A chum has a 2004 RX8. He took it to the Madza dealers a few weeks ago because it wasn't running right at low revs. They fitted four spark plugs and took £400 out of his pocket. They also upgraded his ECU. It didn't cure the stuttery performance at low revs but it did give him a hot-start problem.......

I've had my OBD2 reader plugged into it and it gave me the following pending DTCs:
P0335. Crank position sensor A Circuit malfunction.
P0113 Intake temp circuit high input.
B8E00. Refer to Mazda dealer.

I had a quick look to see if the tacho was seing the same as the OBD reader and if it correlated to what the engine was doing and it was as far as I could tell but the engine was hunting at tickover.

The MIL has flashed on in the past but always gone out.
I've cleared the DTCs and I'll have another look tonight to see if the same DTCs have pinged up.

Any suggestions??
The tinterweb is full of folks rambling on about the various maladies on the RX8 but most of them are just jibberish. One expert recommends changing the starter motor to clear the P0335 which seems a bit odd!!

TIA.

P0355 Ignition Coil E Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
this is what my crib sheets says about this code

Ooooo. Is that a Mazda special because the generic DTCs says the P0335 is the crank sensor?

The coil packs are well known for packing in on rx8's. they are normally done as a service item as they are that bad.

quote:

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Originally posted by t16turbotone
P0355 Ignition Coil E Primary/Secondary Circuit Malfunction
this is what my crib sheets says about this code

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The issue will be Coil Packs.

Remove the coils and look for tell tale signs of white burn marks on the undersides.

Mazda rotary parts are more than half the price of a dealer for the genuine product.

Definately P0335. With the generic description stated as 'Crankshaft position sensor A circuit malfunction'.

I'll have a look at the coil packs anyway but the DTC doesn't point to them.

AH! Both the DTCs can be related to the MAF sensor having an open circuit. I spotted a MAF sensor box in the footwell of the car so if it's had a new MAF then that would explain the DTCs.
I'll have a looksy for the coil packs.
I'm still puzzled by the B8E00 though.

Quick update.
The DTCs mentioned above have not reoccurred. Looking at the fault codes and the possible causes, pointed to someone cocking about with the MAF.

So here's the whole story........
Chums RX8 refused to start just before Christmas so it was transported to Mazda dealer. Mazda fitted four new plark plugs and 'new' HT leads. They also carried out some recalls. These recalls were an update of the ECU and fitting some locking nuts to something.
When car comes home, it has developed a hot start problem and it's undrivable at lower revs due to lumpy running. Lumpy enough to have to drive aound town in first gear slipping the clutch to get the revs high enough to stop the stuttering.
Chum calls Mazda and they say it needs a new starter motor to fix the hot start problem (which wasn't there before they 'fixed' the car) at £980. They say the lumpy running must be operator error (!!) or if there is something wrong, they'll need the car for three days and they'll charge for any works or parts fitted and want a fee for a courtesy car (chum lives 60 miles away from dealers).

Chum says he has fitted new MAF but it made no difference.
I've checked the coil packs for signs of fault but they all look good. There are no signs of new plug leads.........

My OBD gizmo lets me check for misfires and there is no history of such.
It also lets me check fuel trim and it's not been running lean (so no air leak) and it's not been running rich (although it does have high fuel consumption).
Trying to hold the revs at 2000rpm make the engine hunt down to 800rpm and then back up to 2000rpm. The pedal drive-by-wire value remains the same but the reactive throttle waves up and down.
The only thing I can deduce is that the ECU upgrade is for a bouncy castle, not a 2004 RX8......
Chum is reluctant to trustthe Mazda dealers and doesn't really want to take it to another dealer if they are going to have his pants down again.......
Hmmmm....??