My eight wont accelerate like it should. I change the oil about once a month if not more and the coolant is fine. The check engine light came on about a week ago and the about a day ago she wont accelerate correctly, and she wont even get to 8000rpm its like shes to weak to get there. So if thier is another thread or if this is something someone has went through and knows whats wrong please let me know. By the way she is a 2006 if that helps any. And if this is something stupid that i have overlooked please let me know, just dont be rude about it, thanks.

-Now the real question is, the car is in the shop and its going to be a week or longer before the replacement part comes in the cat isn't clogged but its coming apart, so does anyone have a suggestion for a quick fix. This i know it needs to be replaced and it will next week but i need a working car until then so any suggestions at all would be helpful, and i'm not a mechanic but i know my basics and i have the basic set of tools at my disposal. so if its to intensive i probably wont be able to do it, but a couple of hours or more generally i can do it. So any suggestion would help thanks.

 

when you got the CEL read, what was the code?

 

Well the dealer is already closed and im going tomorrow morning. and i dont have one to read it myself. so basically i dont know what it says.

 

autozone, kragen, pep boys, they could all read the code for you.

it sounds like you're in limp mode

 

sounds like a plan i will go see if they can read it for me.

 

keep us posted

 

Get a engine compression test.

 

hey i had some family issues but i finally just went and bought the little computer hook up thing and it said engine miss fire.

 

so im taking a guess and saying either replace the spark plugs or its the wires to the spark plugs.

 

clogged cat also likely

 

It does sound like a spark plug or coil issue. when i feel my 8 getting slower its usually caused by one plug or coil going. Might want to get a de-carbon teatment "seafoam" to clean things up.

 

maybe something with compression, I had similar issues before I got my engine replaced under warranty, loss of power, someone else can chip in here but a compression test might be a good idea..
EDIT: I replaced my spark plugs and coils multiple times before I got the compression test, it costs more to get them replaced then it does to get the compression test... Do that first and rule out a bad engine, if your engines good then it's your ignition, but if you have a warranty and your engines bad, you may get a new one.. pretty sweet deal really. Don't turn the idea down, especially if it won't reach 8K thats a CRAZY power loss

 

Hey thanks. I'm taking it into the shop at 7 tomorrow morning and i will see what i can do, the mechanic that works on 8's is a buddy of mine so i will tell him to start with that. And it is currently under warranty so hopefully it will be free. thanks for the help.

 

well she is finally in the shop. My buddy said that the three main things he deals with when a 8 is doing that is a new engine, or new coils, or new spark plugs. So he told me he would give me a call after a while. So basically i found out nothing, but hopefully i will tonight.

 

well if it isn't the compression then yeah, probably coils or plugs, but if it is compression you will get weird stuff like misfires, rich exhaust, CELs and the likes, which can be symptoms of bad coils or plugs as well, so if you replaced your plugs and coils and it happened again, then you just wasted all that cash to find out you had a bad engine... 400-500$ vs. 100$ for a compression test :P seems like a good place to start if you ask me.

Hope you get good news!

 

Well finally got more info back, he says it a bad cat converter, so i guess we were all wrong.

 

Ok sorry i was wrong he was correct. Now the real question is, the car is in the shop and its going to be a week or longer before the replacement part comes in the cat isn't clogged but its coming apart, so does anyone have a suggestion for a quick fix. This i know it needs to be replaced and it will next week but i need a working car until then so any suggestions at all would be helpful, and i'm not a mechanic but i know my basics and i have the basic set of tools at my disposal. so if its to intensive i probably wont be able to do it, but a couple of hours or more generally i can do it. So any suggestion would help thanks.

 

you can knock out the material in the stock cat with a long screwdriver and make a ghetto midpipe out of it until the new cat is installed.

 

I did that! constant cel FTW :P

 

just buy a midpipe, not sure texas laws on emissions inspections but if they dont have buy a midpipe. cheeper, +10 HP, and better sound. all around win, win, win

 

EPA mandates an 80k mile warranty on the cat; you under that mileage?

http://www.epa.gov/obd/pubs/420f09048.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/factshts/catcvrts.pdf

 

Ok... 10+HP isn't a realistic gain from a midpipe... now 10-15 is realistic if you do your whole exhaust and a cold air intake. The RX-8 is EXTREMELY well designed from factory and opening up the exhaust doesn't do a whole lot for it, midpipe is still a good idea though.. if you got your hands on a COBB AP and did the whole intake and exhaust you might see some better results. But you would probably get the best HP to Money gains from the AP.. sadly everything on this car is pricey ^_^

 

hey i wish i could do cobb ap but i would have to order it which isn't that big of a deal but any service place is nearly 300 miles away. So if any thing went wrong i'm screwed, along with i'm still under warranty right now because the car has about 30000 miles on it maybe a little less so im getting a new cat for free its just going to be a week or so and i hate driving my other vechile in such great weather as we are having currently.

 

Sounds like its always compression. If this engine are due to fail then why the **** would mazda sell them in the first place. I'd rather have my money back then always replacing my engine. I had to replace mine 5 times!! I bought it back in 07, it only been 4 years. Still I love my 8.

 

Hmmmm... you figure Mazda would chalk it up to User Error and stop replacing your engines.... if you were unsure or slightly confused, do let me explain that you dont have to have the gas pedal ALL the way to the floor all the time... might be the problem... lol, just messin with ya man