joefosho

i have a 2004 rx-8. my problem is while im driving and come to a stop the engine just cuts off. the radio, windows, dashboard and everything else still works but the engine just cuts off. any suggestions on what could be wrong?


i also have the same problem as a lot of other people on here with starting their car after the engine is warmed up and make a quick stop. i cant get my car started till the engine is completely cooled down. i have already replaced the plugs, starter, battery and fuel pump and none of that worked.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

joe: how many miles on your RX8?
are you the original owner?

based on what your'e telling me, it sounds like you could have a bad catalytic converter or possibly a low compression motor.
Mazda warranties the rotary engine for 8 years / 100,000 miles. I would highly recommend you talk to your local dealer and see what they say.

Has the car been properly maintained at the dealership? They will most likely want records of maintenance to support the engine replacement so be prepared for that.

joefosho

yeah i am the original owner, and it has 103 thousand miles on it so it looks like ill miss out on the warranty. i have had the oil changed like it should and the car is well taken care of. the only thing i have slacked on is getting the tuneups for it. i havent had one done yet. i actually did take it to the dealership and they were worthless. they said nothing was wrong with the car, and that i just needed a tuneup. but all they did was hook it up to the diagnotic, but they got no readings cause i dont have any check engine lights on it. they did say i needed to have the engine either decompressed or decarbonized. i didnt have that done cause they wanted to charge me 1400 dollars to do that and a tuneup, and i didnt think that was the problem. but you think that might do it?

Mazurfer

I'm sorry.......you've got 103k and you've never changed the coils?

And.................when this just shuts off........you don't have a CEL on after restarting or at any other time? (not that you would, but it would tell us something).

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

oh boy
(takes a deep breath)


alright, lets resume.

• you NEED to do maintenance to this vehicle.
• if you've never changed your ignition coils or the spark plug wires, that should be at the top of your list right now. IF the coils are bad (and they most likely are at this point) then your engine will not run properly. check out www.finishlineperformance.com or www.onlinemazdaparts.com for those items. I believe there is a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) thread created by "Dozer" that will walk you through this
• your catalytic could be damaged by the misfires. If you're feeling so inclined, put the car up on jack stands, remove the 3 bolts holding the cat in and take a peak inside to make sure the honeycomb shape is still intact. (warning: those bolts are probably in there pretty tight at this point so either get help, use an impact gun, or pay any mechanic to do it for you)
• you should probably de-carb your engine. Take a look in the DIY subforum for a thread by NYCGPS who has step by step instructions. (you'll want to order the 'zoom zoom cleaner' from Rosenthal)

as Mazurfer pointed out: you are not getting ANY warning lights? Does your Check Engine Light ever blink?
What fuel pump did you install?
When was the last time you replaced your air filter?


Also: $1,400 sounds ridiculous. You could easily spend a day at your house and knock all of this out for MUCH less

• Coils: about $30 each. (x4)
• Spark Plug Wires: $60 http://blackhaloracing.com/products-...d-plug-wires3/
• Zoom Zoom Cleaner: it's like $20 a can? I forget, it's been a while since I've done it.
• Having a Mechanic inspect your Cat: $50 at most to take a peak at it.

do you have a copy of your Owner's Manual?
There is a service schedule towards the back of it that you can reference for any additional maintenance items that you might not have gotten performed at the proper intervals. If you do not have the owner's manual, you can register under the "owner" section of www.mazdausa.com and you will have access to the Manual in pdf format.

Mazurfer

Wonder how long it's been since the air filter was changed? That and the coils would be a real good bet.
I guess the plugs would be as well if it's a long time. I won't let mine go much over 10k, but I know I'm overboard on those!



Air filter is pretty cheap and has probably been changed, but wasn't listed, so we have to keep that as a possibilty as well.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

I just edited my post while you were typing that Mazurfer; great minds think alike.
the OP did mention changing the spark plugs but how long ago?

Speaking of which: what type of spark plugs? Did the dealership do it?
I only ask becaues the preferred spark plug for our cars is the NGK OEM plugs and if you used others, they might not have lasted very long and will be needing replacement again.

Dave: every 10k?! Wow, and I thought I was bad...
that reminds me: I need another set soon since I change mine annually.

joefosho

first off, just want to think you guys for all the info so far. no never had the coils replaced or the spark plug wires. i blame myself on that for not doing enough research and not knowing a lot about the rotary engine before buying the car. since it does have 103 k miles on it is it really worth doing all this to it, or should i just replace the engine? i wanna keep the car cause i just got a custom paint job on it and a few other things done to it, and it breaks down on me a month after i had it done. i dont want to drop a bunch of money in it just for the engine to go in it 30 or 40 k miles later?

only light i have on is the tire pressure monitor light. got after market wheels put on it and they broke one of the senors and i never replaced it.

the air filter was replaced about 20 k miles ago. didnt use those spark plugs either but they were replaced less than 1 thousand miles ago. im a horrible rx-8, haha. definitely should have read up on this before i got the car

Mazurfer

I have two sets in the garage!

If he's air filter is really, really dirty, it could also mess up the A/F ratio and the PCM would be going as far as it could off the MAF readings until it couldn't compensate any more right? And we both know we'd be cleaning the MAF at this point as well.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

j03: replacing an engine is not cheap, I would DEFINITELY follow the maintenance suggestions Mazurfer and I have posted.

A couple hundred dollars and a few hours spent working on your car is MUCH better then a $4,000 - $5,000 engine replacement.

If you wouldn't mind answersing some of the questions in my posts, I think we can help you out even more.
oh, and grats on the paint job and wheels. When you say they broke one of the sensors, did the sensor actually get damaged or the rubber seal on it? the rubber seals are pretty cheap.
I digress... lets get back to getting your car running properly and then focus on minor details such as a TPMS light.

Mazurfer

Tough question cause we don't know how much money you got?
In my opinion.....coils aren't that expensive and neither are plugs wires. You say you wanna keep it, so read through this thread at our suggestions and you'll have to decide. Jedi gave you some good advice(look at the CAT) and you can get coils at Rosenthal or maybe even cheaper elsewhere.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

WTB spark plugs!

You're right though about the air filter / MAF sensor.

Joe: we just added more items on your "to-do" list, fortunately cleaning a MAF sensor is a 5 minute job.

Mazurfer

Joe,

This won't matter, but are you an AT or Manual?

Also......what is your location? We are a very helpful lot and there maybe someone close to you willing to help out or have spare parts that might assist before in debug before you go spend money.

There is a procedure for actually checking out coils to see if good or bad, but I will tell you straight up.........if you get 35k off the OEM coils, you've done pretty well...............so...........that's why JEDI and I are guessing that one at the top of the list! Unfortunately that as well as incorrect spark(either coils, wires, or plugs) can lead to unburnt fuel which takes out the CAT in relatively short order. Hopefully that's not the case here!

I'll also predict if you do nothing, that in very short order you won't even be able to start the car at all.......ie, flooding!

joefosho

ok, im thinkin ill get all these parts and get those fixed before i replace the engine. i definitely have a lot of things on the to-do list. i live in southern maryland, charles county. i have been trying to find someone local who knows the rotary other than the dealership but have been unsuccessful.
i dont know the brand of the fuel pump unfortunately, but the spark plugs i can find out when i get home later on tonight. so i will have to post that later on. and i have the AT

Mazurfer

Here would be my order of things, but again........I'm no expert.

1.) Coils
2.) Plugs <-------- make sure you get the right ones!
3.) Wires(maybe)
4.) Air Filter

Then it's a matter of resetting the ECU, you can do this by taking the negative off the battery for a good 15 minutes. However........when you do this remember that the car will have to re-learn the fuel trims, so it could stall out for a couple more drive cycles, so don't be alarmed.....you gotta give it a few drive cycles.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

I added #'s 5 & 6 simply due to the amount of miles on your car.

Mazurfer

Those certainly can't hurt!
Figured he'd find out about #5 when going through the others, but like you said.......real easy five minute job, so what the hell.
Oh yeah............I forgot about #6. Guess I was interested in seeing if it would run first. Then decarb(#6) the heck out of it for sure!

joefosho

thanks for the info guys, im gonna start getting all that stuff fixed tomorrow. hopefully ill have it done by the weekend. ill post an update when im done and let you know if it worked. thanks again

I8U

iTrader: (1)

I have no words for this...

Razz1

umm........

gfrodge

none this worked for me still wants to die at stops. im just gonna trade her somewhere :-(

Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

check you accordion tube for any oil residue.

And I didn't see, is it a 6 speed? If so, does it also die when you push the clutch in all the way and rpms just drop to 0?

yiksing

It's amazing that your coils lasted 100K+ miles, my first set only lasted 30k kilometres...

jcantera

Gents,
Had alot of the same issues...

Stalls when stopping at lights, hard starts (especially from a quick stop), loss of horsepower...

Here's what I have learned thus far, and how I fight the problem.

I am third owner of my RX-8. It's an automatic (wife made me do it... lol) at about 45k miles. I first got a warning light at about 6 months of ownership where it indicated a possible vaccume hose leak. Smoke test was negative. It's a livable issue. Since last summer, I have fought the stalling and poor engine performance. Recently took her to my mechanic who did a full tune up (plugs and wires), decarbbed the engine. Took it to Mazda for a recall computer reflash. Despite the work, I have stalled 2 times since (in the past 2 months). Remember, this is an automatic... Anyway, the only trick I have found to be effective in maximizing performance has been to add an STP additive (Complete in the silver bottle). If I add this every 2 tanks of gas, she runs like a champ, even with the A/C on. If I forget to add it, the performance drops dramatically on the 3rd tank full, until it stalls at lights.

I love my car, and if putting in an additive every 2 tanks of gas keeps her running her best, then I'm all for it.

I will admit, I have not had the coils changed, and have owned it for 30k miles now... I will get on that. Will also check the cat and see if those help.

If there are any other suggestions out there, please let me know.

JCantera

Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

That's weird. . . never heard of that before. . . I fear change and the unknown, so this makes me feel uncomfortable.