Hi all,

Ive got a big problem with my new RX8 that ive bought today,

The main problem is that it really doesnt want to start. I take it for a trip (a few miles so that the engine is hot) then it will not start.

The engine is ticking over and I can hear the spark plugs ignighting but it wont start. After what was 20minutes the both times that it has not started it finaly does. When it does it is ideling roughly at about 800.

Im new to the car so i dont know the power or how the engine sounds but if im driving at 30mph in 2nd gear there feels like there is no power. Also when the revs are above 5 or 6 k the engine sounds to be grinding or scraping.

Any help would be great guys, im really worried here.

btw it is a 2004 - 231 had a service 1000k ago and has had all updates. also the garage told me it had been to see mazda dealer this week and didnt have any problems.

 

Do you know if it has had a compression test and what are the results, difficulty starting when hot is attributed to low compression . How many miles/ kilometers are on the plugs , coils and plug wires .?

 

I dont know about the coils and plugs and wires but it is ticking over sounding like it is going to start but wont do it.

the garage told me mazda had it this week and diagnosed it as no problems. and suggested that if any more probs then to get a larger starter motor. But ive had the car a day and it wont start 3 times already.

does the rx8 make a grind/scrapping nose at high rpm?

 

It sounds like it may be flooded. No, the motor does not make this type of sound, at any time when its healthy. I think the garage couldnt fix the problem, thats why it was at the dealer, in my opinion. This is a link to explain how to deflood your engine. https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...hlight=deflood

 

Thanks for the help freddy. the engine is hot before it is shut off so is it still the flooding?

It starts when its had a chance to cool down but it struggels to do so.

btw ive just been out in the rx8 and the sound the engine makes is more like a metal sounding rattle if that helps.

 

No, if it is hot , it wont be a flooding issue, unless you have a faulty injector, the symptoms point to low compression,which is common with our motors. if the noise is like marbles in a can, there are many threads on this, if you use the search again with "MIAC" , you may find what the problem is,sorry I cant be more help right now, just on the way out for a thrash in my 8.

 

Does it have the updated starter? Makes a huge difference in starting, but will not help with loss of power.

 

Mate, I misread your initial post, I assumed it was hard to start when cold as well,my 8 was taking around 2-3 seconds to fire when hot, I charged the battery overnite and now it starts in less than a second,with the original 04 starter.so I guess it was a failing battery, might be worth your while to give this a go.

 

nah freddy you read it correct. my 8 strugges to start when its cold as well.

about the power, ive never had an 8 before. is i normal to have hardly any power at all, as in it doesnt even want to accelerate at 70mph in 5th or 6th gear. I have to drop it down to 3rd to do any kind of overtaking.

 

It definitely doesn't sound healthy. It's not a torque monster, but at no point is there "hardly any power at all".

Bring it to the dealer with those symptoms, get it checked out. I know the garage said they passed by there, but go anyway, you might need a new engine (if you're in North America, warranty is 8y/100,000 mi).

What's the history of the car prior to your ownership?

 

+1 on the suggestion to get it in for a compression test. B4 you do, you should do the recommended search on MIAC sound and you should also search on compression tests so you know what good vs bad results look like, you can make sure the dealer does what they are supposed to do, and that they don't overcharge you for the service.

Even if it passes, getting a baseline set of compression numbers on your motor for future reference is just a good thing to do all by itself.

 

just had it compression tested, my results are as follows

no1 is 5.8, 5.7, 5.5, 5.5, 5.4 5.8

and number 2 is 4.2, 3.9, 3.9, 3.8, 4.0, 3.8

your feelings?

 

ouch.... new engine time

 

Minimum specs are 6.9 Kpa at 200 RPM...so yeah time to get a new engine!

 

Did you get it used from a dealership or private sale? No doubt the previous owner knew of the problem and is why he sold it, that bastard!

Checkout this thread: What is wrong with my 8! regarding the engine "gurgling" noise and starting issue. I have the exact same warm start problem with my 2004 RX8 GT, see my post. I'm getting my engine replaced today, it just made it under warranty. Take it to the Mazda dealer, hopefully you're still covered. Otherwise, you're screwed.

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