mazda mess
12-17-2010, 12:13 AM
#1
rotor1
Thread Starter
mazda mess
I have a 2004 model RX8, it was running like a dream and 1 day came up with the radiator coolant light. No problems with that other than the fact i took the car to Mazda and was told the price of which i said leave it alone. They also said it needed new spark plugs and had found the spark plugs were all trailing spark plugs and the car will run better with the correct ones. Since then the idle speed has problems, car has flat spots and they have changed the Spark plugs, Colis, leads and catalytic converter only to find the car still runs like crap. Anyone out there got any suggestions other than put back as it was before they changed it?
Last edited by Ross Duncan; 12-17-2010 at 01:04 AM.
12-17-2010, 12:31 PM
#3
Triangular Bee Hive
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What a mess....with coolant light, sometimes all you have to do it fill up the coolant a bit more, and it'll go away.
The trailing plugs they mentioned is really suspicious...did you ever replace them before?
What a mess....with coolant light, sometimes all you have to do it fill up the coolant a bit more, and it'll go away.
They also said it needed new spark plugs and had found the spark plugs were all trailing spark plugs
12-17-2010, 12:59 PM
#4
Might be worth it to clean the MAF sensor. it can be done it 5 min and it's been known to help with our idle.
read this https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...71&postcount=9
read this https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...71&postcount=9
12-18-2010, 04:20 PM
#6
rotor1
Thread Starter
^+1
What a mess....with coolant light, sometimes all you have to do it fill up the coolant a bit more, and it'll go away.
Yeah tried adding coolant and checked wiring and was ok but ended up flooding the engine and 1 hour to get it started using flood start method which included pull out the back spark plugs and clean excess fuel out.
The trailing plugs they mentioned is really suspicious...did you ever replace them before?
What a mess....with coolant light, sometimes all you have to do it fill up the coolant a bit more, and it'll go away.
Yeah tried adding coolant and checked wiring and was ok but ended up flooding the engine and 1 hour to get it started using flood start method which included pull out the back spark plugs and clean excess fuel out.
The trailing plugs they mentioned is really suspicious...did you ever replace them before?
12-18-2010, 04:22 PM
#7
rotor1
Thread Starter
12-18-2010, 04:38 PM
#8
rotor1
Thread Starter
The latest on the 8 is it ran ruff going up a hill and had to keep dropping the gears and when i stopped at the lights the engine stalled.
Lucky i was able to get it running again but wont idle properly and has no power going up hill at all to a point where im in the way of other cars.
So far changed plugs, leads, coils and CAT.
Any other suggestions other than set fire to it?
Could this be caused by MAF?
Lucky i was able to get it running again but wont idle properly and has no power going up hill at all to a point where im in the way of other cars.
So far changed plugs, leads, coils and CAT.
Any other suggestions other than set fire to it?
Could this be caused by MAF?
12-18-2010, 05:13 PM
#9
I would check to see if the wires and plugs were installed properly...and if all the plug wires are still on
It is easy to switch the order of the coil plugs and wires if they weren't paying attention
I have seen plugs put in at the dealer that were loose as well...and plug wires hanging off the plugs is common
After that..I would get a compression check to see if the engine is healthy and go from there
Always look at the last thing messed with when trying to diagnose a new problem....so I wouldn't **** with the MAF until I checked out the other stuff
It is easy to switch the order of the coil plugs and wires if they weren't paying attention
I have seen plugs put in at the dealer that were loose as well...and plug wires hanging off the plugs is common
After that..I would get a compression check to see if the engine is healthy and go from there
Always look at the last thing messed with when trying to diagnose a new problem....so I wouldn't **** with the MAF until I checked out the other stuff
12-18-2010, 05:22 PM
#10
rotor1
Thread Starter
Yeah checked all the leads and coils etc as well as wires and all seems tight.
Car was running so well until they touched it so now trying to get car at least back running as it was.
Maybe i will get a compression test tomorrow as I have to once again take back to the mazda dealer. They had the car 3 days last week and 1 the week before so its almost living there now!
Car was running so well until they touched it so now trying to get car at least back running as it was.
Maybe i will get a compression test tomorrow as I have to once again take back to the mazda dealer. They had the car 3 days last week and 1 the week before so its almost living there now!
12-18-2010, 05:30 PM
#11
just so you know in the future, the MAF sensor is the mass airflow sensor. It monitors the air coming into your engine through the air intake.
Here is the link that will help you clean it https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...71&postcount=9
Good luck!
Here is the link that will help you clean it https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...71&postcount=9
Good luck!
12-18-2010, 06:46 PM
#14
rotor1
Thread Starter
So do they need to do a reset or something after install new parts is that what you mean? I thought they would plug in via laptop and check the tuning of the car or similar?
12-18-2010, 06:52 PM
#16
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Yeah checked all the leads and coils etc as well as wires and all seems tight.
Car was running so well until they touched it so now trying to get car at least back running as it was.
Maybe i will get a compression test tomorrow as I have to once again take back to the mazda dealer. They had the car 3 days last week and 1 the week before so its almost living there now!
Car was running so well until they touched it so now trying to get car at least back running as it was.
Maybe i will get a compression test tomorrow as I have to once again take back to the mazda dealer. They had the car 3 days last week and 1 the week before so its almost living there now!
I know the picture will be backwards for you, but verify they are in the right place!
12-18-2010, 06:57 PM
#17
Surf Hard, Drive Hard
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Maybe........maybe not..........it was just a guess.
You don't have to do so(disconnect the battery) to do anything they did. They should've, I agree....that doesn't mean that they did.
Think he needs to verify other stuff, but from his last post of going uphill and loosing power it's starting to sound like compression.
Guess where I was going with it was......if he had all trailing plugs, is it possible the car adjusted everything(trims etc.) over time to account for it. The leading and trailing plugs have at least different heat ranges right? What else?
Would that have caused the ECU to do anything different?
If he had RX-7 plugs in there, the trailings had better have been shimmed.
Oh......and he does say it idles like crap as well.
I asked him to go back and check the coil to plug order and gave him a picture above. He verified all that Dan asked except the order!
Ross...............you got any CEL(check engine light) at all on?
You don't have to do so(disconnect the battery) to do anything they did. They should've, I agree....that doesn't mean that they did.
Think he needs to verify other stuff, but from his last post of going uphill and loosing power it's starting to sound like compression.
Guess where I was going with it was......if he had all trailing plugs, is it possible the car adjusted everything(trims etc.) over time to account for it. The leading and trailing plugs have at least different heat ranges right? What else?
Would that have caused the ECU to do anything different?
If he had RX-7 plugs in there, the trailings had better have been shimmed.
Oh......and he does say it idles like crap as well.
I asked him to go back and check the coil to plug order and gave him a picture above. He verified all that Dan asked except the order!
Ross...............you got any CEL(check engine light) at all on?
Last edited by Mazurfer; 12-18-2010 at 07:18 PM.
12-18-2010, 07:18 PM
#19
rotor1
Thread Starter
just checked and all leads as per the photo. There was no mention from dealer of any shims on the plugs so not sure they did or didnt have. I will take the car back tomorrow and get them to check the compression but bit lost as to why the car not going well at present. When first started it runs fine and seems to be when it gets up to operating temp it starts to run bad and hills seem worse. Love the car just want to get it working properly again so need this sorted.
12-18-2010, 07:21 PM
#20
Surf Hard, Drive Hard
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Didn't want to throw you off on a tangent, so forget my last post. Good to know the order is right.
You didn't answer if any CEL or not....so I assume not.
MAF might be a good place to look, but let them debug it. Good luck!
Let us know!
You didn't answer if any CEL or not....so I assume not.
MAF might be a good place to look, but let them debug it. Good luck!
Let us know!
12-18-2010, 07:24 PM
#21
rotor1
Thread Starter
there is no CEL light on so thats good i guess but it had come on when the car was flooded prior to take to the dealer. Thanks for all the input i really appreciate all of this as it helps for future reference as well.
12-18-2010, 07:58 PM
#24
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Good!
Some OEM coils have been known to be bad right out of the box, so hopefully it's that simple.
If it is that(a bad coil out of the box), then it probably hasn't had enough time to damage the new CAT.
That's what I was after by asking the last question.
Fingers crossed it ain't lack of compression.
Some OEM coils have been known to be bad right out of the box, so hopefully it's that simple.
If it is that(a bad coil out of the box), then it probably hasn't had enough time to damage the new CAT.
That's what I was after by asking the last question.
Fingers crossed it ain't lack of compression.