eli371

So I read in one of the threads that there was no real start stop procedure. I noticed a video showing a start/stop procedure though, and I was wondering if it had any merit. He says on startup, you should gradually rev to 2.5k and hold for 5 seconds, but I mean I don't push the car past 4k until the temp needle is nearly pointing straight up anyway. What really made me curious was the stopping procedure and his reasoning behind it.

(Skip to 1:35 for stopping procedure)

Anyone have any input on whether this is beneficial?

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

follow the start up, until the rev to 2.5k part.
Completely skip the shutdown, unless you believe you have a weak ignition system. But, in that case, you should remedy that...

wcs

iTrader: (2)

Where in Ontario are you located?

ken-x8

I may be out of line to suggest this. but why not follow the procedures in the owner's manual and the Quick Tips booklet?

Ken

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Starting:
Put the key in, turn the key to "on", wait a moment, turn to "start"
If your engine starts, congratulations, your engine is running.


Turning off:
Turn key to "off", remove key.
Congratulations, your engine is now off.




That's it. The guy in that video has zero idea of how flooding actually occurs. It occurs on start up, not shut down, and it only occurs if something has failed. Reving post start does nothing to prevent a flood because if it started, it isn't flooded!. Reving high before turning off does nothing to prevent flooding, because.... flooding occurs on a failed start up attempt, not on shut down.

Stay on top of your maintenance and you can shut the car off cold with zero problems, can fire it up without problems, etc...

Any other tricks people recommend are being recommended because they are neglecting their car in some other way.


Clear yet?

eli371

Hamilton.

Just downloaded the pdf! Thanks.

Crystal.

wcs

iTrader: (2)

There's pretty good group of Southern Ontario RX8 owners.
I don't do Facebook but I think they have a page.
There's always a spring meet and few cruises.

Head over to the Canada section
Canada Forum - RX8Club.com

Diesel Sauce

RIWWP,

I am still a bit new so I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction here. How exactly is flooding caused? On failed startup attempt you say. So if I start successfully but the car cut out as I take off I won't flood it?

If I abort the cranking without the engine running properly, is that causing it?

Flooding has not happened to me yet but I would like to understand what it really is. If it is preventable by maintenance I want to be all over that thing!

thanks!

Xcess

In the 5 and half years with my 8 never has flooded, and i have shoot down it cold. Otherwise my son's Kia Soul once flooded very badly because of a cold shoot down. I think RX8's aren't specially prone to this.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

(actually not exactly what is in the new owner's thread, but it's my re-write that is pending the rest of the thread changes)

https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-f...t-here-202454/
Flooding: (Updated October 14th 2013)
Another major complaint about the RX-8 is the tendency to "flood".

What is flooding?
Flooding, per the rotary engine term, is when there is too much gasoline in the combustion chamber. This really only happens when driver attempts to start the engine, but the engine doesn't immediately start. The ECU is pumping fuel while the engine is cranking, and if the engine doesn't start up quickly enough, all this fuel just soaks the plugs, washes around in the housing, and keeps the ignition from actually firing.

Flooding is only a concern if you have a weak ignition system, failing compression, failing battery, and/or failing starter.

Every single flood I have seen reported ended up coming down to one of these failing: Battery, Starter, Coil(s), Plug Wire(s), Plug(s), and/or Engine Compression.

If it's the battery that failed, the starter can't spin the engine fast enough, so the engine won't get good enough compression, and the air/fuel mixture won't ignite with any force.
If it's the starter that failed, the starter can't spin the engine fast enough, so the engine won't get good enough compression, and the air/fuel mixture won't ignite with any force.
If it's the engine compression that has failed, the engine won't get good enough compression, and the air/fuel mixture won't ignite with any force.
If it's the coils, plug wires, or plugs that have failed, it doesn't matter what compression you can achieve, what engine speed you can reach, you need a spark to light the air/fuel mixture!


Stay on top of the maintenance (long term included!) and you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Coils, plugs, and wires, should be replaced every 30,000 miles, possibly sooner if you detect something starting to fail, since people have had them fail as early as 8,000 miles or 15,000 miles, though that's rare. You can replace them for as little as about $200.

You don't want to shut off while it's cold simply because when the engine is cold, the ECU dumps more fuel into engine to help it warm up, and it leans back once the engine is warm. This extra fuel can make it harder to start an ignition, which a healthy ignition system is perfectly capable of overcoming. Weaken the ignition with failing plugs, coils, wires, alternator, starter, or battery, and you have a flood on your hands, and all the associated problems from that.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

You are correct that any car can flood it's engine, and largely for the same reasons. However, the RX-8s is more prone due to:
- The ignition fails a lot faster than most piston engines, so more chances to occur
- The shape of the rotary combustion chamber is very unfavorable to keeping the fuel atomized, so more tends to condense on rotor/housing/iron than on piston cylinder walls.
- The compression fall off due to cranking speed is more sigificant than piston engines, so cranking speed becomes more critical
- The fuel can't drain out, the way it can in a piston engine, so deflooding requires a specific action, rather than just waiting on a piston engine

Diesel Sauce

Ok, that really helped.

So at the moment my car is a bit slow to start from cold. So far it has always started but it's slow.
I'm strongly suspecting a weak starter and I have a new one on order already.

But essentially this slow to fire and burn off the fuel being pumped in is the problem.

Thanks for putting it that way, it's not as well described elsewhere.