RX8 Started then Quit
 

Hi guys,

I have put my rx8 away for the winter, and recently tried to start it. I picked a warm day atleast around here of +5 ,but when I started the car it ran for 2-3 seconds then quit. I tried restarting it but it wouldnt start. Is my engine flooded? any ideas on how to get it started?

Thanks

It is probably flooded now - why it quit like that is odd .
Is the car garaged ?

yeah it sound like it's flooded! Search around and find a DIY on the deflood procedure!

This is the exact same thing that happened to me last night. I am moving to AZ on friday and I wanted to get the car ready to drive up on the carrier, so i put the battery on the charger for a few hours to make sure I had good power and she started up on the first crank and then sputtered out right away and would not start again. I tried quite a few times so I am guessing when I get off work today I will be unflooding the engine and trying again. Did you solve the problem precision? Has anyone else ever had that happen?

no fix yet
 

I havent got it fixed yet, I decided to leave the car alone till spring, but from what ive read its flooded and im going to have to pull the battery and sparkplugs. If you have any luck getting it started please let me know

the best way is pull the spark plugs crank the engine over to blow al the raw gas out the plug holes, clean plugs and reinstalll and crank should fire right up!

DeFlooding
 

When you flood the Engine, the first thing the Mazda Dealer will do is hook up jumper cables from your car to another or to that thing they plug into the wall(real technical here :) ) Once they do that, they crank the engine for up to 1 minute and repeat the process until it starts. This is what I have seen them do. I recently had to do this at my auto body since they flooded my engine, got a few hundered off just for getting it started for them. It takes about 15-20 minutes before it will start.

The procedure I followed was:

Hook up car to external power source, like another car via jumper cables. This is to make sure you always get a nice fast crank. Doing this without the external power will kill your battery.
Crank engine for 1 minute
Wait 30 seconds to 1 minute
Repeat Cranking Procedure until the car starts to sputter and RPM's start to jump up.
When the RPM's kick up tap the gas. Don't floor it, you will just make it worse and have to start from 0. A couple of quick taps on the gas and get ready to hold a steady RPM so it doesnt shut off.
Once it is started you will have to maintane about 2-3kRPM for a minute or so. If you don't, the car will most likely shut off.
Now, your car is smoking like CRAZY!! Wait 5-10 minutes for smoke to go away.
Finally give your car a GOOD drive to clear out the engine.


The car will smoke like crazy so do this outside. It will take about 20 minutes. Mazda says its "ok" for the starter and the cat aslong as you dont do it frequently. Good Luck

Sorry but that is not how you jump start our cars .

Suggest you read the manual

Leave the keys in the ignition and i'll be right over :lol:

For a truely flooded engine, that will not start after performing the steps in the manual, that is how you get it started again. If you don't believe me, call your local Mazda Dealer and tell them your AutoBody or Mechanic flooded your engine and you need to know how to get it started. They will tell you the above procedure. IDC if you believe me or not, pick up the phone, make a free phone call, and get proven wrong. Or, flood your engine and bring it to Mazda. Then, hand them $200 and watch them do this in their parking lot. Your choice.

As for the post above, That is the PROPER procedure for deflooding. However, I was at my local dealer to check out the 09's, and saw them perform the procedure I mentioned above. They do not want to do all that work if there is an easier work around. They made $10 a minute doing this procedure in their parking lot. There's the Correct and Best way, and then there is another way, like the one stated above and also injecting windshield washer fluid into the engine.

That advise is just so wrong in many places....

First, don't ever crank your engine for ONE MINUTE. That will burn out the starter. All OEM automotive starters should only be cranked for a maximum of 15 seconds before they are allowed to cool.

Next, the PCM is programmed to cut the fuel when you press the accelerator down fully. This is what you want to do to clear fuel from the chambers while cranking.

Also, ...nah, changed my mind....


Instead, please follow:

a) the advice in the Owner's Manual, or,

b) the advise in the Mazda TSB.

/\ very restrained of you Silver .


owners manual or TSB = good advice .....

also : the absolute sure fire way to start a flooded rotary engine (if it is a manual) is to push start it or tow start it . That is what I would always do if it was badly flooded .

Once again, call Mazda and ask. If I didn't watch them do it, and if I never called them because my stupid autobody, I would agree 100%. If you have access to the tools necessary and the time required, go for the TSB. I understand the manual and the TSB fully. Flooding your car in the winter and flooding your car when its 95 are two different things. I'm not saying do this every time if your engine floods, its just another option recommended by MAZDA( Three of them actually). So call mazda and see what they recommend other than shelling out $200 for them to do it. After you call them, then you can respond.

Right... because the stealership has proven to be a reliable source. :uhh:
I have to go with Brettus and Silver06 on this.

OK, what ever. Then spend $200 and watch them do it. Have fun.

Why would we care to spend money when we can get it started ourselves for free (and without burning the starter)?

If everyone wa sable to get it started after they flooded it, then this thread wouldn't be open and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

jmc - if you saw the dealer pouring sand into your oil filler would you go and recommend that to the forum as well ?

Why do people find it so hard to do what the owner manual says to do...? I've NEVER heard of someone cranking a car for 1 minute straight and the starter being 100%. That's just suicide.

You guys are great. If your friends were jumping of a bridge, would you do it? lol. And what do you mean? Your not suppose to put sand in the oil filler? I knew I was doing something wrong. Your probablly not suppose to piss in the gas tank either.:lol:

And like I said before, its for when the manual doesnt work. You know there are alternate methods of getting it started. Do a search. I bet you will disagree with the windshield washer fluid injection too. Who cares. If it works, it works. If you don't agree with it, dont do it to your car. EOS

give it up jmc - you were probably watching a guy the dealer dragged off the street who used to be a shoe salesman

Umm... no.
The washer fluid technique is my favorite method.
I got a couple 8s started last month using it.
The contents of washer fluid that makes this work is alcohol and soap.
A couple mist will not damage anything.
But your suggestion WILL damage components.

It wasnt a shoe salesman, it was Radio.

ahhhh radio - why didn't you say . Must be right then :lol: