Engine Misfiring
In between cars, RX8-less
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 463
Likes: 0
From: Sydney Australia
You guys one thing to keep in mind is this:
On track days I have had issues with the fuel getting to the motor, this is due to the way the fuel tank in the 8 is designed. It has a cut out section where the drive shaft goes through, this leads to a couple of problems. When driving hard and accellerating especially on straights the equalising pump ca not keep up, hence you get fuel starvation, and the car surges (basically it feels like you have hit a rev limiter, this only happens when you have less than half a tank of fuel. I have had it happen from 6000rpm on wards but once as low as 5000. I have reported it to mazda her in Aust and they commented that it was the first time they have had that reported. My car is not the ony one, at subsequent track days 4 other people I have driven with have had exactly the same issues.
Therefore, before looking for something more simister ensure yu have a full tank of gas and then try exactly the same thing again, it could be the equalisation problem within the fuel tank, if it is the same problem then report it to your dealer because I personally would love a fix for this issue.
Regards,
Gibbo.
On track days I have had issues with the fuel getting to the motor, this is due to the way the fuel tank in the 8 is designed. It has a cut out section where the drive shaft goes through, this leads to a couple of problems. When driving hard and accellerating especially on straights the equalising pump ca not keep up, hence you get fuel starvation, and the car surges (basically it feels like you have hit a rev limiter, this only happens when you have less than half a tank of fuel. I have had it happen from 6000rpm on wards but once as low as 5000. I have reported it to mazda her in Aust and they commented that it was the first time they have had that reported. My car is not the ony one, at subsequent track days 4 other people I have driven with have had exactly the same issues.
Therefore, before looking for something more simister ensure yu have a full tank of gas and then try exactly the same thing again, it could be the equalisation problem within the fuel tank, if it is the same problem then report it to your dealer because I personally would love a fix for this issue.
Regards,
Gibbo.
Last edited by Gibbo; Dec 9, 2004 at 10:13 PM.
Evolution of REvolution
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 356
Likes: 1
From: Germany
Originally Posted by Dark Image 13
Just curious if anyone else has experienced this. Driving onto the highway I hit about 8k RPMs and the car started to "buck" and it felt like it had lost power. I shifted into 3rd and the problem went away though the engine light blinked several times. At the next chance I dropped to 2nd gear and hit 8g again, and once again the same thing, cept this time the engine light blinked and then stayed on.
I immediately called the dealership and brought it in. When the mechanics were done they said the compter said the engine had mis fired twice so they reset the computer. I asked what caused the problem and they didnt have a clue, they said " well dont hit 8,00 RPMs then". I wasnt happy with the answer or that my new car was having engine problems but I left it at that.
Now again today in 3rd i got the car up to 8k and once again I noticed the powerloss and the engine light flashing. After shifting and waiting a few mintes and gunned it again. This time nothing and the car ran fine all the way to 9500. In between these 2 instances I have hammered on the car many times and it hasnt happened. Im more curious if anyone else has had this happen or if anyone might have a clue whats causing it. Personally I feel like going to the dealership and raising hell, as after buying a brand new car and having a problem the mechanics there are happy to just reset the comp. and read to me what the computer says and not actually put any effort into finding out why it happened.
I immediately called the dealership and brought it in. When the mechanics were done they said the compter said the engine had mis fired twice so they reset the computer. I asked what caused the problem and they didnt have a clue, they said " well dont hit 8,00 RPMs then". I wasnt happy with the answer or that my new car was having engine problems but I left it at that.
Now again today in 3rd i got the car up to 8k and once again I noticed the powerloss and the engine light flashing. After shifting and waiting a few mintes and gunned it again. This time nothing and the car ran fine all the way to 9500. In between these 2 instances I have hammered on the car many times and it hasnt happened. Im more curious if anyone else has had this happen or if anyone might have a clue whats causing it. Personally I feel like going to the dealership and raising hell, as after buying a brand new car and having a problem the mechanics there are happy to just reset the comp. and read to me what the computer says and not actually put any effort into finding out why it happened.
The symptoms are also in line with a faulty APV valve, although you don't usually get a MIL with that.
The dealer needs to do some diagnostics....
8 the HARD way.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
Had a pretty full tank.. less than a 1/4 down from full.
On my way home from work, I drove it hard to try to get the same CEL but it didnt happen. Hmm. Should I not push the car until I get to the dealer? Maybe I'm messing things up more..
It's hard sticking to the Granny method in this car, you all should know that..
On my way home from work, I drove it hard to try to get the same CEL but it didnt happen. Hmm. Should I not push the car until I get to the dealer? Maybe I'm messing things up more..
It's hard sticking to the Granny method in this car, you all should know that..
Registered
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: Near Fresno, CA
Same thing happened to me 3 times now (2x with me driving, 1x when my wife was driving). I thought it was a problem with my CZ Stage 1. I even emailed Maurice about it and he had no clue. I took it to the Mazda dealership after the 1st 2x's and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They just reflashed my ECU. It happened again a few weeks later. I called Mazda and made an appointment but then it went away. No problems since.
This is what happened:
I drove away from my house, it started sputtering...I was probably only going 25-30mph. The CEL came on. I went back home. Turned off the car and started it again. Still CEL light on. Came back later in the day and CEL light did not turn on and car ran fine. The next day my wife said it did it to her. When I checked the CEL light, it was not on. That's when I took it to the dealership.
The 3rd time, same thing happened. I turned off the car and when I came back it started fine.
I really hope we get an answer to this problem so I can enlighten the Mazda techs down here what to look for.
This is what happened:
I drove away from my house, it started sputtering...I was probably only going 25-30mph. The CEL came on. I went back home. Turned off the car and started it again. Still CEL light on. Came back later in the day and CEL light did not turn on and car ran fine. The next day my wife said it did it to her. When I checked the CEL light, it was not on. That's when I took it to the dealership.
The 3rd time, same thing happened. I turned off the car and when I came back it started fine.
I really hope we get an answer to this problem so I can enlighten the Mazda techs down here what to look for.
Last edited by tadams; Nov 29, 2008 at 12:05 AM. Reason: n/a
Banned
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
From: VA
Well, my car is in the shop. I told the tech to drive it home for the weeekend to see if he can get the light to come on. Last time he had it (5 days) no light but after I get it back the light came on 10 minutes after leaving the dealership. I really hope this gets fixed a misfire is something pretty serious IMO. It is not good for the motor and we are like lab rats for mazda testing all these different flash programs. I for one am not taking no for an answer this time. I want a valid fix for my misfire & smoking out of the exhaust.
Registered
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
From: Milwaukee Wi.
I had that problem after the M flash. Took it in last week and the dealer reflashed it. Runs great now. Makes smooth srtrong power in upper rpms again like it used to. I also made a future appoitment for an oil pan replacement and new plugs , all covered under warranty.
Captain Spaulding
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 223
Likes: 0
From: black bear country - NJ
Just had misfire problem fixed
I thought I was losing my mind. Right after I had the SR intake installed, I noticed what I thought was misfiring above 4k RPM. This continued for a while and I had the SR exhaust installed. It may have been a coincidence but not long after as soon as I hit about 3500 RPM the car would start misfiring like crazy to the point the power almost stopped until I shifted to another gear but kept it below 4k RPM. I brought it to my Mazda dealer and they could not find what was causing problem. When they called the Mazda tech line the tech did not want to get involved because of mly aftermarket bolt ons. This lasted for about 2 weeks. I finally brought the car in again this week with the same problem. I was not enjoying driving the car at all. After 3 days, the mazda tech found that all 4 resistor packs had been burnt. He showed me the packs and you can see the burn marks. They were cool and changer all four as a warranty fix. It is like having a new car again. The only problem was when this was going on and I was not sure what was causing the problem and had the dealer remove my SR intake and replace with stock intake. I can really appreciate the car now especially with the SR exhaust which sounds great.
8 the HARD way.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
Ok.. Brought her into the dealer and they find a P0302.
I ask them, what is that.. they say. Oh it just means you need a reflash.
Isnt that a misfire?!?!
They dont believe me.. throw some BS.. and say the reflash should fix it.
Can any gurus out there confirm that this is the correct fix for this code? Snapon? Maniac? Isn't a misfire some serious ****?? Why are they treating it like its nothing? Or am I worried for nothing?
Man I hate dealing with dealership service centers.
I ask them, what is that.. they say. Oh it just means you need a reflash.
Isnt that a misfire?!?!
They dont believe me.. throw some BS.. and say the reflash should fix it.
Can any gurus out there confirm that this is the correct fix for this code? Snapon? Maniac? Isn't a misfire some serious ****?? Why are they treating it like its nothing? Or am I worried for nothing?
Man I hate dealing with dealership service centers.
Last edited by RX-Nut; Dec 14, 2004 at 07:56 PM.
Shifty Bastard.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,835
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne, Australia.
P0302...rear rotor misfire. While the engine is running, the PCM counts the number of misfires at 200revs of the E shaft, and at 1000 revs. If the ratio exceedes a set figure, the PCM determines that a misfire that could damage the cat has occurred.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 21,958
Likes: 115
From: portland oregon
P0300 Random misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire ´ (See DTC
P0300 )
P0301 Front rotor misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire ´
(See DTC P0301, P0302 )
P0302 Rear rotor misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire
you're already on the most current flash so what will they do beyond that? have them inspect the plugs and clean or replace.
edit: damn gomez is quick
edit 2: and tell them to check your cat. as per gomez above
P0300 )
P0301 Front rotor misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire ´
(See DTC P0301, P0302 )
P0302 Rear rotor misfire detected Flash/ON 1 or 2 Misfire
you're already on the most current flash so what will they do beyond that? have them inspect the plugs and clean or replace.
edit: damn gomez is quick
edit 2: and tell them to check your cat. as per gomez above
Shifty Bastard.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,835
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne, Australia.
The fact that so many of you guys in the States have these issues and no-one else seems to, leads me to believe that this may all stem back to your "K" and "L" flash issues (fouled plugs)....
8 the HARD way.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
Hmmm.. is a misfire a serious issue? Could I be looking at long term damage?
I'm going to drive the hell outta it, this week and see if it comes up again. They claim it was ok as they tested over 8K RPM. Didnt really like the idea of them pounding my car, but that's the only way it would pop up.
If I have to go back because it comes up again, I will definitely tell them what to look for.
I'm going to drive the hell outta it, this week and see if it comes up again. They claim it was ok as they tested over 8K RPM. Didnt really like the idea of them pounding my car, but that's the only way it would pop up.
If I have to go back because it comes up again, I will definitely tell them what to look for.
Registered
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,473
Likes: 0
From: Diamond Bar, Ca
That was my issue. I used to smell fumes from the car and it would buck just as you stated. When mazda looked at the codes from my car it had the P0300 like everyone is stating. They replaced the wires and now everything is fine.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 21,958
Likes: 115
From: portland oregon
so they did a flash of your pcm that just brings you current and has nothing in it for misfires that you didnt already have. then they did the 20 stomp on your brake pedal to clear/reset the eshaft profile. flashing can clear the code but it wont fix the issue imho. you were already on M so the flash didnt change anything. btw how you doing? havent talked to you in a long time. how are the islands this time of year?
8 the HARD way.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
ARRGH.. I was successful in duplicating the misfire this morning on my way to work. It seems my dealer didnt fix the problem and just did a reflash hoping it would cure it. Obviously there's something more going on. The work order did say they check the coils, so I do feel a tad better.. NOT.
Am I wrong to think misfires are SERIOUS? Just the word sounds bad. I'm not a engine guru or anything but is this common? I mean I could live with the CEL light blinking, big deal, but man it just spooks me when I turn up the juice on the engine and she starts bogging like she's outta gas or something.
ARRRRGH.. What a waste of time. Now I need to schedule in another day for them to work on it. DAMN.
Did I say I hate dealing with dealership service centers??
zoom.. I'm doing good.. was perfect until this problem happened. haha. The islands are beautiful this time of year. Hasn't been as wet as it normally is. Its pretty cold though, if you consider 60s, low 70s cold.. heehee.
Am I wrong to think misfires are SERIOUS? Just the word sounds bad. I'm not a engine guru or anything but is this common? I mean I could live with the CEL light blinking, big deal, but man it just spooks me when I turn up the juice on the engine and she starts bogging like she's outta gas or something.
ARRRRGH.. What a waste of time. Now I need to schedule in another day for them to work on it. DAMN.
Did I say I hate dealing with dealership service centers??
zoom.. I'm doing good.. was perfect until this problem happened. haha. The islands are beautiful this time of year. Hasn't been as wet as it normally is. Its pretty cold though, if you consider 60s, low 70s cold.. heehee.
Last edited by RX-Nut; Dec 15, 2004 at 01:26 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: texas
same thing started to happen to me AFTER THEY FIXED MY CAT.. i will drive my car hard and the CEL will start to blink...i will let off and it stops...i dotn know why its doing it either? anyone out there know whats up w/ it?
8 the HARD way.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio
New info.. pushed the car to 8K once more. Just had to be sure :D .. I know I should stop it.. Of course the CEL blinked.. seemed to blink longer this time... and get this.. are you ready... it remained lit. CEL is still on as I type.
Uh oh.
Looks like it's gonna stay under 3500rpm for me until my baby sees the doctor... doh! Now this is gonna be the longest week ever!
Its a good thing RB has a back order on exhaust. If I got it in when this happened, I'm sure the dealer would start blaming the exhaust.
Uh oh.
Looks like it's gonna stay under 3500rpm for me until my baby sees the doctor... doh! Now this is gonna be the longest week ever!
Its a good thing RB has a back order on exhaust. If I got it in when this happened, I'm sure the dealer would start blaming the exhaust.
