old dog forgot all his tricks
 

So I parked the 8 a couple years ago since it wasn't running right and am finally getting around to working on the dusty ol' mare. Feel free to berate me for not searching thoroughly.

What I observed:
Charged up the battery and started fine (probably max 5 seconds of cranking and slowly came to life).
Idle seems pretty smooth - around 1000rpm.
If i slowly add throttle I can go to high rpm.
If i stomp WOT it will cut off fuel like an on/off switch.
If i hold WOT it will stutter real nasty and not really increase rpm.
It doesn't stall when I let the rpm come down.

Thought i'd throw a post out there to see if someone that had a similar problem can point me in the right direction (ssv, cat, coils, etc) or give some troubleshooting tips that aren't too invasive.

Thanks.

I would look into having the fuel injectors cleaned

Are you revving in gear and driving, or in neutral?
Have you drained old gas or added new gas? Bad fuel will cause all kinds of issues, but it's easily fixed by adding fresh gas.

I did not replace the gas so the gas in there is quite old. But if i remember correctly, these issues might have been part of what led me to park it in the first place.
I was revving it in neutral.

follow up question since during my searching I sort of see similar symptoms when a cat fails.

Easiest way to check for a bad cat is if it's glowing red but what about if i disconnect exhaust piping somewhere upfront and let it breathe that way?
Is that a good way to check or would it trigger more problems?

Revving it out in neutral without load is not a good diagnostic, you'll want to see what it does when driven. For example, the cat will really only show external symptoms under load

Give her fresh gas, the stuff that's in there might be causing knock.

Don't recommend you disconnect the exhaust before the cat and run the car for any length of time, if you enjoy having ear drums and temperatures below 1700F at your feet. You can definitely take down the cat and inspect it for damage. It's only prudent.

What's the history of repairs and issues before the car was laid up?

ok, I added some fresh gas but can't take it for a hard run since it's not registered or insured anymore - so i might not be able to inspect the cat that way. I did run it around the block after it warmed up.
If i stay at low rpm's it will drive really nice.
If i try to lay into it I get the rough stutter/choking feeling.

i found this really simple video on youtube for checking coils: when i pulled the front one, I didn't see any spark and the engine stalled.
Might be on to something here but i have a question: it's raining outside - would high humidity kill the spark? or if i pulled it out too fast would that kill it too?

these were replaced with oem coils and autozone NGK plugs/wires about 2 years before i parked it so they would have about 20,000 miles on them.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...302b06b035.jpg

seems like fuel system issues or a blocked exhaust, but that’s a guess since you can’t even remember why you parked it several years ago (?!?)

yeah it makes me look bad.
I had a DD suv that was reliable and it just slowly took over.

I remember having to be pull-started multiple times - but I don't think it was a hot-start compression issue since my numbers came back ok.
I remember putting in a battery kill switch since I had some phantom battery drain somewhere.
I remember having a lot of fun with loud backfires.

But i'll never get rid of her :)

Ordered coils, wires, plugs and waiting for delivery. Will inspect the exhaust while I wait.

from the sound of it, maybe you also forgot that the young dog never had any tricks :dunno:

:lol: :)

rules of quarantine are as such:
you have to offer 1 piece of troubleshooting advice with every roast.

LOL.

Likely expect frustration in the coming weeks..
And an easy outlet is the forum 😎

ok, deal!

Spark plugs and wires don't look bad. The bracket for the coils was ridiculously rusty; ordered a new one. Does a rusty bracket have any impact on coil operation?


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...23035fad01.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...9979c4e7a9.jpg

No.... the coils are grounded through the harness

Thanks.
what's the point of having the exposed gel on the back of the coils then?
And the metallic ring on the coil that slides onto the bracket studs?
Just curious.

Last time I replaced all this stuff I just cleaned the bracket.

The black gel is potting compound... it's what seals the innards to the weather . 😃

The metallic ring is to provide strength to the plastic where the coil bolts on so that it doesn't break at the mounting tab.

There is no internal electrical connection to the metal ring

(Still waiting on the coils/bracket.)

How tight is too tight on the spark plugs? After finger tight I went about 1 more full turn with the socket. Will that smash the tip or protrude where it shouldn't? I didn't feel much resistance but didn't want to keep going.

I could have sent you a bracket

edit, not very tight actually. the housing is aluminum and plug thread is 14mm diameter

https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resourc...g-installation

.

Thanks.
And I'll keep that in mind next time I need parts; would rather support a forum member.

Support? lol, it’s more trouble that it’s worth, but that never stopped me before

but I just happened to have one laying around, best to post a WTB ad

.

Update.

Parts came in and everything is installed. The throttle sweep is beautiful now. No more hesitation/choking.
Can't wait to take her for a short run to verify but sounds/feels 10x better.
Surprised me since I replaced all this stuff only about 20-25k miles ago.


Thanks all for reading the thread and giving advice.