Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

I'm making this thread for a friend of mine. He has a 2005 Rx8 Automatic, He has been having problems with unstable idle for a while, then his battery died so he bought a new one. Then after been putting Premium since he bought it, he fill it up with Regular. He has not been using the car often but everytime he starts it, when is cold it cranks up good, after is been on for like 15-20 min lets say he stops at a light and it stalls. Then it wont crank up again, has to wait like 10 min, then it cranks up again, last time he took the car out it stalled 3 times in one day..

I have been searching and reading, have came up with- MAF sensor, Coils, Sparplugs, Plug wires, or compression test.. Should he start changing all this or just go to the dealer and see what they say??
Thanks in advance

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

a friend of a friend of mine says that it could be any of those issues.
Start by testing each one (search the diy forum for each topic). Start with the cheapest and work your way up.

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

just tell him to get a compression test

Rotary13B TX

I have an Auto 04 it would die at stop lights and would have issues cranking up afterwards... rough idle etc... Just take it to mazda and have them do the compression test.... at first when i was starting to have the issue they said the engine was not broken enough for a new motor but it would be soon.... about a month later the battery died i had it shipped to mazda and they said they would get me a new engine. If the friend has an aftermarket intake system installed it makes all the difference in the world to clean it out.. especially if you drive where there is road work. My car has to be cleaned out every 6 months or the idle will be horrible!!!

bse50

Do you start taking medicines before you know what makes you sick?

ShinkaEvo

iTrader: (3)

Get a compression test at a local rotary shop.

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

Or a dealer anywhere really.

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

Lol... there's always a wise guy!

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

We are going to take the car tomorrow to the dealer and see what they say..

PSYGUY

I also have an 05 AT and I've been having the same issues....thought to replace the spark plugs which changed the idle and the car was running a lot better but now it's doing it again. Not as often though.....seems like the compression test is needed huh?

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

iI you have under 100k miles i recommend getting a compression test before replacing anything, always period.

PSYGUY

This would be ridiculous though if it failed the tests as it only has a little under 40K miles....btw this doesn't count as hijacking a thread right???

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

Well technically you did hijacked the thread! lol Nah, its cool this way i know what other ppl have done or not and everyone gathering info is better..

Shadycrew31, makes sense to just do a compression test.. How much would a shop, or dealer charge for a compression test? Just wondering i never had to do one.

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

So we decided to take a look a it before going to the dealer. First thing i noticed when we opened the hood was his front leading sparkplug wire was completely disconnected, i plug it back in, then cleaned the maf sensor, then oil change and done. But then he tells me that he has been noticing a weird noise(Video is attached below). Well i took it for a ride, and the noise is loud but only on hi rpms, sound like transmission is bad cuz is also shifting very hard, the engine is fine, but the engine light kept on blinking on and off, when i got home as soon i stopped it turned off. Then it wouldnt turn back on, now it turns on but doesnt idle.

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...-30-57_851.mp4

RX8Soldier

iTrader: (24)

you should try reading a few threads on misfiring. Also, when you cleaned the MAF sensor, did you unplug the battery? If not, unplug for about 5 min so that the ecu can reset and relearn your fuel trims. This may take a few drive cycles.

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

Well, after so long, my friend finally took the car to the dealer, they said compression was low, and that he needs a new engine. They just called him today to tell him that mazda doesn't have enough records on the car to give him an engine... Thats some BS, What do you think he should do?

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

I think your friend should find all his oil change receipts and other maintenance receipts and present that to the dealer. If they still refuse you should take it up with mazda corporate.

ShinkaEvo

iTrader: (3)

^that
Or save up some money for new motor.
Or sell it cheap with blown motor.

Rotary13B TX

Defenitly call up corporate that always helps whenever there is a struggle From past experiences chances are that they will help u out as much as possible because they want u to be a return customer .... There is too much compition out there ! If they can't do anything and y'all can't prove that u maintained it properly sell it to an unsuspecting dealer as long as the check engine light isn't on obviously don't mention anything about the troubled engine... And be done with it

PeteInLongBeach

Honestly, do you REALLY expect any company, that specifically defines a maintenance schedule for their product, that spells out the terms of their product warranty, to cover the product under warranty without proof of maintenance or compliance with terms of the warranty?

If you ran a company that produced a product, would you just give away expensive parts without proof of scheduled maintenance ? Well, if you did, you would soon find yourself being taken advantage of by customers who neglected your product and then demanded you fix the results of their neglect.

Warranty-required proof of maintenance should not be a new concept to any car owner.

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

I think you might be missing the point... We are telling him to find his oil change receipts that should suffice. Plus we all know these engines seldom last longer than 60k.

PeteInLongBeach

Not missing his point at all. He called BS on Mazda need maintenance records to honor the engine warranty.

People in this forum complain about warranty-required proof of maintenance all the time. For original owners, this should be a no-brainer and there should be no excuse. For used car buyers, a car that is still under warranty but without a documented maintenance history should be negotiated for a lower price or walk away and find another one.

shadycrew31

iTrader: (6)

Ehhhh Mazda also recommends 5w/20.

Rx8Les

iTrader: (3)

Listen wise guy, dont you know that there's a recall for 04, 05 and some 06 rx8 for the engine issue, on top of that, he had the car for a year, in which he has not done any maintenance other than oil change, you really think that anyone wants to go through all this trouble for nothing. It is a BS, because his car failed all the damn test, and is been having hard starting for a while, and all this test that are said on the recall, where done by Mazda. Why dont you go and read this, maybe it would refresh your mind.

http://rotarynews.com/node/view/826

Rotary13B TX

It's a difficult situation for sure where did he buy the car from ?