Gavin83

I was hoping someone here could help me with the problems I'm having with my RX8. I'm fearing the worst.

The car has been running really well recently, loads of power, no hot start issues. All great.

Last night I was out driving and while waiting at a light it stalled. However I restarted the car and it got me home fine. I left it idling in my drive for a bit but it stayed on, no issues at all.

I started it this morning and it instantly sounded terrible. The idle was high at around 2000rpm and the car was physically shaking. I took it out for a quick spin round the block and while it didn't stall there was lots of vibration in the car, the engine sounded terrible, without the usual distinct sound I hear from it and there was a complete loss of power. It felt a lot worse at low revs, although I didn't take it was about 3500rpm. The engine warning light is also flashing.

When I pulled back in my drive and turned off the engine I noticed a burning smell in the cabin. When I got outside the car it was a lot worse. Haven't dared to start it up again yet.

Could anyone shed any light as to what the problem could be?

Thanks very much.

Gravey

iTrader: (3)

I just joined a month ago, but I have learned that a flashing CEL is ALWAYS a misfire. I believe the right advice in this situation is to do coils, plugs and wires.

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Install.

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How'd I do guys?

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

yep and check the cat

Gravey

iTrader: (3)

^oops! yes that too! Clogged cat could be causing this!

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

flashing cel=misfire which kills cat which kills engine

Gavin83

So I'd be best off replacing the coils, leads and plugs and then checking how the engine runs?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Take a look through here:
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...causes-249529/

Ignition health is critical to these engines, and failure to maintain it properly can lead to costly cascading failures. Lots of things it could be, but if you aren't aware of the maintenance requirement for the ignition parts, then it's a pretty good bet that yours need to be replaced anyway.

Gavin83

I've literally only just bought the car so was looking to have a full service including having the ignition parts replaced shortly.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Have you read this yet? https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/

I'm guessing you don't have a compression test on the engine either. Get a compression test ASAP to find out if your engine is even worth saving, and see post #33 in that thread for a specific list of things that you need to start replacing to make sure that if your engine IS fine, you aren't going to lose it shortly because something else failed and takes it out.

Cascading failures are hugely common on this car, and get really expensive, really fast. New owners that don't know anything about the car are by far the most vulnerable to this.

Be wary of dealer prices. Every single item on that list you can do with basic tools and a pair of jackstands in your driveway, but dealers will charge you through the nose in both parts markup and labor. Your use of the term "leads" tells me you are in the UK or Austrailia (?), so where to obtain the parts might become a question you will need to ask around for. Lots of sources in the US, but that probably doesn't help you all that much. As an example on the price gouging though, it isn't unheard of for a dealer to charge $1,300+ to replace coils, wires, and plugs, when you can buy all of that stuff for around $200 and replace it yourself in about an hour.

The 8 may have a unique engine, but the car itself is surprisingly easy to work on.

Gavin83

Would the smell point to an issue with the cat rather than the coils?

I was actually going to get the compression tested this weekend but seeing as I'm not able to drive there now thats a little out the question, for now at least. However I did in the interim check the hot start abilities of the car and it was fine.

Yes, I am based in the UK. I don't particularly have a problem with changing these myself, it's more the diagnosis I need assistance with.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Well, the smell does help indicate a cat failure, but that doesn't mean your ignition is fine, in fact it's further evidence that your ignition is probably NOT fine.

Coil failure, plug failure, wire failure, or any other failure that can trigger misfires (O2 sensor, MAF, engine compression, vacuum leaks, e-shaft sensor) can kill a cat in short order. The reason for this is the unburnt fuel and the unconsumed air get dumped into the exhaust, where there is plenty of heat to ignite it. The result is basically a blow torch on your cat, not something it was designed to survive. A dead cat can also cause misfires in return, damaging things upstream like the O2 sensors and the engine compression.

Call it a "feedback loop" and you won't be far wrong. Once one item fails, the cascading failures stretch upstream and downstream very quickly and the chances of having to replace multiple components starts accelerating like a run away freight train. Like a failed coil will start fouling both plugs on that rotor as well, which the good coil on that rotor will start to fail faster because of the extra stress of firing the plug.

ken-x8

That's just about the original estimate my dealer gave for coils, wires, plugs and O2 sensor when my coils blew. They gave me a $500 mercy discount, which softened the blow. Also saved $120 by having them use the spare set of plugs I had bought for $80.

Don't linger on getting this fixed. Not only can it begin without warning, but RIWWP's not kidding about how rapidly it can cascade.

Ken

Gavin83

I have no plans on driving the car until it's sorted.

I've got a mechanic coming to look at the car who specialises in rotary engines. He's bringing a test set of coils with him to see if that resolves the issue. I'll keep you all updated as to what the problems are.