Hi everyone, I've had my rx8 on the road for about 1000 miles now. When I bought it, it was taking longer than most to start hot or cold. I replaced the ignition coils and all was well. That was about 500 miles ago. Now I am noticing that the car randomly takes longer/shorter to start. It doesn't seem to matter if the car is hot or cold, some times it'll take 2 full seconds, other times it will start almost instantly. It also idles a bit rough from time to time, also randomly. It's not enough to shake the car or anything, but it is noticible. The main thing though, is that it sounds like there is an exhaust leak of some sort.

It feels like I have a slight loss of power, although that could be my imagination. The car holds idle rpm well, and dosent stall. The car also seems a bit louder exhaust wise.

This all happened rather suddenly, about 3 days ago. The new noise I am noticing is most noticible when the engine is dropping back to idle rpm from revs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_JvmB90Hw

I did not replace the wires or plugs when I replaced the coils, so I have those coming in on order right now, and will install them when they get here.

If that dosent solve the problem, I'm not sure what it is. Unlike a normal exhaust leak, I can't seem to pinpoint it. It seems to resonate along the front part of the exhaust system, from the engine bay to the cat. A quiet but noticible "ticking" that varies with Rpm.

Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

I'm thinking that it could be my SSV. I have been reading tons of threads of people with similar problems, and it seems the ssv is usually the culprit. The car seems to lack power under ~4000 rpm, but above it still feels like it has all the power it should. I believe that means the ssv could be stuck open? If so would this cause a slight idle roughness?

I found this thread, my car is making a similar noise as the car in this video.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...apping-252786/

Edit: Actually, this video is closer to what I am experiencing.


I am going to try and isolate it tomorrow. My wires will be in tomorrow, plugs will be in Tuesday.

I'm hoping its anything but a compression issue, although I know that is a possibility. I will be going to the Mazda dealership in a couple weeks to get my airbag recall taken care of, and will most likely get a compression test while there.

 

It seems I have found/fixed the problem. My rear leading spark plug was loose. I disconnected the wire, and would wiggle it slightly by hand. Got out the 13/16 socket with a few extensions, and tightened it up. Was out about 3 full tuns out from being tight. Hooked the wire back up, and all seems good. Back to a steady smooth idle, and power seems to be back. No more ticking noise either.

Relieved the problem is gone, and glad it wasn't catastrophic.