well, i had started a thread of my own about the end of my lease, and i was trying to keep up with 3 or 4 posts about power loss, and it was too much, so i'm starting a new one! i know this should technically go in the issues & problems forum, but i wanted more visibility!

i have a '04 mt with 46k. original engine, had cat replaced about 2 years ago i guess, other than that no problems at all. lease is up (and therefore my 4 yr warranty) this january, so of course i start having problems now!!

recap: i had two random stalls at red lights over the summer. car cranked right back over though both times. then, this past friday i experienced the power loss while driving - no power at all in first and second gears although it was moving forward; heard some rattling noise of some sort but that went away.

so ... i drove to the dealer this morning. first time i drove it since the incident on friday. it drove like new. i just talked to the dealer and he said this: the compression came back "good to high" (he didn't give me any numbers), whatever test they do for the cat came back fine, and the "misfire" test came back fine too (i pointed out the coils and he said that's what the misfire test tests for, so the coils are not shot). he also said the mechanic made a note that my engine looks in a lot better shape than most he sees

that's all good and well, but i didn't imagine that power loss on friday -- so i'll keep a close eye on this, but i'm concerned it's just a precursor for a blown engine. can anyone comment on their experiences or give advice for my situation? i guess it's good news for now, i'm just worried something will happen in the coming months.

oh, i know the power-train warranty is 5 yrs, which gives me another yr of coverage, but what does that include? would it include the cat? (sorry if that's a dumb question)

 

You should've asked them to do a Vacuum test.

 

what does that test for? they may have - he rattled off a bunch of tests they did and i'm not sure i caught everything...

 

u get a new engine.

 

You're definitely going down the new engine road.

Enjoy not having your car for a few weeks!

 

explain yourself!! has this happened to you?

 

There are many threads about this.

 

sorry ... i misunderstood your post and confused myself. i know the vacuum test has to do with the recall and if the car fails it you get a new engine ... i was asking what the vacuum test is testing, if that makes any more sense!

 

is it just a certainty that if you have stalls/power loss you WILL need a new engine and it's only a matter of time? it seems that one person has something happen and another has the same thing -- one needs a new engine and one is fine. i'm at a loss -- how does a car pass all tests with "good to high" ratings and still fail?? don't get me wrong, i'm very worried that it will fail now.

 

I had the same problems, Random stall (in an auto ), engine would make a weird noise, first gear was super sluggish.

But then I'd take it home, next day it'd drive fine...if I drove it for an extended period of time, like running errands, instead of going to and from work, it would start the loss of power and weird noise.

I had the car looked at twice, before my third visit (engine replacement visit), they said my tests look fine (the same ones you had), and the second time they said the coils looked okay but I think they replaced them anyway, not sure.

Still had the same problems though, if I drove it for an extended period of time, it would go crazy on me. I also had an weird idle thing, would just keep going up and down up and down between like 600 and 1k.

Third visit in, they called back and said it was time for a new engine. Had to wait 3 weeks to get my car back, and ever since it's been perfect.

Some people say it's because the RX-8 doesn't like hot weather that it'll start to overheat and the 04 engines didn't handle it too well (since a lot of the replacements were in hotter climates).

I don't really know the rhyme or reason why mine needed to replaced, they didn't tell me, but I didn't ask either , all I know is, it works perfectly now, and that's all that mattered to me in the end.

 

thanks for explaining. that is EXACTLY what's going on, even the weird 600-1k idle twitch. so that leaves me with one more question - about how much time was in between the first time you noticed it/took it in until the 3rd time? i ask b/c my 4 yr warranty is up in january, but i guess the 5 yr power train warranty would cover it also. my first stalls were over the summer (austin, tx -- it was hot like you said). and the 1st power loss was friday, i guess about 2 months from when the stalls and erratic idle started.

i'm welcome a new engine too! did you get a reman? if so, was it a post '05 engine (which supposedly doesn't have the same issues our '04s have...)?

 

Reman yes, the engine replacement happend this year so I hope it wasn't on 04 or 05

And I noticed it about a week or so after my second visit, it wasn't that bad so I ignored it, 2 weeks later it regressed back to where it was, a few weeks after that I had time to take it in.

 

How many Lubbock members we have here? Sorry for the jack

 

I just have a quick question. Since I have a 2004 MT (33,000 miles) I am a little concerned about the whole engine replacement thing. Is this covered under a warranty that goes beyond the standard 4yr/50k? I only ask as my factory warranty is about to expire.

 

Well as far as I know there's me and Andrew.

Andrew hardly counts though since he doesn't come here...ever. - Made one post asking about other lubbockites then quit haha

Send me a PM, we were both planning on getting together for some drinks soon, would love to have another 8 owner with us!

 

not 100%, but i think the power train warranty is 5 yr/60k. i have the same predicament, 4 yrs is up in january, so i'll ask the dealer tomorrow when i pick up my car if it's covered under the 5 yr warranty.

thanks shini - that's exactly what i wanted to hear ... well, i don't *want* this to happen, but i feel better now - i felt like i was on crack, notable power loss, erratic idle, stalls, and the dealer tells me it's "good". i guess i'll keep driving it until the next power loss and take it back in! hopefully get a new, non '04 engine and run that one for many more years!

 

The reason I asked about the warranty issue is befor I had my 8 I owned a 2001 Audi A4 with the 1.8T motor. These engines were notorious for engine sludge problems that would cause catastrophic failure. There were a few things that contributed to this. Bad oil pick up design in the oil pan, Audi recomending 5000 mile intervals for oil changes, etc. After enough people blew up their cars while following recomended maintence Audi issued a TSB addressing this issue. Basically it covered "engine failure do to sludge" up to 100K miles regardless of time.
Just curious of Mazda has done anything like this if there are issues with the 04 motors.

 

i'm not sure about that reedy. everyone seems to be aware of the issue though -- the tech even told me that "my '04s engine is in better shape than most he sees" ... i didn't ask him to elaborate but it sounds like they know the issues are there.

i just picked my car up. drive home went fine. didn't notice anything, but i'm just going to keep driving it hard and i'll let you know if/when the power loss happens again.

the guy i normally deal with wasn't there when i picked it up, but i asked another guy about what exactly the 5yr/60k "powertrain" warranty covers. he said "ya know, the engine and stuff" ... i could tell he was kinda new, so i didn't press him. i'll call the guy i normally deal with to get specifics.

my 4 yr warranty is up in january, that's why i'm worried about engine failure now ... if the 5 yr powertrain DOES cover the engine failure, i'm not worried ... i have 14 months to keep driving and get it replaced if i get the power loss again. if it doesn't, i'm freakin' out!!

 

get new spark plugs, i ran into the exact same problems you were going through and put new spark plugs in and the car feels like it should be.

 

What is different on the 05 and up engines? I have an 04 that had a power loss problem back in the summer. The Tech told me that it was a switch . Something to do with the secondary valve opening. My car has ran fine ever since. Did the factory make a change on the later models ?