skylinedrifter

Hello.


I have a 2005 RX8 with about 81000 miles on it.


It had been running alright up until yesterday, with the exception of a slight hesitation between 4.5 and 6k, but while on the freeway I found that I had a hard time accelerating beyond roughly 6.5k rpm. At one point, my check engine light blinked for a few moments.


Some observations:


The car seemed to start alright before leaving.
It seemed to run alright until I got to the gas station an filled up.
It seemed to run alright for the first few miles after filling up.
It seemed to start back up normally when I pulled over to check things out (warm start)
At some points the power seemed to "pulse"
The problem continued until I got to my destination.
The car started normally after sitting for a few hours and cooling down.




So my thought - my hope - is that I got some bad gas as I didn't fill up at my usual spot. I was able to burn through half a tank of it yesterday and will try to empty the rest of it tonight, throw in some fuel system cleaner (recommendations would be nice) and get a fresh tank from my usual station.


In the meantime, is there anything else I should look for? Keep in mind that I have no garage or shop and very few tools.


Thanks, folks!

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

flashing cel is a misfire. how old is your ignition? you are probably due for coils, plugs and wires. check your cat if its there. read the new owners trrhead on maintence

skylinedrifter

I had new coils, wires and plugs installed about 5k miles ago. I also had a compression test at that time and the mechanic said it's on the low side of acceptable. IIRC, bad gas could potentially cause a misfire, so here's to hoping that's all it is.


Now, getting under my car is a challenge since the space between it and the ground is slim and I... am not. :p I'll check the tech sections to see about how to remove the cat, provided I can find a way underneath.


Thanks.

skylinedrifter

So, when I got home tonight, I went out back and started the car. Once it warmed up I tried revving the engine in neutral. It would not go above 6.5k. It almost seemed like it was rev limited. After a couple of min, I got out and looked underneath.

The header was a dull red. The cat was a duller red.

So, I shut her down until the header cooled down then took her out on a very long drive; down to a quarter of a tank. Then, I filled up with 93 from Sunoco and let the gas run through at idle. After about 15 min, I went back out and was able to run her up to the buzzer, albeit roughly. I have a feeling that once the rest of the old gas runs out, it will be back to normal, thank God!

We'll see how she progresses tomorrow.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

if your cat is glowing (not just around the o2 sensor) its probably bad. you need to take it out and check both ends. a bore scope really helps if you have one

skylinedrifter

Thanks.

The glowing exhaust explains what I thought had been a clutch or rubber smell after running her the past couple of weeks. I did some research and it looks like taking the cat off is a simple prospect. I'm taking her in to the local shop next week for new rear struts and brakes. I'll ask them to pull the cat, too, and check it out.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

read all the stickies here and then re read the new owners ones

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

This.

And driving with a clogged cat could lead to a damaged engine. I don't understand some peoples' logic...

skylinedrifter

Well, it was the cat. I'm absolutely shocked that seemed to happen so quickly. I would have bet money it was the gas. As I mentioned in OP, it was absolutely fine earlier in the drive. Is it normal for those to clog quickly like that?

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

Read the stickies and read them again to get a better understanding of the car.

Because yes, it does happen.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

Yes.
It's a common refrain;
Misfires kill cats, bad cats kill engines.
Try to imagine the scenario:
The renesis is an inefficient design to begin with as far as burning fuel cleanly goes, inevitably dumping some unburned fuel into the exhaust even with a healthy ignition.
So, if even one component fails,
(plug, coil, wire) then even more unburned fuel is dumped into the exhaust, igniting there instead of in the engine, creating a blowtorch effect, melting the strata of the cat, or causing it to clog or break up.
It doesn't take long.
Mine had less than 19k miles on it when it went bad.

skylinedrifter

Well, I guess that'll teach me to doubt the power of this forum. :-)

On the bright side, I was close to needing a rebuild anyway. I was able to tell the wife that it's 'engine problems' and parlay it into a rebuild. I'll throw a BHR midpipe on to replace the cat and be much happier than I was before it all started.

Nisaja

As a temporary solution, you can gut it. Just break everything inside the cat until it's an empty barrel and fix it back on. At least it'll stop damaging the engine from that point on, so you can drive the car until to get the BHR mid pipe.

skylinedrifter

I had considered that, but I decided against it. I just limped her down to Chip's Motorsports a few miles away and dropped it off with him for a rebuild, and I'll be ordering the BHR in a couple of weeks.

What I need to figure out now is whether or not to go catless. I really don't want to bother with a potentially annoying CEL and I lack the equipment to override it. However, I don't want to deal with another cat problem like this one. Plus I'd like to shoot flames. :-p

Nisaja

Gutting it will make the car shoot flames bro.

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If you have a smartphone, you can get an app for $5 along with an OBD Bluetooth dongle to read codes, monitor your OBD, and clear CELs.
They range from cheap, around $15, to expensive.
I have an Android, use the Torque app, and I paid around $30 for the dongle.

Nisaja

I've bought a bunch off eBay for friends. They're like $4 now. All worked great.

skylinedrifter

Wow, really!? Looks like I'll be hitting eBay. Is there one brand in particular anyone can recommend?

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

Try this

skylinedrifter

Very wit. Much sarcasm. Wow.

Most of those are at least 3 years old.Soliciting updated information seems appropriate.

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

It's a start. You could try doing your own research on the subject and updated as required.
Though I take it from your previous posts that you don't do well with advice or your own work.
My post was meant to be helpful, but you took it for a shot at your fragile skin.
By the way- have you read the new owners thread yet?

skylinedrifter

I do just fine with advice. It's why I ask for it. As I admitted in my previous posts, i was wrong. Sucks to be me. But linking LMGTFY is reknown as a condescending response and a dick move. I don't appreciate it.

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

Then take it for what it is: a way to search the forum for info you seek. Use the same formula when typing your question and you'll get an abundance of threads you can search on your own.

It's the Internet, man. Gotta learn to not take things personally...

skylinedrifter

Alright, man. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Nisaja

Lol. That link was funny.

There're no specific brand for the OBD2 adapter. Any cheapo Bluetooth adapter will work fine. For the software to install on your phone, everyone recommends Torque. There's a free version available. Paid version is epic, but the free version will do just fine