hi guys, hope this is the right place, to post I'm looking at buying a rx8 which has a hot start issue, not been able to look around the rex properly just yet, but from what the guy says its drives and starts fine other then when its hot, to which i have been told could be down to a few things, most commonly low compression but also mentioned was crappy battery slow old model starter, crappy terminals on battery among other things, i know as a rough price engine rebuild is around 1500 mark, its a 2003 228bhp model with around 80.000 miles thats about all i know at the moment, just wanting some pre buy advice really as to what to look out for as in more signs of low compression as i am un able to get hold of a rotary compression tester and the normal ones are no good for testing so any advice on what to look out for or what to check that could help confirm the low compression without a comp test would be great... sorry if this post is little all over the place lol... IM A NOOB lol....

 

Pass. While it could be other things, without a proper compression test there is way too much risk that 1500 buys you another 3000 worth of problems.

 

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Hi I forgot to mention the guy only wants 500 for the car is it is right now with the hot start issue is its till worth a buy ? I've arranged a compression testa friend of mine is a Mitsubishi tech however he only has a standard tester but has assured me the test he can do will be good enough to determine if it's shafted or not..

 

The standard tester will tell you if the engine is fully blown or not, but if it starts cold, then it's not fully blown. So.. rotaries are a bit special, you can't really translate piston concepts to them.

Whether 500 is worth it is up to you, just keep in mind you risk needing a new engine which is what about 3000 pounds in the UK? So your net out-of-pocket cost is 500+ whatever the engine cost is + your time running around fixing it. Can you get a known-good car for the same amount?

 

You need one of these to do a proper compression test.


This works perfect every time!




RotaryCompressionTester.com

 

Loki is right, if you're looking for a car to drive and not have to worry about fixing before you can use it, pass. Plenty of other fish in the sea.

That being said, if you have an extra 500 sitting around and want it for a parts or project car, then by all means, go ahead and buy it. know that an engine rebuild will probably run you $3000-$4000 USD and if that is not something you intend on doing, you really dont have any use for the vehicle.

By the sounds of it, its on its way out and your seller didnt feel like taking a loan out to get his car running again. If that's your cup of tea, so be it, but just know that you're probably walking into a pretty extensive bill or a very involved project.

Aside from all this, if you're considering buying any rx8, do yourself a favor and read the new owners and congratulations you got an 8 threads in the stickies. They have a ton of information that you need if you intend on owning this vehicle.

Lastly, if you arnt budgeting for a very near future rebuild with your car purchase, DO NOT BUY an RX-8 without a rotary specific compression test. Most of them are around $100 usd at a mazda dealership. I have posted numerous times in depth descriptions of what you need to get out of a compression test, search through my recent posts and i'm sure you will find the information you will need there.

 

My car started acting up when warm. It would take more cranks to start and then it kind of stumble started. I thought bad compression. But I cleaned the ess and everything cleared right up. 2 or 3 cranks of the engine now when hot and it's off to the races.

 

sorry for my ignorance NOOB what is the ess and where is its location,,, i got the car buy the way i paid 450 in the end.. she runs a little rough on idle and has cut out twice once she warms up and driven... if she's sat idling from cold she runs fine even if you rev her up she still idles fine apart from what i think is a misfire,,, ill post a vid when i figure out how to do ti lol....

 

is the cel flashing? if so you 99% of the time have a misfire. ess-eccentric shaft sensor. like a crank sensor. looking at fron to the car the biggest pulley is on the bottom. the sensor is about the 5 o clock position

 

The ess is the eccentric shaft sensor. It's a magnetic sensor by the shaft pulley. Takes about 10-15 mins to clean it. I removed the air box and could see it no trouble. It gets coated in grime and mine had some metal flakes on it. This throws off the pickup. Best way I can explain it is to remove the airbox and look down at the eccentric shaft pulley (bottom pulley on the engine) you'll see a silver cylinder. That is your sensor. Take it off and clean it. Some people say they leave it on and wipe it. But I don't see how that's possible with it so close to the pulley. Besides there only one bolt holding. Give it a try you never know. Done wonders for me

 

no cel (engine check light) never shows it at all even when it stalls at idle... or when hot however i have removed the ess today gave it a clean even though it was not really dirty also removed the MAF and gave that a clean too... i have also remove the plug leads one at a time with engine running to see if i have spark to witch i have a good spark on every lead i still need to check the plugs see how they are doing but nothing has changed engine wise still stalls when hot and stopping at junctions nightmare..

 

check that out today along with the MAF still the same just won't idle when hot well it does if you leave it parked and just rev it up it will go back to idle although it idles a little low around 750 sometimes less but never stalls only stalls when you drive it and stop for a junction which is a nightmare as i then have to wait 20mins or more before it will start up again,,, hot start issue

 

did you do the 20 brake stomp? does it have the origional fuel pump?

 

yeah sure did.... still no diff not sure on the fuel pump as I've not had chance as yet to look at it.. only got the car 2 days ago... its done 89+ incase your wondering

 

Mine was hard to start when it got warmed up,low compression.