msrecant

The "Product Update" DVD says for short trips let the car run until it reaches operating temp or for 5 minutes, then 3K for 10 sec, let got to idle and shut off. It is unclear if all this is "required" to avoid flooding from a short trip.

In reality it seems that ambient temperature and battery strength are also factors plus whether it is an AT or MT (ATs seem more prone to flooding).

Personally, I always let the engine warm up but almost never do the 3K rev thing and I have not had a problem. But I have an MT that is garage kept in Virginia where it seldom drops below freezing for extended periods. Other people say they don't do anything at all and have not had a problem.

You will have to find out what works for you. Hopefully your 1 mile commute will bring the car to operating temp.

Go48

Do yourself a favor and don't drive this car one mile and then shut it down. You will not be happy when the car fails to start the first time because it floods or because the battery is dead.

Also, if you have to let it sit and warm up each day for 5 minutes before driving the one mile to work, your gas mileage will be absurd--think 10 mpg or worse--and the spark plugs will quickly become fouled. Try to find another way to get yourself to and from work--like walk, bike, drive another car, or maybe move farther away from work. :D

loco4rx8

OK, there seems to be a discrepancy with the 3K engine rev procedure.

The Mazda DVD says rev it to 3K, then let it return to idle before shutting the engine off. Most people on here recommend to rev it to 3K, then kill the engine immediately so that it will spin down with no fuel being injected into the chamber, thus clearing the chamber of fuel.

While I don't really like doing it often, I have done the 3K rev/immediate shut off procedure several times when I've not had time to let the car warm up, and it's worked well for me. I can't really understand the logic of revving it to 3K then letting it return to idle.

Which is the more effective procedure, and can someone explain why you'd let it return to idle if you're trying to avoid flooding? Thanks!

msrecant

I assume the strategy is the 3K RPM for 10 seconds stabizes the engine to a known reasonably lean mixture (there is another thread showing this from CANSCAN data). As best as I can figure at 3K RPM there is still a lot more fuel going into the engine than at idle so the dropping it to idle briefly before shutoff minimizes the fuel put out by the injectors.

In terms of "blowing" the system out, assuming it takes 2 seconds for the engine to wind down, 3K represents 100 revs and idle represents 40 revs. 40 revs (or 13.3 cycles of 1.3 liters) is probably more than adequate to clear our all three combustion spaces and the intake manifold.

This is conjecture. To know for sure you would need to ask a Mazda engineer why they publish this admittedly odd procedure.

loco4rx8

Thanks msrecant. Appreciate the theory.

velocity_blitz

People .... this is getting too much on the engine flooding issue. I hate to say it , but some drivers are paranoid about starting a rotary engine.

I have no problems in starting my engine, however, there is a TSB on the type of plugs to use. Have your dealer replace with the hotter plug Madza recommends. All under warranty before 50,000 miles. Will not cost you a penny, except for the gas to get to your dealer.

Next have the ECU flashed to the latest N revision. This rev. sets the proper air/fuel mixture ratio for the combustion chamber. Also under warranty.

Drive the car as you would normally would with a piston engine.

"As a propulsion engineer, you cannot deisgn and manufacture two similiar engine parts alike and therefore some people have problems while others don't"

msrecant

velocity_blitz,

What you say is basically true. However, even with the N flash, hot plugs, bigger battery and new starter, Mazda continues to publish that short trips can cause flooding and should be avoided (both the TSB and the Product Update DVD).

JonsToy

I think it's important to realize that the poll which shows more than 1 out of 3 engines flooding began over a year and a half ago. We've since had at least three updates to the ECU designed to alleviate the "pig rich" air/fuel ratios at startup. These improvements have gone a long way toward addressing the flooding issue.
Though I always err on the side of caution, I still believe the flooding problem is somewhat overhyped. Try to let the engine reach operating temperature before shutting it down, otherwise rev the engine to 3k and then shut it down. This has always worked for me.
By the way, I had to move my 8 from the driveway to let my wife get by the other morning. I shut it off after two minutes. Twenty minutes later it started up just fine (M flash and new 640 cca battery).

pill2u

had my 8 for 7 months now , no probs through winter at all, couple days ago...wasnt thinking moved car from street to my driveway...30 sec tops, shut it down..went about my business. next day i try n start..and yep...nada...tried the official mazda procedure..still nothing...ended up having it towed to closest dealer...who actually got it back to me same day., with new plugs/Flash and upgraded battery. im still wary..and ever since its in the back of my mind. DONT SHUT IT DOWN unless its been running a while..

CERAMICSEAL

I wish all of you reading this would go ahead and get the updates performed and avoid being caught in the flood boat.
Those of you who have had everything done: Don't worry, be happy!

exarkun

I just got a 2004 a few days ago. How can I check that the battery, plugs, and flash are up to date? Should the battery be a certain model?

Thanks.

Go48

The battery and plugs are what they are. Unless you have a failure of either of those there is no reason to check. Presumably, you have the OEM battery and plugs that were installed at the factory. That is, if this is a "new" '04. If you have a problem with either of them in the future, they will be replaced under warranty. Specs for both items are in the owners manual.

The update level of the PCM can be checked by the dealer and as long as you are at "M" or "N" level you will be good to go.

rac3rboy

mine got flooded yesterday by moving it a couple of feet after washing it. it wasn't at operating temperature when i moved it. i didn't use it for a day after that. it wouldn't start the day i was going to drive. I was going to take to mazda to have it serviced. to save money i called up my buddy who has an fb, he said to take out the fuel pump fuse and then crank it till it runs. i did just that... took a few tries and it worked! it smoked like a beeoottchh after that. i also took the advise from one of the links here to take out the air sensor thing to save your cat. hope this works for those who are stuck in the same situation.

williemazda

I have own rotaries sine 1982 and got into modifying them about 5 years ago and one thing that I've found out thru the years is what a friend ofmines told me is true and that is that not only the Renesis but any rotary engine if you start it and just shut it off you running a risk that at any time can get flooded, usually I have left the accelerator have way down (others reccomend all the way down) and have started. Now my RX8 first got flooded a week ago and I have just turned 21k plus miles when it happene after a few days that I left it in the garage parked I started the car and just shut it off ignoring what I've should have done, next day in the morning it came on for a moment and it shut off immediately, of course I called that friend of mines immediately after I got it started again(which it took me about 5 minutes of trying and I was not going to do like I do to my older RX 7's that I put a shot of oil thru the intake) mainly I called that friend of mines as he's a Mazda mechanic manager/specialist/tech because I wanted to check for upgrades if any as he's done other times in my car and this was the perfect excuse for it and he told me that what you need to do is that either you warm up the car like in normal operating temperature or if you doit just to move it accross the street or just simply turn it on that you have to rev the car three times at 3,000 rpms quickly and the shut it off because you do not want no fuel stored in the rotors that causes flood in that type of engine and I know that is truth from past experiences and that it works, I tried it since as I thought since it was a new car it would not happen...well...it's a rotary...regardless it's new or not, it's the same principle.

sampson

i am going to be getting an rx8 this wekend and i have a couple questions. i did not really find out exactly the answer i was looking for. ok, here goes, but please dont flame me. i live about 3 miles from work and i always let my car warm up before going (it is in my morning routine.) when i get to work, i probably have had the car running for about 20 minutes (8 while driving and the rest at idle in the driveway). will i have to do the 3000 rpm shut off procedure or will i be fine without doing it? does the 3000 rpm shutoff only apply when the car is not allowed to warm properly?
thanks you all! i look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone.

PaulieWalnuts

If you work a few miles away that's not a big deal. Starting the car, moving it a few feet, and then shutting it off (or stalling it) is probably when most people have had problems. I've accidentally shut off and stalled my 8 after a few seconds of being started cold and haven't had any problems.

Also, this thread was started in 10/2003. I think the lastest ECU flashes have addressed the cold rich mixture issue that caused the flooding. I think mine's N.

sampson

i thought everyone was still saying that you could still flood them with a cold shut off. i just want to make sure i am not going to run into any problems when i go to work on monday (or try to leave). i dont think i will have to worry about the cold shut down if it is ok to do as i stated. is it also true that once the engine is warmed up, you can shut it off then restart it without a problem?

PaulieWalnuts

Sampson - I'd say if you drove it like a normal car you won;t have any problems. Just in case, for any drives where the temp gauge doesn;t reach normal temp, rev it to 3K before shutting off.

sampson

thanks a lot! i was just unsure about exactly what to do.

loco4rx8

Now THAT is a sentence.

RotorManiac

lol the fulstop (.) must be missing from his keyboard

Zuhalter Vati

I just saw the updated TSB today. If you have flooding problems get the work done. I thought about creating one just to get the new plugs, battery, possible cat convertor, etc. :D

ironhead

Just got my Rx8 a couple of days ago from a private sale.
signed all the papers.. went thru all the formalites.
Hopped in the car.. ready to drive it away... wouldn't start. :'(

it turns out he started the car and turned it off without letter the car warm up.
mazda came and towed it at night. the next day i was told the car had flooded, and the spark plugs had fouled up.

the mazda dealers replaced the spark plugs, the cables for the spark plugs, they changed the starter motor to a higher spinning one and they also flashed the PCM.
all this was covered under warranty.

clydejmuggs

Is this our first Au flood?

Gomez

No mate, we've had a few, but the number reported on this forum is less than 10. Hymee is actively trying to flood his, but hasn't been able to in two years. The flashes we have in our cars here are different to the ones the guys in the States have had, and I think that has been the difference. Having bugger all snow here has helped too.

Gomez.