Don't really know how this happened or what caused it.. but I'll try my best to explain.. Mods include the TurboXS catback + midpipe. I've put 2054 miles on it in 2 months and a week.

I was able to drive my car to and from school today (to school at 9am/left 1230pm). I was on the phone with my gf upon starting the car on the way back from school and left it idling for 5 mins max. Made it home no problem.

7pm rolls around and I head out of the house. Less than 3 miles and 5 mins later, I noticed that while cruising in 6th gear (speed = 55ish mph) there was some hesitation.. accompanied by some power loss and a very slight rpm drop (enough to notice the needle drop, but nothing drastic). I've had some rough idling before where rpms drop to 600ish or so and sound like it'd stall, only to pop back up to 900ish, so I sort of noticed it but shrugged it off. The next intersection I came up to I opened her up and ran it through at least 7k in 1st and 2nd. Less than a minute later I pull into a gas station. pumped about 3 gallons of 93 oct. and went on my way.

Less than half a mile upon leaving the station, my car's idling very strangely. My car's starting to shudder and my shift **** is dancing like crazy (the axial flow ss does this anyway, but not this violently).

Next thing I know, I've got no power, none. Throttle response is gone, I can step on the gas but my car is merely puttering. I'm sustaining 35ish mph at this point. My CEL is flashing, not just on. I've driven with a CEL on ever since installing the midpipe. It's always just been on and stayed on, but never flashing. I manage to pull off the road and coast into a housing development. By this time, I'm idling it and it sounds like...well for one, the exhaust note is completely changed. Nothing like the Jetsons engine noise.. almost like... a lawnmower of some sort.. Or, as stupid as this sounds.. like I had cams or something. Completely diff sound. And the idle was off beat, not rhythmic at all. All this, like I said with a shuddering/sputtering motion at idle.

I tried to rev it and all I get is the same lack of response. The needle moves, but I don't even hear my exhaust note. It's like muffled. I rev it a bit higher to about 1500-2k, and the original exhaust note actually returns, but then it'll start flashing the CEL again, and then soon after goes back to the sputtering. I killed it, waited a few mins then started her up. It just sounds like it's cranking/starting but the engine never roars. After holding the starter for a few seconds than I normally woud, I release it and to my surprise it's started. But I have no indication that it did. Same problem's are still there.

I recently had new plugs and wires installed when reporting a completely different power loss problem a few months ago (when still running with Borla catback + stock cat) so I'm sort of ruling that out. I also had the dealer change my oil after installing the midpipe, so It's not due to low oil (plus the oil light would have come on). My roommate arrives on the scene and tells me he thinks its the fuel injectors. To be honest, I've got no freakin' clue. I've never had it die on me before. Sure, rough idle perhaps once in a while.. and even with the power loss with carbon covered plugs (says the master tech). But this? I'm lost...

We disconnect the battery to see if it will at least reset some settings. Well the problem's still there, but now my DSC/TC lights are on and stay on after every start. the CEL was temporarily cleared until i rev it again and it starts to flash.

I do know that there's that new flash recall out. But are my symptoms a result of not receiving that flash? Can they even be cured by getting it? Anybody who has a guess, please chime in...

$80 to tow it home and now, I've got to take out the midpipe, re-install the stock cat just so the dealer won't give me crap about it. Then tow it to the dealer, have them mess with it.. and then hopefully all is well and then i still have to reinstall my midpipe.. grrr. If I could be sure the dealer would OK the pipe, I would have just towed it straight there, but wanted to be safe...

 

Clogged cat?

Misfire perhaps? That makes the CEL blink... and would cause shitty power.

 

That sucks dude, sounds like you need to have a compression check done. As far as the DSC lights go, thats normal after a rset. You need to turn your wheel all the way to the right, then all the way to the left while the car is running. After you restart the car, that light will go away.

Keep us updated.

 

strong.

send me a pm.... i have some answers..

beers

 

nope.. i've got a catless midpipe..

wish i had a scanalyzer.. in fact.. after this, i think i'm gonna get one.. i've got no clue what code i'm throwing and i'd rather know about it before the stealership does..

RR: Thanks for the heads up concerning the DSC lights...And about the compression check. I'll be sure to bring that up to the service tech.

swoope.. i tried calling you while waiting for the tow truck.. went straight to vmail.. i'll send a PM

thanks for the responses... keep em coming..

 

it could be the crank angle sensor, i think there is a TSB on the CAS.

 

tried to give it a go again today.... i was able to drive it for about 5 mins or so...about the same time i was able to yesterday before it acted up. it sounds and runs fine..but i didn't push it too hard. so after a few minutes it just bogs down.. flashing CEL and no power..

i really don't f'ing get what it is about warming up, whether sitting at idle or being driven that suddenly changes everything. the funny thing is i even thought it was a "cooler" night last night. it was 82º out when i first had that problem.. not even close as hot as it normally gets around this time of year.

i'm wondering if having my CEL due to midpipe all this time masked a real problem that started to arise.. and i never caught on b/c i always assumed the light was for 02 sensor too rich

swoope, didn't work.

can i borrow someone's canscan/scanalyser

 

where in fl are you.. I've got a can scanner

try a fresh tank of gas and through a bottle of 2cycle oil ( 300:1 ) in and see what happens.

 

to the dealer.

beers

 

thanks, but i'm in orlando (bought my car in miami though)...

and i tried the premix today before starting her up..


i was really hoping to not have to go to the dealer... b/c
A) gotta uninstall midpipe and put stock cat on
B) orlando to longwood is an expensive f-ing tow to the dealer
C) gotta reinstall midpipe when all is said and done...

i guess i'll get the new flash while i'm there though..
anyway.. i'll keep everyone posted

 

Had a customers car do the same thing. Had a missfire code and found the coil pack failed. Basically it was like it was only running on one rotor. Talk about no torque!

 

Towing is covered with your warranty

 

I'm in melbourne, let me know if you are going to the dealer. I can try and meet up with you sometime this weekend and check it out with the computer and see what it thinks.

 

woo hoo! my baby is running healthy again..

Turns out it was a two part problem: 1) the coils and 2)plug wires that weren't installed properly. Thanks a lot, Classic Mazda East. You guys do a bang up job (they installed new spark plugs/wires on my last visit). Anyway...

Thanks for the ideas/responses and especially to Swoope, who I've been on the phone with the past few days shooting ideas around and receiving advice/tips from.

agoodcave, thanks for reminding me about towing being under warranty. I totally thought Mazda Roadside was a AAA type of service you had to pay extra for. Saved me at least $130 in costs right there.

Also to Aseras who kindly offered to help a fellow member out. Though I didn't take you up on your offer (I was already having the car towed to the dealership before your post), it's stuff like that which makes any car community awesome. People helping people.. sharing info etc.. Thanks again, everyone.

Geeze, sounds like I'm accepting an award w/ all these thank yous.. lol but I just really appreciate the help you guys offered. Having my car wig out like that the past few days (and having to drive the gf's corolla around) really made me appreciate what a beautiful car the 8 is. Thanks again everyone...

 

congrats strong, glad to see that everything worked out in your favor.

 

glad to help..
did you talk to andy???

beers

 

Yes, briefly. Cool guy. They were backed up though and my serivce writer told me it'd be a couple hours before they'd even check the car. It was only because I kept asking for the master tech that he was able to come out and talk to me. Andy also thought it was the coils based on the descriptions I gave. But again, since they were backed up, I just got out of there and went shopping w/ the girl (oh goodie) until they called back. I wish I could have talked to them more... but everything was pretty much taken care of before I got there. And when I went back to pick up the car, only one of the service writers was in his "office". So I didn't really have the opportunity to ask many questions... oh well.

As glad as I am to be back on the road... I'm just as miffed that this problem happened to begin with. If the other dealership had done their job right.. most likely I wouldn't have had to go through this mess. I'm starting to think there's something that should be done about this...

 

Yesterday, I found my climate control **** broken... sigh.

So even though the folks at Cory Fairbanks were cool and fixed the problem I sent it in for, I left with another problem, albeit a small one.

I hardly use AC anyway.. and when I do, it's already set to cool. I don't use any of the gradient between, and def not hot. STILL... tiny annoyances like this add up. Now it costs me another trip to the dealership etc etc.. just unnecessary stuff.

What's REALLY driving me nuts is having my stock cat on. For the past 3 days I swear I'm a fart can on wheels. I'm getting the most obnoxious rattling/fart sound right now with my cat up until around 4k. It's so weird to think that my header back system actually sounds nicer.

The only good news is that I feel the car pulling harder now from 5k on. It could be that unplugged wire all this time robbed me of some pulling power.. shrug. I'm excited that I feel a noticeable difference with just a catback. I'm dying to throw the midpipe back on and see if I can feel some more gains.

 

ricer!!!!

beers

 

Oh yeah? Well..... I'm FASTER than you!! Wanna race?? Huh? Do ya?????? Let's run for slips!!!!!!

Seriously though.. that's exactly what everyone must think of me when I roll by.. i should really get a video/sound clip before i swap pipes out just so you guys can share in my misery..

 

dude,
i can hear you from my house..... and you know where i live... stop it.... i cant sleep...

btw... would love to do a roll on with you...

beers

 

I am having sort of the same problem. Huge amounts of hesitation under WOT, but none when free revving. Going to the dealer today. I have an intake, exhaust(both RB) and the cooling fan mod. DO you think they would give me crap about the cooling mod? The head service tech already tried to void my waranty because of the intake.

 

this is very similar to whatis happening to meright now. I have changed out the coil packs and before and the dealership swapped out the plugs, wires, alternator, and starter. But here is the weird thing.. At idle, the car sounds like it has a bridgeport of some sort. The engine lope is very noticeable right now. Me and FE3P will diagnose it today. Hopefully his scanalyzer can pick something up.. Wish me luck boys!

 

**** my car is doing the VERY same thing right now, Throttle response was not there at all,
Since the car sputtered and sounds like a goal kart, thought it was battery so i jumped the car, was okay till 5 min after and was now worse, thought i could make it home but then in street traffic my car started smoking ???
so now i have to tow it,
im also assuming the coils failed, becuase i never had them changed (+76k miles)

Decided to leave the car in downtown sf and got a ride home....

 

Hope it's nothing serious.