Fritts44

Evening!
New member - still stuck in the new member area...

I have a 06 and a 04, both are doing really good!

I picked up a 05 the other day ( super cheap ) and planned on using it as a parts car for my other two RX8's. It was a AS-IS type of thing. Body is in great shape and it has the seats I would like to put in another so I took it. I was told the owner junked it because it would not go faster than 45 and the traction control light would flash and the car would die.

After I got it home, I checked for CEL and the memory was clean... I let it idle for about 30 minutes (it's quiet) and still no CEL. I drove it around town, and the traction control light started flashing and I had no power. I plugged up ODB2 and got the following:
P0336
P0076


Using the guide on the forums, neither of those codes explain the issue that I'm dealing with.

86,000 miles
2005 - 4port, automatic

Another funny issue that happened today - I went to turn the car off, and it started locking and unlocking on its own. the doors that is. when i took the key out, it stopped. crazy... But I figured I would toss this out there just in-case it's a fix I can do and my parts car becomes another car we can drive. LOL

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

Loki

iTrader: (1)

It sounds like eletrical gremlins, that's what all those systems have in common. Are the battery terminals clean and tight? Is there any damage to the fuse box or visible wiring? Does the radio stop working when the flashing lights start?

Individually those problems could be unrelated, but it's a strange mix. Stability control uses sensors in each wheel, check those for damage. P0076 is a fairly common solenoid failure that's fixed by a new solenoid. P0336 is very uncommon, I would suspect the wiring to the ESS (the sensor) before the sensor itself.

Doors locking and unlocking sounds like a sticking relay, which again, is weird. Has the car been flooded or accidented?

NotAPreppie

Are all four tires the same size? Are the ABS sensors present on each hub?

Fritts44

TY for the reply Loki!

The driver rear wheel has a nasty set of rash on it (almost looks bent) . I could always take the wheels off one of the other 8's and test that out.

As for the accident or flood, title was clean and carfax was clean.

I'm gonna swap the tires out this week and see if that makes a difference with the TC issue. I'll check into the 76 error (replacement parts) and see how that works. If I can get it running for under 500, I could possibly flip the car and have more $$ in my pocket for upgrades on the others!

I'll follow up once I swap the tires this week.

thnkx again!

Loki

iTrader: (1)

I misspoke, the wheel speed or ABS sensor is not actually in the wheel, it's in the hub. Examine the wiring when you get the wheels off.

Fritts44

Quick update,
I was going to pick up plugs & wires tonight so I drove the 8 in question... I turned off the Traction Control (hold it till both lights come in and stay on) , and I was able to push it to 65 with out an issue. However, when I started to slow down - it acted like it had a miss-fire but no CLE showed on the odb.

When I got back into city driving, it was idling rough and still acting like it had a miss-fire. Still no CLE tho..

NotAPreppie

A misfire event won't always set a permanent DTC code the first time but it probably should the second time. Does your OBD reader show pending codes?

It sounds like you have two problems:

1) Ignition issues.
This could be as easy as cleaning off the ESS and then doing the 20-brake-stomp reset (do it, it's free so in the 99% likelihood it doesn't fix the problem, you're out 10 calories of energy).
Changing plugs/coils/wires is a good plan. Do this before driving it again.

2) Stability control.
Check that your tires are all the same outer diameter. https://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Then check that the ABS sensor hardware is intact and working in each hub.

3) Random electrical gremlins.
Could theoretically be causing 1 and 2. Check that all the grounds are intact, the battery is in good shape and the alternator is throwing out enough voltage/current.

Fritts44

I have plugs/wires/coils on order. I'll replace all of those together.

Tomorrow, after work, I'm going to go out and start checking all the ground wires.

I'm using TORQUE on my cell, android version, and it shows:
Current Fault: (RED) P0336
Pending Faults: P0076, P0336

Have a good evening!

Fritts44

Tire update...
Both fronts are 245/45ZR18 100W

The rear left is 225/45R18 91V
The rear right is 225/45R18 95W

I know not that of tires, so maybe this is why the TC (car with squiggley lines) stays on and can't go over 40mph?

ty!

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Is one rear significantly more worn than the other? That'll do it too. Try rotating the 245s to the rear. Long term you'll want all tires to be the same.

Fritts44

Ya, they are all matched on my other 2 RX8's, if this one turns out to have an easy fix (via tune up) then I'll work on getting the rest of it going. But the tire use is about same all the way round.

I'm waiting on the coils to arrive tomorrow, before doing anything else (other than looking at it). heh

Steve Dallas

It sounds like you have more problems than just this one, but what Loki is getting at, in case it isn't perfectly clear, is the traction/stability control system will be applying brake pressure pretty much all the time, if you have any mismatched tires. That will obviously cause some speed issues.

NotAPreppie

All other things being equal, your front tires have a 2.7% larger diameter than the rears. However, not all is equal and different brands of the same size tire can (rarely) differ by more than that.

You can test this VERY easily: swap the wheels with one of your other '8s. If the problem moves from this problem child to that other car then you have your answer. If the problem child wheels won't fit on another car, just leave the other car on jack stands while you go on a test drive in this car.

Your P0076 error can probably be solved with . I just installed one in my '8 yesterday so I can verify that they fit and work. I can't tell you how long it will last being a cheap knockoff.

Here is the FSM page on troubleshooting P0336:
DTC P0336

Since the ESS is a magnetic sensor, it could be as simple as ferro-magnetic debris (metal shavings, etc) being stuck to the sensor itself. Fixing that is as simple as disconnecting the wire, unbolting the sensor and wiping it off with a paper towel. This could also be causing your intermittent flashing CEL as a dirty ESS can cause a misfire.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tec...7/#post3758950

Once you've cleaned the ESS, reset the ESS profile by turning the key to "ON" (but don't start) and stomping on the brake pedal 20 times in 8 seconds. IIRC, most cars will tell you it worked by having the oil pressure gauge sweep up and down.

Fritts44

Update Time!

Replaced the coils, plugs, wires today. Did the brake-stomp reset then waited about 5 minutes.

Started right up with no issues. I let it run about 10 minutes and did a CEL code check. The only code showing up is P0076 . So I took it for a drive to the parts store to pick up stuff for oil changes this weekend. It drove fine up there.

On the way back, it started sputtering and acting like a missfire. No CEL and the only code showing was still the P0076. I cleared it and waited a few minutes and still P0076 showing up. I went to live display and noticed that the water temp was 220f and slowly going up. I was giving it gas, and it sounded like a old v6 missing on 2 cylinders . No CEL still. Water temp was going up to 230f and it died on it's own.

About 20 minutes later, I was able to start it up and get going again. 3 blocks later, same issue...

So should I continue to troubleshoot it or just park it and use it for the parts-car we intended to?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

If you're intent on parting it out, then get on with it. If you want to save it, the next place to look would be your catalytic converter and your coolant overflow. If you see bubbles in the coolant overflow tank, you could have a failed coolant seal. If the cat is clogges, as happens when coils go bad, then you can either gut it for free, or find a replacement midpipe.

If it's not clogged, it's worth some money.

P0076 isn't going to go away on it's own, you need to see what's wrong with the SSV solenoid and possibly replace it. It's a fairly common problem.

NotAPreppie

P0076 is acutally the VDI solenoid, not the SSV solenoid.

Otherwise I agree with Loki. Part it out or fix it but quit messing around.

Fritts44

Well, I'm messing around with it so I can figure if I am going to use it for parts or repair it.