Hi Paul

I am taking you up on your offer to ask for advice!

My RX8 had been parked outside for 24 hours, wouldn't start so
called the AA.  They said the engine had flooded, pulled out the
fuse for the fuel injection, revved it up a few times and it
started.  The AA man said this often happened to RX8s and asked
if I had gone to park it, then reversed, switched off the engine
to get something out of the boot or something and then started
it again, moved forward and switched it off.  This did not
happen - I just parked it normally from 1st gear.

My question is, how can it flood just standing there for 24 hours?

My colleague Chris, here at Racecar Graphic, says he can't understand
why that would happen if no carb.

Any advice would be welcome as something must have set this off.

Best regards to you and Robin.
Phyllis


Phyllis Sofocleous
PA to Soheila Kimberley
Publishing Director
RACE TECH
Moto Tech
Bernoulli
Racecar Graphic Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)20 8446 2100
web: www.racetechmag.com

High Phyllis,

Good to hear from you. It won't flood on its own. My 2004 sits around
parked in the hanger for several months some times when I travel. I
disconnect the battery as something in there depletes the battery if
I don't. I reconnect the battery and it starts right up in seconds.

The early RX8's where notorious for flooding if you started them up
and did not allow the engine to fully warm up before you shut them off.
It happened to me while the car was still warranted in 2004. It had me
dumbfounded as I had already owned half a dozen rotary powered cars
and no such thing happened.

I took it to the official Mazda dealer and it took them three days to
get it started. One must take out a lower spark plug and physically suck
out all the raw fuel using a vacuum pump. I am sure they have now
learned how to do it in a few minutes.

Then I found out why that happens. The side exhaust port retains all the
unburned fuel. Previous rotary engines would force the unburned fuel
out the peripheral exhaust port. Mazda addressed the issue in the U.S.
by reprogramming the computer which is a low cost procedure for them.
Regular shops that work on all types of cars cannot do that as they
do not have the expensive equipment required.

This  apparently solved the problem as I have had no complaints from
anyone in five years. However I am still careful about starting it up
and shutting it off before the engine is warm.  Perhaps this reprogramming
procedure did not make it to the UK and it was not done on your RX8. Check with
your local Mazda dealer to see if it was done on your car. They should have
a record on your serial number via the internet with Mazda company.

I love my RX8. It gets over 25 MPG on the freeway but not so hot around
town. It is wonderful to drive on a back road. Truly amazing. Almost
Formula 1 like but you have to get good with the six speed gear box :)
A dual clutch paddle shifter transmission would make it more so.

Say hello to everybody over there for me.

If you and your son ever get out here to California on vacation Robin
and I have a spare bedroom you can stay in.

Paul Lamar