Charles R. Hill

iTrader: (7)

I have a load of mods on my car and my dealer has never hassled me about them. The issue of warranty voidance has been discussed much in the past and the Magnusson-Moss Act clarifies things.

In order to re-flash the PCM the tech will use the OBDII port under the steering wheel. Either way, you'll be fine.

Nem, to the extent that you suggest the power loss and P flash issues should remain exclusive it also seems to me that they may be related in some way. It is becoming a firmer belief of mine that Mazda engineers are attempting to placate a number of different types of RX-8 enthusiasts. First, we have the true noobs who have no idea of the history the rotary and the fact that we must be cautious of flooding issues, among other things. Then we have the mild enthusiasts who prefer performance but still complain about fuel economy. Then we have people, like myself, who are pushing the limits of the Renesis and discovering the inherent weaknesses that crop up at certain levels of power. That MOP replacement you mention is exactly why I am cautious about spending $275 on the Racing Beat mod when I may get it for free from my dealer/Mazda. I can only hope that Mazda shows themselves to be open to input and advice from the different levels of enthusiasts out here and we can all work together to fully exploit the performance potential of the RX-8 while still satisfying certain federal regs.

CRH

zoom44

that number is not a RX8 number. ask them to clarify

Shankel

I noticed the numbers are the same as per Mazda Service Bulletin No. 01/007/05 issued 2/2/2005 except the "C" has been changed to "D" in both the file name and part number.
Does this mean I have the "P" flash?
I own an '05 M/T RX-8.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...07-05-1432.pdf

spr grn8

Does anyone have the TSB number for the P-Flash? If you have it in the .pdf format that would be great. I cant find it on the Rosenthal Mazda page that is sticky'd. OR if you know where the TSB can be found online that might work also. It always helps if i have the TSB's that i am going in for and the work i want done. Thanks!

KKMmaniac

I'm still confused about how (or if) the dealer shows the flash version on the invoice, as I recently requested "the most recent PCM calibration" when I had my car in, and when I picked up the car, I was told they did reflash it. (the dealer seemed to have no reservations about updating my car)

The invoice shows a N3H6-18-881A (6-sp. trans.) which I think is the number listed on the Feb. 2005 TSB. (01-008/05 "Engine No Start, Lack of Power...") I haven't really noticed a difference in the performance of the car, at least a difference I can really be certain about.

eclps0

im curious i need someone with navi and the p flash. i think i found a way to find out what flash u have by going through a back door on the naviagation,

first you have to go into set up menu.
2nd go to version and makesure it tells what version you are running.
now go The back door. which is Up-up-up- down-down-down-up up .
after you do this it should take you to screen you have not seen before.
Once you ar ein the scene go to software and click on teh button to enter. once you enter go all teh way left to teh last option and click on it. it should say what ecu flash you have.

It says main ecu M

redjetpack

mine says-

main cpu (m) ver. 04.06.2002.9
_________________________________
main cpu (F) ver u9.95 2003

not sure this will help....

also while i was in there, i hit cold start, and it restarted the nav unit and then when it rebooted it now thinks im in chicago!! how do i get it to realize im in arizona? hope it notices on its own...

snap-on

When the ticket is invoiced and filed with the warranty dept. the dealer uses a "part number main cause". You may find this silly but the people that pay the claims really don't care what level the car is on so the dealer uses the same PCM part number every time. If you really want to know what flash level you are on you would need to know what level the WDS at the dealership was on the day you went in.

derwankel

The part number on the AT "P" flash which I watched the tech install today is :

N3Z1-18881-P

This was done under warranty and in accordance with MSP04 (MAZDA Special Program) for VINs built prior to 03.12.2004 within a specific VIN range... which my car falls in.

As Snap-On states .... the invoice documentaion only specifically addresses the MSP04 program for warranty re-imbursement.

Shankel

Seeing that your 2004 A/T was updated to N3Z1-18-881-"P" and my 2005 M/T was updated to N3K7-18-881-"D", I believe the two model years have different flash levels.
2004 RX-8s are up to level "P" and 2005 RX-8s are up to level "D".

Check Mazda service bulletin 01-007/05 issued 2/2/2005 and you will see there are different PCM calibration part numbers for each different model year and transmission version. Also notice the only thing changed in the PCM calibration part numbers are the last letter. "N" to "P" for 2004 models and "C" to "D" for 2005 models.
http://www.finishlineperformance.com...07-05-1432.pdf

What do you think? Am I way of base?

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

Mine does not say "ecu" ???

KKMmaniac

As posted by snap-on:

When the ticket is invoiced and filed with the warranty dept. the dealer uses a "part number main cause"

Thanks snap-on. I think I'll just not worry about it, it seems to be running at least as well as it did before the reflash.

derwankel

Nope ... I'd say you you've got it figured out. European, Aussie, JDM, etc. all have different part numbers and flash levels too.

zoom44

see i actually went loking for that bulletin thru my posts. that bulletin i thought was the one that was recinded because of programming errors. I wondered if that code on your post may be a 2005 cali flash etc. but i thought they didnt actually go to that file numbering system. i will look more.

gnj152

Got my 8 reprogram today campaign ssp61, was with the mecanic when he did it and saw on is screen part #n3z1-18-88P. Will try it this weekend and see if mpg will change on a 4 hrs trip and will post results.

hueydvr38

Hi everyone, newbie here. I just took my RX-8 in for squeaky brakes and using your collective expert advice to complain about stalling in order to get the PCM flashed, they did so. Based on the VIN, I have an April 2004 model that came with the "M" flash. I think I can answer one of the questions in this thread. What does the new flash do? I was told by the service manager that the new flash increases oil injection into the chamber and that I would have to check my oil level more often. This supposedly will help alleviate the stalling issue some people have experienced. I was also told this may improve gas mileage. I will run through a couple tanks and post an update (I have been averaging right at 15 mpg with 90/10 city/highway driving). I live in Las Vegas so cold weather isn't an issue here. The 64k question is though, what flash version did I receive? (the service manager didn't know and it wasn't on the invoice. She said they had to have a Mazda engineer come out to Vegas AND download information from Japan in order to flash the RX-8's that were awaiting service at my dealership).

zoom44

M flash did that but not N or P. the person is wrong. second someone there should be able to tell you what flash you are at now. but since they seem to have admitted not knowing how to update their wds with out help from a engineer from japan( the wds is used by the whole ford family- the dealer next door should be able to show them. hell i dont even work for a dealership and i suck at most things it people do everyday and I COULD PRGRAM THE WDS AND DO A FLASH) maybe thye really dont have any clue. if that is really tru run to another dealer and never go back. except you're in vegas and i would swear every dealer there is the same- the worst of the worst in the nation.

Nemesis8

iTrader: (3)

Wow - WDS is so simple.... It's a touch screen for G's sake.

Thetitanium8

Today after getting a check engine light I took mine in to get it fixed. Turned out to be a defective gas cap they had to replace.

Anyway back to the thread. I had "P" done while I was there. I don't notice a diffrence in anything. I went from "M" to "P" and drives/feels exactly the same. After reading what some people wrote I was expecting some diffrence. Oh well at least I got up to date

Charles R. Hill

iTrader: (7)

Here's a strange thing; I had my PCM re-flashed last week. A decision on part of my mechanic after I complained about the noise and loss of power issue. I thought I still had the problem(s) a few days after getting back from the dealer so I did a little detective work of my own. I took the battery, cover, and tray out and measured the values and voltages at the APV motor and metering pump. I found what I thought to be insufficient voltage supply to the metering oil pump so I figured I would have my mechanic re-measure it to confirm. After I put the battery back in and reset the e-shaft profile, a couple days later I measured an easy 13.9@101 mph. This puts me right back to where I was before all of these problems. Plus, the engine sounded as smooth as a Swiss watch all the way to redline. Next comes a couple of nitrous passes to be sure everything is cool. I'll also try a number of different power levels to see which works best.

CRH

redjetpack

i got the p flash yesterday. im not sure what flash im coming from, but the p flash definitely feels a little stronger, i cant necessarily say its more HP, but it feels like the engine is a bit more willing to spool up when running on the freeway.

but i really hope the awful knocking sound is gone for good, but i doubt it.

m2pro

ok, i'm a COMPLETE newbie as far as the flashes go.

first off, i've looked all over this thread to find out what the hell an M flash does vs a P flash. what the heck is a Pflash? what does it do? i finally noticed on this page it supposidly makes for more power or whatever. but i have a good feeling the guys at my mazda dealership are idiots and would have no clue whether it was flashed or not.

when i bought it, i asked if it had been flashed. the dealer said "oh i'm sure blagity blagity that it has blagity blagity..." but i really don't even know that he knew at all what i was talkin about.

i have a deep concern as to why ALL the Mazda dealerships aren't sending out fliers and phone calls to their Rx8 buyers telling them to COME IN and GET YOUR CAR FLAHSED. if they're spending money to fix our computers, then why do i have to go to the dang forums to find out my car is screwed up?

so, to restate my questions. What is a p-flash? How do i KNOW that they've P-flashed my car? SHOULD I pflash it? Why isn't Mazda obligated to send out the 411 on the behalf of their customers that have already spent 20k+ on their cars?

zoom44

because your car isnt screwed up. go read the stickies about flashes.

m2pro

k. thanx. already i'm starting to feel better!