How to prevent flooding?
12-30-2011 | 03:56 PM
#1
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How to prevent flooding?
Please excuse this question, I feel it has likely been answered a million times. I started a search but the information available was MASSIVE, so I will ask it.
Is there something my son can do to help protect himself from his RX8 flooding. It seems to only happens when the car has been sitting for a while (like a few days).
Is there a special oil? with an additive that helps prevent the problem?
Use thicker oil?
Is there some other trick? or thing to do?
De-carbonizer?
Thank you in advance for your time and knowledge.
ps: appears the root cause is no compression due to oil draining from engine while it sits
Is there something my son can do to help protect himself from his RX8 flooding. It seems to only happens when the car has been sitting for a while (like a few days).
Is there a special oil? with an additive that helps prevent the problem?
Use thicker oil?
Is there some other trick? or thing to do?
De-carbonizer?
Thank you in advance for your time and knowledge.
ps: appears the root cause is no compression due to oil draining from engine while it sits
Last edited by Lee taylor; 12-30-2011 at 03:58 PM.
12-30-2011 | 04:10 PM
#2
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 421
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From: Eastern Europe
Firstly, oil draining has zip to do with compression.It sounds as though the battery is failing seeing how it floods after a few days sitting, has the battery been checked at idle and under load.Which starter is fitted to it, the early slow or newer faster spinning starter. What maintantence has been done ie; plugs ,coils and leads. Forget the decarbonizer, use distilled water,there is an excellent post of how to do it by bse50.
12-30-2011 | 04:11 PM
#3
(OP is) wrong.
Flooding the RENESIS is caused usually from shutting down the engine before it has been allowed to reach normal operating temps, as the ecu dumps a lot of fuel into the engine on cold starts.
A healthy engine and ignition system should help prevent this. What year is the car? How many miles? Has it been serviced regularly?
Flooding the RENESIS is caused usually from shutting down the engine before it has been allowed to reach normal operating temps, as the ecu dumps a lot of fuel into the engine on cold starts.
A healthy engine and ignition system should help prevent this. What year is the car? How many miles? Has it been serviced regularly?
Last edited by RX8Soldier; 12-30-2011 at 11:44 PM. Reason: clarification
12-30-2011 | 04:12 PM
#4
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 28
From: Denver, CO
The easiest way to prevent flooding is to make sure the ignition system (coils, wires, and spark plugs) are in good shape, the starter is the newer faster type, your battery is strong, and the compression is good.
Aside from making sure you don't have an internal coolant leak into the rotor housing, and making sure the catalytic converter isn't clogged, there really isn't much else that can cause flooding.
Oh, and don't just start the car, move it 10 feet, and shut it back off.
That's the best way to flood an RX-8.
Drive the car around your block at least twice.
BC.
Aside from making sure you don't have an internal coolant leak into the rotor housing, and making sure the catalytic converter isn't clogged, there really isn't much else that can cause flooding.
Oh, and don't just start the car, move it 10 feet, and shut it back off.
That's the best way to flood an RX-8.
Drive the car around your block at least twice.
BC.
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Sam Moore (04-28-2020)
12-30-2011 | 04:34 PM
#5
https://www.rx8club.com/new-member-forum-197/new-potential-owners-start-here-202454/
If you keep flooding like your post seems to imply, you have something wrong with one of the components mentioned in my quote and it continues to cause flooding. Fix that and you fix your flood problem.
Flooding:
Flooding is only a concern if you have a weak ignition system. The problem is, your ignition system usually fails very slowly, so it is a gradual decline. The alert and responsible owner will detect the drop in mileage, the drop in power, the rougher idle, the occasional misfire, and replace their coils, plugs, and wires before it gets bad enough where there is a chance at flooding.
Every single flood I have seen reported for quite a while ended up coming down to one of these failing: Battery, Starter, Coil(s), Plug Wire(s), Plug(s). But by then, they also generally have a fried cat that needs to get replaced as well, and possibly an O2 sensor or two. Stay on top of the maintenance (long term included!) and you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Coils ($160 for all 4, 20 minute swap), plugs ($80 for all 4, 10 minute swap), and wires ($60, 2 minute swap), should be replaced every 30,000 miles, possibly sooner if you detect something starting to fail, since people have had them fail as early as 8,000 miles or 15,000 miles, though that's rare.
You don't want to shut off while it's cold simply because when the engine is cold, the ECU dumps more fuel into engine to help it warm up, and it leans back once the engine is warm. This extra fuel can make it harder to start an ignition, which a healthy ignition system is perfectly capable of overcoming. Weaken the ignition with failing plugs, coils, wires, alternator, starter, or battery, and you have a flood on your hands, and all the associated problems from that.
Flooding is only a concern if you have a weak ignition system. The problem is, your ignition system usually fails very slowly, so it is a gradual decline. The alert and responsible owner will detect the drop in mileage, the drop in power, the rougher idle, the occasional misfire, and replace their coils, plugs, and wires before it gets bad enough where there is a chance at flooding.
Every single flood I have seen reported for quite a while ended up coming down to one of these failing: Battery, Starter, Coil(s), Plug Wire(s), Plug(s). But by then, they also generally have a fried cat that needs to get replaced as well, and possibly an O2 sensor or two. Stay on top of the maintenance (long term included!) and you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Coils ($160 for all 4, 20 minute swap), plugs ($80 for all 4, 10 minute swap), and wires ($60, 2 minute swap), should be replaced every 30,000 miles, possibly sooner if you detect something starting to fail, since people have had them fail as early as 8,000 miles or 15,000 miles, though that's rare.
You don't want to shut off while it's cold simply because when the engine is cold, the ECU dumps more fuel into engine to help it warm up, and it leans back once the engine is warm. This extra fuel can make it harder to start an ignition, which a healthy ignition system is perfectly capable of overcoming. Weaken the ignition with failing plugs, coils, wires, alternator, starter, or battery, and you have a flood on your hands, and all the associated problems from that.
12-30-2011 | 11:22 PM
#6
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 421
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From: Eastern Europe
wrong.
Flooding the RENESIS is caused usually from shutting down the engine before it has been allowed to reach normal operating temps, as the ecu dumps a lot of fuel into the engine on cold starts.
A healthy engine and ignition system should help prevent this. What year is the car? How many miles? Has it been serviced regularly?
Flooding the RENESIS is caused usually from shutting down the engine before it has been allowed to reach normal operating temps, as the ecu dumps a lot of fuel into the engine on cold starts.
A healthy engine and ignition system should help prevent this. What year is the car? How many miles? Has it been serviced regularly?
12-30-2011 | 11:31 PM
#7
Wrong?? So, if the battery is low or failing and the motor isnt cranking fast enough and the ECU is dumping fuel into the engine, this wont cause flooding ? The electrics that run constantly when the vehicle is shut down wont deplete a bad battery ?Wake up and smell the coffee..
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