B60RX8

I have a question about what appears to be a FLOODED 2004 RX8...
my car has been towed to a body shop for repairs, when the tow truck driver came to get the car he started it in -6 degree weather backed it up and shut it off, he did not know the procedures of warming it up and rev up before shut down. Then after setting for two days at the body shop outside they start it again and drove it inside and once again shut it down with out warming it or revving it up.....
Today they called me to say that the car would not start after several attempts and a jump start, so I went over and cranked on it but still the same results of course, I then heard how they had started and moved it. Question for anyone, what can I do now to get it back running again???


Thanks,

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Flooding is a symptom of a deeper problem. You can shut an RX-8 down bone cold if it has a healthy battery, a healthy starter, clean plugs, healthy coils, healthy wires, and healthy compression. Period. Shutting it down cold is only a problem if something is already failing. So when you do get your car back, you need to figure out what the problem is, and fix it. It could entirely just be a weak battery from the cold temps and moving it repeatedly without letting it run longer to charge it, but you will need to confirm that.


As far as getting it running, if it's a manual, pull start it for ease. Otherwise, there are numerous DIYs for deflooding, and several different ways you can do it. All of them center around cranking the engine with fuel delivery shut off to sweep out fuel, then trying a start normally. The easiest method of cutting fuel is by pushing the gas pedal to the flood while cranking. The ECU sees this as a trigger and cuts the fuel. It's the method described in the owner's manual or owner's DVD. There are other options though, like pulling the fuel pump fuse, disconnecting the e-shaft sensor, etc...

A bad flood can take 10-15 minutes of cranking sessions to get all the fuel out, so make sure you don't just kill the battery in the process.

If the reason for the flood still exists (like you have coil failure), keep in mind that you can sweep all the fuel out of the engine, only to have it re-flood when you try to start it.

Karack

you don't have to scare em into submission.. many people who have run into the problem of cold short starts resulting in flooding otherwise normally may never see a problem and it still might not even be considered a problem outside those conditions.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

There is still always a reason for it, and "it's cold" isn't actually a reason. Something else happened, and it's something that they need to address. Every time.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Body Shop is usually enough for a major flood....

They tend to start and stop them numerous times a day to put them in different areas of the shop.

The only time they didn't flood mine....was when I unplugged the ESS before I left....to make them push it around They were pissed off....but the previous times they didn't listen and flooded it bad...

ken-x8

Yes. Not warming it up. According to Mazda:

"Short trip driving procedure.

"Any trip that is too short for the
engine to reach normal operating
temperature; needle in middle
of temperature gauge indicates
normal temperature.

"The following procedure should
be followed when moving vehicle
a short distance:"

It then goes on to the warmup procedure.

Ken

B60RX8

Thanks Guy's... I really appreciate all the help with this topic, also its nice to know that there are people out there who will give good advise without asking for your CC info...

Thanks,

ken-x8

No CC info required... but we'll need your SSN and a copy of your birth certificate.

Speaking of flooding and body shops, there was an entertaining post a few years back. A body shop flooded an 8. The way they fixed it was to put it in the paint booth, with the heat on, for a day or so. That evaporated the excess gas and it started.

No idea about the reliability of the technique, but I remember the poster was proud of his body shop problem solving style.

Ken

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

I flooded mine once nearly a year ago, found my problem, bad coil, plug, & cat, fixed it , and now I move mine around the house, make very short trips for gas & other stuff, and never once have bothered to do any kind of warmup procedure.
That is probably a CMA procedure for Mazda cause they knew they had crap coils.
I have an '04 btw.

ken-x8

I'm just reluctant to try the experiment, so I never turn mine off cold. I probably take an extra lap around the block once or twice a year, so my paranoia isn't really cramping my lifestyle.

A couple of years ago I talked to a guy who had an RX-7 when he was in college. He said that he was always moving it short distances because of a shared driveway, and constantly flooding it. Did the RX-7 have the same weak ignition problem as the 8?

Ken

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You shouldn't turn ANY car off cold. The only thing that changes with the rotary is the greater chance of an immediate penalty if something else is failing. For the average consumer that ignores the health of their car, shutting off an RX-8 cold is rolling the dice. Take care of your parts and you still shouldn't, but you don't have an immediate penalty any more.

B60RX8

I wanted to give you guy's the update on my Flooded RX8...

The body shop figured out pretty quick the F-d up, so they went straight to Mazda and ordered the plugs, they dried out the block and put the new plugs in and right away it fired up...

But as I looked at the old plugs it was obvious they had never been replaced also two of the plugs were green on the tips. I ordered new wires and I was going to get Coil packs as well but they have three different types, which are more recommended???

In terminators, Wells or Beckley's

Thanks,

SteveJk

I have a 2005 RX-8, and flooded it a few times prior to learning about letting it fully warm up. There are 2 ways to un-flood the engine. The first way is to turn the key to crank the engine and hold it there for 10-15 seconds, then release and wait 5-10 seconds. Continue doing this until the engine turns over. If you are doing this, make sure you have another vehicle ready to use as a jump because your battery will most likely die out before you start the engine. Once started, let it run for a while to clear out all the accumulated fuel. The other way is to remove the plugs and turn over the engine, spitting out the excess fuel. But due to where the plugs are, this is really not a great option