Major problems - any clues?
 

Hi Guys,

Good to find this forum!

I have a major problem with my manual 2003 RX8 230 version.

Was coming home from work when all of a sudden i went to put my footdown (in forth i think i was) and i got no extra power and then noticed there was a big cloud of white smoke behind me!

I drove home at very low revs (and it seemed fine at low revs) then once it had cooled down i checked fluids etc etc.

The oil was to high so i pumped out the excess but other than that i couldnt see any problems.

No warning lights.
coolant at good level
Its up to date on service history

When i started it a big cloud of white smoke (which smelt awful) came out and something sounded abnormal.

After a few minutes of it running the smoke had gone and it was ticking over as normal.

I thought maybe it was due to the excess oil that was in the engine but when i started it the next morning it once again gave the big smelly white cloud of smoke for a few minutes. I let it warm up (again the smoke went) then turned it off and havent touched it since.

So any clues what the cause is?? Any guidance would be very welcome!

Thanks a lot for reading my problem

Rich

Dark/Black smoke is oil. Usually white smoke is coolant.
I had an engine that had a coolant leak into the rear rotor. I didn't leave a smoke trail, but it would sputter in the morning for a couple of minutes before it would clear and run fine for the rest of the day.
Your problem could be worse than what I had. Check the plugs in the morning for any indication of something wrong. While the plugs are out, have someone turn over the engine to see if something spits out.
If there is a problem, Mazda extended the warranty on the engine to 8 yrs/80,000 miles for the U.S.

I just checked your IP address and it seems that you are in the UK? Have you checked here for local assistance? http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/
We do have a European Forum, you could post to for options once the trouble has been identified.

white smoke is coolant. you mention the oil was too high? did you recently get it changed somewhere?

I think you meant to say 8 years / 100,000 miles for the US.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mazda

Mazda is conducting a special service program which extends the warranty coverage on 2004-2008 RX-8 rotary core components (engine). Components will be extended to 8 years (96 months) from the original warranty start date, with a 100,000 mile limitation.

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It might still have too much oil in it, but white smoke is usually coolant(not good). If you hold your hand up to the exhaust(not touching it).....does it smell sweet?

Yes, I got it mixed up with the U.S. warranty for cat converters. Which the UK doesn't get either.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies. The smoke smelt awful, makes you feel sick but im not sure about the smell once its stopped smoking... id rather not start it again until i have an idea of the problem! If coolant what are some of the possible causes?

I had the oil changed at the last service (50,000) miles. I had topped it up a week or so ago but didnt check the level afterwards. As i said i have now used my fluid pump to lower the full level to the right point.

One thing i had not mentioned (although i dont see how it could have an effect...) is that i hit a pheasent (a bird) in the road about a minute before this happened.

I cant really see how that could have done anything htough... i only remembered when i saw some feathers today.

Thanks again!

Did the smoke smell like chicken? Sorry i couldn't resist that one.

It's sounding like you have lost a coolant seal internally. How this happens is mainly from overheating the engine. What happens is the internal water jacket seal becomes compromised and allows coolant to enter the combustion chamber. Creating white smoke/steam as it heats up and evaporates in the exhaust.

Does the car sputter when you start it and after a couple seconds it smooths out and idles fine?

This could cause an issue with the catalytic converter. Causing it to plug and restrict exhaust flow. Thus a loss of power.
Do me a favor. Take a look at your radiator by looking under the grille through the opening. Make sure everything is OK in there. A Pheasant is not a small bird.

the car ingested part of the bird. you probably also have a hole in the radiator that is leaking and sucked the fluid into the engine. get the radiator checked get the air filter out and clean that. clean the MAF.

I wouldnt be concerned about the oil too much unless it smelled or looked like it had coolant in it

I had a good look at the radiator but couldn't see anything obvious.

Is there any guides etc that could show me how to clean the MAF?

I'll get the Mazda dealer to look at it once I've done all i can to identify the problem but Id rather know what the problem is first in case it is/isn't covered by the warranty.

Thanks again

Edit: THanks Jon316G

Sounds quite like the syptems to me, regarding over heating what could cause that? Im a pretty conservative driver so i wouldnt think it would be to do with me over doin it!

Before this problem it started ok I hadnt noticed a sputter. Or do you mean now that this has happened?

Thanks!

ingesting part of a pheasant could cause that.

have you cleaned the air filter yet?

If you have water/coolant in your combustion chamber it is going to sputter on start up. Then as the water/coolant burns away it will begin to idle fine. Then you'll get smoke out the exhaust as it heats up.
What would cause this? Good question. Distorted rotor housing/cast iron end plate. Overheating. Electrolysis eating away the aluminum rotor housing. Age. Coolant seal deterioration.
What would cause this and whether this is the actual issue is unknown at this time.
Some way's to check for this issue are to remove the coolant overflow cap (when the car is cold) and let the car warm up to operating temperature. While the car is warming up watch the coolant in the bottle through the cap hole and look for any small bubbling or foaming of the coolant. I would suggest wearing safety glasses in case of a coolant burp into your face. Just remember it's going to be HOT coolant.
If it bubbles/foams continuously then you have a seal issue. If you see no bubbles after about 10 minutes rev the car a little bit and check again.

Another thing might be water in the fuel tank. Have you checked for that? Maybe install a bottle of fuel tank conditioner/fuel drier.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, im gonna give them a go tonight and i'll let you know if they have an effect

i havent got recovery from my house so im gonna have to drive it to the Mazda dealer when i eventually do anyway

SUCCESS

I did the following and one of them/a combination of them fixed the problem and shes running great again:

Drained oil to correct level
Used fuel cleaner in with tank of petrol
extracted big pheasant feather out of starter motor (! the likely cause)
cleaned the MAF

Thanks for the input guys, saved me lots of dealer service charges!

Rich