I did a search, but I found more threads about doing a search than I did about actually fixing the problem. Here's the info, ANY help would be appreciated at this point - I'm about fed up with going through this.

2004 RX-8, 6-speed, approx 95K on it.

EVERY year since I've own this car, at some point in the winter, the car doesn't start on a cold morning. This is a daily driver, it gets warmed up before stopping it again, etc. I've own the car myself for about 3 years now. Each winter it doesn't start, we go through the whole trying to jump start it, and then it floods and I have to go pay somewhere between $700-$800 for the shop to replace the plugs, fix the flooding, etc. I had a sales guy at a dealership that I knew tell me to get one of those boxes that you can charge at home to jump the car because it would give better amps and that's what they would do to RX8s on the lot when they wouldn't start (and he said they would sit and leave it cranking for about 20 seconds because the 8 second start on the bulletin wasn't enough). I'm just tired of going through this so a couple of questions:

First, is there ANY way to get my car started without going through paying to have it "drained" again ?

Second, how do I avoid this happening ?

Third, do you think the charging box thing would work ?

Would appreciate some real help on this one. This doesn't happen when it's warm and it has a one year old Interstate Battery in it right now.

 

Since the plugs have been changed, you can replace the coil packs and the wires. Getting a hotter spark will help prevent flooding.
Since the battery is only one year old, how would a charging box (what ever that is, I can only guess) help?
The starter was upgraded in the 2005 year. It spins the engine faster. That may help if your car has an older one.
Push/Pull starting is the best way to restart a flooded engine.

 

Check your starter motor speed against the one in this thread ....

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/hard-starting-suspect-your-starter-motor-check-out-207244/

 

Thanks, I'll see what I can do with this info. BTW, I'm guessing by what is being said here that the 2005 starter will fit on a 2004 then ?

 

Yes - the faster one came out in 05-06 (i think) and is longer than the 04 but it fits .

 

But like alnielsen said, don't forget to get new ignition coils (4) and new spark plug wires.

 

you should have had a new starter long ago. if you have had it to the dealership for cold starting problems they should have offered to change it by now as its part of a MSP/SSP which is MANDATORY for the dealers to do.

you should be asking why they haven't and asking for some recompense for the extra money you have spent de-flooding it.