Entroper

So I just got this car recently, too bad my first post here is in the Issues & Problems section.

I have a 2004 RX-8 with 31,000 miles, which I've owned for 3 weeks. Last week on my way to work, I tried to start the car, and when I turned the key, the engine turned over about 1/2 revolution, then everything on the car went completely dead. I had electrical power to the lights/stereo/etc. before attempting to crank, but now I had nothing. I messed with it for a second, taking the key out, putting it back in, trying to turn things on/off/etc., and got nothing. Pulled the hood release with the key in the "on" position -- and everything came back. The stereo had lost its clock/presets and the DSC was messed up, as expected w/ a complete loss of power. My first thought was a bad electrical connection or a short, which was jolted into working again when I popped the hood.

The car ran fine for another full week, until last night when I tried starting it and it died again. This time, I was able to regain electrical power by tapping on the battery cover, but it would still immediately die when attempting to crank. Under the cover, the connections looked good, and the battery was installed in Dec 08.

I messed with the car a good 45 minutes and found the following oddities:

• With the key in the ON position, a high-pitched whine could be heard in the engine compartment, possibly near the driver's side (difficult to tell).
• When turning the key from the ON to the ACC position, there was a loud *CLACK* sound, and the whine would stop.
• The car did eventually start, with much drama, because I heard a metal grinding sound once the engine was running. Shut the car off, and the grinding sound slowed to a stop over about 5 seconds (noticeably longer than it took for the engine to stop).
• When I was brave enough to try starting it again, no grinding sound. I drove the car to the dealer where I bought it and dropped it off. When I left it, the car still had that high-pitched whine with the key in the ON position and the loud *CLACK* when turning it off.

At this point I am at a loss as to what's going on. I was willing to chalk it up to electrical gremlins until all the whining, clacking, and grinding started. My girlfriend's stepdad, who is a mechanic, thinks that the starter may not be properly engaging and disengaging from the engine, which sounds somewhat feasible, but I think there is probably more than one problem happening at the same time. Any ideas or suggestions would be enormously appreciated.

jmc23200

First off, go back to your dealer and get a print out of all the recalls that have been performed. There are quite a few for the 2004. The starter is one of them. You may have a loose or poor conection on the battery or battery may need to be replaced. Remove the cables from the battery and take a wire brush to each terminal and the connector on the cables. Put them back on so they are tight. Get your battery checked at a local autozone to make sure it is ok.

Did you buy this from a Dealer or Private party? If you bought it at a dealer, bring it back and demand it is repaired. They will not want to fix anything so you will have to bitch and moan. If they say everything is normal, including that high pitched noise, ask them to get in a new rx8 and turn it on for comparison so you can hear the noise in that one too(which you wont). Good luck

Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

Tapping the battery cover means loose connection in or on the battery. The explains the traction control and loss of pre-sets. The high pitch whine is probably your air pump on the passenger side. As long as it goes away after 3-5 minutes after starting its probably okay. You can replace it if you want.

The grinding and clacking: those are things to be worried about. In an 04 you have a weak starter... it might be worth ordering an upgraded one from the vendors on here and seeing if that does the trick... but the car dying is def. a loose connection around the battery.

jmc23200

Oh yeah, and be very careful about turning your car on then right off. If you flood your engine you will be in one hell of a situation. Since you just bought the car, I would recommened a SeaFoam Engine Treatment to decarb the engine and then add some Marvel Mystery Oil to your Gas (about 4-8oz).

absoluterotary

Hmmmm, that sucks man. I would make sure that the dealership has performed all recalls, ecu flashes and upgraded the starter, plugs and battery. All of this should be done for free as these were known problems with the 04's. I have an 04 MT and all of this was done on my car. As far as the noises are concerned upon start up, our car has a myriad of odd sounds and a loud tranny you might not be use to normal rx8 sounds being a new owner. However if something sounds really bad chances are it's not normal and you should get it looked at.

If you tool around this site for a bit you will find a ton of useful info from people far more knowledgable then myself, just thought I'd give you a starting point. Also check out finishlineperformance they have a list of all the TSB's for our car.

Hope everything works out for you and you get a chance to actually enjoy the car.

Entroper

Hey, thanks for the quick responses guys.

So the dealer (CarMax) looked at it, and said they were going to replace the starter, battery, and spark plugs as part of a TSB, probably what you were referring to, jmc. I was planning to pull the plugs next weekend anyway just to see what condition they were in, since I didn't know if they had been changed @ 30,000 just before I bought the car (CarMax says they're fouled). I live in an apartment, and don't really have the tools here to get under the car, but my parents' garage is like a repair shop.

They also said the CEL was on, which I didn't see, even when I dropped it off there, but they pulled a misfire code. They said the car was idling rough (I thought very slightly rough at low idle, silky smooth everywhere else, and I wasn't going to worry about it until replacing the plugs), and the exhaust smelled like rotten eggs (I didn't notice this), and they're going to have the local Mazda dealer replace the catalytic converter. Again, these are symptoms I didn't notice, but it's entirely possible they came about if and when they started and stopped the engine repeatedly while diagnosing the starter issue. That, and everything is covered by a 30-day guarantee, so I don't think they would want to do more work than they have to.

So it sounds like I'll be out of a car for most of the week, if not longer. :/ I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can still drive it to my father's 60th birthday next weekend. I was also planning to bring along fresh gear oils for the transmission and diff.

absoluterotary

Just wait until you get the new starter it is much better than the old one. I'm surprised that there are still 8's out there without all the TSB's done. Hope you get your car back for your dads party, I'd want my car parked at a family function like that for sure.

Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

I still have my crappy starter on my '04 w/ 60k... TSBs are great.... but when you're out of warranty, it becomes a real judgment call.

staticlag

Whine & clack are the relays powering up & shutting down. They are normal noises for the rx8.

Maybe you have a loose fuse or something. But likely it is a poor battery. I have the "stock" mazda battery right now and its absolutely horrible. I suggest something aftermarket like an optima or odyssey.

jmc23200

I would let them replace as much as they want if it is free. If there is a misfire code, the coils are very easy to replace by yourself. Took me about 20 minutes. The spark plugs aren't that bad either. Look up the DIY if you havent already. Makes things sooo much easier. I would replace the plugs anyway since you just got the car and they probablly have never been replaced. I did coils, spark plugs, spark plug wires, filters, seafoam when I got my RX8 just to know for sure that it was done and done right. It has been running great ever since, well except for my 180 miles per tank but I still love her to death.

Entroper

Yeah, I should probably go ahead and get a new air filter while I do the engine oil and gear oils.

CarMax called today and told me that they had authorized Mazda to do the spark plugs, wires, and coils, since Mazda would not replace the cat unless they also replaced those three. So I'll have a completely new ignition system on the car. Not bad.

I'll definitely be doing the Seafoam at some point. If it's had enough combustion issues to destroy the cat, I can't imagine the inside of the engine is sparkling clean.

Looking forward to getting the car back, hopefully by Saturday!

jmc23200

Seafoaming your engine is pretty simple. You will need a second person to crank the engine while you suck the seafom into the ports on the side of the engine. This should take you 20 minutes to get the seafoam in + 2 hours or more to wait for it to work its magic. Good Luck

SuperCereal90

Wow, this thread as been very helpful. i have an 04 rx8 as well that has almost all of your car symptoms. that clanking when turning the key to the on and off position, the rotten smell coming out of the tail pipe, a high pitched whine (although, i get a high pitched whine for about min. when i turn on the car and the engine is cold.) unfortunately i didnt think they were problems until now, and i have had the car for a year, so i'm guessing it's to late to take it back to the dealer and ask them to fix everything. i think i will try that seafoam stuff too, where can i get it?

Old Rotor

I get it at Walmart for $8.