Hey all,

Last winter my RX-8 decided to quit on me. It was cold, I backed it out of the driveway to shovel, left it running for about a half hour, pulled it back into the driveway and the next time I went to start it it just cranked. At the time, there was a lot going on in my life, my dad had just passed away, my job situation was crazy, my wife and I were moving into a new house...all excuses, but ultimately they led to my ignoring the car. It's been sitting in a driveway for all that time and my insurance is about due. So, it's time for me to make a decision: get rid of it or get it back on the road. I'd prefer the latter, but before I can start, I figured I'd see what steps I should take.

That said, first thing I know I'll need is a new battery, it's dead, and being left there for all that time I figure I may as well replace it. However, what about the fuel, there's a little in the tank, and I didn't have the forethought to put stabilizer in it. Is it unsafe to attempt to start the car on that? Should I drain it out and put new fuel in, can I add octane boost?

What else should I be concerned about? If this thing even turns over....

 

I would replace (at least) the spark plugs. Coils would be a good idea, but, it's the plugs that were probably fouled.
Also, flush your oil and coolant and do a change on those. I would even recommend flushing the gas and putting fresh 91 octane in.
Least important (though, just to be safe), I'd even give the MAF/eccentric shaft position sensors a good cleaning, and clean/replace the air filter.

 

I suppose you'd recommend doing all that before I tried to kick her over?

 

Nah man that's way too much.

Take out your plugs.
Crank it over to get all the fumes out

Pop in new plugs and you should be good to go.

My 8 sat for 6 months on same gas and fired right up with new plugs after i got it.

Then once it's running put fresh oil. maybe some fresh gas depending on how full your tank is.

 

WTF dude. Please don't be telling people to swap out parts like ignition coils based on your sayso rather than performing a proper inspection and diagnosis. Your reply is ignorant.

 

That's easier to swallow. I'll get a new battery and plugs.

Quick question; how accessible are the plugs? Can I do it myself without removing too much other engine stuff? I can search for the procedure, but a quick "yeah it's easy" or "you'll have to remove a few things" would be nice to gauge whether or not I can do it where she sits or need to tow it to a better working environment.

 

Plugs are super easy. Just remove the front drivers side wheel, move the little rubber flap to the side and it's a straight shot in there. You just need a really long socket extension and you're set.

 

These engines can flood even on good plugs in cold weather. If it has sat for a year there won't be any fuel left in the rotor chambers. If anything, pull the plugs and inspect them and based on how they look they made need to be replaced. What happens when the engine floods is that the oil is washed out from the rotor seals resulting in low compression. If the battery is also low on voltage, which causes slow engine rotation during starting, the engine is very susceptible to flooding and/or not starting. Ideally you will want a strong fully charged battery to turn the engine over quickly and also will need to get some oil back in the rotor area for sealing. There are several ways to get oil in; squirting it in through the spark plug holes, sucking it in through the lower intake vacuum nipples, etc. Holding the throttle down while cranking the engine disengages the fuel injectors from working and adding fuel into the engine so this will assist you through some of this. The engine fires and idles primarily on the trailing coils so you want to make sure these are sparking the plugs while cranking it over. Adding a lot of good premium fuel will dilute whatever was in the tank. Might want to throw in some good fuel treatment like Seafoam too. The fuel line can be disconnected at the drivers side firewall and there is a procedure to make the fuel pump run which will allow you to flush out the main supply line.

This is just a general run down because I'm unsure how mechanically adept you are in general let alone relative to this particular vehicle. Where are you located? Maybe somebody RX8 proficient in your area is willing to lend a hand?

 

Ok. What are the chances I'll need to replace the plugs before it'll start? Pretty good? Just wondering if I'll get lucky, pop a new battery in, and (if all it was only a flood) find that time was enough to cure its wounds.

 

Just get a new Battery.
And swap your plugs.

Then add as much fresh fuel as you can like Teamrx8 said,
Then check back.

That should be good.

 

Well if you ask that after reading my previous reply then you probably need someone knowledgable assisting you with getting it back running. Hell, you can get a good battery in it and just see what happens. Worst case it won't fire you are no worse off, but these engines can be difficult to get running after they have been flooded, assuming that is what happens

 

Hummm...the "good quick turn" now has me worried. The last time I had it serviced (the last time it flooded) the dealer mentioned that they recommended a new starter. I didn't want to pay for it at the time. However, if the starter is weak, that may be why it flooded again.

As for my mechanical proficiency, it's not that high. I'm good at doing things with assistance, but I have this problem overthinking everything I do and it makes me bad at it, lol. I can turn a wrench, but I'll rethink what I'm doing to the point of exhaustion. It took me two days to replace the stock stereo with the MP3 unit (to give you an idea). A bit because I didn't have the tools and had to go buy pry bars to get off the panels, a bit because I didn't want to scuff up the panels, a bit because when it said, for example, said "tug" I'd tug a little because I didn't want to break anything, get frustrated, tug harder, get frustrated, tug a whole lot and get it off/out and feel stupid for not just applying more force initially. So...yeah, lol.

I'm in Jersey, around exit 63 on the parkway is where the car sits.... Beers and dinner to anyone that may be able to assist (just don't yell at me too much for my neglect ).

I posted before reading yours, lol. I read yours and felt I should edit my post, but you deserved a response instead.

 

Well, I did say that plugs would be foremost. I should have said to INSPECT the plugs to make sure they aren't fouled. I only brought up coils as a warning that they, too, could be bad.
The rest of my suggestions are just places to inspect (or rather, be wary of, especially after a long sit).

I store my car for the winter (~6 months), and the only maintenance I perform is to remove the battery and place it on a tender.

 

Well sorry to have jumped down your keyboard, but people spouting off parts swapping without inspection and diagnosis here is getting out of control. You can pretty much assume that they have no clue right off the bat ...

 

^agreed.

 

if you flood it after all of this info, and its a stick just pull start it in 2nd. follow teams advice, but if all else fails pull starting almost always works

 

Well, its entirely up to you to decide what you are and are not capable of.
I know people who have to get help when replacing a light bulb in their living room lamp, that's sitting on a table.

Changing spark plugs is pretty similar to changing a light bulb.
You just have to use tools in order to do it.

You unplug the wire, then unscrew the old plug, screw in the new one, plug the wire back in, and repeat that 3 whole times. If you're really smart, you use a torque wrench, and set it to the correct setting for the plugs.

If that's too much for you to do, then its a good thing you know your limitations.
Everyone has skills that others don't have. Maybe you're good at doing taxes, or something like that.

BC.