Hey guys,

I bought my 8 back in Dec. 2007. Its a 2008 with 60k on it. No problems for the first few years but in March of 2010, the car lost power while driving. I pulled off on the side, turned it off, and it turned on perfect again. Fifteen minutes later... same thing. I managed to make it to a dealership and drained the gas thinking there was water in the tank. It seemed like the problem was solved.

February of 2011 it does the same thing on a 7 hour road trip. The car began turning off while driving 70 mph down the road about every hour or so. It would pulsate almost like it was deprived of gas and then would get a short burst, but the rpm would quickly increase, then drop steadily again. I took it into the shop and there were no error codes stored. They decided to replace the engine since it was under warranty hoping to solve the problem, but it happened again shortly after. Mystery continues.

Now, throughout the last two months (March-April 2012), my car has began to have problems again. It seems to intensify the occurrence of it dying when I get gas in smaller towns, but it only happens after driving non-stop for about an hour+. I took the car to our local mechanic and still, no codes are showing.

Sometimes I can tell when its about to die if I'm at a stop sign and can listen to my car. It almost sounds like something is grinding beneath my feet. If I am able to get out of the car, there is a weird outflow of exhaust with short loud burst of exhaust coming out and then almost nothing.

I'm not too sure how much longer I can hang on to driving my 8 with its mystery behavior, if any of you guys have any answers, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I usually drive long distances between rural areas and metro areas with trips being ~3-5 hours. It also amplifies the chance of dying if I'm accelerating.

 

While driving, does your tack shut off and then back on repeatedly? If so, that's a battery terminal problem. Get some 900 grit sand paper and clean off the negative battery terminal, and also the connector for the car.

As for the car dying... I have a bit of a similar problem. Looking into it now.

 

Sounds to me like a fuel pump going bad.

 

Your cat is clogged.

Remove the cat, if your honey comb is in tact, then change the coils, wires, plugs.

If your honey comb is not in the cat , then those pieces are stuck in your muffler and is restricting the flow of exhaust which in turn is killling your motor.

This happen to me, I replaced the clogged exhaust with a cat back system , problem solved.

So if you remove the cat, and you see some of your honey comb in there , then get a long metal rod and punch the rest out. If you put the cat back on and you still have the hesitation, then some of the broken honeycomb already made it to the exhaust and is now stuck. And unfortunately you can't get those pieces out.

 

Sounds alot like my problem. Please read my thread and see if you think our problems sound alike. I may try dropping the CAT to take a look later.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/any-other-ideas-231822/

 

I am having this exact problem. Identical in every way. Did you figure out the problem? Clogged cat? Ssv?

 

could have been a clogged cat, but also his symptoms mirror those of a failing fuel pump. No follow up from OP ?

Starting the Engine
• Starter
• Battery
• Engine Compression
• Grounding Wires
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors

Generating Power at Full Throttle
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Air Filter
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)

Keeping the Engine at a Cruise
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)

Keeping the Engine at an Idle
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)
• Intake Vaccum

 

Sounds like you need a tune up. Change out your plugs and that should stop it. The reason it continues after the engine swap is because they more than likely used the same plugs in the new engine because they thought there was nothing wrong with them, but in fact that's the problem.

 

Could be a fuel pump going. If you have the original Series One fuel pump they are notorious for dying, even with just 60K on it. I swapped in a Series Two fuel pump and that fixed it.

Did your car have the fuel pump/fuel tank recall work done by the dealer ?

 

Starting the Engine

• Starter
• Battery
• Engine Compression
• Grounding Wires
• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors

Generating Power at Full Throttle

• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Air Filter
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)

Keeping the Engine at a Cruise

• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Intake Valving
• Throttle Body
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Fuel Pump
• Fuel Injectors
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)

Keeping the Engine at an Idle

• Ignition Coils
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Wires
• Engine Compression
• E-Shaft Sensor (ESS)
• Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF)
• Front O2 sensor
• Catalytic Converter (Cat)
• Intake Vaccum

Managing Engine Heat

• Radiator
• Thermostat
• Radiator fans
• Water Pump
• Coolant Lines
• Coolant Temp Sensor (ECT)
• Oil Coolers
• Oil Cooler Lines

Managing Exhaust Emissions

• Catalytic Converter
• Air Injection Pump
• Front O2 sensor
• Rear O2 sensor
• Coolant Temp Sensor (ECT)

Changing Gears

• Clutch Pedal Assembly
• Clutch Master Cylinder
• Clutch Slave Cylinder
• Clutch Fork
• Release Bearing (Throwout Bearing, Release Collar)
• Clutch Pressure Plate
• Clutch Disc
• Flywheel
• Pilot Bearing
• Transmission Shifter
• Transmission Syncros

Bringing the Car to a Stop

• Brake Pedal Assembly
• Brake Master Cylinder
• Brake Power Booster
• ABS Junction Block
• Brake Lines
• Brake Fluid
• Brake Calipers
• Brake Pads
• Brake Rotors

Providing Electrical Power

• Battery
• Alternator
• Grounding Cables

 

It is an old post , but if anyone with Series One fuel pump is having the same issues, here is my info. Sounds exactly like a fuel pump issue. happened the same to me, on a long road trip. The Series One fuel pump will overheat after long highway driving and just fail. Then after you sit a bit and it cools down, it will work ok again. But it will happen again for sure, mine did. First get the free Mazda recall fixes on the fuel pump/ fuel tank. If that doesn't fix the issue, think about swapping it out for a much better Series Two RX8 fuel pump. Mazda went to another much better design and another brand for the Series Two fuel pump. There is a step-by-step DIY on the swap, here in the group. Not too difficult and that will cure any fuel pump issues.

 

All the signs point to a fuel pump for my little money pit! Filter too of course! Hope this is the missing tweak to get her healthy for the summer!!! 🙏