How do I prevent my car from flooding?

The RX-8 has proven to be a lot more susceptible to flooding than what most consumers are used to.

Flooding occurs when the car is started (cold) then shut down before the engine is warmed up. The reason for this is that the car injects more fuel into the engine when it's cold. When you shut the car down, excess fuel can remain in the engine. The next time you start it up, you'll find the engine turns over, but it can't spark. This can also lead to your spark plugs fouling.

Mazda has put out a TSB to help lower the chances of this issue taking place:


APPLICABLE MODEL(S) / VINS 2004-2005 RX-8

DESCRIPTION

Some vehicles may experience difficulty starting (cranks no start). This may occur after driving the vehicle a short distance without engine reaching normal operating temperature. Examples: starting a vehicle and moving it to wash it, engine stall due to mis-application of clutch then restart. This commonly occurs at port facilities or dealer lots where vehicles are frequently started cold, moved for short distances and then turned off. This concern may also occur due to low cranking RPM during engine starting.

A cranks, no start condition may be caused by fuel flooding resulting in either fouled spark plugs or lower than normal compression.


What Mazda did was to recalibrate the PCM so that it injects less fuel than it did previously.

They also issued upgraded batteries (more juice) and a more powerful starter. The battery that shipped with the original RX-8's was quite weak, and the combination of excess fuel, weak battery, and weak starter meant the car would see the flooding issue far more than it otherwise might.


Preventative measures:

Even with the upgraded hardware, the RX-8 can still flood.

The BEST way to prevent your car from flooding is to drive it around till it's warmed up. This means a ~5 minute trip. If you're unable to drive for 5 minutes, Mazda recommends you rev the engine to 3,000 rpm for 10 seconds, then switch the car off. As you turn the ignition key, depress the throttle so that the excess fuel is spun out of the engine. I do not have much faith in this process however, as I have flooded after following the procedure precisely.

Here's my car being towed to the dealer:

 

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User Comments


is it not possible to remove the fuel pump fuse when u want to shut off the car in cold conditions??? and isn't it possible to just take the spark plugs out and drying them instead of calling the dealer??? isn't it possible to crank the engine when u want to start but before u do remove the injector cables so u wouldn't have any fuel then to put them back on again??? if im clearly an idiot and don't know anything about rotary engines u can say it : )

karkas9 on February 15th, 2009

Who do i take action upon when this occurs, i bought my 04 rx8 of the lot this year and i had it only 2 weeks than shipped it from California to Hawaii. I got the car back 3 weeks later and than the next day it messed up due to the flooding. I know the dealership had to of moved it without it warmning up several times and i know the port moved it several times without warming it up. What should i do?

Steven08 on May 29th, 2009

OH MY GOD I am so glad I found this page. I have had my 2005 RX8 towed to the dealership FOUR TIMES because of flooding. They've changed my battery, plugs, and new flash engine pieces. I'm just glad this is happening to others and not just my car. It's ridiculous that you cant drive them on short trips. But oh well.

deloreangirl on June 8th, 2009

What? 4 times? First. let me say I drive my RX8 all year in Michigan weather. Yea it gets very cold here. One flooding issue... then a friend of mine who had air planes with rotary engines and a Mazda mechanic both advise me on how to operate a rotary engine. Notice I said "operate a rotary engine" If you own an RX8 U are not driving a car with a piston engine. For some reason people want to operate like a normal car. A) Rev it up to 4 grand then shut it down. ( this blows out both fuel and ***OIL** left in the chamber...which is why u are flooding. Yea I said OIL! Rotary engines naturally burn oil along with the gas in the chamber.....It's due to how the engine stays lubricated. B) Stomp on it and often!! this will blow out the carbon build up in the engine Carbon build up is bad for a rotary motor...so your engine will love you if you get a little nutz on a constant basis. There is only about 30 moving parts ona rotary motor ( over 300 for a normal piston motor) its ok to man handle a rotary motor once in a while. (it will run better if you do and be less prone to stall at low RPM's during take off and less prone to flooding issue) Operating a Rotary motor is different than a piston motor on so many levels. Take oil changes for example... Oh.... and only use high octane gas. The car was engineered for High Octane gasoline...

Paul C on July 22nd, 2009

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