I am REALLY looking into buying an RX-8. I figured someone could tell me a few things, because this website is devoted to them. I am most likely going to get an '04, but that may change. I have test driven one, and I liked it. I plan to test drive one tomorrow as well. The first one was automatic, but I want to drive the 6 speed which I will tomorrow. I don't like the idea of an automatic, I am just a stick kind of guy. I didn't experience any problems, and I loved the power output of the car. I don't want a big discussion about the obvious (gas mileage, oil changes, low torque, etc.) but I would like to know about the other problems. I have read up a lot on a stalling/flooding problem. I understand this is a common problem when the car is at low speeds or has not been running long enough to warm up completely. Why is this? Does it have to do with expanding, or what? Also, I have heard of a fix...what is this? Does this occur only with the automatic, manual, or both? I have heard more about the automatic having problems, but stick too.
I would love to join your community, and I am really thinking about an RX-8. Please convince me, but be truthful.
Thank you very much

 

I live in Canada where it is cold and have never had flooding issues. GL with your search!

 

The flooding "issue" has been blown up all out of proportion to reality. As long as you don't shut the car off cold and the car has the latest PCM update, you will not have a problem. In addition, the "fix" you refer to involves replacing the starter and battery with more robust units and replacing all 4 spark plugs, two of which are a slightly different design from the original plugs. This "fix" is usually applied at the time a car floods or experiences hard starting (i.e., slow and lengthy engine cranking while attempting to start, no cranking, etc.).

 

If I recall the flooding is an inherent trait of the rotary engine. It is caused when raw fuel is trapped in the combustion chamber and prevents the apex seals from sealing the compression chamber. No compression no start. When the engine is hot the gas will evaporate more readily from the chambers and this not a problem. When the engine has not warmed up like if you back the car out of the garage and then shut it down you have a chance of flooding it. That is why they tell you to warm up the car. The latest fix you are hearing about, as pointed out above is a higher speed starter, stronger battery and different plugs, which help a great deal in eliminating the flooding issue. The faster a rotary engine spins at start up the less susceptible it is to flooding and the new plugs help cold starting. Flooding complaints on the board have been dropping with time but it still could happen especially in cold weather.

 

If you do back your car out of the garage and then plan to shut it right off before it's warmed up, just hold the car at 3k rpm's for 10 seconds. That's Mazda's approved method of helping to avoid flooding.

 

 

Where did my funny post go

 

Avoid shutting engine down cold to avoid flooding. If you cannot do this, this is not a car for you. Honestly how hard can it be to follow a little instruction, I don't get it.

 

This thread sucks.

When was the last time you had one

 

you must hop on one leg, pat your head repeatedly with your left hand, sprinkle incense over your left shoulder with your right hand, and say "allah loves joe mama" for 15 seconds before u start the car and then it will never flood...

failure to comply will result in (a) your car flooding (b) a suicide bomber hitchhiking a ride off you when you least expect it and (3) hillary clinton developing a mad crush on you and wanting to bear your offspring

 

flooding is an issue with every car, piston or rotary. the difference being, in piston engines, left to sit, the excess fuel will drain out of the combustion chamber after a some time has passed (and into the oil pan usually). in rotary engines, the fuel has no place to drain out, so it just sits there until it is manually drained.

 

I live in cold minnesota, wheres its been down in the -20's this winter. I never had a problem starting, even at 7am when I leave for work. Ive also accidentally shut the car off in cold weather without it being warmed up twice(didnt relise the car was in gear), and have never had it flood. Id agree in saying the issue was blown out of proporsion. Get winter tires if you live someplace it snows.

 

The problem is not blown out of proportion for everyone. I live in Houston (rarely gets below 40) and used to have hard starts, and had a couple of times where it flooded. But with Mazda's fix--new starter, plugs, battery--the problem is completely solved. You might want to take the particular car you're looking at to a dealer to make sure that it has the starter upgrade. If it takes more than a second to start up, it doesn't have it.

 

Flooding can happen but it's a rare event now a days and like you have been told, don't shut it off cold and you wont have an issue.

Before I got my 8 I worried alot about fuel economy (I heard some folks complain about 13-10mpg) and flooding (as you are).

Regarding fuel economy (for me, my driving style, my driving conditions, base 6spd) I've never hit under 18.6mpg with a lifetime average of 19.2mpg. That's all city...

With flooding I've noticed that when I listen to the radio at my lunch break (about 30 minutes) and sit and read for another 15 minutes I tend to have a hard start by the time I go back and leave for the day. It's never failed on me...but it sure has come close. I'm going to talk to the dealer about this on my next visit.

So, no...I've never flooded but the new pcm update, plugs, battery, and alternator have really cut down the number of floods.

In conclusion...if you follow the rotary plan (don't turn it off cold) you want have a flooding issue 99.9% of the time.

 

[QUOTE=Go48]The flooding "issue" has been blown up all out of proportion to reality. .....QUOTE]


I agree. I have an early '04 with latest flash. 20k miles this week. Never had any flooding problems and I too have accidentally shut it off cold. When I do shut it off cold I usually rev the engine to about 4k for a couple of seconds and then switch it off.

I do live in the South so I've never had to start it at less than 25 degrees.

 

I have been reading up on this even more, and it seems as if the ONLY reason I should have trouble is if I was lazy.
I have a few more questions for you guys though...I should be testing this other (manual) RX-8 as I have said today or some other day really soon. I want to know, in case it doesn't have the "update", do I have to pay for it or will Mazda? What do you guys recommend for warming it up? I understand that the longer it idles, the more gas it will use. Should I let it idle for just a few seconds then keep it at a low speed until it warms up? I drive on the highway a lot, everyday to work. It is about 3-4 minutes until I get on the highway, and it is at low speeds. Would that be enough? I started and stopped a lot the day I test drove the 2004 auto RX-8, and had no problems. I even started it for about 10 seconds twice, and let it sit for a while after I shut it off. I had no problems whatsoever. It had about 27k miles on it too, so wasn't exactly brand new. I got to keep it overnight
Is it easy to sup these cars up and increase the power a bit? I am really considering this car, so anything else you can tell me will help me decide.
Thanks again

 

I've got about 40,000 miles on my '04 RX8, and I have yet to have it flood once. I live in Philadelphia, PA, and I have driven the car in single digit temperatures both here and in Canada.

The car will not just spontaneously "flood". It only "floods" if you shut the car off after only after having driven it for a short period, not allowed it to warm up, and shut the car off. Most floods have happened to people who have moved their car from a driveway to a garage or vice versa. It's normally that kind of short move. Some people have experienced floods in other situations, but it is pretty rare and Mazda roadside assistance is still there to help if the car you are looking at has any factory warranty left. In short, the car is not going drop dead while you are driving it because it has "flooded". It just doesn't work that way.

Just as an aside, it is also possible to fuel lock a reciprocating engine if you start it up and only drive it a short distance cold. It almost never happens, but I did it to my Nissan once. Most flooding is driver error as most of the threads here have borne out. If you start the car, and just start driving, the RX 8 is just the same as any other car to drive except that you have to make sure that you have fully warmed the car up before you shut it down. Occassionally, if I am making a short trip, I'll drive an extra couple of minutes on a longer route just to make sure that the engine has warmed then zoom it up to 3,000 RPMs for a few seconds and shut it off while it is spinning down to make sure the rotors are clear. That's the only thing that I ever do to prevent flooding.

If you like the 8, then you should buy it. Don't worry about flooding. It is blown out of proportion. Best of luck.

 

I never warm my engine up. I flip it on, and start driving. When it is first turned on and cold, it won't rev all the way up. I won't take it over 4,000 RPMs until the temp needle has gotten into the temperature range on the gauge, but keeping the under 4K, it still has plenty of power for regular day to day driving. Once it is warmed into the temp zone, takes just a few minutes even in cold weather, the car is ready to go. There is no need to idle it to warm it up. Just flip it over and go gently at first.

 

What year / month 8 has the PCM update?

 

OK, you really have to use the search button for details on your questions...trust me, it's better I say it than the smart *** remark that will come soon...lol.

The reason you need details is to make sure you are as informed as you can be regarding the RX8 and the rotary engine.

To test drive a car you don't have to pay a dime...not sure where or who told you you had to pay but DONT. If that's not what you meant then correct me...

You don't have to sit their for 5 minutes warming up the car. Driving it warms it up the fastest so just give her a good 30 sec and then drive off. While cold keep the rpm's under 4K and even after it reaches normal opp temp's don't push her too much until it's been warm for a few more minutes.

Remember...speed is not the main issue, it's keeping the rpm's under 4K while cold which would allow you to go up to 74mph in 6th gear.

 

That's a good question. If you are buying from a dealer make sure that all recalls and updates have been applied to the car before you buy. There have been a couple of recalls on the 04s which include a wiring harness, transmission dampner, and several updates to the engine management computer which go directly to mixture used in the engine. If they have been done, the dealer should be able to show you stickers under the hood or in the door jamb that will have the recall numbers on them. If they haven't been done, any dealer can do this for you for free since it is warranty work.

 

Don't get me started on the mileage issue, all city 11.5 mpg, highway 17 to 18 mpg and I don't drive the care that hard.

 

I didn't say anything about paying for a test drive!?! I said something about paying for the starter and such, and was wondering if Mazda may do that for me as I have seen them replace the entire engine before due to flooding as I was just reading yesterday.

 

flooding isn't really a problem, as long as you warm up the car and i suggest investing in an automatic starter, it helps me a lot! and if you do shut your car off I suggest you looking at your temp gauge and making sure it's in the middle.... Also what I do is before I shut my car off I rev the engine to 3000 RPM for 10 Seconds and then I return it to idle and shut the car off.... good luck

 

Looking at a 2005 now!
I have heard that the problem was somewhat resolved after 2004, or early 2004 or whatever. So are the 2005s good?