msrecant

100% agreement!

FYI, I have been a lone voice on this opinion in the thread about the DVD (https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/rx8-product-update-dvd-54051/). Don't send us a DVD to "educate" us. Send us a fix so it's not an issue.

Discman2

This afternoon I flooded my 8

I wanted to clean it so I moved it into the driveway. then once I was done I moved it into the garage......

Now it's just sitting there, flooded.... And I have to go somewhere soon.


What do I do to fix it?

snap-on

Call roadside asst to get your car towed to the nearest Mz dealership.

Discman2

It has to be towed?!?!?!?!


what if I wait an hour or so? you think it'll start then?

jeff98air

Did you know that you're not supposed to do exactly what you did? Have you tried the "flood start" procedure yet (it's in the owner's manual)? Just curious, did you let the car warm up before you shut it down when you moved it?

Discman2

Well now I know.

I never move it and shut it down. this was the first time I've done this becuase I was parked out on the street.

No I didin't let it warm up.

I tried the flood start procedure, but it still won't start.

snap-on

You can wait a week and it might still not start.

Once the excess fuel coats the plugs they never seem to recover.

jeff98air

There's a TSB that has the entire procedure that the dealer goes through to get a flooded engine started. It involves pulling the plugs, disconnecting an electrical connector, or two, and purging the gas out. It also requires cleaning or replacing the plugs. Here's the link to all TSBs:

<http://www.finishlineperformance.com/rx8/docs/index.html>

See "Engine Cranks / No Start - Revised 01/20/05"

snap-on

Just be sure the dealer checks/replaces the battery..

As I recall your car is an A/T and they seem to be more flood proned when the battery is low.

jeff98air

If you do end up having it towed to the dealer, get them to make sure you have the latest PCM flash ("N" flash), replace the battery with the 640cca (if you still have the old 2x0cca), and replace the plugs with the latest specs.

DaGnome

I ALMOST did this exact same thing today

I pulled the car into the garage after washing, to start waxing and drying.. and was bout to turn off the engine when my phone rang... it was in my lap and vibrating so I grabbed it before it fell on the floor, causing me to NOT turn off the engine first... as I was on the phone, I glanced down at the temp gauge and realized I should let it idle till warm.

One of these days I'm going to print out a small business card sized sign that says "Make sure engine is WARM before you shut down to avoid flooding Stupid!!"

My biggest fear, is that one day I take it to a non-dealer and get a call saying "We can't seem to start your car sir.."

While it may be common knowledge for Rotary-peeps , those of us who aren't familar need a dummy sticker from mazda :D

CruzingRX8

i have the same thing happend to me couple days ago. yet i have driven the car for about 15 minutes and park it at home then 2 days later i try to start it and it wont start at all. i just had the same shiet happen to me again 3 mos ago and mazda replaced my plugs.. and here i am again stuck. what else can i doo????

DARKMAZ8

I feel like Im in a horror movie with the 8...... :D

therm8

I'm no expert but, from what I recall reading....

Shutdown with no warmup is usually fine, as long as you don't let it sit for hours after you do it. I turn the car off when it's not warm, quite a bit. Usually when I'm on the way to work and I stop at the convenience store and/or gas station. I never shut the car down cold if I'm not going to be driving it for a while.

And the first thing I did when I bought this car is read the manual, which tells you how to avoid cold shutdown flooding...

Have you tried the flood recovery procedure? It's in the manual also.

snap-on

We have two different issues here. One is flooded and one has a dead AA battery.

There are bulletins to address each.
Engine Cranks / No Start - Revised 01/20/05

Battery Replacement - Service Tip Issued 12/15/04

Both are listed here
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/technical-service-bulletins-tsbs-recalls-rx-8-a-14453/

RotaryGoober

What ever the situation is it is unacceptable, period. Yes, it is typical rotary. Yes, it has been with us since the early examples of the RX series. And yes, it's time for a fix. The latest flash is helpful, the mongo battery is a plus, but until the rotary becomes *more like a piston engine* in situations like this, it will remain unacceptable. Now then, as more miles and wear on the Renesis one hopes that these situations don't become more common. Give me the latest flash, the biggest battery and a starter that will spin the daylights out of this thing. Real world conditions don't always relate to laboratory *perfect* conditions.

fusionnv

Hi all, right now I am kinda thinking about getting a RX8 auto, i contacted the dealership and right now starting to check info about a lease. Like payments etc. Now I decided before getting the car, let me check what the problems and pluses of the car is on the forums. I like all the pluses, the mileage seems to kinda suck but I can deal with that. The issue I have is that I live in an apartment building with valet parking. They would probably move the car 2-3 times a day for a min or two. I can see flooding the engine happening. I did searches and look around, did they improve this problem for the 05? I didn't see any post of this improving much besides letting the car warm up. I can see this being a pain in the *** if it happens because the car is cold. BTW: I am trying for a reserved spot in my building, but the list has a trillion names on it.

Rhawb

The flooding problem is blown WAY out of proportion. If you're really concerned about it and have to move it a short distance, you can just rev it to about 4000 for a few seconds and just dump the throttle. That seems to blow all the gunk out and keep it starting no problem. I very rarely do that and I've never had a problem. I wouldn't worry about it.

Edit: Crap, should have read the whole thing. As long as the car's been warmed up before you valet it, you can usually bet it's going to stay warm for quite a while. I doubt you'll have much of a problem as long as you bring the car to them warm. If it really comes down to it, you could probably leave them a note about making sure they clear all the gunk out before shutdown.

JoePaterno

OK, your first problem is getting the automatic. The joy of having this car is that u can ride around at 9000 rpm. You can take every gear from 1k to 9k and the engine causes no vibration. There is nothing like it. The engine loves it too. I beat the **** out of my Rx7 and it still went to 175,00 miles. With the automatic, u r driving a slow sports car that handles well and looks cool. I would never in a million years buy this car with an automatic transmission. Mine rattles like crazy, has been in the shop for flooding, a few recalls, a few flashes, and to get something in the doors replaced because of rattling. And the thing still rattles. The gas mileage is horrible, but maybe because I take every gear to extremely high rpms. I just cant control myself.

And then that valet **** sounds a little risky. I highly doubt that Mazda has been able to fix the flooding issue. It has always been a problem. They say that the new flashes may have solved the problem, butr I'm not in the mood to try and find out. I flooded mine once, and got my car back 3 days later. They say once they flood, they are a bitch to get started again. I wouldn't trust some knucklehead valet to let my car warm up everytime he moved it.

So, unless u learn how to drive stick, I wouldn't suggest buying this car. If u just want to look cool, then go ahead. I've always loved the contour or shape and styling of mazdas cars. Specifically the 2nd and 3rd gen Rx7's, the millenia, now the rx-8. But u just cant experience the joy that this engine has to offer by getting an automatic. U might as well be driving a more powerfull 6 cylinder.

JoePaterno

Please tell me that u dont have your 8 in Florida. If u do, then why are u saying the flooding problem is blown WAY out of proportion? If u live where it is cold and you start your 8 and then shut it off quickly, U WILL FLOOD THE ENGINE. It has always been a problem with the rotary. They hadn't fixed it 20 years. So what the hell r u talking about? Please stop givng shitty advice

Rhawb

I'm saying that the flooding problem is blown WAY out of proportion because 1) I have not experienced any problems with my car flooding and 2) I have heard from others who live up north that the problem is blown WAY out of proportion. This car is NOT going to flood every time you shut it down cold and it can often be prevented by doing that revving trick. (Though, the whole valet thing is a bit iffy. If it's a daily thing that you're absolutely required to do and you live in the very northern US or Canada, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere.) Flooding in this car is relatively rare and the only reason you hear about it as much as you do is because people don't post things on here to let you know that their car is running a-ok. On top of this, I know they've been replacing batteries and spark plugs with heavier-duty parts. I'm not sure if they've done this to all the 05's but I'd be willing to bet they'll throw those in if you make it a selling point. Please stop scaring the new people.

JoePaterno

The flooding problem is what it is. It is not rare. If u do what they say not to do, then u will flood, plain and simple. If i had somebody moving my car a few times a day without warming it up, I'd be willing to bet that I'd be in the shop a lot. U live in Florida, so I dont think u r qualified to give advice on the topic. And I'm jeaous.

JoePaterno

jealous

Rhawb

Well, from what I've been able to glean from what I've read around the site here, it seems more rare than it would appear to be. Sure, it's not as rare as it is in your average piston car, but it's not as oppressive as it may seem when you load up this page and see all the topics about flooding. Bottom line is, if the guy lives anywhere besides the north, he should be fine. We've had some cold snaps where it has dipped into the upper 20s and 30s for several days and I've forgotten to let it warm up and it has been fine. That being said, I'd definitely be nervous about someone else moving it around all day and I think I might ask them to leave it in one spot if at all possible. And as for living in Florida, don't get too jealous - at least you guys have seasons. Summer starts to get a bit old after 20 years.

fusionnv

I love how the car looks and all, the main problem again with the man tranny is the damn valet. Can I really trust them to drive the car correctly. I only drove a manual a couple times. I am sure I still need plenty of practice. Knowing this I probably be extra careful, but them, I dunno. I haven't seen this in my garage. I would say that 99% of the valet portion of the garage have autos. But i have seen plenty of stalls and other sounds that probably shouldn't be coming from the cars in other garages. Maybe I am getting paranoid but I dunno. Last thing I want really is a new clutch or etc when it not my fault .

Oh BTW EDIT: since I am in NYC, I don't drive to work. So that car sits cold for about 5 days a week. Maybe due to normal rotation the car moves again 1-2 times a day cold.