i disconnected my battery so I could clean the terminals. I then connected the battery back up. Now my car starts but then dies. As soon as i take my foot off the gas it dies. I let the car sit for hours and then tried again and it turned on and was fine. Then when i got to a stop light it dies and turns off. I have a AT rx8.


what the hell is wrong
did i reset the ecu or something?
what can i do

 

correct after connecting the bat again...


but before you reconnect the bat... step on the brake for one long time... it drains the whole elec sys...

i hope this covers it.. if not.. you have a lot of work to do..


beers

 

ill try
thanks guys

 

do u have an aftermarket intake? check to see if it disconnected from the box. happened with my racing beat. connected back and car ran fine.

 

the battery connectors on this car are the worst design I've ever seen. If you take them off you'll see that they intentionally have raised sections on the terminal connecting surface. i.e. they don't have full surface contact. They're also made out of crappy material that oxidizes the terminal surface. I recommend taking the OE terminals off and replacing them with a higher quality product. I wouldn't be surprised if they're a strong contributor to the whole battery/starter/flooding issue.

However, an AT dying at idle may indicate an engine integrity issue i.e. low compression. AT rotaries are notorius for this problem. Have you had the latest recalls done, they should have checked compression, etc. on the latest recall TSB

 

check the 15amp ROOM fuse inside the cabin fuse box

 

this happens everytime you disconnect the ECU or battery . I bet it has already fixed itself ?

 

update
it has fixed itself
however i have new things going on

my car seems to not want to accerate at times
i jump in the car
hit the gas and it barely moves
then finally the rmps jump and it takes off

 

Bad coil or that CAT replacement you got is bad.

The ECU should reset it's self after a few times after you turn it on and off.
You have to drive betwen the on and off.

 

Mike: the "it fixed itself" is quite troubling.... Usually issues wont' just fix themself, the symptoms can just go away but the problem is still there.

I'm with Razz on checking your coils and cat.

 

not if you diconect the battery - the poor idle issue will always happen.

 

ok
i will have someone check the coils then

 

have you checked your AT fluid?

 

sorry to hi-jack but i think this is the closest thread to my problem.

I think i have the same problem or similar to mikes had/has with the car dying at stoplight...
So i pick up my car today after 3weeks for a transmission leak they fixed.. dove off the car was fine. Got on the highway fine, but traffic was ahead so i slowed down,
Clutch in and brakes..but then the car dies thought it was me so i restarted and left when traffic free'd up...then stoping again same thing happens...restarted and drove off again...slowed down and threw it in neutral this time and started braking but the car died again ... went to home depot , came back in the car and it drove fine home WTF !!!.
I did notice before the transmission work my radar dectector has a voltage meter that would read 14.5 -14.7 while driving and 14.5ish at ACC(no engine running)...
Now while driving volts read 14.6-14.8ish and 12.8 at ACC..???

My car is 2004 MT...
upgraded starter
new battery
NO CEL's
Engine turns very fast

runs greats no bogs or anything like that...

I dont understand? Any thoughts? thanks for any input

 

if the trans was just worked on..

the bat cable was removed.. the ecu was reset.. the s flash takes several drive cycles to idle well..

beers

 

i had a similar problem to what u guys had before i got in a wreck this weekend, thurs my car was dyin out on the 405 freeway on the way to six flags, either u have a major vacuum leak, or ur cat is clogged, coils could be bad especialyl leading coils.... or ur computer is just relearning........sorry if it took long for me to post havent come on the forum in a long time

 

ok well i give up
im taking the car to the dealer today
and will keep you posted

 

update
the coils were bad

 

hahah stall?

 

not funny.

stupid post again.

hahah. die.

beers

 

ok car is done 650.00 later
4 coils, gas cap, transmission flush, oil change
they stuck it to me

 

How does that amount to $650??? Those coils better be made of gold.

 

coils were charged 50 each
trans flush was 110
gas cap 20
oil change 30
i think the labor was 300

 

Mike, I got the same damn problem you are talking about...

I always kind of thought it was due to the amp and subs i have in my car b/c it will idle at like 750 w the AC and amp on... but like 850-900 without both. And ocassionally it just loses juice or something and dies when i come to a stop. I constantly have to worry about this stupid thing dying. Had it happen to me approximately 10 times, twice where I flooded it because i was frantic in the middle of a busy intersection trying to get it started. Now, i did all the warranty work because i worried about the compression issue, however they said it was no problem. But it still dies occasionally at stoplights, and my warranty is up. Considered a new battery, since they replaced the spark plugs twice, but never replaced the coils. How does it run with the new coils? Mind you, i took it to a local mazda dealership but it seems like this is the only rx-8 they have ever seen because they never seem to know whats wrong with it.

I am considering selling this beast for an MT but pretty much am going to take a $5,000 hit on trade in. What do you guys think, would it be worth it to get an '05 MT with 14k or stick with my '04 AT with 52k for that kind of price jump?

I love the 8 but it is really frickin embarrassing for it to die at a stoplight and to have to constantly worry about it...

 

its the cat
my cat was clogged