rxPete

iTrader: (2)

This has been bugging me for weeks now...

I could have sworn my car started pretty normally before..but lately it seems to start sort of 'clunky'. Just the starting/cranking part... it starts right away and idles smooth and all of that... BUT.. it sounds like I'm cranking it too long...and when i try to do back off and crank it slightly shorter, it sounds like I'm not cranking it long enough and it stumbles into starting. Every time it starts no matter what I do, but I can't figure out what this would be..?

A few months back i replaced my plugs after 30k miles...also swapped in a new Interstate battery and Mazdatrix plugs (when I did the wires it seemed like one of the original wires wasn't securing to the plug very well). It didn't seem to necessarily coincide with any of this stuff...I have about 34k on the clock right now (it's an 04). Been watching the MPG all along and it's still as dismal as rx8s usually are....nothing's fluctuated or become worse..

Any tips are appreciated...
Pete

VOODOO8

Did you happen to replace the ignition coils when you did new plugs? Plugs and coils are pretty common replacement items every 30K miles and a lot of folks do both every 30K whether it seems needed at the moment or not.

rxPete

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I was doing some reading last night and I see the writing on the wall for getting some new ignition coils... Never had to put new ignition coils in anything that wasn't a ground up restoration, so it wasn't even in my line of thinking... but saw a post last night on here that included someone's car startup videos, and it was tough to make out, but roughly seemed like what I was encountering.

Thanks!
Pete

VOODOO8

With a production engine that spools up to 9k red line the coils take a beating - they aren't the strongest piece of work either. Although it is an investment, take a look at the aftermarket solution offered by Black Halo Racing. Was one of the first mods I did and have been happy with the results ever since. If your planning to own the car for a while, or just don't want the hassle of stock coils degrading every 20K or so along with the problems this can cause, they should prove to be a good investment.

Cheers!