starting problems

[rxstockport]

Having starting problems 4 different people tried to start car over 15 hrs but no joy, but sods law after tow to garage starts first time.Engine turns but no sign of combustion (kept in garage not in cold!).It feels like intermittent fault, Garage says its flooding(user error) but i keep feet of the loud peddle. only 2500 mls.Anybody seen similiar problem?

[MBTN]

I never heard of RX8's flooding, but then again RX7's can so...
If they say it's flooded, you can unflood it yourself. Look for the EFI fuse, and pull it. Crank the motor for 15-20 seconds. Put the fuse back and start normally. This is a process used on flooded RX7's, so it could work here. If it doesn't work, keep repeating until it starts. If/when it does, it will smoke heavily for a while.

[rxstockport]

Originally Posted by rxstockport

Having starting problems 4 different people tried to start car over 15 hrs but no joy, but sods law after tow to garage starts first time.Engine turns but no sign of combustion (kept in garage not in cold!).It feels like intermittent fault, Garage says its flooding(user error) but i keep feet of the loud peddle. only 2500 mls.Anybody seen similiar problem?

I have since heard there is a technical bulliten issued by Mazda UK on starting problems will try to find copy

[pbw252]

I too have had my Rx-8 with 2500 miles towed twice to the dealer because the engine would not start. The third time this happened the towtruck was able to jump start the car 1st time. The issue is a flat battery in a car that stood in my garage from 3-8 days . They believe Lo-Jack ( dealer installed) is the culprit as it takes a few millivolts from the battery all the time. I am in the process of testing this theory ( LoJack is presently disengaged) . IT is jolly cold here this week in New England and I haven't tried to start the car for the past 4 days.
I do not think that I flooded the engine. The dealer advice is printed out on a sheet as to ways to start the engine.
I really don't think I should be having ANY starting problems with a new car and any explanation is bogus.
I posted an earlier message which no one replied to so I am "pleased" to see someone else having problems with starting.
I will watch this space with interest for other experience.

[rxstockport]

Originally Posted by pbw252

I too have had my Rx-8 with 2500 miles towed twice to the dealer because the engine would not start. The third time this happened the towtruck was able to jump start the car 1st time. The issue is a flat battery in a car that stood in my garage from 3-8 days . They believe Lo-Jack ( dealer installed) is the culprit as it takes a few millivolts from the battery all the time. I am in the process of testing this theory ( LoJack is presently disengaged) . IT is jolly cold here this week in New England and I haven't tried to start the car for the past 4 days.
I do not think that I flooded the engine. The dealer advice is printed out on a sheet as to ways to start the engine.
I really don't think I should be having ANY starting problems with a new car and any explanation is bogus.
I posted an earlier message which no one replied to so I am "pleased" to see someone else having problems with starting.
I will watch this space with interest for other experience.

The information i am getting is that Mazda are receiving starting problems when i rang Mazda uk and said i had a problem with my car they asked me if it was a starting problem,before i got a chance to state the issue!. They are recommending the dealers replace the plug on the leading port, i am not sure if this is hotter,colder or the same as the rest as they are a lttle "cagey" on the subject albiet they had none in stock and i had to wait 2 days for the plug to arrive.
To early to tell whether it makes a difference will keep you posted

[pbw252]

Originally Posted by rxstockport

The information i am getting is that Mazda are receiving starting problems when i rang Mazda uk and said i had a problem with my car they asked me if it was a starting problem,before i got a chance to state the issue!. They are recommending the dealers replace the plug on the leading port, i am not sure if this is hotter,colder or the same as the rest as they are a lttle "cagey" on the subject albiet they had none in stock and i had to wait 2 days for the plug to arrive.
To early to tell whether it makes a difference will keep you posted

My problems seem very definitely to be related to the battery. Today is number 4 times that the battery is quite dead after sitting here for 4 days. It will be looked into with Mazda involved and I will post updates.
Thanks

[rrusselltx]

I had the same problem at 1000 miles. After towing to the dealer, they said they had to reseat the apex seals by introducting a special oil into the intake. The problem is aparently related to starting the car and running for a very brief time. The night before I had the problem, I started the car and rolled it forward a few feet into the garage. I assume that the engine needs to be up to operating temp to burn off the oil that passes by the seals.

Also, I am getting terrible fuel mileage. 12-14 in town and 17-19 on the highway. They said to wait until 4000 miles for everything to seat in properly...

[pbw252]

Interesting. One really should not have to totally warm the car up each time you need to move it from the driveway to the garage. Mileage I don't care about too much. Mine by the way is still sitting outside with a dead battery.

[rxstockport]

thanks

i had moved the car 10 feet the night before from cold so maybe?,on mileage i reckon on about 22-23 mpg at average 80 mph as i only do long trips

[jessfog]

I have also experienced the nasty starting problem. MY RX-8 is less than two months old and has about 2300 miles...

The car is at the dealer now.. got it towed there this morning and they said it might be out tonight.
Engine was flooded (they don't know why). I tried what the manual said about stepping on the gas pedal and then crancking the ignition, but wasn't successful... also tried jump starting it since it had been sitting for a week on my driveway without being used; that wasn't the problem either. In fact the last day I drove the car was to go to the Rose Bowl to see the USC-UCLA game... almost two weeks ago.

Anyway, the info is that the engine was flooded and caused gas to leak into the oil and ruined the spark plugs... so I'm getting a free oil change since they have to drain the oil, change the filter, change the spark plugs, and re-Flash it... whatever that is for.
They're not done with it yet and they don't know why it happened, neither if it'll happen again.. they'll tell me when they're done... I hope I get it back tonight....
It really sucks when your BRAND new car won't start... I 've had old cars that have not let me down this way... Mazda needs to do something about it.

[rxstockport]

If it floods again,take out fuse to fuel pump take air intake off filter and turn engine over for 5-8 minutes! Then start as normal! The throttle version doesnt work.I have had no problems since starting the engine and not letting go of the starter untill i am sure its fired up. The starter will disengage anyway.Just hold that key until you see 2000 rpm

[jessfog]

So why does this happen? Will it continue to happen, isn't there a fix for it?
So you're saying that as long as I don't let go of the ignition before the car starts I should be okay?
I do remember one time while starting up the process was sluggish; I had to crank it longer than normal...

The whole un-flooding process seems kind of complicated... not sure if I can do it without knowing much about mechanics...
Turning the engine over? like to undrain it?

I was told that some gas went into the oil chamber so it messed up the oil, the filter, and the spark plugs.... hopefully this won't happen again, since unflooding the engine wouldn't fix the oil, spark plugs, etc...

How many times did your engine flood before you realized how to fix it?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by rxstockport

If it floods again,take out fuse to fuel pump take air intake off filter and turn engine over for 5-8 minutes! Then start as normal! The throttle version doesnt work.I have had no problems since starting the engine and not letting go of the starter untill i am sure its fired up. The starter will disengage anyway.Just hold that key until you see 2000 rpm

[rxstockport]

it was after the 4th or 5th time, i was shown how to do it by the mazda mechanic that came out,it was the 4th car he had done that day! At the last service they changed the plugs for a different type.since i have held the starter key longer than any modern car untill i am sure its started I have been ok. One other thing if you do start the car make sure it runs for a couple of minutes before you switch off,to burn off the excess fuel from starting or you could find it difficult to start next time

[drftk1d]

Originally Posted by rrusselltx

I had the same problem at 1000 miles. After towing to the dealer, they said they had to reseat the apex seals by introducting a special oil into the intake. The problem is aparently related to starting the car and running for a very brief time. The night before I had the problem, I started the car and rolled it forward a few feet into the garage. I assume that the engine needs to be up to operating temp to burn off the oil that passes by the seals.

Also, I am getting terrible fuel mileage. 12-14 in town and 17-19 on the highway. They said to wait until 4000 miles for everything to seat in properly...

welcome to "breaking in a rotary engine 101". the apex seals have to seat in the first 3k (normally) miles or the engine becomes unreliable as time goes on. be sure to warm up the engine no matter what the temperature is outside. the rx8 has a special engine and it needs special care.

[rxstockport]

i have now done 30K miles and can report that 23 mpg is typical untill you tour at over 80mph!
Also oil consumption has reduced dramatically and probably only needs topping up every 3k miles instead of 1k when new