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Mazda RX 8 Engine Failure Problem
The following is my opinion from reading the discussions about RX 8 problems from other RX 8 forums on the Internet and you can form your own opinion :::::::::
The only thing wrong with Mazda RX 8's sold in the USA is that Mazda requires the use of very thin light weight 5W-20 oil that breaks down and cannot protect the rotary engine and catalytic converter from early failure, because the normally very hot running engine runs very, very hot especially in slow traffic and long drives in warm weather. Every city in the USA has slow traffic jams and warm weather.
Every where else in the World (except in the USA) Mazda requires in the RX 8 Owners Manual the use of 5W-30 oil to adequately protect the very same hot running rotary engine that is in RX 8's in the USA. The heavier oil protects the engine and oil seals from failure and prevents oil blow by from ruining the catalytic converter, for over 200,000+ miles, as documented in many forums on the web.
For example, printed on Castrol bottles of 5W-20 weight synthetic oil, says "use only in cars used for short trips" and another 5W-20 Castrol bottle of non synthetic oil says "use only if required by the car manufacture". Other wise, Castrol ,who sets the standard for excellent oil, does not recommend the use of 5W-20 oil unless directed to by the car manufacture or for short trips.
In addition, Castrol can be objective with out any conflicts of interest about which oil weight not to use to protect an engine, because it does not manufacture cars nor have any vested interests or concerns about meeting EPA miles per gallon requirements to avoid fines.
In the USA the RX 8 engines using the very light 5W-20 weight oil last maybe for around 30,000 miles before needing to be rebuilt a number of times before and after expiration of the warranty. This is probably why Mazda now only warrants the car for 3 years or 36,000 miles instead of the prior warranty of 5 years or 50,000 miles. This is also clearly documented in many RX 8 owner web sites.
However, in the USA Mazda requires the use of inadequate light weight 5W-20 oil in order for Mazda to meet EPA miles per gallon (MPG) gas consumption requirements. This light weight oil shortens the life of this normally very hot running rotary motor to around 30,000 miles, at the expense of the consumer who needs to keep spending lots of money and time to keep it running.
The owners must keep them running because no dealership wants to take the car in on trade or offer a fair amount on trade due to the now widely known problems Mazda has caused to happen to the RX 8
New buyers should consider not buying Mazda RX 8 cars until Mazda permits USA owners to also use non synthetic 5W-30 oil in their rotary engine, without loosing their warranty, as Mazda recommends throughout the rest of the World. Mazda could still put in the USA, RX 8 owners manual, recommendations to use 5W-20 oil to satisfy EPA , but not cancel the warranty of those who wisely choose to use non synthetic 5W-30 oil as recommended by Mazda, thorough out the rest of the World.
A class action law suit will straighten out Mazda and increase the life of our cars and make the car worth a proper amount when traded. RX 8 owners in the USA did not buy their RX 8 with full disclosure by the Mazda dealership that the car motor and catalytic would wear out much, much quicker than other cars, due to Mazda oil requirements in the USA nor how Mazda treats the USA RX 8 customer.
My Mazda dealership before purchase told me the RX 8 motor would last over 200,000+ miles because it was the nature of engines. With the first oil change though they also told me they would not put 5W-30 weight oil in my RX 8 because according to them it would damage the engine (which is a lie) and would void the warranty, according to Mazda USA. Well it is common knowledge now with the USA Mazda required use of 5W-20 oil the engine will not last 200,000 miles as advertised and more like it the motor will only last around 30,000 miles before needing to be rebuilt again and again etc.
Every RX 8 owner in the USA had better individually or join together to fight the Mazda lies about the weight of oil to use in their RX 8 or their motor's will have a very short life with no one to blame in the long run except for your own lack of sticking up for yourself and what you know is right.
The only thing wrong with Mazda RX 8's sold in the USA is that Mazda requires the use of very thin light weight 5W-20 oil that breaks down and cannot protect the rotary engine and catalytic converter from early failure, because the normally very hot running engine runs very, very hot especially in slow traffic and long drives in warm weather. Every city in the USA has slow traffic jams and warm weather.
Every where else in the World (except in the USA) Mazda requires in the RX 8 Owners Manual the use of 5W-30 oil to adequately protect the very same hot running rotary engine that is in RX 8's in the USA. The heavier oil protects the engine and oil seals from failure and prevents oil blow by from ruining the catalytic converter, for over 200,000+ miles, as documented in many forums on the web.
For example, printed on Castrol bottles of 5W-20 weight synthetic oil, says "use only in cars used for short trips" and another 5W-20 Castrol bottle of non synthetic oil says "use only if required by the car manufacture". Other wise, Castrol ,who sets the standard for excellent oil, does not recommend the use of 5W-20 oil unless directed to by the car manufacture or for short trips.
In addition, Castrol can be objective with out any conflicts of interest about which oil weight not to use to protect an engine, because it does not manufacture cars nor have any vested interests or concerns about meeting EPA miles per gallon requirements to avoid fines.
In the USA the RX 8 engines using the very light 5W-20 weight oil last maybe for around 30,000 miles before needing to be rebuilt a number of times before and after expiration of the warranty. This is probably why Mazda now only warrants the car for 3 years or 36,000 miles instead of the prior warranty of 5 years or 50,000 miles. This is also clearly documented in many RX 8 owner web sites.
However, in the USA Mazda requires the use of inadequate light weight 5W-20 oil in order for Mazda to meet EPA miles per gallon (MPG) gas consumption requirements. This light weight oil shortens the life of this normally very hot running rotary motor to around 30,000 miles, at the expense of the consumer who needs to keep spending lots of money and time to keep it running.
The owners must keep them running because no dealership wants to take the car in on trade or offer a fair amount on trade due to the now widely known problems Mazda has caused to happen to the RX 8
New buyers should consider not buying Mazda RX 8 cars until Mazda permits USA owners to also use non synthetic 5W-30 oil in their rotary engine, without loosing their warranty, as Mazda recommends throughout the rest of the World. Mazda could still put in the USA, RX 8 owners manual, recommendations to use 5W-20 oil to satisfy EPA , but not cancel the warranty of those who wisely choose to use non synthetic 5W-30 oil as recommended by Mazda, thorough out the rest of the World.
A class action law suit will straighten out Mazda and increase the life of our cars and make the car worth a proper amount when traded. RX 8 owners in the USA did not buy their RX 8 with full disclosure by the Mazda dealership that the car motor and catalytic would wear out much, much quicker than other cars, due to Mazda oil requirements in the USA nor how Mazda treats the USA RX 8 customer.
My Mazda dealership before purchase told me the RX 8 motor would last over 200,000+ miles because it was the nature of engines. With the first oil change though they also told me they would not put 5W-30 weight oil in my RX 8 because according to them it would damage the engine (which is a lie) and would void the warranty, according to Mazda USA. Well it is common knowledge now with the USA Mazda required use of 5W-20 oil the engine will not last 200,000 miles as advertised and more like it the motor will only last around 30,000 miles before needing to be rebuilt again and again etc.
Every RX 8 owner in the USA had better individually or join together to fight the Mazda lies about the weight of oil to use in their RX 8 or their motor's will have a very short life with no one to blame in the long run except for your own lack of sticking up for yourself and what you know is right.
1
Comments
Now when this happened recently to my RX-8 AT, I thought, no problem, cause that super hot CAT is going to burn that plastic bag to a cider in one day. Three weeks later, the plastic is still there, very very slowly turning a light brown color and smelling with that hot plastic smell.
I've driven the car on the highway, and revved the engine to 6000-7000 fairly regularly in city driving. That plastic grocery is not NOT burning away. It's not even turning black. The plastic grocery bag is simply evaporating under low heat over a period of many many weeks.
The way this little incident is playing out, I'd have to say, there does not appear to be very much heat difference at the CAT between my RX-8 any other car I've ever owned.
There are many diferent types of catalytic converters but the two basic types are those that do and dont have air pumps. the one on the RX 8's, in order to do a better job at cleaning up the eshaust gas, has an air pump which pumps air into a port in the eshaust system ahead of the cat which enables the cat to better burn off the bad sxhaust emisions.
I don't know what your reply has to do about being duped by USA Masada as to why RX 8 engines are failing, which I wrote about, but what you said was interesting ....and there you go with an explanation about RX 8 Cats, their fresh air pumps and air injection ports..........Later,......and good luck with your RX 8 and dealer when the engine fails because you are forced to use the to light 5W-20 weight oil....when throughout the rest of the world Masda Japan requires in the owners manual that 5W-30 oil must be used to protect the engine for a long life (without having to be rebuilt numerious time before and after the warranty expires) for the car to run for 200,000 miles, as promoted by Masda sales.
I wonder who Mazda or Ford buys their oil from, so I can look up the specs and compare it to the RX 8's actual operating temperatures and oil shear requirements of the engine. I expect the findings will suport Castrol's recomentations that light 5W-20 weight oil (as required by Mazda USA to meet warranty provisions) should not be used in cars that are ever driven long distances or more than, very short trips, to prevent over heating and breaking down the oil protection of the engine.
If you were thinking by mentioning that the plastic bag not melting off Catlytic Converter has any thing to do with the operating temperature of the engine it dosen't !!! In addition to many other factors effecting the operating temperature of metal parts in the rotary engine, remember that (1) the speed (friction)of moving parts in the rotary engine, and (2) the much lighter weight and much smaller exterior surface of the engine to "sink" heat from the rotary engine, compared to a standard piston engine...all causes the rotary engine to opperate at least 50% hoter than piston engines, which therefore might survive the light weight 5W-20 weight oil...where the rotary engine can not !!!
As you may know Honda, Ford, and Mercedes Benz in addition to Mazda, all have problems meeting EPA's miles per gallon (MPG) requirements for their fleet of cars to reduce more $$$ of the huge (million $$$) fines that EPA charges.
In order to reduce (huge) MPG gas fines, they have been recommending like Mazda the use of the very light 5W-20 weight oil to cut down the resistance to movement of parts in the motor caused by the heaver oil adhering to and protecting from metal to metal friction.
To understand more about EPA-MPG gas requirements and huge fines look on the web under EPA Gas MPG Requirements and (huge)Fines.
In this connection though, I understand Mercedes Benz has changed their recommendation for oil back to a 30W base oil and Honda is also considering doing the same, if not already done so, to prevent further engine failure claims by their valued customer. I guess Mazda customers come last !!!
More importantly remember that Castrol, who is the standard for good oil protection, does not recommend the use of their own 5W-20 oil under the same circumstances. In addition Ford makes Motorcraft light weight 5W-20 oil because they also own 33% of Mazda and probably have bigger problems meeting EPA - MPG gas requirements without EPA charging huge fines for their fleet of cars. Again the EPA web site gives examples of huge (millions $$$) fines that charges and manufactures want to reduce.
Hay, I just caught on to the point you were trying to make in your response to my post about the RX 8 engine failures, light weight 5W-20 oil and hot engines breaking down the light oil.
Sorry I had tunnel vision when I read your response. If my response to you was interesting OK, if not ignore it.
Now hopefully in reply to your response, I think you were making the point that, if your Catalytic was not melting the plastic bag wrapped around it, then the engine should not be very hot. Very, very interesting deduction Dr Watson.
I can only believe you as to what you have observed.
Years ago the Cats were so hot that they caught everything on fire including dry grass, floor mats inside cars, things in trunks and oil mats under cars in ones garage and burned down houses.....which was all not good. I also remember when I was a kid replacing mufflers and Cats at a Sears auto garage for extra spending money, and that one also had to be careful in taking off a Cat. I was told that any pounding or cutting on the Cat could make a spark that would cause the cat to blow up in my face.
I surmise that the car industry has done something to make the cats safer and cooler because the fire problems have stopped. But how cool and how the industry did it I can only deduct. I suspect that they double walled the outside of the Cat and may have routed some of fresh air into and between the outer double wall of the Cat to make the outside more cooler. I only guess, as an Engineer.
I do know though the inside of a Cat must burn glowing hot to burn off unwanted gas in the exhaust but how hot this will make the outside of a modern Cat I do not know. But I might be concerned, if it was to cool because this might mean that the cat is plugged up with blow by oil through heat failed engine seals into the Cat. I know the tips of my exhaust is so hot I can not touch them, but I have not tried to put my hand close to or touch the outside of the Cat after a drive.
Your observation was a good one to ponder. Seals in engines though are failing due to too much heat as is evident from failed engines and cats plugged up with oil as documented on RX 8 owner forums. And mazda is building a factory according to their announcements to rebuild failed motors, but they will probably be rebuilt the same as the failed ones and use the same required oil to only fail again and again.
Good luck with your RX 8. I have thought about having the Mazda dealer put in a larger oil cooler to keep the oil from breaking down on long drives in hot weather. A larger oil cooler should not violate my warranty, where in using 5W-30 oil, like the rest of the world uses, would in the USA.
Oh, how many miles do you have on your RX 8 and have you yet taken many long 4 to 8 hour drives in hot weather with out any adverse engine symptoms ??? I am afraid to take long drives in warm weather after talking with a few master service techs that used to work at Mazda dealerships. Maybe a larger oil cooler is in my future........Later and thanks for the reply.
Here in Boston, and around New England, where I take my family on day trips, I can't really say that heat has ever been a big issue. We do have a maybe a dozen days of 90 plus weather each summer. And my commute into Boston was an hour of stop and go each day, but I bought my 2005 RX-8 AT brand new with 5 miles on the odometer in September so that first year of ownership started out with cool and cold weather driving for about 10K miles.
We've taken three 2000 miles trips, all in the winter between Boston and the mountains of NC. We've taken a single trip to Maine in July, 300 miles.
Now if I've lived in Texas, where my brother's family practically lives in an outdoor pool all summer and where they had forty straight days of 100 plus heat, I might be worried as hell about owning an RX-8.
1. If you used 5W30 the entire time up until you had to take the car in for whatever reason, would Mazda notice if you switched back to 5W20 immediately prior to bringing it in? Could switching oil grades cause additional problems?
2. How much gas mileage do you actually lose by using 5W30?
I don't know about the RX-8, but I've seen claims of about 5-10% fuel economy difference between 5W30 and 10W30.
In that case, why doesn't everyone just use 5W30 until the point where the car needs to be taken in? Shoot, perhaps if we all used 5W30 we wouldn't NEED to take it in
Anyway, it doesn't look like I'll be getting the RX-8 I was spying. The dealer wants over 30k for it. A 2006! Ok, it is a Shinka package but that still Blue Books for $28k. I digress...
I did not like the Shinka because it seemed like a big deal over an otherwise plain looking car. But everyone has different fantasys.
Look at the Grand Touring model with ground effects and a great appointed interior with red leather accents, which makes you think you are getting your money's worth. I also had the dealership add some Mazda Speed extras which makes more horsepower and is still under warranty since the dealership installed the parts, so they say.
Break the car in carefully, then find out the fun of using 3rd gear to put the rear bumper huggers in the distance. Third gear will take you to 80 MPH in a heart beat.
If you want to make sure that the rotary apex seals are being lubricated properly, pour around 6-8 ounces of non-synthetic 2 cycle oil into your gas tank as you fill the tank like those who race RX-8 cars, to be safe than sorry.
Face it, Mazda will probably never officially tell anyone to use 5W-30 or 10W-30 oil instead of 5W-20 oil because then EPA would be all over Mazda to pay millions in fines for exceeding MPG requirements for their entire fleet of cars.
I have read on one web site that the difference in miles per gallon between the to oil weights is only about 1/10 of a mile per gallon which means nothing to us, but for Mazda when multiplied and averaged for the entire fleet of Mazda's sold it adds up the lots of gallons per mile and lots of $$,$$$,$$$ of EPA fines.
Mazda would just as soon replace lots of failed rotary engines than pay the fines, so the fine must be enormous. Google for "EPA Cafe MPG" and and get an idea of the fines.
No wonder Mazda doesn't give a hoot about how long the RX 8 engine lasts for the consumer. In fact if the engine failures did not also ruin the catalytic converters, which EPA requires must function properly for about 6 years, Mazda probably would not ever care if RX 8 engines failed.
You are correct, one should not use "synthetic base oil" in the RX 8 because the seals used in the RX 8 are made of cheap materials, which cannot withstand the "synthetic "based" oil. This is unlike, to the best of my knowledge, the seals used in all other cars because they can use synthetic based oil.
If the seals are not made of materials that are "synthetic oil friendly" the seals will shrink and get brittle / hard which causes oil to leak into the catalytic converter causing it to fail. On the other hand, mineral oil will cause the same seal to swell and deform, which over a slight longer time will also cause the same seal to fail.
I have heard also claims that synthetic oil injected into the motor will not burn or cause residue in the converter and cause it to plug up sooner....duh....anything burned in the catalytic converter will leave a residue of some kind. Though some of the oil additives of years ago which protected from metal to metal wear in the motor have been removed from modern oil, so car manufacture's will not need to replace failed catalytic converters before the warranty ran out ......all at the expense of the consumer and the profit gain of the car manufacture.
So the "short story" is that, if the Mazda RX 8 seals are not good enough to use with synthetic oil then they also are not good enough "over the long haul" for mineral oil. If Mazda really had the consumer in mind they would use better seals so that the seals would not be effected by either kind of oil and the consumer could use synthetic oil, if the consumer wanted the car to last longer.
That is the reason in my above posts I did not mention synthetic oil nor recommend the use of it in my discussion above, so there could be any confusion. The very light 5W-20 weight oil required by Mazda in RX 8's though, is actually only a 5 weight oil which is blended with synthetic polymers that cause the very thin 5 weight oil to increase it's viscosity to that of a 30 weight oil around an oil temperature of 220 degrees to supposedly help cushion metal to metal contact when the oil is very hot. But remember the oil is still only a 5 weight oil regardless of the 30 viscosity of the oil at 220 degrees and it is actually thinner at 220 degrees than it was as 5W oil at 0.0 degrees.......duh. Let's see if the sales, public relations and Master Tec's who talk like they are design engineers and know everything, understand that fact.
Just remember that most of the recommendations one reads or is told about cars is from some public relation or so called "Master Tec's" who were told in some 2 week short course what they are supposed to think by the same type of so called industry expert. Design Engineers who know the truth, have forgotten more than all these spokespersons in the industry repeat and don't really understand......consumer beware !!!
I was hoping for a brand spanking new one, but oh well.
I was caught completely off guard because I live in chicago and recent posts said the engine problems were related to most cars in warm/hot weather climates. I was also surprised because the tech test drove it with the old engine and said the performance of the old engine was not at its full capabilities.
I got it back about a week and a half later (today), and I have to say it runs velvety smooth. I don't notice any increased performance, but the car feels smoother during acceleration and quieter during revs. It feels like it did when I first bought it. Plus, they took apart my instrument panel and tightened four loose screws that were causing the rattles. They even re-secured the heat shield underneath to stop the underbody rattle. No more rattles. My total bill was 85.00 for minor parts, replacing the cabin filter and rotating of tires. Not too bad considering the only money I have ever put into this car were the Blizzak winter tires and oil changes. I even got upgraded brake pads to stop the squeaking.
I know there are some people ticked off about the engine problems or service and its understandable, but I am not at all miffed about the engine replacement. The service was great and my little toy runs like its new. I recommend that everybody get the recalls dealt with, regardless of what type of climate you live in. My tech said he has had to replace 7 RX8 engines over the last 6 months.
I bought my car in 6 months ago, after warranty, because the engine was driving sluggish and the engine light was on. Mazda service put new coils on and when i got in my car the check engine light instantly came on. Great repair job! I immediately took it back to Mazda service and they said they made a mistake and they replaced the spark plugs. Couple weeks later the check engine light came back on, but i wasnt able to return for a couple months later until 3 weeks ago. I brought it in and they replaced my cat. convertor which was under warranty b/c i now have 72k miles. Got lucky. 2 days later my check engine light came back on and I was livid. I took it in and they said they knew what the problem was. They replaced something and i told them to drive it for 2 days and find the root of the problem and stop reading what the computer says. They just called me saying the intake valve(i think) needs to be replaced. The part is 1600 dollars and they have to pull the whole engine out in order to do this make the total cost 3600. What can i do about this?
1) Is the flooding problem a thing of the past with the 2008 model?
2) Is the oil consumption a thing of the past with the 2008 model?
3) Do you have to let it warm up all the time before you drive it ?
4) Is it a reliable car? one that wont need to be towed to the dealer all the time?
i am looking for a reliable car, thats the #1 thing for me. and i would like to have a sporty type car too. i want one i can just jump in and go, not one that absolutely has to be treated with kid gloves or else it wont run and has to go to the dealer.
and speaking of dealers, i had one tell me three days ago the RX-8 is "Finicky" and that makes me wonder about it.
can anyone shed any light?
Mike
1) Flooding: ANY rotary engine car, including 2008, will flood if not warmed up. It's the rotary design. Start it cold, move it 50 feet, turn it off immediately, and you've got a flooded engine potentially. You can try holding a 3000 RPM rev for ten seconds on a cold engine, then kill the ignition for a emergency cold engine shut down, but that's extra ware on the cold engine engine.
2) Oil consumption: Burns 1qt/1000 miles. It is suppose to. Otherwise the engine will be no good fairly fast, because not burning oil means there isn't enough oil getting to the apex seals. Keeping RPMs above 3000 when driving will insure good volumes of oil circulation.
3) Warming up: There's a high pitched fan noise that runs for 20 seconds or so, that's blowing exhaust gases out when the engine is cold. Let this stop at least. Then don't go popping 7000RPM when you first drive off until the water temp has reached mid level. Five minutes at most, then your good to drive like a maniac. Think to yourself, "the calm before the STORM, before letting the twins howl!"
4) If you don't screw up 1,2 and 3, your new RX8 will go for well over 200K miles. And then you can re-build your own rotors, simple as pie. Watch the video: http://www.rebuildingrotaryengines.com/videos/rx8-renesis-rotors
1) have to have it towed to the Mazda dealer for them to do their thing to get it started?
or
2) let it sit and it will eventually start? 5 minutes? 5 hours? 5 days?
Boswell1
From the manual:
Holding accelerator down all the way + turning key for 10 seconds
Then crank for with/o accelerator for 10 more seconds
Repeated procedure twice.
so, who do i believe? where does a guy go to get the absolute best info regarding the Mazda RX-8?
on the one hand, i'd hate to buy one and start having problems with it. there's nothing worse than having car trouble. but on the other hand, if all you need to do is not shut the engine off when its cold, and add a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so, thats no big deal.
help............. :confuse:
Mike
Well, it's not complete BS. Those people telling you other wise don't know the rotary engine very well. The engine has the spark plugs mounted on the side of the engine. The rotors spin around the peanut shaped rotor housing. Depending on where the rotors stop when the engine is turned off, there is a possibility that one of the rotors sets by the spark plugs. What happens is unburned fuel can sit on the rotor, and soak the spark plugs. Now your engine is flooded. Warming up your rotary engine before shutting it off makes that excess fuel evaporate. Excess fuel left in an engine is normal, but, since normal Otto cycle engines have the spark plugs on top of the combustion chamber, flooding cannot occur.
Since late 2005, Mazda has equipped the RX-8 with hotter sparking spark plugs that help reduce the chance of flooding, even when someone turns off the engine when it is not warm.
The rotary design is very reliable since there are only 3 moving parts. With proper lubrication, hence more oil consumption, it is not uncommon for these rotarys to eclipse the 200K mark. Why you usually don't see them do it is because since the late 80's, Mazda only uses them in performance vehicles. With performance marketing, comes tuner support. Tuner support translates into high horse power, and really testing the limits of the engine. Look at any performance engine, and what tuners do to it. Get as much power as you can before it blows. Subaru has been the latest company to have numerous engines blown because of the massive support for the WRX/STi's. I guess 300hp out of the box is not enough.
trispec knows what he is talking about, and so do I. It seems as if your other sources do not.
Engine
cooling
tranny
drive system
fuel
ignition
electrical
AC
suspension
brakes
exhaust
body integrity
power equipment
body hardware
it had an average rating for paint,trim and rust,
overall used car verdict above average, new car verdict average.
The 04 (what i own) had trouble spots with
fuel
ignition
below average with AC
and average
Electrical
engine
body hardware
Bottom line is that if you take care of the vehicle you are more than likely not to have any more problems than you would on any other car. the sheer enjoyment of the car more than makes up for the extra TLC needed to keep the car going strong
Put a battery charger on
Push accelerator down for 10 seconds (to engage engine), let off
Then turn key over until engine turns over, however long it takes (hince the battery charger) don't stop until it works and don't repeat (you'll flood the engine more)
They say it's hard on the starter and battery, but it's what must be done.
Installing trailer spark plugs and hot? battery helps it from flooding in the future.
Now I hope this works if I have to do it at home!
Problem? Ya new dealer plugs which are a whopping 50 dollars each! that 200 dollars just for plugs!!! Purged the engine of all fuel and cut off the fuel injection. cracked it over about 10 times and blew it all out. Then blasted the engine with starting fluid and then insterted my shiny new spark plugs. cracked it over for about 5 seconds and she fired up and runs fine now.
Scary for a 2005 with 50K
My 2005 RX-8 has always burned very, very litte oil--like one quart every 3000 miles--and I was understandably concerned. I knew it was supposed to burn more (by popular report), so had it checked.
One dealer in Memphis checked it and prounounced the car "fine", but three weeks ago as I was driving to work (75 minute drive) it gained a dead-spot. I gave more gas--nothing--gave even more gas--even more nothing. :confuse:
When I arrived at work, I shut the car down and called my husband. He called the dealer I prefer and they drove the four hours to come haul it back to the shop. After three weeks, the shop manager (one of my new best friends) called us into his office to break the news that it had "internal engine failure". :sick:
It wasn't anything to do with the weight of the oil or how I drove it. It wasn't any actual flaw in the engine. Most likely, it had to do with the small amount of oil it was burning compared to the amount it needed. I know now that there was a service recall to adjust the oil/fuel ratio.
I have NOT received ANY service bulletins/recall notices on my RX-8 since purchasing it brand new in 2006.
Keep an eye out for service bulletins/recalls by checking the core Mazda forums at:
http://www.coremazda.com/forums/mazda-rx8-technical-service-bulletins-tsb/
I am registered on the mazdausa.com site---which never showed any recalls or bulletins either.
If it hadn't been for the Core Mazda Forum, I would never have known about the original drivetrain warranty extension to 60,000 miles, or the one posted this last summer updating the drivetrain warranty extension to 100,000 miles. I certainly never received it by mail or email.
I now have a PDF of the document if anyone needs it. Email to mcneelyhomestead at yahell to get it sent to you. I hope you never need it--may your car be blessed by the rotary gods!
After meeting with the Dale, I traded my beloved RX-8 in on a Mazda Tribute....they "gave" it an $8000 value. I wish the very best to everyone here. I loved my RX-8.
With affection,
Deaun
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Also, did Mazda extend the engine warrenty to 8/100?
My 2004 RX8 got flooded right now i remove the dashboard, etc. to dry up all sensors,relay, fuses, specially the ignition switch and gas pedal sensor.
Now we tried to crank it without the plugs? and still there water.... what's the fastest/ easier way to take the water from engine???
One more anyone uses alternative spark plugs rather i used OEM NGK? it's to expensive :sick:
Hope hear a reply as soon as possible
Thank you so much
:sick:
I am new but reading the previus Post I am wondering if some People have a agenda other then help others.
I am thinking of purchasing a new RX8 soon, have done a test Drive and think the Vehicle would make a nice present for my Wife.
I am a bit more then just Mechanicaly inclined so I do not buy the argument with flooding the Rotary (Wankel) Engine. Sorry Folks but that sounds just bogus to me. Even if you would have one wet Sparkplug so what the others would be fine and the Engine should fire and with a few revolutions the previusly wet Plug would fire as well.
Buying new Plugs becouse the present one is wet, think again. Do you Buy a new Windshield when it is dirty or what.
Would apreciate to hear from anyone with veriviable marked research concerning these particular engines for the RX8 thank you and By for now
1,000 bucks later im wondering why no one ever told me...
Then after another snow storm, the engine light came on and stayed. Took RX-8 to the dealer who said the diagnostics showed an air intake control error. It tested fine on the diagnostic machine, so I didn't need to replace the $500 air intake control. The dealer said it could happen again though.
This year, the engine light went on again and the horn started blasting within days of each other, after the first big winter blast. I didn't pull the fuse and didn't visit the dealer because I figured that things would fix themselves again. After a week, both problems went away.
So my question is, where is the most likely place for the horn and the engine check light circuits to be exposed to the winter elements? Or is a heated garage in winter time the best bet?
I am having warm engine start problems now with my Rx-8 and am wondering if it is the starter. Does anyone have any advice out there?
I think a letter writing campaign is in order and maybe the major news station and consumer advocates should be made aware. How about it?