My rx8 is having starting issues and have ruled out quite a lot of issues. However I don’t have a fuel pressure tester and I don’t know what it’s supposed to look like so was hoping the pros here could tell on sight if it’s dying or not.

 

borrow/rent a gauge from autozone or other parts store and test it. iirc it should be around 60psi

on another note get rid of the hot air intake and go back to factory or aem/ms. your set up is robbing power and can cause maf issues

 

Sadly, where I live , there are no hardware stores that rent out equipment and I havent seen fuel pressure testers around. Asking mechanics they are too scared to even touch the 8 because its a rotary . My only option it seems is to import the tool :/ Also, I bought the 8 from the previous owner and they did this . I am trying to get my hands on the oem setup but it looks like ill need to import it

 

Mechanics don't want to measure fuel pressure? It's the same as any other Mazda, surely you can give them 20 bucks or something to do that specific task. Don't ask them to find the problem, I can totally understand them not wanting to take that on.

What are the actual problems with the car?
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The fuel stream looks fine enough. I don't quite understand the second part of the video where it just stops. Is that because the car was turned off? Or the car is still on but there's no fuel flow? The latter would obviously be problematic.

 

I have offered mechanics cash just to lend me the tool so I can use it and break my own car if need be but the moment they see its a rotary suddenly the tool has disappeared. I dont get if its taboo where I live or something . It has a hot start problem. Essentially cold is a 50/50 chance on whether it will start smoothly or require a second crank , however , after being driven till its hot and in operational temperature range and I let it rest for 2 minutes , it struggles to turn on so I am making my way down the list of ignition, battery,starter ,e.t.c . Coils , plugs and wires were changed 3k km ago so I doubt its them but I will probably test with the old batch I have .

My father in law was helping out and he turned the key from ACC to On the first time then the second time . Is that not supposed to happen? I assumed the first flow would be a lot to prime the fuel rail and the second is just a little cherry on top just in case or is it always supposed to be like that initial flow?

 

Hot start problems are usually engine compression. Have you had it tested?

Fuel pump problems typically show up at high load/high rpm when more fuel is consumed. Not sure whether there's a good reason for the fuel flow to stop like that. There might be ECU logic to cut fuel if the engine isn't turning over. I think if it behaves exactly the same way every time, it's more likely a feature, not a problem.

 

Sadly, I cant seem to get my hands on a rotary compression tester as I live in a pretty remote place. There is a rotary mechanic but no matter the issue his suggestion is always a rebuild and he is such a regular importer of parts for atkins that he has a partnership with them and gets parts on discount. However, it seems that I might have found the issue. I woke up and the battery was drained overnight , looking over some of the ends I am noticing corrosion on a few cables like on the starter and rust on some grounding points. I have a mechanic who is a friend of the family thats willing to redo the battery cable and just do a general wiring check so hopefully everything will be good after a re-wiring but we will see. Otherwise I might do a poor man's compression test.

It seems like the previous owner did a terrible job maintaining this car.

 

The corroded starter cable was the cause of all my starting problems . Just sanded it down till no corrosion was visible and after that , it started consistently like a champ!

just placing this here in case someone comes up with similar issues