one of the problems with trying to deflood the car
is a weak battery. i have a red top so it allows me
max. cranking time without running out of juice on the battery.
if you dont have a good battery then it will probably die
before you get it started

 

also holding the pedal down to shut off gas flow
is good, but you have to let off all the way when your ready to try
and start it up.

 

Yup that is why they cover them because they're so prone to being flooded...

 

I meant the engine cleaner. I didn't think running engine cleaner through the engine was part of fixing a flood.

 

after 2 years and 52k miles it happened ended up running me little over $700 and had to happen right after christmass

 

It is because of the corrosion to the apex seals...

 

Seriously. I'd like to think that a lot of the more recent floods are happening to '04-'05 models that haven't had the TSB/recall work performed or are on their 2nd or 3rd owner with lots of miles.

I'm inclined to think that poorly-maintained early RX-8s probably have other issues with their motors, and the flooding is just a symptom or side effect of that.

How many owners of '07+ models have experienced flooding, accidental or otherwise?!?

Also, having people post about flooding is almost useless if they don't include basic info like:

1) Model year
2) Mileage
3) If TSBs/recalls were performed
4) Whether they are the original owner or whether they bought used
5) Maintenance history (have you been using quality oil/filter every 3 months/3K)

 

All RX-8s manufactured after March of 2005 have the Mazda anti-flood and flood-recovery improvements. You can go back through this thread and, while the number of floods has greatly reduced, late 2005 and after RX-8s have reported flooding. I believe Mazda still ships the RX-8 with the "no short trip" warning in the owners manual or quick-tips.

As with any car, poor maintenance (weak batters, bad plugs, etc.) contributes to flooding but even a well maintained late model RX-8 can still fall victim to the dreaded "short trip" ("I just backed it out of the garage to wash it, and the next day ...").

What I am not sure of is if the 2009 RX-8, with its RENESIS engine changes, is still flood-prone. I would guess it is, as a rotary is still a rotary, but I have not seen reports one way or the other in this thread.

 

Its happened to me two times.
The first time the car started and when I took my foot off the clutch it stalled. It wouldn't start after several cranks but seemed to want to a few times. I cranked it for 10 seconds at a time several times with maybe 30 seconds of waiting in between and it finally started to my relief.
The second time it happened I think I didn't let the starter turn the engine over enough as it never actually started enough for any RPMs to be read. It wouldn't start but seem to sputter. After using similar procedure as the first time it started I was able to get it started. I practically used all the juice on my battery trying to get it started and had to use an external jumper battery. Does the starter have a chance of burning out if I do this to try and get it started again?

2004 6MT

 

I've had smoke coming off the starter motor from getting it restarted - that was a year ago, and it's still going ok. They seem to be fairly robust.

For short starts I've been just giving it a good burn at 6,000 rpm a couple of times for about 10 seconds before turning off. So far it's worked.

 

I flooded my engine over the weekend and followed the Mazda instructions by connecting the vacuum lines to a oil container to remove the gas in the chambers. It took me a while to get everything figure it out. The engine came back, a lot of smoke as expected. I warmed up and kept it running for an hour or so. Next day on my way to work, the car was working great I pushed a bit and the engine light came up flashing while I felt lost of power. I remove my foot from the accelerator and the light finally came up as a solid light. The car now seems normal, good power, acceleration, even to high RPM's, but the light still there constantly.

I have read already in some of the threads that misfiring is the reason for the engine light flashing, which explain the flashing and lost of power temporary, but now everything seems and feel normal, but the light still solid.

Any suggestions? Where else should I check?

Thanks

 

How many miles have you run with light on? If everything is truely ok, the system will eventually know that and sort itself out, it may just take a certain number of miles and drive cycles. However, you should try to get someone to read the engine code, because its never wise to drive around without knowing what the problem may be.

IMO since you said it got smokey, I wouldn't be surprised if one of your exhaust sensors was pissed off, which would just be a matter of time for it to go away.

 

Your CEL will remain on until the code is cleared. It can either be manually cleared by a tech or, depending on the code, clear on it's own. Take your car up to a chain autoparts store and they can read the code for you.

 

[quote=visionario;2851187]I flooded my engine over the weekend and followed the Mazda instructions by connecting the vacuum lines to a oil container to remove the gas in the chambers. It took me a while to get everything figure it out. The engine came back, a lot of smoke as expected. I warmed up and kept it running for an hour or so./quote]

I haven't seen these instructions - can you copy and post them?

 

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

 

I have drove about 25 miles since Monday when the light came up. I will take the car to the autoparts store to check the codes. Is there a a description of the codes somewhere in the archives that I can access and compare?

I did not find the official Mazda procedure until I was already unflooded the engine. You can find what I did in the link below, although the procedure is quite similar, the Mazda is much better and clear.

http://www.fixya.com/cars/t1237382-2...rx8_wont_start

 

Ok, I came back home today to take the car to the autoparts shop and the light is gone! I guess it need it time to clear. I took the car to the shop anyway and they read the codes, it had only a P0300.

P0300 Random misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire ´ (See DTC P0300 )

Do you guys recommend to clear the memory? I have read the NVRAM and KAM reset procedure, but not sure if I need to it, or just leave it as it is, as the light is off and the engine is running fine.

Thanks for the inputs!

 

anybody know why if i don't start mine everyday it floodes

 

Are you sure its flooding, and not just taking a long time to start? This cold weather requires a long crank (for me) to start it up if it's been out in the cold for a few days.

 

no i smell gas and according to the manual it says to hold he pedal to the floor so no more gas enters the engine

 

2005 Shinka, 10K miles - Just had the flooding problem last week. Followed the de-flooding instructions, battery gave out quickly. Waited a day, tried again while jumper-cabled to my Porsche, after many cranks finally got it going (had to hold ignition while it was beginning to start until it "caught", big cloud of smoke, very rough running, engine started smoking after a few minutes, engine light flashing = not good). Had it towed to dealer, they say they replaced ignition coil and 2 leading plugs. Got it back - starts, BUT:

My question(s): After this problem, the car 'hesitates' when its starting (almost like a weak battery or very cold start). Also, when driving especially in 3rd gear, get a instantaneous hesitation as well (almost like somebody is hitting the brakes - no change in engine sound or RPMs). Dealer claimed they load-tested the battery and its OK, flashed the PCM again, says I'm crazy re: the hesitation when driving, said they couldn't duplicate (told me car has secondary intake system, which is what I might be feeling. Think I would have noticed this after 10,000 miles - it doesn't feel the same).

Any thoughts on either problem? Should I demand a new battery or starter? Ideas on the power 'hiccup'? All this after the flooding problem - ran like a champ before that.

 

check your cat, that coud be the problem.

 

Interesting, I was just about to post that I've been having constant hard starts since my flood. I used to have the occasional hard start, but now it is every time. Could it be that I wore out my starter from all the cranking I did to get it going, or do you think it's a problem with the engine? It seems to run fine once it's started, though.

 

i tested this over and over on a cold start, i just cant get it to flood

 

What year is yours?

I'm curious to know more, did you just turn the car on and off several times, or what?