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Sluggish at low RPM, stall at idle

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Old 08-07-2007, 04:54 PM
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Exclamation Sluggish at low RPM, stall at idle

So my 05 shinka was acting sluggish a few weeks ago as in practically stalling at idle.. and when i hit the gas to go it doesnt engage for a second or two. Then it was fine.. now ...i drive about 15 miles..its fine.. then im at a stop and it gets sluggish again and dies. wouldnt start up at first..then did ..sluggish almost dying several more times all the way home. while its sluggish its still not responding to me pressing the gas, it takes a few seconds. I'm going to take it to the dealer.. ive already had several problems with this car so im sure they are going to think im a nutcase. What do you guys think im dealin with here?? im starting to regret this purchase..(thank god for the 100,000 extended warranty i bought)
Old 08-07-2007, 06:17 PM
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Cat possibly?

Reach under the car and bang on the catalytic converter. if it is gone, you'll possibly hear rattle.
Just bang hard.

Just in case you are not sure what to look for: Cat is a big thick aluminum looking thing on the exhaust pipe with a sensor sticking out of it on the driver side.

Good luck.

Last edited by rotorocks; 08-07-2007 at 06:21 PM.
Old 08-07-2007, 06:52 PM
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Also have them check and test the ignition coils. There is a TSB for this as well.
Old 08-07-2007, 07:49 PM
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Its happen to a lot of 04 and a few 05's. Take her in asap. I had this issue just befor my engine craped out.
Old 08-07-2007, 08:18 PM
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i just dropped it off.. so maybe ill find out tomorrow. Its had several other small problems so i know they are going to call and tell me im full of crap. It drove perfect on the way to the dealer. What is the deal!?! i dont understand that at all.

Please reply with more suggestions and comments.. ill probably have to relay the suggestions to the "mechanics" when they tell me nothing is wrong with my car
Old 08-07-2007, 08:20 PM
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Take the Tech for a drive until the car duplicates the scenario you described. Sounds kinda like a bad Cat or Coils.
Old 08-08-2007, 04:29 PM
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so they replaced the coils and its still screwed. They said as soon as they drove it they knew it was messed up..and after the coils were done he barely made it back to the dealership. They are keeping it..no details on what else theyre trying..
Old 08-08-2007, 04:44 PM
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Time for the ole' compression check...

Keep us posted.
Old 08-08-2007, 08:38 PM
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CherryShinka05, mine does it anytime the temps run over 95. I think it's heat related. Have them check your fan relays. It's what I've been diagnosing on mine tonight.

Hey wait, your in Nashville! Welcome to the forum I live down in Murfreesboro and work in Cool Springs. Great to see another middle Tennessean
Old 08-08-2007, 10:23 PM
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what is new motor for 500 alex..


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Old 08-08-2007, 10:24 PM
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Well i think it is crazy that rx8 owners would have to wait to drive their car until its cool out. This is my daily driver, so its not going to work out for me. As far as im concerned i will just have to keep taking it back to the dealer. I've had the worst luck since I bought this car, but i absolutely love it.

I live in Lavergne, and work in Brentwood, down the road from you.

ill keep all posted on what the deal is with my 8, i should find out something tomorrow..i hope...or else ill have to drive my works truck with big logos wrapped all over it..ack. its better than the chevy aveo (junkbox) they made me drive last time they kept my car.
Old 08-08-2007, 10:26 PM
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ha.. well i keep reading horror stories for a reman motor.. if they say new motor to me im getting it in writing... ive learned that with the scammers already.
Old 08-09-2007, 09:47 AM
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CherryShinka05, does it happen at temps below 90? If not then I think your engine is ok... for now. If it does it regaurdless of temp then it may be the oil meetering pump. Have them double check the OMP.

Swoope (posted on your thread) has posted a lot about it and is well respected here. The OMP problem also triggers a major power loss during cruise situations. Since you just bought your car recently, it should have the recall flash that fixes the problem.

Hope everything works out for ya. Check out some of the cooling options in the DIY section.

Last edited by musclecarconvrt; 08-09-2007 at 09:50 AM.
Old 08-09-2007, 08:46 PM
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500 to alex!

I'm getting a new engine. They said the compression was off and something about the apex seal.. they said a brand new engine.

I'm happy but im not. Im glad for a new engine but at the same time im so afraid of another problem. I even looked at new cars today to see if i can find anything i liked better and i couldnt.
Old 08-09-2007, 08:56 PM
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Gosh darn it. Swoope wins again. He really knows his stuff.
Sorry to hear about the bad engine. So glad it was under warranty for you. It probably developed last year before the recall to fix it. You should be golden with the new engine though. Zoom Zoom!

Last edited by musclecarconvrt; 08-09-2007 at 09:00 PM.
Old 08-09-2007, 09:02 PM
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I hope so. I'm still worried a little though. Its such an inconvenience. I miss my car!
Old 08-10-2007, 12:47 AM
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Sorry to hear that Cherry. I had mine replaced about 2 weeks ago at 55K. That's why I alluded to the compression check (Swoope I'll still give you credit for that diagnosis . My engine's great now. It runs like never before. After you get it back put a few hundred miles on it easily to break it in and then put it through it's paces to make sure it's running right for you.
Old 08-10-2007, 01:27 AM
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Originally Posted by CherryShinka05
I hope so. I'm still worried a little though. Its such an inconvenience. I miss my car!

just a heads up.. you will get a remanufactured one...... it will be new to you... at to that issue... i just hit 20k miles on my remanufactured one.... stronger than the first one which was strong.... did 198 whp.... and the new one gets the same 21mpg as the old one...

i would suggest you read the premix thread.. i will not leave home without it...

pm me if you need some help...


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Old 08-10-2007, 01:30 AM
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Yeah after my first oil change I'm going to switch to synthetic and run pre-mix as well.

FYI: pre-mix is mixing small amounts of 2-stroke oil with your gas to provide added lubrication.
Old 08-10-2007, 05:33 AM
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i asked them about reman motors vs getting a new one and he said new one.. but who knows i guess.

I read that you dont want to put synthetic, why would u do that
Old 08-10-2007, 06:14 AM
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Originally Posted by CherryShinka05
So my 05 shinka was acting sluggish a few weeks ago as in practically stalling at idle.. and when i hit the gas to go it doesnt engage for a second or two. Then it was fine.. now ...i drive about 15 miles..its fine.. then im at a stop and it gets sluggish again and dies. wouldnt start up at first..then did ..sluggish almost dying several more times all the way home. while its sluggish its still not responding to me pressing the gas, it takes a few seconds. I'm going to take it to the dealer.. ive already had several problems with this car so im sure they are going to think im a nutcase. What do you guys think im dealin with here?? im starting to regret this purchase..(thank god for the 100,000 extended warranty i bought)
Can you give us some details about your car. How many miles on it? Do you redline it a lot? Did you have any issues in the past with your car,,,and what were these issues?
Old 08-10-2007, 10:26 AM
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Originally Posted by CherryShinka05
i asked them about reman motors vs getting a new one and he said new one.. but who knows i guess.

I read that you dont want to put synthetic, why would u do that
I've been reading some information from the Racing Beat guys and their data convinced me. That and my personal data showed me that I replaced the engine at 55K miles using regular dino oil so I figure I'll go the other way this time and see if I have more success. If my engine breaks again I'm sure it will be out of warranty anyway so I won't be able to get a new one from Mazda for free. So what the heck.
Old 08-10-2007, 04:43 PM
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Can you give us some details about your car. How many miles on it? Do you redline it a lot? Did you have any issues in the past with your car,,,and what were these issues?
i got it with 34000, it had 44,000 and some change.. never redline it. Its an auto unfortunately so not so easy to redline. I do get on it but mainly on the interstate when i want to get around ppl pokin around.

other than that i would just cruise really. I always let it warm up, never shut it off without it running for at least 5 mins. always rev it up at start up and shut down as i was told to do (to about 3-4)

I noticed the low idle about a month or two ago.. to the point where i was a little worried but it didnt happen enough to make me take it in. I did have the tire monitoring system replaced which was a problem since i bought the car. Since then a belt was squealing real bad all of a sudden at start up (only when ac is on).. got it fixed. (this was when i started getting hot out 80-90. Every once in a while it would let out the smallest chirp since it was fixed. That only happened once or twice ..then here recently when it was 100 out..daily only in the afternoon (4ish)

About a month ago i noticed it idle very low at random times..i also noticed loss of power when pressing the gas pedal from a complete stop only. This happened several times but not enough to worry me. I know the car now but im no expert on what exactly isnt right.

It was fine for another two weeks then all of a sudden the other day it idled very low and just shut off. restarted it..took a minute.. then pretty much ran stop signs all the way home because i could not stop without it feeling like it was going to shut down. This was not fun with it being an auto..

I made it up my steep driveway barely.. then i took in to mazda about an hour later..it ran perfect! wtf?? From there all i know is mazda replaced the coils and it would not stay on when he drove it. He said it shut off several times and he thought he was going to have to get it towed. He said he had to run stop signs as well as much as he could. Then they told me its apparently losing compression and could be the apex seal.

I did try turning the AC on and off to see if it made a difference and it made little to no difference as far as helping the car not shut off.

if you have any suggestions for my new motor to help it or test it out.. let me know i have 15000 factory warranty left and an extended warranty i purchased so i want to make sure this baby is good to go while im covered.

I was really contemplating getting a new car..even looked yesterday but there is just no other car i like as much. i do like the s2000 but the 8 is just..better I'm just tired of the headaches bringing it into the shop and dealing with the douchbags.
Old 08-11-2007, 03:03 AM
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Its not that hard to red line my 04 at 8. I do it every 3-4 days in sport mode. Feels like a real sports car and puts a on me face. Told you it was your Engine but no worries you will fall in love with your car all over after your feelings of doubt are gone. I do it all the time. The other thing that was wrong with my 8 most recent was bad fuel injector and coil. Next up cleaning the Mass Air Flow Sensor.
-Gil
Old 08-11-2007, 03:06 AM
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Originally Posted by DOMINION
Its not that hard to red line my 04 at 8. I do it every 3-4 days in sport mode. Feels like a real sports car and puts a on me face. Told you it was your Engine but no worries you will fall in love with your car all over after your feelings of doubt are gone. I do it all the time. The other thing that was wrong with my 8 most recent was bad fuel injector and coil. Next up cleaning the Mass Air Flow Sensor.
-Gil
party on bitch!!!!!!

beers


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