Hey RX* friends... I have a situation. got in my car last night and it wouldn't crank. After replacing the battery, it still wouldn't crank. All the electrical stuff seems to work, but what I'm trying to figure out is: do I have gas but no spark or spark but no gas? That is: is it fuel pump or ignition system... or timing. Here is an audio file I just recorded:

http://www.theprivateinvestigator.net/cases/rx8/

Please let me know if you have any ideas on what it may be and what might need to be replaced. I'm supposed to be on the road to Atlanta today from Virginia. so it's rather urgent that I fix it sooner than later.

Thank you so much!
Brian

 

You are correct in that you don't have one of the two, but which one is a bit harder to determine.

Do you have any tools with you? Or is it pretty much "hand diagnosis" only?

If nothing else, continuing to attempt to crank will keep draining your battery and you will be unable to start from a dead battery before long.

I'm racking my brain for easy methods to determine which one is the problem, but just woke up myself.

 

you are certainly right about killing the new battery...

I do have tools, but nothing diagnostic.

 

If you are getting fuel dumped out of your tailpipes, or smell fuel in the line, then you can go with "it's a spark problem" (either missing spark or quenched spark), but lack of fuel doesn't mean it's a fuel problem.

Vehicle mileage and year?
How old is the starter? Ignition coils? Plug wires? Plugs?

 

no fuel smell and nothing coming out of tail pipes
112k
07
all original

 

Let's clear the record:

The true meaning of "It won't crank"

Some people, when they say these words, for some deranged reason, mean that when they turn the key, the starter does in fact turn the engine, but the engine doesn't start.

That is wrong.

The true meaning of "It won't crank" is that when you turn the key, nothing happens. The starter does not turn the engine.

So, if your engine is not cranking, you DO NOT need to worry about the fuel system or the ignition system yet. You have a bigger problem.

If your engine is cranking, but doesn't fire up, then you need to worry about spark and fuel.

Reading your post, without clicking on your link, makes people think the wrong things.

Anyway, take out your spark plugs, and look at their condition.
I bet your plugs are fouled, and possibly your ignition coils are getting a bit weak. How old are they, and have you tested them to see if they are delivering spark to the plugs?

BC.

 

Wait, so you have 112,000 miles on your plugs, coils, and wires? I have a feeling that isn't actually accurate. They only last ~30,000 miles. Unless you set a record here. If even one of those parts is truly "original", then that's your problem, hands down.

The audio file shows that his engine is turning over, just not firing.

 

Do you have a can of brake parts cleaner or starting fluid handy? Disconnect the air intake at the throttle body, open the throttle, and give a quick squirt into the throttle body.
Then crank it over and see if it tries to fire. That will tell you if it's a lack of fuel.

 

+1 on that ^

 

I have a similar problem and I still think it is flooded (I cannot open the audio file). But I just wanted to say until this problem my car has always run great and I have never changed the plugs, coils, or wires and have put about 180k on it since I bought it. Mine is an 05. I am not sure that any of the ignition was replaced before I bought it so it might have almost 220k on the original plugs coils and wires. I think I should replace them (the car might run better).

 

30,000 mile old ignition was proven to have a ~28whp DROP on a dyno.

Unicorns do exist though.

 

I had a similar problem...but I can't hear your audio file.

Mine would crank...as in starter would engage but it wouldn't fire.
I ended up replacing my leading ignition coils and that worked!
I'm going to end up doing my plugs and wires as well in the few weeks.

Hope you get your problem solved!

 

check your lead ends that connect to the terminals. mine were disgusting so I changed them and that fixed my problem. good luck