Hey guys,
Have been reading the last few days, am looking for a sporty car and thought about the Rx-8- it's pretty, I like the alterna-tech and Mazdas in general- I am pretty fastidious in my maintenance and following protocols on my cars so I think I would be fine with the care of a rotary. I was just wondering what happens if you stall soon after starting up? Is it recoverable, or is it 100% flood? Are floods sure to happen if you don't follow the protocols, or is it just something that CAN happen? I'm sure you guys must valet the cars sometimes, and they don't know how to treat it, what do you do in those situations?

 

Owner since August 2003. Never flooded once. Never followed any silly protocols to "prevent" flooding.

 

had rotary for 150K miles, never flloooded except when the car was broken.

 

I've only stalled mine once—the engine was already warm and it started right up, no problem. And once I turned it off when the engine was still cold—it started right up. Mine's never flooded and, to be honest, I don't worry about it. (Maybe that's because I never have occasion to just start her up cold, move her a few feet, and shut her down right away—which, apparently, is how it typically floods.)

I never valet park, but some owners who do will first explain to the valet that the car must not be started up/moved/shut down or it might stall. In fact, someone here even made a little warning notice that they'd tape to the dash for valet parkers—here it is (post #3)…

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...=valet+flooded

 

I've never stalled when called. I will even turn it off at long stop lights if the car is warm. Never had a problem restarting the fun gas hog.

 

I flooded my 8 without even stalling it.....didn't drive far enough for it to fully warm....came back to it later that day and wouldn't start....then again I did have the weak 04 05 battery....06 and later flooding really isn't an issue

 

'05, I forgot once: Started-moved-turned off-crap. But it started with no trouble after. That is the closest I came and it wasn't an issue.

 

The past flooding issues sure makes one a bit paranoid with this car.

 

yesterday i had to back mine out of the garage for the terminex man to go in my attic. i cranked it up, backed it out, then shut it off. oh ****! oh crap, don't flood. cranked it up, no problem. i was nervous though.

 

I used to constantly defy the flooding gods...backing my car out of the garage to wash it every weekend, and doing the same pulling it back in. I probably did that hundreds of times without flooding!
Then I had the engine recall check done, and the next time I moved it after washing it...it flooded. I decided not to take any more chances teasing my my car to see if it will flood, and warm it up every time now

 

Some people have it, some people don't. More common on really cold days. Mazda is VERY good about fixing flooded engines under warranty though.
Just don't stall.

 

Had my 05 for about two years................never stalled it once, however I don't try and push my luck. If I do move it out of the garage for some reason and am not really going anywhere(wash.......whatever), I just make sure I let it warm before I shut it off. Does make you nervous if you forget....which I did once, but cranked with no problem.

 

You will still have power steering assist !

 

I've never flooded. And I have an 04 model.

I have stalled with a cold engine a few times.

I have turned off the engine cold and back on a short bit later a few times.

Generally, I was under the impression the flooding has more or less been fixed with software and hardware updates.

I got a new battery and starter when my car developed consistent hard starting. (problem was fixed) and I have the latest software flash.

Aside from scheduled maintenance I haven't spent a $1 on this.

 

Take your pick.

 

my car stalled plenty of times when it is in cold idle, never stalled

 

^huh?

 

Your car stalled plenty of times, but never stalled?

 

C'mon, give the guy a break. Pretty obvious he meant to say "stalled plenty of times but never flooded" -- although it is good to read one's posts before hitting the "submit" button...

 

That and the driver should get some shifting lessons.

 

A stall followed by a re-start won't cause flooding.

When you start the car when cold, the air-fuel mixture is very rich in fuel. When you stop it while cold, that leaves a lot of gasoline in the combustion chamber. The seal on this engine is largely accomplished with oil (instead of rings, like in a piston engine). When left in the combustion chamber for too long, the rich air-fuel mixture will dissolve the oil seal, with the result that there no longer will be enough compression to start the engine.

So, don't worry about stalling. But do worry about valet parking. The problem is real, and doesn't go away with the flash. The only way to be sure you won't flood your engine is by never shutting it off (and leaving it off) when cold.

 

flooded i meant

 

You sound responsible. Good news is, your concern is not applicable, because you would not stall soon after starting up--that situation is 100% preventable.

 

It doesn't matter if you stall soon after startup. That's not the problem. The problem is stopping the engine (for whatever reason) when cold, and leaving it off. There is absolutely no danger of flooding with a stall, so long as you start the car again right after the stall, and leave it on.

 

Ah good post. I almost always rev my engine to at least 3,000 - 4,000 before shutting it off. Just to make sure it flushes out any remain gasoline. I just to my catalytic converter to suck it up and deal.