Rx8 problems after being parked all winter
 

Hey board, sorry my first post is asking for help. Lets get right down to it, I drive an 04 Rx8 Gt with 59k km and I live up in northern Alberta. It gets pretty cold here and I refuse to drive it on these roads in the winter, so she's been parked for roughly 6 months. We had a stint of nice weather here and I went out to start it up. Here is my list of issues.

1. Starter sucks, I had issues with this in the summer time as well. The weather doesnt seem to have helped much. I'm ordering one online to replace. This isnt my big issue as I can still get it to start, just takes some time.

2. For a while after starting, it puffs out a lot of white smoke. It doesnt smell any different than regular exhaust and dissipates after about 5-10 minutes at idle. I've read online that this could be a blown head gasket =( if anybody could help me confirm, or lead me in the right direction that would be much appreciated.

3. my "your tires are spinning, retard" light is on permanently and as well my ?DSC? (whatever the stability control is called in these) light is constantly blinking, regardless of if i hit the button to turn it on or off.

4. I thought there was another problem, cant think of it at the moment =P I'll repost later when I remember

I'm semi new to working on vehicles but have a lot of tools and time to deal with issues, I'd prefer to fix some of these problems myself although I know I'll probably need to use the mazda dealership at some point.

Thanks in advance, Kos

1. yes it does, after the '04 's, the battery and starter were updated;
2. probably normal. Rotaries don't have heads (or gaskets). Make sure your coolant level is ok - hope you didn't freeze/crack your engine irons or housings.
3. do the DSC reset procedure: Ignition ON, steering full lock left then full right, ignition off
4. can't be too serious...

g/luck.

Thanks for the quick reply, I'll try resetting in a few mins and let you know how it goes. As for 2. heh thanks, I dont know much about the rotary engines yet. I'm trying to figure em out as I go. I'll Post a video I took of my exhaust at first startup, looked pretty sweet.

is the exhaust still emitting the white smoke even after driving it around and letting it cool down and starting it again?

I keep a Battery Tender on full time during my 8's winter hybernation and recommend you do too in the future. Review the other "winterizing" tips in a sticky here as well.

I try to take my '8 out once a month in winter but this year was not possible given an unusually long stint of snow cover (and therefore sand/salt).

As already cited you should get the upgraded starter and battery, whether you're still under warranty or not (see the related TSB).

All that being said, you should be fine since you have been able to get it running.