Matt RX8

With all of the latest flashes, is flooding still an issue if you turn off the car before the engine is up to temp?

I've had my car almost a year and I never shut it off cold due because of the flooding issue.

Well a couple of nights ago, I accidentally stalled the car while backing out of a parking spot while the engine was still cold and the air temp was below freezing.
Anyway, the engine started right up again with no issues.

Nopstnz

Dunno. I let mine warm up every morning for around five minutes and when its warmer in the afternoon for about three minutes. Have not once turned it off cold and at 4k miles no problems. I wondered the same thing as well because a lot of times I want to move it out of the garage to wash it but I don't want to drive it ten feet because I don't like the idea of a short drive even if the engine is warm.

Raptor2k

Not for me. Never was =)

NoTears316

Werd, I'll go ahead and get the +1 to my post total (even though this exact same post has been up every week for the last year)... I have never flooded since my purchase in Aug 2003, so no, i dont think there is a problem at all.

Raptor2k

Maybe it's a Texas thing

Rupes

I drive about one mile to work everyday. I let the car idle for about 30 seconds before I take off, and maybe another 30 before I turn it off when I arrive at work. I have done this for over 8 months. Sometimes when its below zero, i let it warm up a bit more. I just wait till I see some type of movement on the temp gauge (ie it's at least touching the C) then I turn it off. No problems as of yet, just make sure you don't back it out the driveway then turn it off, that will cause a problem in colder weather. Things just have to be slightly warmed up for it not to flood.

Jerome81

I thought one of the flashes way back when prevented this? Essentially cranked the car a couple times before adding fuel to ensure the chambers were empty.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

My automatic flooded with the latest flash update. I believe you still should warm up the car just to be careful.

RX8_GT

PCM flashes alone have not proven effective in preventing flooding. I flooded my RX-8 - nearly to the point of towing - after the latest flash.

The new battery - starter - plugs is the latest Mazda fix to the flooding issue.

The cure is still to be proven IMHO.

woodysjh

I have my car for over a year and flooding has never been an issue.

Shinka_518

Never been an issue here.

518

msrecant

Bad news ... if you read through the main flooding thread (https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/engine-flooding-info-questions-17498/), it is a long sad tale of people who have flooded, including many people who initially boasted that they have never flooded. With the experience base, bad press and bad experience at the port/dealerships (Mazda internally has been impacted hard by this issue) I don't think anyone can argue that there is no flooding issue. By religiously following Mazda's short-trip recommendations many people appear to consistently avoid floods, but its not easy.

Good news ... As of 3/22/2005 all production RX-8s have the following four main flooding fixes introduced since early 2004:
- PCM update
- 640 CCA battery
- updated starter
- redesigned leading plugs

The changes address both making a flood less likely and enabling the car to recover from a flood without a tow to the dealer. It has not been proven that this is a "fix" but there is reason for optimism. I have yet to find a post where an RX-8, built after 3/2005, has flooded. Nor have I run across a post of someone who has had ALL four changes who has subsequently flooded. Time will tell, but its looking good ... stay tuned.

DerrickWilliams

I STILL dont understand why people who live in warm climates feel the need to write posts about how they have never flooded and that it really isnt an issue. It's amazing how many morons wander this Earth. Anyway, the new battery and starter make it so that you can recover from a flood. I think it is still easy to flood in cold weather, but you wont have to get towed to the dealership if you do. You just have to keep crankin that baby and pumpin the gas. the battery is big enough and the starter is now powerful enough to drive all that crap outta there and get that rotary spinnin again

Mazmart

iTrader: (12)

Actually all the updates (Flash, starter and battery) primarily prevent a flood by helping to ensure a start and then secondarily help if a flood should occur.

raspyrx7

Maybe the reason the newer ones aren't flooding is because they're not old enough... compression plays into flooding as much as cranking rpms. I don't get why mazda doesn't just implement the same fix they used to have in the S5 RX7s. Just put the pedal to the metal while cranking and based on TPS position it senses the scenario needed to turn off the fuel pump while cranking. I'm an elec engineer and I just don't see the complication in this subroutine. Has anybody done this method in the event of flooding to see if perhaps this subroutine still exists? If I gotta go down n talk to Mazda personnally to go to bat for ya'll I will... It worked then and it should work now.

Brice-RX8

This is in place, it is in the deflooding procedures. The ECU senses the throttle being applied 100% on cuts fuel. I would say read a manual, but it seems you have a 7, so you obviously don't know about this. It is all over the site though.

raspyrx7

Cool, thass good to know its in the manual... your correct I don't yet have an RX8... so does that procedure not work... flooding has to be the most popular topic on this forum

msrecant

Unfortunately cutting the RENESIS off cold and letting it sit for a day,floods the engine so bad that just cutting fuel during startup is usually not enough to deflood. The plugs get seriously wet, compression may be compromised and the awesome power of those 330 Cold Crank Amps is just not enough to pull your chestnuts out of the fire.

You are correct, the fact that the later 2005's batterys are so new may be a factor in no floods. That is why the jury is still out on whether it has been fixed.

raspyrx7

well I know my RX-7 didn't like the cold much either, cranking rpms are pretty crucial in compensating for cold air and lower compression... we need a Diesel subroutine, when its so cold out it turns on a light to indicate the spark plugs are doing a series of ignitions to warmup before letting you crank'r over... hehe.

on second thought maybe call it DRY FIRE mode.... lol

msrecant

Or like on an airliner, have an APU (small secondary engine) to spool up the RENESIS to point where it will fire.