lowprofiler

hi to all,as i know and as i do when my 8 floode was to remove the (safety chip) of fuel pump from the (safebox)and with out it try to start the engine for about 3-4 times then you plug in again the fuel pump chip and start up the engine and accelerate until 4 to 5 rpm...it is normal that would eject white smoke from the exhaust system.in my 8 the problem solved that way

zenrx8

iTrader: (4)

TRANSLATION:

Pull the fuel pump fuse from the fusebox under the hood, crank the motor 4 or 5 times, then replace the fuse and start the motor; it will smoke for 20 or 30 seconds when it starts.

I actually used this method with success the first time I flooded my first RX8.

Thanks, Profiler

RENESIS rotary

i know that this topic has been talked over and over again, and i'm sorry for boring the people that know everything with flooding... But i had a situation today, i want out for a drive in the country today and when i was going to go back home, i put the car in reverse and it just died on me the battire light in the dash was flashing. i started it with the gas paddle on the floor and turning the key. why would it die if it was already warm? do i need a new battire?

lowprofiler

sorry but i was having a problem to remember the word FUSE.thnx for the translation.

lowprofiler

renesis hey and welcome to the club,it depents from the battire and the use that you made to your 8 with this battire,how long do you got it?maybe is battire but dont forget to check in the battire pols for any oxide marks if there is then remove the pols adaptors and clean them up,then plug them again.maybe you need a new battire it depents from the miles in your 8

RENESIS rotary

I think the salesperson from mazda said that the battire was new, but not sure on that. its a 04 with 63,xxxx. my car died again in that middle of traffic, i did everything to start it, and still nothing. oh its a AT. and the only thing that seems to work was putting it in (N) and crank it. and it kicked in. i got home and turned it off for a min or 2 and then started with no problem. i think it time to change that spark plugs? i dont think that they ever been changed. i got the car used.

Paul Woodsford

My 04 RX8 231 has flooded once just after I had it. Short move whilst cold. AA callout tried usual removing fuse etc: but after exhausting his battery pack decided to tow to garage. However, he offered to try a tow start if I was willing. We did. 10 mph, clutch in , 1st gear, off accelerator, clutch out slowly, engined turned, coughed, caught then revved with accelerator. Lots of smoke but ran. Smoked cleared after 1 min idled smoothly. No problrms since. Now ALWAYS, if cold rev to 3000, hold steady and switch off ignition. No problems since.
His explanation:- flooded chamber, as choke on, dilutes oil, unable to make compression seal. Removing fuel etc by taking out spark plugs allows petrol to evaporate, thickens oul, allows compression and hence able to start. Towing vehicle allows cylinders to be vented as turnover speed higher than using starter motor. Seems plausable. All I Know it worked and that was 30,000 miles ago.

zenrx8

iTrader: (4)

My baby flooded on me last evening; I had driven about 15 miles to a doc's appointment where the car was parked for an hour. From there I drove 2 miles to the gun shop, where the car sat for another hour. I got in, tried to start the car, and it was immediately evident the car was flooding (which I thought was very strange since the car was definitely hot when turned off). I released the key, and tried the Great and Holy Mazda Deflooding Incantation. No luck after three tries with the gas pedal to the floor. ****. So, I got out, popped the hood, pulled the Holy Fuel Pump Fuse , and then cranked the motor with my foot off the gas pedal. The car immediately caught then stalled when the fuel in the system was used up. I replaced the fuse and cranked the car with my foot off the gas. The engine started immediately with no hesitation. Total elapsed time: 5 minutes.

I can't speak for the Holy Mazda Deflooding Procedure since it's never worked for me; remember, this idea came from the same people that gave us the freaking problem in the first place. This is, however, the second time that pulling the fuel pump fuse under the hood and cranking the motor has worked for me. For what it's worth.

Zen's Deflooding Procedure:

1) If it doesn't start on the first try, STOP CRANKING.
2) Hold the gas pedal to the floor, try again for 5 seconds; if it doesn't start, STOP
3) Pop the hood, pull the fuel pump fuse (green 20A fuse in the large fuse block on the drivers side of the engine in front)
4) Keep your foot off the gas pedal. Crank 1 to 3 cycles of 3 to5 seconds each, with 10 to 15 seconds rest between cranking
5) Replace the fuse. Keep your foot OFF the gas pedal, and try to restart. If it doesn't pop on the first try, pull the fuse and repeat #4 and #5 until it does.
6) Weak batteries, old plugs, and old coils make this more prone to happen. NGK plugs, a hot (preferably Optima) battery, and new coils every 2 years (a guess on the last part).

You listening, Mazda?

bukets1

so i flooded my engine. i know i should have known better but this is the kicker. i took it to a mazda dealership. $225 to deflood it. and i heard that i need to replace my spark plugs now. they said i need new spark plugs, new coils, and new wires. for the grand total of... $1675!! are they trying to fleece me? do i really need new coils? i called pep boys and they said labor alone would be $340. their labor plus parts would be $700. definitely cheaper than mazda dealership. i need some sage advice from someone not on commision.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

Year and mileage? But yes, the dealership price seems to be over the top.

Shouldn't need to change any parts for a simple flood, unless they were marginal to start with.

rx8khan

hey man i would never take my car to mazda its the biggest rip off ever dont do it its just a simple flood dont worry bout it take it to a regular mechanic they'll be able to fix it for about $140 the most.....depends on how bad u flood it u might have to replace the plugs but thats it dont go to the dealer for the plugs either if u need to change them

Racer X-8

Don't EVAR take ur car to Pep Boys for service. They hire bottom-of-the-barrel mechanics, because they don't pay enough for anyone worth a toot. I had to finally show th brakes guy how to adjust the e-brake cables on the rear brakes of my old MX-6. That was the third time back for a simple pad replacement and rotor turning. Get smart and DIY for the simple jobs.

VT_RX8

Sounds like an awful lot to me. The Mazda service bulletin for flooding certainly does not go beyond plug repalcement. Seems the other parts are excessive.

whataputt

flooded 8 months ago...towing via AAA w/ extra distance = $20...Mazda charged me $117 labor...no parts...no flooding since...but I don't take any more chances, either...

VT_RX8

So, in addition to experiencing my first flood, I'm also new to this forum. I've had my 8 for 3 years - bought it new, leftover '05. I found a lot of good info here that helped my decide what to do - the thought of my 8 on a flatbed was just too much to bear. From what I see, the Mazda service bulletin sums it up quite well. Flooding is caused by either wet plugs or carbon buildup. With the wet plugs, you may also have compression loss due to lubrication washout, but that appears to be quite rare. The most common cause is what the RX7 community used to refer to as "carbon lock". Has to do with carbon buildup on the grooves that hold the apex seals. Seems to me, this is the real issue, not "flooding", as characterized by Mazda. My car has rarely experienced hard starting before this year, but the problem has gotten progressively worse until last week when it failed to start. It had been sitting for over a week, while I was on vacation and like so many others, I washed, waxed and detailed it before leaving so it would be ready to roll when I got home. I made the mistake of moving it out to the driveway and back into the garage without warming - I did do the 3k RPM thing, however. What I've noticed is that the longer it sits, the harder it starts. I'm convinced this is due to carbon build up, which harden over time, like when the car sits for a few days. When you turn it over, the seals retract ever so slightly, preventing adequate compression to start the vehicle at low RPM. I tried the Mazda method in their flooding service bulletin - found the link on this forum, thanks for that! Forgot who posted it now, but it was very helpful. Car still didn't start but it did pop a few times, after doing the oil thing. Pulling it up my sloped driveway, then coasting and popping the clutch is the trick. Now I have a check engine light and a Wednesday appointment with the local dealer. Still under warranty, but who knows what they will do. Probably just clear the codes. I'm guessing, based on what it took to get it started, my engine would have been "decarboned" had it gone to the dealer. Seems a fairly harsh procedure, but it makes sense. Once you get carbon buildup, the starting problem will likely be an issue until you get rid of it. My car doesn't see much highway travel, so I think that's the basic problem. I'm going to get it out on a good long highway trip and hope that will help get the carbon out. Anybody out there know if an injector claener or other fuel additive is any help?

zenrx8

iTrader: (4)

Fleeced? I'd say fucked. Were you asked to report to the service bay with your pants down and asked to bend over the front fender?

NGK plugs, new leading and trailing, 25 buck each. New coils, 200 bucks. You should have a hot battery and ask the stealership to see if your car qualifies for the starter recall - in fact, have them pull all the recall records on your VIN.

Changing the plugs is not easy. It has to be done by pulling the drivers side wheel, preferably on a lift.

Yeah, you're gettting shafted. A word for the future: next time the car won't start like it normally does after two tries, STOP. Get out of the car, pop the hood, pull the fuil pump fuse (it's in the fuse box in fthe front of the engine bay on the driver's side). Keep your foot off the accellerator, crank the motor for about
3 seconds two or three times. Replace the fuse, keep your fut offf the gas, and the car should start. Whatever you do, don't, don't , don't, keep cranking away at it. If it doesn't start after two or three attempts, it's not going to.

zenrx8

iTrader: (4)

While you're at the deal, have the coils, plugs, and battery replaced. These ar emajor contributing factors to this problem as well. Be sure to get NGK plug, not those POS plugs Mazda uses.

VT_RX8

I think that would be an excessive reaction. This is the first time it's happpened and reading through much of the content on this thread, mostly my falut. I'm pretty sure if I replaced the plugs, battery and coils, then backed my car out of the garage cold, turned it off, then pulled it back in, turned it off then let it sit for a week, pretty likely it would be flooded. The dealer won't pay for all that just because I want it, so it would be my cost. If I flood again I may change my opinion ....

rhjames

I've needed roadside assistance for flooding three times in 5 years. Each time, it was the morning after I just backed the car into the garage. The last time, I left the engine running for about 3 minutes. I've also noticed that there's been a slight hesitation in starting in the few days before the problem. If I get this now, I give it a good burn up a hill in second gear to peak revs. Now, I try to get close to peak revs each day at least once. If I start the car, I leave it running until the temperature gauge is at least to the second division. The dealer recommended that I drive without 4th and 5th gear unless on the expressway. I have been using lower gears, and don't see much loss of fuel consumption. Last time it was flooded, it took about an hour to get going, with smoke coming off the started motor - not good.

roched

No I have never flooded my 8 but the engine has to be warmed up and the RENESIS is a high revving engine made to be driven. Having the new type High output starter helps out as well it does not allow the engine to crank that long which does not allow fuel to buildup in the chamber. I also know automatics are more prone to flooding as well.

suz6964

I have flooded the engine now 3 times in the last 3mths and now am having problems with starting - my mazda tech said the starter has now gone - but to be expexted with pre 08 models, they now know the problem and have a better and more powerful starter - no good for me fork out over $800 to fix

roched

yeah the starter is expensive and the relay might have to get changed as well.

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

As a general comment, the electrical system is oft overlooked in favor of upgraded intake, exhaust, flywheel, etc. etc.

The proper spark (from strong starter motor, supplied by a strong batery, via efficient coils, well insulated and amply conductive sparkplug cables and high quality sparkplugs) is essential to reliable, high performance, operation.

roched

I agree I have put a new lighter flywheel and new plugs, coils, wires that is probably the easiest overlooked. good advice

VT_RX8

I still find it amusing every time I hear this problem referred to as flooding. It's simply a loss of compression, not even always caused by lubrication washout from excessive fuel. Totally different from what is called flooding in a piston engine. Think about it. Part of Mazda's recommended procedure injects oil into the combustion chambers to help restore compression. If this were true fuel flooding, injecting oil would only make the problem worse. Changing parts or adding performance parts may make you feel better, but they don't fix the problem. I'm guessing the Mazda tech suggested replacing the starter not because it was shot, but because the new design is more powerful and might prevent another no start situation. If you can spin the engine fast enough, it will start. Of all the parts people have been talking about replacing, a strong battery and fast starter seem to be of the most value if you want to reduce the chance of a no start.