Flooded, second time on M flash
 

*sigh* Whelp, I have flooded again, the second time on m-flash. Im trying to back this car but its hard when I dont know if Ill get home when I leave, or even if Ill leave. My closest dealer is 45 miles away, and I go to school in the opposite direction... Hmmmm. I kind of wish I hadn't leased so I had the option to sell. Its too bad there is such a fatal flaw in the car, as its so attractive and fun to drive.

Not a Fatal flaw just something you have to consider before you turn it off, I've had mine for 1year and 4months and no floods, just take care of it.

How did you do it this time? I would like to know so i don't do it when i get mine in 3weeks,any help would be very helpful.

Ditto.. Had mine since July '03, now has 23k miles on it - no flooding issues at all.

Seems like it affects some more than others. Hard to say if it's something with driving style or use habits, or if there are some more susceptible than others.

Here's a Tip:

Don't do what Jhonny Dont doesn't not do.


;)

Just don't start her up, then immediately shut her down. When you wanna shut down the car, make sure it's at a normal temperature and it's not cold.

I've had mine for almost 8 months and 6000 miles with no problems at all. It does seem like it varies from car to car.

More like it varies from driver to driver.

19,500 miles , no floods. I had a guy today tell me his daughter has an 8 and has flooded it 4 times in a few months. I just don't understand. Don't hit the gas when you start it , and don't cut it off without it hitting operating temp. Simple enough, huh?

2 words: USER ERROR.

I have never had a flood in the almost 2 years I have had the car.

never had
 

over 4000 miles ...no flooding....never shut it down before temp gauge is in the middle. Use extra gas by idling...take it with a grain of salt....It is a quirk of this car

love
 

But I love this car....it is special....it tells you so around every corner!https://www.rx8club.com/newreply.php
Smilie

love
 

But I love this car....it is special....it tells you so around every corner!

I think sometimes you guys overlook the point. How do you know its something he does. Just because you car has not flooded in 6mos 2day 1hr, does not mean you are magically doing something right. My car has not flooded, but i get 12 miles to a gallon. your car hasnt flooded but you get 20 miles to a gallon, there are variances in these cars and it does not matter what you do when you drive them the variances are still there. so how about instead of busting his balls you guys throw out a few recommendations instead of talking about how your car hasnt done it and its not a problem to you.

Take your car into the dealer immediately if you haven't already. If you are not causing it to flood then there is something wrong with the vehicle. I know in PA if I bring it in 3 times for the same problem within 1 year or 12,000 miles I can use the lemon law to get a new one. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and presume it's a mechanical issue with teh car and not an operator error. If so, this is what you should do.

The problem is the thread starter never gave much detail about what he felt went wrong. "My car flooded... wah-wah". No details given about whether he was warmed up or even if he makes sure its always warmed up, etc. etc.

So the only choice for people is to throw out the normal recommendation (ie. warm up the car) and their own personal experience (ie. no floods in so many months). If the thread starter wants help, he needs to give more detail on what happened.

Ok, you all want explanations. I can dig that. I am training to be a paramedic, and was doing a clinical with a large hospital, my first time at this institution. Just before I was about to get on the rig (ambulance) one of the nurses mentioned I had parked near a tow zone..the medics were nice enough to wait while I moved it...but NO WAY would they wait if I told them "Sorry, my car has a FATAL FLAW, and you all have to wait 10 to 15 minutes while it warms to operating temps so it will start again". Life....or "death" for that matter, doesn't "wait" so my damn car can warm up.

Mazda never gave a "Must run for 10 to 15 minutes on EACH and EVERY startup" disclaimer on the window tag. In cool weather it takes my car at least 13 to 16 minutes to reach full temp, a little quicker if I drive it. And obviously the M flash was just a pacifier... Im not failing the whole vehicle, just this major issue...and it is major. I have a vehicle that cannot, for any reason, be put to rest for at least 10 minutes after any startup. Some of us have lives that run faster and are more important than that. I really like the car, but I hate babysitting it. You wouldn't want the ambulance you called to be late because the medics mazda had to warm up. Good car, but BIG problem. And for the record, the first time it flooded was after a very lengthy drive... ;) So, user error is ok for the denial crowd, but not for the realists. When I picked it up from the dealer that first time, the techie asked what happened before it flooded and even said "Yup, sometimes she just might flood on ya". great.............

So thats the story. To whoever said take it to the dealer, I am on monday, but I have to wait until they are open since I will need a rental.

JUSTICE4RX8: Its a fun car, but only buy if you have the time and patience to make sure it will be at least reasonably reliable. If you have the extra time it's worth it.

Bam-Bam,
I assume you have tried the starting procedure for a flood. There are posts here where that procedure has worked after more than the 2 attempts recommended. But since the OEM battery is pretty weak, it may run out of juice before several attempts can be made to do the procedure. If that is the case with your situation--and even if it isn't--ask the dealer for a replacement battery. The replacement battery is much more hearty than the original and that will allow you to run the start procedure more than a couple of times. Let us know how you make out.

Bam-Bam,
Thanks for providing the additional details. I was confident that there was a circumstance surrounding your issue. Definitely an unfortunate circumstance, but everyone knows that rotary engines require more care. It is very well documented on this website. As an example, I find myself having to be strategic about where I get my gas. I don't want to fill up too close to home, since I won't have time to warm up before getting home, and I make sure not to stop for gas too soon after I've first started it for the same reasons. Inconvenient? Yes. But worth it? To me, it is. To quite a few people it probably is unacceptable. It's an individual choice. I am probably being overcautious, but I want to make sure to avoid any possibility of flooding. For the record, I have done a couple of low mileage trips before (<10 miles per startup) without any issue.

I don't fault you for what you had to do, but it was definitely a unique situation. Check out the TSB that details the latest most up-to-date starting procedure for floods and hopefully if it happens again, you will be able to deal with it. And stay away from those tow zones... ;P

The first time you flooded, was it before your M-flash? Good luck with your car.

BAM-BAM,
If you must turn your car off and it is not warmed up, put your foot on the gas and get the RPMS up to 3k for a few seconds, then take your foot off the gas and while the RPMS are going down but before RPMS get to normal idle, turn the engine off.

Then intent here is to expel the rich fuel mixture (because the car is not warmed up) out of the chambers to minimize flooding.

rx8cited

The oldies might remember shutting off the older Rx series on decel and hearing what sounded like a cannon. Had an old Rx4 once that would split the muffler at the seams shutting it off too early. Actually what it did to the engine was probably worse if unburned fuel ignited in the exhaust manifold and forced pressure back into the port/exhaustchamber/rotor. So while that technique may work it should be done with some caution. *When the Rotary becomes as reliable as a piston engine, or, has had as much developement as one, it may well become commonplace.* Old Chinese Saying.

If a small number of people are flooding their cars, and the majority isn't, I'd say it has something to do with the owner's operation of the car, such as starting and shutting the engine down right away.

You want recommendations? Read the manual about shutdown procedures.

What M-Flash do you have? There was a buggy version that was stopped towards the end of 2004.

Well if the poll on another thread says 30% have flooded, and granted some may before the latest flash, battery etc., that may or may not be a small number of owners. Since *forum* members may be the most *aware* of owners, I wonder what the real world numbers are. You know, the rest of the owners that don't read this and just want a great looking car that performs well and operates flawlessly without having to go through a ritual everytime you start or stop it.

:mad: Thank's BAM BAM! At least someone cares that this is a problem,(DAMN WITH A $30,000 + CAR) tHANKS MAZDA!

Rotary Goober makes a good point. That shutting down method is potentially dangerous.
The important thing to consider with the batteries is that they are highly at fault in terms of cranking speed, along with the tiny starter that Mazda has opted to go with. Those of us who have been dealing with rotaries for decades have encountered these things. If it has a little excessive fuel in the chambers and it is cranked quickly enough it will come to life. These same principles apply also to piston engined vehicles also, they just have higher static compression and don't have combustion chambers that sweep past their plugs. Those of you who have flooded previously need to do eveything in your power to ensure that you have FULLY CHARGED BATTERIES and insist on new spark plugs.