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Mazda RX-8 Problems and Solutions
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Comments
Thanks guys!
As for the Hibernation(slayer).....it's well known that 8 should be driven as often as you can...that means EVERY DAY you will be gone for a year......if you find someone to drive the car at least 1-2 times a week it would be very good(not just start the engine).Otherwise,you must disconnect the battery.
1. Fill fuel tank - you don't want air pressure changes to suck water vapour into it. The fuel will not deteriorate very much in a year. I don't bother with "fuel stabilizer".
2. Change the oil and filter - this ensures there is minimal acid in the engine.
3. Put car up on jackstands - not necessary, but minimizes tire flatspotting and lets me sweep the floor under the car. Also reduces spring sagging.
4. Remove the battery and store indoors - charge every month or so with a good quality charger. If you're not there, get a "battery tender" and leave it hooked up, battery removed from vehicle. Have someone look at it once a month to make sure it's still working properly.
If coolant change is almost due, change it before storing - it will help reduce corrosion in the cooling system with fresh coolant in there. Don't leave a window open. You don't want animals taking up residence in your car.
When you return, install battery, check oil, put car on ground. Start up - clean windows inside and out - you'd be amazed how much stuff accumulates on the windows. Reset the electric power steering as per the owners manual (turn all the way right, then left, then centre), drive away.
If you don't have jack stands, then you can buy special pads for the tires to sit on that is SUPPOSED to keep them from flat spotting. You should also air them way up to near max sidewall pressure - this will help if you can't get them off the ground.
Make a check list of all the stuff to do before the first drive, and add "set air pressure to 32psi" to that list.
My daughter did a year of college in Austria a few years back and I took care of her car while she was gone. I left the battery in the car, but trickle charged it to full once a month. While out there I rolled the car forward (by pushing it) so the tires rotated 180 degrees. Next time I rolled it back. The car fired right up after 9 months of sitting and the battery and tires showed no ill effects. The inside of the glass was nasty with "out gassing" from the interior materials.
Dennis
I also am having performance problems with an RX-8 in Colorado (Colorado Springs). On very hot days with the AC on, if I am in traffic, when I go to take off I often have to floor it to get it to move at all. I brought it to Mazda here in Colorado Springs about 6 weeks ago and they said they downloaded a software patch. It seemed fin for while (weather was cooler), but tonight, when I went to take off at lights, I got up to 6 MPH and had to switch off the AC and fan, after about 100 meters, it started to pick up slowly... It was fine at next lights and sluggish at the one after that. I'm tired of this.
I was wondering if it is the emission system at high altitude? My RX-8 is an 04 (leased in Sep 03) automatic. Not looking forward to yet another trip back to denver to get it looked at.
Okay, so it is plausible. My big concern was the rotary. Seeing as we all know the car needs to be driven, and revved, I was worried that not doing this would be problematic for the engine.
The oil and coolant will be changed at service at the end of this month, probably about a month or so prior to me leaving. Would that be fresh enough?
My girlfriend will be at home, so I do have the option of someone driving the car once a week, but this prospect makes me a little nervous as she is not used to driving a car with this kind of power, and she'd have to use the revs when she does. Plus she'd have to check the oil and coolant, tire pressures, etc. and I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be giving her this big responsibility. Would it be preferable to have the car driven once a week, for about 10-20kms? Also, any concerns over fuel types? I run 95 octane unleaded in the car, I'm not sure if it's the equivalent of your 95 RON (I think it is), would this make any difference? I don't know what, if any, fuel stabilizers are available here, so that may not be an option anyway. Tire flatspotting and spring compression are things that didn't even occur to me :surprise:
Do you use the paddles? Does that make any difference at those times you experience the problem?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
BTW, the rotary doesn't actually need a very big battery. You can, after all, turn the engine over with one hand! I have a tiny battery in my 3rd gen RX-7 and it's more than adequate.
When in idle,i can see water coming out from the exhaust pipes(drops).I think this is normal but i need to verify this.
It's normal. It's why the exhaust system rusts/corrodes.
You will also see some oil come out, from the oil that is injected into the intake to lubricate the engine. It usually gets on the back of the car around the tailpipe. We call that "smoot". A sign you have the "correct" engine design.
Someone told me the simple trick for the 8 - turn the key to on (run) bur don't start the car. Wait at least until the "RX-8" is off the display or a little longer (10-20 seconds) and the car will fire right up. I have tried this several times and it starts much quicker than if I hop in and turn the key straight to start. So get in, turn on the key, and put on your seat belt and do whatever else you need to do - then the car will fire right up once you are done :surprise:
Dennis
Your fix makes sense. I'll bet it doesn't do it in winter, when it's cooler, or on rainy days.
When i was coming home earlier,a Toyota Levin 6spd 185 bhp stopped to the right side of me..."till the next stop light "..he told me "ok" i said.I didn't fire it up from 4000 rpm but around 2000. 1st gear-equal....2ond-equal again and by the 3rd he started staying behind.I know that they are only around 1000kg and the 8 1400kg but i was kinda disappointed(and i had almost the tank full).If i fired it up at 4000rpm would make a great difference?
I'm in Denver as well. This sucks!
Is the battery easy to remove from the car? I'm not much of a mechanic, though I'd imagine it's pretty straightforward. I don't have jackstands, temperature ranges here from an absolute low of about 5C (winter at night) to 35C (hot summer day).
What is a battery tender? I'm guessing it's an electrical device you connect to the removed battery and plug into the wall to keep it charged?
@rx8world: I had a run against a friend of mine in his Hyundai Tiburon (Hyundai Coupe I think it's called over there) the other day. Launched at 4,000rpm, though I dropped the clutch a bit fast and chirped the tires, 1st and 2nd gear were pretty close, by 3rd I started to pull away. I think this is a function of the 8's low torque. Since 1st gear is a little tricky to redline and make the shift to 2nd quickly (for me at least), it takes until the top of 2nd gear to get the benefits of the 8's power. Next time don't run 150m from light to light, try it over a bit more distance and you should lose him without much trouble.
If you have an older car, you will be getting new shielding and any other parts it takes to fix it, then the same computer flash.
Don't both to call your dealer, since they do not have the parts (yet) to fix any of the cars that need more than just a flash. We should all get recall notices in the mail next month and at that time the dealers should have what it takes to fix the cars.
The key to avoiding the under car heat problem is not to sit still and fast idle the car. So if you are stuck in traffic and want the A/C to run colder, if you race the motor up to 2k, 3k, or more you could cause over heat damage to your car. For sure if you live in a hotter area you have to be more careful. Sitting at NORMAL idle is supposed to be OK.
Dennis
They of course recommended having someone drive the car at least once a week (which I can do) for about 20kms or so. I think I will likely go with this option, as I think there is less risk to the car overall. Pathstar, anyone else, do you guys disagree?
Thank you so much for all your help so far!
I think there would be a much greater chance of problems if someone drove the car once a week than if it just sat. Much greater wear, chance of accidents. If it sits you only have time deterioration, which you would have even if driven. If you don't have a garage, invest in a car cover to keep the sun out of the car. Those looking after it can keep an eye on the cover, rinse it off if necessary from time to time, and if it starts to come off, reattach it. Oh, and once a month they should look under the cover to make sure someone/thing hasn't gotten into the car. You wouldn't want to come home to find a dead body or anything in your car.
As I said, I store my RX-7 6 months every year, and it is just as "new" when I start it up in the spring as it was in the fall when I hibernated it. I just have to install the battery,brush off the dust, check the tire pressure, and clean the windows inside and out.
If you do want to put it up on jackstands, you will need four of them. You will also need a concrete pad or concrete patches to put the jackstands on. You will also need a jack to raise the car so you can put the jackstands under it. If you are set up for this, by all means do it. If you are not set up for it I wouldn't do it. If it's not going to be in a garage I wouldn't put it up on jackstands. Too much temptation for wheel thieves, and too dangerous, as it can be knocked off the stands if someone bumps it hard - even children could knock it off the stands if they "tried" hard enough.
So, outside, car cover, no jack stands, remove battery, use "battery tender" to keep it charged.
Inside, car cover optional, jack stands, remove battery, use "battery tender" to keep it charged.
1. Because i'm too scared of what i hear everyday(replacement of engines etc).....i will tell you the way i drive my 8 and tell me if it's good: i drive it everyday with an average 30 km per day.I rev it 3-4 times a day to 9000rpm(usually the 1st and 2nd gear).If it has traffic in the road i prefer using 2nd gear at 40km/h than 3rd.i rarely use the 4rth gear in the city.I change my oil every 3000 km(texaco havoline 5-30 semi synth).I use 100 octane fuel and sometimes 98(i think it's RON you call it there).
2.About the new recall....if we don't change the fuel tank(extra heat shielding)...would that be a great problem?
Thank's a lot.
I don't think you need to use such high octane rated fuel, just go with what the owners manual calls for. If you have "mid grade" it works fine. Many even use "regular" (87 rating). You may get better mileage with lower octane fuel. I wouldn't worry about knock - this car has a fantastically effective protection system so go ahead and try lower octane and see what you think. If it "pings" you will notice it suddenly looses power for a few seconds, then recovers - usually this happens at full throttle in the lower RPM range. If you notice pinging you can always change back to higher rated fuel. I haven't heard of anyone damaging the engine this way. If you're putting in a supercharger or turbocharger, well, that's a different matter!
As far as the recall, I'd go with Mazda's recommendation. I think the problems occurred in hot climates, but you could get caught in heat, so go with the recall would be my choice.
Does hitting the rev limiter trigger the CEL?
Here's what happened, on two occasions my CEL came on and the only common demoninator I can think of is that I took the engine upto 8000+ rpm at which point in bogged down slightly then recovered. Upon next start-up the CEL came on.
The first trip to dealer ended up with a new "flash" ( not sure which version).
This second time I told the dealer about possibly hitting the rev limiter and he said that was why the CEL came on.
He also advised against continually "over revving" the engine.
When I asked about resetting the CEL without a tip to him he said it will auto reset after 20 or so cycles (start, reach temp and cool down =1 cycle).
Next he tells me that there is a recall on my car (2004 6pd, 10K miles) and that if I take it off the lot I will be responsible for any physical harm to persons or property. Needless to say I left it ( I got a decent loaner from the dealer, a Hertz, free, unlimited milage for as long as he has my car). He doesnt know how long it will take to get the parts per previous messages on this board. I could go on but you get the idea, does any of this make sense?
Thanks
About pinging noise,i've noticed that 1-2 times when i was in 4rth gear and about 40km/h but i'm not sure if that was what we call pinging noise from the low octane fuel....it was more likely like the engine said"go to lower gear please" :shades:
I forgot to mention something.When my mechanic wanted to check something in the exhaust system and he unplugged it,the pipe inside,all the way to the exhaust pipes ,it was as clean as a white paper :surprise: .I asked him"is that my exhaust?" "yes,it's very clean because the combustion is excellent and it burns all the fuel" he responded .
And,a good information to check(to all rx8 owners) :GReddy RX8 Turbo Kit.......gives 30% more hp 40% torque ,all these without opening the engine
The recall is related to "melting" the plastic fuel tank by letting it sit and idle for long periods on hot days. The wording your dealer used was created by the USA "sue" society! It would have been just as safe to drive as it was a week before, when they didn't warn you, but now they know there is a slight possibility of a fire!
I do have the manual tranny and from all I've read here, keeping the revs up is recommended. I really hadn't wanted to leave the car, I had only dropped in to the dealer on the way home to see if they could reset the CEL, but now the question is what is tripping it if not the revs? I know I hadn't exceeded 9K rpm. As for the recall, my main concern is how long its gong to take to get the fix. The free rental Taurus SE is OK ( it has great A/C for these hot and humid days) but I want my red beast back!
The other piece of info from the dealer is I have to leave the A/C on recirc at all times to get best cooling. I know this is BS but are you aware of any recalls on the AC, it does seem very weak and I'm heading back to CA where I will see hotter temps throughout the year vs only for a few months here in RI.
Thanks
I too never heard any kind of warning beep for whatever reason (road noise, conversation, radio etc.) I dont have my manual now, the car is in semi-permanent storge thanks to gas tank recall :mad: but I don't remember reading about any warning sound.
It's ironic that Mazda evoked the English roadsters of the past with the MX5 Miata knockoff of the Lotus Elan, albeit with extra reliability and no oil leaks. Seems like they want to rekindle those lost memories of dubious relability with the RX8.
The more things change the more they stay the same!
I had the oil changed at 3K and am about to check my oil level at my next fill-up (4K miles) and I expect I'll need to add some. It's stated in the owner's manual that the rotary will use a small amount of oil. It has a oil light to help keep up with it.
As for flooding, don't shut the car off before the temp guage warms up to normal operating temp. Also, several have suggested that you give it a nice little rev (up to about 3K) and shut it off as the engine comes back down to prevent flooding. I used to be very nervous about this but have gotten used to it at this point.
Read back thru some of the posts here and in the other 8 forums. Pathstar is a rotary genius and has put some great things out there so folks can understand what can be a quirky car to own. I love mine and am hooked!!
Thanks
The CEL btw is a bit of shorthand for "Check Engine Light".
No slip for me, though.
Dennis
i had the same question a week ago(about the fan).It's absolutely normal.It's true that the fans can work up to 10 minutes at full speed(after you turn it off ).
About the other thing...you will notice a little lag at low rpm's.If you are in 3rd gear and 2.5-3000 rpm and you press full the acceleration pedal you will notice a hesitation.That's normal too(low torque)
Any word on a ball joint recall for the 8's. Apparently the joint is coming apart on hard turns?
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm
Help!!
anyone???
pathstar...where r u? :P
I guess they are rethinkiing this approach because it must be costing them a fortune in free rentals.
I just heard today that Mazda has issued an inspection notice that allows them to release my car because they have determined it is safe. I will then receive an "official" recall notification in the mail from Mazda, probably when they have enough parts stockpiled to make the repairs.
Hope this helps.
You can read the details of the fix here:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/rx8/docs/pdf/3305G.pdf
Most folks would never do the car as I stated you would have to do to cause the problem - but if you read the PDF link you will see that certain fault conditions can cause the PCM to lock the engine at 2,700 rpm in fail safe mode. This mean the throttle is ignored. In this mode sitting with the car at this RPM could cause damage. The fix is to program it to drop to 1,100 rpm after 5 minutes if you are not moving. Even if the motor is not in fault mode, the "Free rev" limit is changed as shown in the doc so you can't rev the motor up sitting still and hold it. This is now limited to 900 RPM (normal idle) once certain conditions are met. This COULD have happened to folks in really hot areas of the country - say you are stuck in traffic on a boiling hot day and the A/C (which is weak in most 8s) is not doing the job. So you rev the motor up to spin the compressor faster. Doing this COULD cause damage as well. Also the 8s have weak batteries and have the flood problem. So someone that just jumped off their 8 could hold it at fast idle for a prolonged period to try to charge the battery.
So if you purchased your car with "no miles" on it and didn't do either of these things it SHOULD be safe for you to drive until the recall stuff gets to your dealer and they can get you fixed. But as you can see from the PDF, they are just going to re-program the PCM to prevent you (or the computer itself) from doing this in the future. If you HAVE had the car in "fail safe mode" or have been sitting with the motor revved up THEN you might think about parking it until your dealer has a fix.
The recall is now on NHTSA.GOV as well, but the PDF link I posted is the "fix" that the Mazda dealers get - and has the best info.
Dennis
By the way,mine is working at about 700RPM(normal idle).I asked a friend of mine who works at Mazda in Greece and he told me that not all the 8's idle the same and you can't do anything "legal" to increase the revs.
Is is true or faulse?
So, legal or not, I can't see any way to adjust the idle without modifying the car. Due, no doubt, to the "drive by wire" system - there is no throttle cable in this car, it's controlled by computer referenced to the throttle pedal position and idle air control.