Hi iam Steve and new to this forum. I just bought a used rx8 2004, mt. And 2 days later it started Losing power and when I idle for more than 2 min. The engine shuts down. I believe it may be a clogged, burned up cat. Or maybe more???

 

What is your location?

US models have a 100k mile emissions warranty, which includes the cat.....

S

 

^ i think the emissions warranty is 80k here in the US.

to the OP: if you visually verified your cat is indeed glowing then that is exactly your problem.

 

Try changing your coils. Worked for me.

 

^Now that's just dumb...the OP says his cat is glowing and you say change the coils? Uhh, NO. His cat is clogged.

To the OP, like alz0rz said, if you have verified your cat is actually glowing red then your cat is seriously clogged and you need a replacement.

 

Emissions Warrenty is 8yrs/80,000 miles. This would cover your cat. You haven't posted your location, so I don't know the most cost effective way to advise you. If you have a higher mileage than that,options are:
1-Replace with OEM Cat
2-Replace with Aftermarket High Flow Cat
3-Replace with Mid-Pipe (resonated)

These are listed from most costly to least. Choice depends on the laws in you state and your desire for horsepower.

 

Even after you get a cat.... get a High flow cat... great improvement

 

if you are still under warranty, take your car in and have the dealer replace the faulty converter. he reason its glowing is because its starting to plug up. the converters tend to melt down on our 8's..seems to be rather common. they'll show they true colors (glowing red) especially at idle when there is no air movement to cool them as there would normally be when driving. you'll notice a loss of power and a rough idle due to the backpressure caused by the conveter not allowing the exhaust gasses to fully escape. in extreme cases you'll hear a prominent hissing sound under the hood. it'll sound like a large vacuum leak. this is a near fully plugged converter and the hissing is the escaping backpressure.

 

Thanks for everyones advice. I am getting used to a fairly new car because I have owned an 88 rx7 which is a big change to a 2004 rotory motor therefore it also is an obd2 CPU. I've been reading everyone posts in forums and I see lots of knowledge and yes I am a noob to the rx8's but I have some knowledge in rx7's. Thank u all

 

dont park it over any flammables or you'll lose the car. it could get hot enough to light your carpet even so.

didnt answer the question if you are in the states?

 

forgot to mention... If you smell something really really bad and your legs feel really warm and your driving.... shut the car off and pull over.... I was seconds away from a flaming cat instead of a glowing cat. I took a pic of the glowing cat and brought it with me tot he dealer... it helped to speed things along.


DON'T PARK IT ON GRASS!!!! A FIRE WILL START

 

My purchase of the rx8 came with 30000 mile warranty or 3 years. I apologize for everyone response for location.mazda metro dealership in riverside California

 

I'll take your advice on the flaming cat hehe. Hopefully it did not do damage under there. Interesting post.

 

ok so the repair will be covered by the 80k mile emissions warranty

 

heyarnold you bring up a very good point....

 

Happy New Years Everyone!

 

Wecome to the club Stevo !

Come to one of our meets and we can answer all your questions.

Check out the West Coast section

 

^yeah that! seriously tho, we got some people that have been on this forum for quite a while, and know quite a bit...youll also get to meet some cool people...

 

if ur still in warranty go to the dealer and have them check it out if it's glowing then it's clogged and will cause lost power!