Engine wont rev over 8500rpm? (231hp model)
 

Hi guys!

Sorry about my bad english, i'm from Finland. I've used "search" and havent find answer to my problem.

2004, 231hp model

I really need help. Engine wont rev over 8500rpm while driving. When i put it to neutral, it only revs 9000rpm. There's also loss of power. Exhaust sound is quite ruff. Almost new coils, wires and plugs. K&N panel filter that i just cleaned, washed and re-oiled.

Also very hard to start warm engine...

Maf sensor contaminated by air filter oil?

cathalythic converter problem? (ruff exhaust sound?)

Havent driven the car much lately, noticed the problem after the airfilter cleanup re-oil

Im going the check and clean the maf sensor tomorrow, if someone knows what else i should check, then please let me know.

Thank you!

too much oil on the filter ?
Blocked cat ?

Think Brettus got the major ones. Too much oil can foul the MAF. Be careful cleaning it!

Should probably drop the CAT and take a peak inside. Another way to possibly tell is go for a pretty agressive drive, then when you return......look underneath and see if the CAT is glowing red.

These hard starts....has it been this way a long time? If so...........the 04 has a notoriously weak starter(if the original one), might need an upgraded one. Think if you search you can find the part number of the old starter...............think ASH8 has them in one of his threads.

Edit.....found them:

Series I RX-8 Starter Motor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N3H1-18-400 (MT First used)
N3H1-18-400A (MT Latest for Series 1)

N3H2-18-400A (Auto First used)
N3H2-18-400B (Auto Latest For Series 1)

Warm start problems could be failing compression as well.

Cleaned the MAF (it was oily & dirty!!)

but still the same, helped little a bit, now it revs 9000.

Engine flooded over 1 year ago, they said at dealership that cat was flooded with gas and oil, and it will propably brake down soon. Yesterday i noticed that after i had driven agressevly the centerconsole and gear shifter area was very warm.

Here in finland they dont chek emmissions in MOT (inspection) from rotary engines, so i came up an idea: Remove cat, cut it open, take out the melted/broke down insides, and weld it nicely back together again.

Is it possible? do i need new kind of lambda or o2 sensors, remapping the ecu or something?

/\
no cutting required - you just need a long screwdriver and a hammer ;)

Really!? :D Mayby i should do some "search" on that issue :)

But seriously, is that possible? Just take the insides out from the cat box, but it back on, and that's that easy?

edit: Did some search, and found this interesting topic: Gutted vs. midpipe. Looks like that a few others has done it also? So i just do like Brettus suggested, long screwdriver + hammer and chip away the "honeycombs" from the cat?

Yep.........that's it.
Just take it off(no cutting), knock it out, and put back on!

Ok! :D

Thank you all for help, i'll try to get it done on coming week, i also have a spare cat out of wreckage rx-8 just in case something goes wrong.

If i understood correctly, i'll shooting flames by the end of the week :D

Sweeeeet... :cool:

wear a dust mask ..................

You can also check for a bad cat by putting your hand right behind the exhaust tip with the car running, and then smelling your hand. If it smells like rotten eggs, your cat is bad.

Problem solved!!!

Thank you all very much!! Cat was blocked, first two layers of honeycomb was in pieces...

Now that the cat is "gutted" it makes this funny "Zhof" sound when accelerating hard :D:

I still have stock back exhaust box, so othervise the exhaust sound is almost the same.

Still hard to start with warm engine, but the main thing is that the power is back! :D:

did this happened in all gears? My car--6 speed manual 2006--won't rev beyond 8100rpms in third. 1st and 2nd work fine and haven't really tried 4th and 5th.

LOL i started reading this and was praying to god it wasn't going to be

"you can test it by putting your hand directly on the cat, if your skin melts to the cat, its gone bad" :smoker:

Great job on the CAT.
Re: warm start: You could try to de-carbon the engine with a seafoam treatment. Please search for the procedure.

Well you can try cooking burgers on the cat - rare, medium, well and charcoal

Excellant trouble shooting!