Pulsr

oiy i just brought my car into the garage at like 4 in the morning motor was damn cold. well see if it starts ...

graphicguy

Holy...Moly...that's a big jump from "I (or my g/f) flooded my car and I'm scared for their safety".

Easy answer....WARM THE CAR FIRST IF YOU'RE ONLY DRIVING IT LESS THAN A MILE".

Truth told, my car warms up in less than a mile of driving in 20 degree temps.

Personally, I don't see this as a big deal. Since you now know what makes your car flood. Don't do it.

Besides, 600% of us don't have a flooding issue over those that do. It's not a problem for the vast, vast majority of us.

And, no, I don't have a problem with the accuracy of my NAV and, no, I don't accidentally turn on my seat heaters.

Silver7

Thanks for that post... I suddenly feel very secure and all my fears of flooding are now gone!

No one said they were scared for their safety. I was implying in my previous post that it is very possible for an rx8 owner to get stranded somewhere because of this flooding issue, AND YES IT IS AN ISSUE! Not everyone lives in a perfect world where we can start our car and wait for it to warm up before we begin to drive it. Are you telling me that you have never driven your car before it was fully warmed up? There have been a number of reported incidents of people who are backing out of their driveway and the car suddenly stalls. Next thing you know the car is flooded and the only way to get it started is to have it towed to a dealer. You don't think it's possible that you could park your car at a mall somewhere and when you are backing out of your parking space (while the engine is not fully warmed up) you could stall the car causing it to flood? I'm not saying it is definitely going to happen, but it has happened to people on this forum.

8_wannabe

This is exactly what I meant when I said "Unlike other hazards of life, you can reduce the likelihood of flooding to almost zero percent with slight modification of your behavior."

True, it isn't a perfect world. But most of those who flooded became knowledgeable of the risk after they flooded, not before. That means now they are much more educated drivers now and much less likely to repeat the problem. Very, very few of us stall our cars inadvertently. All of us have the capacity to warm up our cars before shutting down. So the combination of events of ignorance + cold shut down + flooding becomes vanishingly small. Certainly there are many other hazards far more deserving of concern than this.

I will ask for the third time, and maybe start a separate thread, who has every flooded more than once? No one yet that I know of.

8_wannabe

Ok, I did it. I posted a poll here to see who has flooded more than once. Please take a sec to go and vote whether you have ever flooded or not. Let's see how widespread this is and whether people are getting burned more than once.

Silver7

I am not all that bent out of shape about the 8 flooding while it was in my driveway. What disappoints me is how complicated it is to unflood the car. I pulled the plugs, cleaned them, pulled the fuel pump relay, cranked the car over several times, reinstalled everything and the car still wouldn't start. I don't like turning over an engine for long periods of time, it's simply bad for the engine. I also could have replaced the spark plugs and maybe that would have helped some..... oh yea I just remembered, they are $30 a piece. I can only assume the mazda mechanic had to turn the car over many many times to get all the fuel out of the engine (not ideal for a new engine). I guess the peripheral exhaust ports on the older rotaries helped in getting all the fuel out of the engine when they would flood. This is not a luxury we have with the renesis.

mgalata1

I've posted my flooding story several weeks ago. I've been watching this thread with interest. Meanwhile, I work at a large company and have noticed the RX-8s on the huge lot is at 4. Though contacts and friends I've identified and polled owners. None of us have had any mechanical problems (ie, the typical mechanical gremlins that pop up on many cars during the first months of ownership). A very good sign! But 2 of us have had flooded engines...I'm counting on the flooding issue not being a big deal at this point, BUT MAzda should advise ALL potential buyers of this "issue' before a final sale is made. If I knew of this issue I would be driving a G35 or 325Ci now.

graphicguy

First of all, you're not going to get stranded. While you shouldn't flood your engine, if you do it, just call the Mazda Roadside Assistance line and they'll take care of the rest.

2nd....using your expample, I don't to anything special because of a few who have flooded their engines. I've started/stopped my 8 after only a few seconds (moving it in/out of the garage, washing it, etc. I've done this in all types of weather and all different temps....no flooding.

As mentioned before, my 8 warms up very quickly....in less than a mile of driving.

Lastly, if my car did happen to flood, I know what to do since I've practically got the owners manual memorized and with the help of those on this forum. I don't even think about it. I just jump in my ride and drive.

8_wannabe

Merry Christmas, one and all. While the family is still asleep I will again encourage everyone to vote here about flooding problems. As of right now, 39 have not flooded, 5 have. Of the 5, only two have flooded more than once. I have trouble believing one of them. Still, this starts to shape the magnitude of the problem and will become more valid if we can get more votes. Please take the time to do so.

carnut

My DEALER flooded my car when it was in last week, after telling me to be so careful, which I have been. It was on the service ticket. I couldn't believe it!!

8_wannabe

At least you didn't have to have it towed. Hope everything was ok after they patched it up.

shebam

[QUOTE]Originally posted by graphicguy
[B]First of all, you're not going to get stranded. While you shouldn't flood your engine, if you do it, just call the Mazda Roadside Assistance line and they'll take care of the rest.

You ARE going to get stranded if you are on a trip -- longtime thread readers may remember my episode in Ann Arbor over Thanksgiving, when I initially thought my problem was the security system turning off the fuel. Mazda Roadside Assistance sent a tow truck that was neither a flatbed nor a roller type (which I've learned from this thread was a no-no, but that's how it was towed) and towed it to a dealer on the other side of Ypsilanti -- turns out it was the ONLY dealer for 30 miles open on Saturday, and their one Mazda tech did not come in that day. Fortunately, the car started after the extended cranking procedure. What if it were Sunday and I was about to head home; where would they have towed the car to?

Even after we drove it 530 miles home, which ought to clear fouled plugs, my local dealer replaced the plugs the next week, so they must have STILL shown some effects.

Perhaps a reason the engine races so on a cold start is to make it less likely that we'll stall it (though I assume emissions is the major reason) and we all know what such idling does to our gas mileage.

Basically, I think we all agree on a number of points: (1) we love the car; (2) we hate the flooding and low MPG; (3) we're pissed at Mazda for neither warning us nor coming clean to potential buyers re either problem (in addition to their lack of full candor re the HP issue).

I'm in the camp that says it ain't worth selling the car over, but please don't tell me it couldn't be serious. I'm not equipped to pull the plugs, etc., and if the dealer weren't there on a Saturday my wife and I would have had only unpleasant (for somebody) options about getting back to VA the Sunday of Thanksgiving.

And no, it hasn't flooded again, but the unpleasant thought intrudes on startup, warm-up and shut-down, detracting from all the fun I have driving the car the rest of the time.

dablues

I can't understand why people are being so hard on Silver7. I love my 8 but in the back of my mind I think about the flooding. I read the manual and tried thier way to clear it and it still didn't start. Will I trade my car in because of this? No but I'm not pleased about the problem. I had a 93 7 and it never flooded so I was not familiar with this problem. Roadside Assistance doesn't help on a Sunday afternoon in NY when you have to be at work Monday morning in Virginia.

swoozie

car won't start. don't think its the battery cuz the lights work. Live in San Francisco area so its not to cold here. Any suggestions????
thanks

rxeightr

Does the engine crank?

swoozie

no-

swoozie

I called Mazda's 24 hr roadside assistance. They will be coming with a flat bed to bring the car and me to the dealer at 715ish PST. The service center opens at 730 I left a message with the service manger telling him I would be coming, what the trouble was, and to get a loaner ready.. trying to stay calm.

Sea Ray

More details would help. Have you checked the battery cables? Is the clutch pedal fully pressed or in park for AT?

Did I hear somewhere that a clutch sensor had gone bad on some ones car maybe and also caused this?

swoozie

battery cables ok. It's a MT and I fully pressed the clutch. The lights work, the radio works etc.
thanks

Sea Ray

Try a search for 'clutch sensor' and see if something comes up, maybe I saw it here or another board, not sure.

Good luck, and it is probably minor, but still a PITA regardless.

WHealy

I have seen circumstances before where electical works but won't crank car. There's enough juice in the battery for the lights and radio, but not the starter. If that was the case, if you left the lights on, they would probably dim within 10 min or less.

swoozie

service tech came, tried to jump car but no success. So off to the dealer we went on a flat bed. Maybe it is flooded, but I always make sure I rev it to 3k before turning engine off when driving less than 5 mins.
Thanks all who posted in my hour of need.

8_wannabe

Let us know what they find out. And good luck.

swoozie

It was flooded. I can pick it today. Came to find out that the other half who has not driven car too much pulled it out of garage to check the inside controls out...to learn it all. then drove it back in the garage after a few minutes. I have been in the practice of reving it to 3k if I know I am not going to drive for more than the 5 min. Forgot to share this info. But it still sucks that we have to deal with this. Definately a flaw of an other wise beautiful car. However sometimes when the other half takes it to work, it will be parked in a small lot where it needs to be moved to let other cars get out (like a valet scenerio). I am going to make a small sign to put in eyes view: Rev engine to 3k for 10-15 secs before shutting off engine. Hope this works...

rxeightr

So, the engine would crank.

It just would not start.