33,000 dollars for this car, it won't flood." Sure enough, I get up the next morning and it doesn't start. I tried all the old tricks, but it won't start. My 1998 RX7 had the same problem. All i needed was a slight decline and I could push start it just using my foot to move the car. This problem became more frequent as the mileage went up. Now the tow truck is on the way. I am hoping this guy will help me push start it, so I dont have to waste time with the dealership. Anyway, I knew this could still be a problem when buying the car, but my love for the rotary won over.

 

where are you located JoePaterno?

 

I think he is still at State College, PA, aka, "Happy Valley," right? :D

 

Well if he is in the states-I doubt he has a 1998 RX7 I question the validity of this post.

 

I just got my new RX-8 last week so I haven't had a chance to find the circuit on this car yet. On my RX-7 whenever it flooded (and it did regularly), I would pull the connectors off the fuel pump and crank the engine over to blow the fuel out of the rotors, (crank for 10 seconds or so) reconnect the circuit and it started every time:D. Perhaps someone in the Tech Garage is familiar with this process for the RX-8?

 

Good news, more good news, even more good news, yet even more good news, and then some bad news, I think.

The good news: The RX-8 doesn't seem to flood "regularly," unless you start it when the air is cold and moist, you shut it down soon after starting it and you leave it sit for a while -- in those conditions, particularly if you've got an AT, it's prone to flooding. I'm not saying it won't flood in other circumstances, just that flooding when people do these things is totally predictable. The M flash may help... we'll soon see how much as the weather gets cold.

The other good news: No need to pull anything mechanical on the car when it floods. The "emergency start procedure" is to start the car with the accelerator pedal fully depressed, as soon as you suspect that the car could be flooded. The pedal in that position is supposed to cut off the fuel and allow whatever is in the chamber to spin/burn out. Crank it for a few seconds, wait, see if it starts, if not crank it again. (I'm not sure whether you should just keep the pedal to the floor until it starts or alternate between pedal down for a bit, then try a normal start. I've always been confused about that.)

Even more good news: Although Mazda doesn't seem to recommend it, MT owners can "pop the clutch" to reliably start a flooded car. You need to have the car roll down an incline, or someone to push the car, or someway to tow it. The last option can be dangerous if not done carefully. Once the car starts, it takes a bit, but full recovery seems typical.

Yet even more good news: Although some dealers have been slow to acknowledge it, like my dealer, Mazda seems to have taken the position that it will cover towing and flood repairs under the four-year warranty as a covered incident, even though it could be argued that the flood was due to owner mistake and not a defect. Whether it is a "defect" in design is a hot topic. I don't think so, but some people feel strongly otherwise.

The bad news: The emergency start procedure doesn't work reliably, and AT owners have no other options short of fairly complicated repair work, as explained in this TSB, which is generally not possible in the cold, wet place the car happened to die. Re-charging the batter is possible, or putting in a more powerful one in may work.

 

I meant 1988