Idle issues (merged with Rx8 stalls at idle. help me!)
 

Well this started out of now where!! Was driving the car around and all of a sudden it died on me! The car stars fine and everything you just have to hold the gas above 1k rpms if it goes under it shuts of by its self i dont what the problem could be! so if anyone knoes what could be wrong id appreciate the help! thanks

Is the check engine light on?

Rx8 stalls at idle. help me!
 

My 2004 mazda rx8 keeps stalling on me....
Starts up no problem, runs full throtle no problem just at idle it stalls....
Sometimes it wont stall but will idle very low around 500 rpm...
Battery is fully charged as well.

Called mazda and its 96.00 to look at it.

Anyone have this problem?

Thanks clubrx8

im having the same problem. 2004 mazda rx8. u figure this out yet?

Having the same issue, I talked to a friend of mine about it, but all he really knows is bikes, he said when a bike does it, it can be an issue with the computer reading the air intake or fuel intake, usually having to do with having a new exhaust or intake. I'm still trying to find out what to do about it... not sure if yours is the same issue as mine though, mine will stall in idle, or idle low, and sometimes when driving it dies if I throw it in neutral, so if you figured it out or someone else has any ideas I need help too, haha.

need more info (year, mods, previous issues, maintenance, etc).

This could be a lot of issues. I'm sure searching this forum will reveal the issues you're having, and the solution ;)

fuel pump? Cat converter? ess?

Try searching with ^these keywords ;)
It could be related to other things as well, but this is just to get you started

There are similar threads linked below, try your initial search and navigate there. You can read these quotes from RX8Soldier and shaunv74 from one of the link.

Have you checked for any engine codes? It could even be a compression issue.

Two active threads about the same issue were merged.

mine is 2004, 6 speed.
Its never done this before but suddenly it as done this....
Im might reset the ecu later to see if it will do the trick...
If anyone has any more ideals please keep them coming.

Thanks clubrx8

Bling, do you have a check engine light on?

Either way, both of you should start with cleaning the Mass Airflow Sensor and the Throttle Body. Both procedures can be found in this thread.

yeah my check engine light has been on ever since i got my turboxs exhaust!! ill go down to auto parts too see if it comes up with any other codes!!

thanks for the help

Check on the link below of lists for CEL codes to get you started.

RX-8 Technical Info (CEL codes...)

Another minor thing to take a look at is to check and make sure that your battery rails/clamps/grounds w/e are tight. I had an issue several months ago where somehow the connection to the battery got loose and when idling and slowing down the car would stall. :)

i just recently got the same issue.. it is a pain in the ass!

heres my situation....
i disconnected the [-] for the battery so that i can change my axxess box that was updated by metra

reconnected the [-] to the battery

when i tried to start the car, the revs emediately drop to 0 and stalls. i did this maybe 10 times and it would not stay at a constant rpm.

so i tried to reset [using the brake pedal with key ON position] and it kind of helped.

it would keep the rpm at 700 but lets say i were to come from second and pop in neutral or let the revs drop below 1000, it would go to 0 and stall out instead of staying at 700 or so. this would happen at stop signs and interections when i need to stop or pop it out of gear while moving]

other information
-NO Cel
-Only thing i did was disconnect and reconnect the negative from the battery. [made sure the connection was tight]
- First time this has ever occurred on my car that i can recall.

other things to note
-every time i start the car, i here 3 beeps and the air bag light flashes and goes away, but only when starting the car.


doubt it could be any of the tings below
[MAF, doesnt make sense this would happen now, not to mention the intake was not touched at all]

[CAT, i am running a High Flow cat simmilar to davesport, and no related CEL]
Coils, Similar to the reasoning of the MAF]

any ideas?

if you disconnected your battery, you have to let your fuel trims relearn themselves. Should take about 5 drive cycles.

i know, but this happened 2 days ago [when i disconnected the battery]
its been way more than 5 cycles, and it still drops below 750. sometimes i start the car it just stalls, other times it tries to find it and eventually does.

Check all you basic levels too, oil & coolant especially. make sure it is not something simple before you pay $85 to have the dealer tell you "hmmmmm.... it looks expense"

so with help from another local member [GRACE EXEL] i finally got it to hold idle.

first he said to remove the[+] from the battery and press the brake pedal for a couple seconds.
i started the car and it was a little boggy but after a quick drive it held it fine.

and then if it was still dropping then reset

Hi RoToRy
Had same problem with mine, after changing coils' plugs and Battery turned out to be a carbon build up in throttle body! not allowing butterfly to close properly. A sand with emery paper and clean and ticks over fine.

This fixed mine
 

i have the solution for some
 

Alright guys listen up for a solution you can try>>> i have had my rx8 for about 4 years and i have always had a weird idle because it had undrive pulleys on it. i got used to driving it around and keeping the idle from stalling out at red lights. i finally take it to mazda and they reset the car and it was fine for 5 minutes when i got it back and then it would happen again.

my main problem was it would randomly have a rough idle and the car would shut off at red lights and stuff especially right when i would come to a stop it would act weird. after talking to mazda they told me how to reset the cars idle.
sooooooo...... they told me to let the car warm up and then shut it off with the key in the off position, pump the gas peddle 18 times,,, thats eighteen times all the way to the floor quickly and then turn the car back on i would let it sit for a few minutes to without raising the rpms. hope it works for you all

it helped me sometimes but i still feel my car acts weird but it is almost at 100,000 miles my car is an 04 idk if anyone would want to know

What you did was you reset the NVRAM (aka "eccentric shaft position sensor"). This is a common fix for these types of issues, especially considering you modified your pullies...

Surprisingly I'm having these issues (again). Just threw on a fresh BHR set and new plugs. Wouldn't start, got a pull start this morning, now I have P0302 and P0506 up, won't hold idle (thinking that's just my fuel trims), and there is a pretty decent knocking sound coming from the manifold/throttle body / block area in general.

Hooked up my inductive timing light to each wire whilst my girlfriend held the car at idle ~1000rpm, all seemed to be going fine. Reset NVRAM and did all the other crap.

Question, though: Does anyone know if using the timing light tests only the coils and wires, or if it actually works in the sense that if there is spark (a.k.a. the full electrical connection is made), if using the timing light will also help test whether the plugs are firing or not? I'm thinking if by some miracle its not a compression issue, that I simply have a loose wire on a plug, dirty throttle body, etc., but my question above will give some insight... again just knowing if the timing light gives insight on whether the plugs are firing?... I'm no electrical master but that would make sense to me.

In a normal functioning system, the spark is actually part of the electrical connection between the coils and the battery, so if the timing light flashes, it has sparked.

The only way the timing light would flash and there NOT be a spark is if for some reason the current the plug wires is seeing is getting grounded out somewhere before the plug electrode.

Fraying wires letting it arc to the engine block or a cracked plug allowing the same thing within the plug hole are the only reasonable possibilities there. Both are easily checked for, so if you have ruled those out, then yes, timing light flash = spark.

Figured, thanks for the clarification. The one wire does seem a tad loose, but as I said they are all blinking fairly consistently on the timing light, so that (unfortunately) rules out that idea. The knocking is quite bad the lower the rpms get. When it dies out, it is an obvious loud knocking. Otherwise, the car revs up fine and drives not too bad. I fear it may be new engine time new car time (....... maybe)

Sounds like the SSV rattling. Better hook up a compression tester instead.

I was actually thinking that, Team. With previous issues I've been having I'm leaning more towards compression, though. I'm uploading a video to YouTube and will link it here. Interesting noises which I just assumed was linked to low compression / wire not seated properly

I had this same issue yesterday. Mazda dealer told me it was going to be $96 to run test. But after doing some reading I just tried a simple route and put in water removal treatment in.. Thinking it might just be that simple of having water in my fuel. Went out today. Started right up. Took it for a drive. No issues. Run like a champ. STP Water Removal. $1.99 .. I'll keep an eye on it and let you know how it worked out.

^ It was unlikely to be water in your fuel. There are many other problems that can cause stalling at idle that ARE common, especially to owners that haven't been around the forums much, and water in the fuel isn't one of them. I'm not saything that it couldn't have been water in the fuel, but you are ignoring many other common problems in favor of one that is virtually unheard of.

Mine starts up fine, the idle stabilizes, and it will rev up great and has great power but when I go drive it after I lift off the throttle it dies. I have checked all the above possible fixes and all are fine but it still has the issue.

Also, there are no stored codes and no warning lights/DTCs.

I am having the same issue, I just changed the battery; before the batt change I had Zero issues... I think it is fuel trims, but I drove a 50 mile or more trip and still have problems.

Shuts off at higher RPM? or shuts off when it returns to idle?

I think you actually have to turn the engine off ,let it cool, then restart a couple of times before the trims will kick in .

I found the problem with my 06 RX. I had a hole in my stock intake tube (the rubber part, used a rag and duct tape to hold me over till I can source a part.)

I changed batteries and must have had a crazy fuel trim established when the hole started, lost that trim on the batt change, and the virgin trims couldn't overcome the additional air, I was running too lean.

All is better now (for the short term).

Hello everyone my name is Hafeez and i'm driving a 2009 RX8 R3. recently there was a leak in my coolant tank so had to change a new one, since i'v changed the new one my car started to over heat and the coolant sensors were always on, then the mechanic switched the previous sensor with the old sensor, but my car now stops every time i stop revving the engine every red light. it basically only drives normal for 5 min. Plz help me identify the problem

Sounds like you damaged the engine by letting it overheat.

Brettus, is it possible that my computer is having a hissy fit from me having changed so many parameters from stock and is re calibrating still after the crank clear/ re learn? I'll give it a few more drive cycles since it gets more stable every time I test it.

I've been having basically the identical issues as 90% of the other commenters in this forum. My engine took a shit before I shipped off to basic. A week ago, I finally swapped another engine into it. The engine has 50k on it, out of a 2005, 6 speed. I've put about 600 miles on it since I swapped it in, and it runs flawless on the highway. Plenty of power, no lag, etc etc. But of course it doesn't idle. I've been doing research on research about this issue. I've tried virtually everything to fix this issue including cleaning the MAF, throttle body, new plugs, wires, coils, fuel stabilizer, checked vacuum lines, wires, etc. I've reset my ECU, and between the two times I've done that, it would idle for as long as I wanted. It would be a little rough at first, then would smooth out and idle smooth, even with AC running. Although after driving it around for a little, it goes right back to a shitass idle, and dies. I'm running out of ideas on this. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I'm to the point of just swapping my old intake manifold on to see if maybe there's something jacked up internally on the "new" one. Any intel would be much appreciated!

i have 08 20k miles rx8. the problem started after i filled up my fuel. My tank was about 1/4 when i filled it up. after that i drove it for 5 mins and i came to a stop light. It idled for about 10 sec then suddenly died on me. That is the only time it happened. it started right back up after that. im thinking i could be a dirty fuel system that caused it but any insight is appreciated. ill be checking out my fuel filter on the weekend to see if its dirty.

Mine doesn't stall but it when its in drive and I'm sitting at a lie or put my car in reverse it goes under 1k rpm and shakes violently. Driving doesn't seem that bad though.

I just had a similar problem that I just fixed last week on my 8. I would check the wire leading to your fuel resistor and see if it has any holes or is arching to something. You can find the wire next to your washer fluid pump plug and the resistor is right under your air compressor.

My 8 was stalling after ignition and it turned out my wire was burned to a crisp and all I did was snip and replace the wire. Maybe your wire is doing the same. Just thought I would toss in my two cents.

This worked for me awesomely. Thanks guys

Any resolve to this issue??

Same here, did you ever figure it out??

Hi Guys

I recently bought a 2007 RX8. It runs beautifully however I have a similar idling issue. when the car is cold it starts on first stroke. After which the revs go up to 2k rpm then slowly starts dropping down to 1k rpm. The car then jumps revs between 1k to 2k rpm every 2 seconds until the point when the car just cuts off. When i start the car it idles for a few seconds and then does the same thing.

When the car eventually warms up it stops the erratic idling but then just dies. if you start the car it idles about 3-6 seconds then just cuts out as the rpm goes below 500. If i drive the car it dies at every stop. Basically every time i put my foot on the clutch and the revs drop down to 1k.

Once the car has been driven most of the day and is warm this issue seems to subside. but once the car cools down it loses idling again. The car is basically only drivable when you have driven with it the whole day. So I get 2 hours a day where the car idles without issues.

During all this the CEL comes and goes. I did a diagnostic on the car and it only throws out 4 O2 sensor errors.

The previous owners put a custom exhaust on the car and it seems they removed the sensor by the catalizer. Could that be what's causing this issue?

Has anyone had this issue and found a solution to it. I have been scouring the web for answers but to no avail :eyetwitch. I would appreciate any assistance.

What are those codes? If even one of the codes is for the front O2 sensor, that could be the entire problem with the idling.

The next thing I'd go for is to clean the MAF and ESS, then reset the ESS profile in the ECU (there is a procedure, search for 20-pedal-stomp). If that doesn't solve the problem, then I'd start hunting for vacuum leaks, or get the intake smoke tested for leaks. A vacuum leak could cause the problem.


I'd first guess at a front O2 sensor problem though, since you have 4 "O2 codes" (without knowing if all 4 are for the rear or not), and an O2 heater control problem could easily cause this.

Thanks RIWWP

I cant seems to find my note with the codes on them.

However I cleaned the maf and didn't notice a difference with the idling. But after I did some reading on all the things the maf effects I was convinced that it might be my main problem so I took a gamble and I purchased a new unit.

Now she's idling without any issues. She is still a bit sensitive in the mornings. (she stalls when the revs drop too quick) But that can be avoided by slowing down a bit sooner when she is cold but no issues when she is warm.

My CEL is still on though so will have a diagnostic done as soon as I get a chance and see if I still get the O2 sensor error. Atleast she is drivable now :lol2:

Pay $15 and get an OBD2 bluetooth/wifi adapter from amazon.com, pair it with your smartphone, and you can read and clear codes yourself, see live data, etc...