Jay Van De Ven

Hello everyone.
I'm new to the site, And overall new to rotary engines and would love if someone could possibly help me with a problem i'm having.
My rx-8 (im certain whenever it is warm) Looses all power and sound like its barely running. The idle is off (around 500rpm) And if i accelerate slightly it barely will react.
And also i think i may have put a lil too much oil in it. Now it blows a S**t load of smoke out the exhaust and i'm hoping that won't add to the problem ?
Please help ! lol.

Cheers, Jay

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Did it do this before you put too much oil?

​​​​​​How old are ignition coils and are there any modifications?

CaymanRotary

Gonna have a bunch of questions but it will help me know where you are at.

Does the car also have problems restarting while hot?
What color is the smoke its blowing out? Is it constant smoke or does it go away?
Have you compression tested your engine recently?
When was the last time spark plugs, wires, ignition coils and starter replaced?
Do you have any engine codes?

BigCajun

iTrader: (1)

If you put more than 4 quarts it's definitely too much.
That can cause problems, but if it was doing it before you changed oil, then it could be something else also.

Did you get any flashing CELs?
Go to an auto parts store and get a free OBD scan to check for stored or pending codes.

If you can't shut it off and immediately restart it when it's hot, that's a sign the engine is failing and needs to be rebuilt/replaced.
Do not sink any money into it changing parts if this is happening.

There are some things you can do otherwise that may help, but this is critical, let us know if it's having hot start problems.
Good luck.

Jay Van De Ven

The low rev problem happened before i put oil in it.

Jay Van De Ven

And yes sir it does have a problem starting up when its warmed up if its stuffed out. The smoke this happened because i put too much oil in, It was ALOT of smoke luckily i was only going around the corner.. No flashing CELs..? I dont know what exactly a engine code is.. I only just bought it, Someone sold it to me, They must have known it was buggered. So i wouldn't have a clue about any servicing its had...

Jay Van De Ven

This light here?

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Oh boy. Ok. Well, not restarting easily when warm is typically a sign that the engine is on its last legs. What do you want from this car? Run in into the ground or repair and keep it a while?

If you're planning to keep it, plan on replacing the ignition coils and spark plugs, verifying the catalytic converter is healthy and having a compression test to asses the state of the engine. It is possible you will need a replacement.

Did you not test drive it before buying?

Engine codes are recorded in the engine computer when the check engine light is lit. Helps narrow down the problem. Can be read with an OBD scanner, every garage has one.

Jay Van De Ven

Honestly, I don't know alot about cars. I used all my money buying this cause it was the only car that was in my area for sale, i have a sick son and i need to take him for treatment every second day at the hospital and now i dont know what to do. It sounds stupid but i trust that it would be sweet cause they look reliable. I didn't know what i was getting into. Now that i have not even a penny in my wallet. I thought the last thing i can try do is find a forum and see if anyone can help. I don't know what to do.

CaymanRotary

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you really bought the wrong car for your situation. You can’t judge reliability by looks. I suggest you start reading the new members sticky and look at what you are dealing with here. If you overfilled the oil by a lot, you need to at least drain the oil out and put back in the correct amount. You are probably causing a mess of everything if you continue to drive it. If you really need a car now, you are better off just buying another car to be quite honest. Go for an old Honda or Toyota. If you don’t know much about cars, you are going to have a very bad time. I feel for you man... be safe out there. Save yourself the headaches and see if someone will trade you a working vehicle for it. Your car can be fixed but not in your situation.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

Where are you located? Maybe someone local can lend a hand at least figure out the immediate issues.
But yeah. Sorry to say, this is not the best car for the situation. See if you can sell it.

UnknownJinX

Well, I would just stop troubleshooting it at this stage since you said you don't have the money. These cars are cheap because they are not reliable unless you meticulously care for them, which requires money. It's definitely not a beater especially with its gas mileage.

I can see people lending you a hand for labour, but asking them to buy the parts for you is a bit to ask... Especially with the current... Situation. Just try and sell it.

If you want a beater, get an old Corolla or Camry. Hard to go wrong with these. You just need to add oil in them once in a while for certain years.

Jay Van De Ven

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u6jn5tow5e..._4425.MOV?dl=0

Heres a link to my video of me running it from cold you can see the flucuation, and no power once cold.

CaymanRotary

It’s definitely running like complete ****. You’ll need to diagnose ignition system components first (Coils, plugs, wires) and make sure they are in good condition. Next, you’ll want to inspect your intake. Make sure nothing is impeding the air from getting into the throttle body. Check your intake filter as well. Because you overfilled the oil, the filter and MAF may be oil contaminated and need to be cleaned. That’s a start anyways.

Jay Van De Ven

Cheers mate your a legend ill get onto the servicing of this. Then let you know how that goes for me. Massive help guys !

UnknownJinX

If you want to troubleshoot, the fluctuating idle could be a vacuum leak so check to make sure there are no cracks in the intake. Like mentioned, also make sure to wipe the inside of the intake down.

I am not sure if it's just me, but does the exhaust ever glow after you drive it? If so you want to hollow out the cat, since that will be a fire hazard.