No power in HOT weather
 

I just bought this car about a month ago. Took it on a road trip to St. Louis this past weekend. 93 degrees, two passengers, A/C on all of a sudden it is running with very little power. I had to downshift to 5th just to maintain 60 MPH on a 2% grade. I had noticed this another time on a day which was about 95 degrees. Idle is occasionally a little rough as well.

Is this a common problem?

Your engine is bad,

Bring it to a Mazda dealership, saying that you are experience MAJOR LACK OF POWER when its super hot outside.

Thanks, is this a common problem?

It's a warranty item isn't it? The car only has 39k.

WHY??? please elaborate. i need more info as i have same problem.

Never fear, Jedi is here.

Saying it lacks power in hot temperatures is effective as it is in the 'description' of a major TSB mazda issued.
This can help the dealership diagnose the car and see if the engine is still performing within spec


http://www.finishlineperformance.com...4-08-1924g.pdf
you guys can thank me later. :D:

Sure glad I pre-mix, especially during the Very Hot week past we've had. Still runnin' great! :)

Of course I've had the PCM add'l oil metering flash since it was issued.

Engine warranty is 100K miles or 8 years. whichever comes first

Its NOT a common problem. but it could happen.

a Failed (or going to fail, whatever) rotary engine will not be able to maintain proper compression, the result will be rough idle, lack of power, and sometimes just die at stop light (or as soon as you press your clutch in)

if oil seal fails, you will see blue smoke, if water seal fails, you will see white smoke. if Apex seal fails, you might have a hard time starting your engine, etc. but all have one thing in common, you will get rough idle.

You should have a compression test, but remember, not ALL Mazda dealerships know how to do "proper" compression test. It sounds like a joke but thats how it is. so it will be better to ask the regional forums here to see which dealership is better for your area.

Another quick cheap test, try to use Premix in your gas. Premix it heavy for 1 tank, 1 oz to 1 gallon so total 16 oz for a tankful. if your idle problem goes away or it happens a lot less, then yes your engine is going to die. finish off the gas completely. then have it compression test.

Just keep in mind, you should not get rough idle with a healthy engine. Today it was like 93f, my idle was fine, with A/C on too :)


Oh yeah one more thing, you might want to ask them to check the fuel pump too.

Thank you, I have a hesitation, misfiring problem. Only noticed it yesterday the car warmed up almost completely then I started to drive normally and when accelerating slowly it started "farting" at about 4K rpm's never did it again till I hit the highway and I noticed a lack of power while really getting on it and when I got to 5th gear @ 4K it was a lot more noticable. I also had the AC on the whole time. My idle sucks but it kind of always has since I got the car 3 weeks ago. I have a 30 day warranty from the used car dealer no matter what the problem is it will only cost me $100 that's it. And the car only has 32,000 miles on it now.

I just subscribed to this thread. I have recently been experiencing the exact same problems.
I have ordered new coils, plugs and wires from BHR.
But in the meantime I think I better arrange for a compression test and make the dealer aware of my problems.

Don't rule out bad gasoline as well, as it can contribute to the same symptoms. But do have the compression checked and the ignition system.

Just scheduled a compression check for 10:30 this morning.
Question : if it comes back as bad/low compression is this definitive of a bad engine?

possibly a bad engine, you could do the decarb procedure and that will clean out the engine. You could possible have carbon build up on the rotary housing... I had the loss of power during the hot months a couple of years ago and I just got done installing my engine and got it running two days ago.. So from experience if you have loss of power in heat then yes big possibility.. My warranty was up so they wouldn't replace my engine.. But I got her done and she runs great!!!!

Thanks Hessel.
I'll update after the results today.

Took mine to the dealer yesterday. They informed me that they performed the latest PCM update which had never been done and they seem to think that this would take care of the problem.

Well, the projected high temperatures around here for the next few days are only to be in the low 80's and not hot enough to see if this takes care of the issue. Mid 90's maybe next week and I will take the car out in it and see if it still happens.

The dealer needs to follow the warranty procedure.
They did a vacum check, tested the cat and checked the SSV, everything looks good there.
I'm scheduled for the carbon cleaning on Tues. am.
I'm supposed to drive it after the cleaning to see if the problem persists.
The cat is totally covered if the cleaning happens to damage it.
If the power loss is still there after the de-carb then we'll do a compression check, and check the coils and plugs.
BHR coils/wires and plugs should arrive within a week or so.

PCM update is a preventive maintenance, it cannot reverse damages.

Mazda update all of them and "hope" that some will be saved by the update.

and the update changed some maps and help start up by injecting more oil when its hot.

if you are already experiencing rough idle and die at stop light, the PCM will not help, it will "delay" the process.

Good luck

Just got the car back after the seafoam cleaning.
The car failed when trying to rev above 6-6.6K rpm with AC on.
(funny thing is my idle is actually better....lol). Anyways, I will be putting her in
Thursday morning for one final test......some complete vacum/electrical thingy that takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete.
This test will more than likely condemm the engine. If and when it fails this final test we'll
procede with ordering a new (rebuilt) engine to replace it.
Any ideas how long a good tech needs to remove and install the engine?

your test tomorrow is probably the compression test. It's like an E.K.G. for the engine.
turn around for the car is probably about 2 weeks. (I would think...)

If they have the motor in stock and do not have to order one, it will take a good tech around 2-3 days

i can take my engine out in an hour and a half and took five hours to put back in

they'll need to get approval from MNAO and I doubt most dealerships have RX-8 engines on hand. :dunno: