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Problèmes Courants et Codes d'Erreur

Source : RX8Club.com - New and Potential Owners START HERE! Auteur : RIWWP


General Issues to Keep in Mind — Problèmes généraux

Troubleshooting subforum: 2004-2008 | 2009+

DIYs subforum: 2004-2008 | 2009+

Most problems that crop up in the 8 start very small and get serious because they aren't addressed. For example coils start going bad, plugs then start getting fouled from excess unburnt fuel, unburnt fuel rapidly degrades cat life, clogged cat can over stress the seals and over cook the O2 sensors, localize heat too much which accelerates oil breakdown and increases engine wear...

Most of the owners that remain trouble free are trouble free because they keep on top of their oil changes, their oil level, and their ignition health.

Then again, that stuff is like taking cholesterol medication and regular exercise for your heart. They help prevent problems, but it doesn't eliminate risk and it doesn't mean that you still won't die of a heart attack. Mazda factory QC over the engine tolerances has improved quite a bit, but it is entirely possible to be sitting on an engine waiting for any chance it can to fail. It's also entirely possible to completely ignore all the recommendations and get 160,000+ miles out of the engine (one owner came on here thinking her engine was blown, come to find out it was just badly flooded, but she didn't know anything about rotaries and still had it healthy at 160,000 without doing what she should have)

It very is much like a heart, or lungs, or whatnot. All you can do is reduce the risk of failure.

Cooling and Lubrication are 99% of the battle to keep these engines healthy. Mazda didn't have enough of either from the factory, a flaw that puts us behind the curve. Several mods that are common can go a long way towards improving engine live. Namely the ReMedy water pump and thermostat, BHR ignition upgrade, COBB AccessPORT (for the part that allows you to monitor temps and set a lower threshhold for the radiator fans). Even removing the cat and going with a midpipe helps I think, as it helps keep heat away from the engine, and you don't have to worry about a clogged cat causing more problems. My engine was perfect until my cat failed, and it's never been right since. In spec, not replaceable point, but not back to the above average that it was. If you have a 2009 or newer, you have a Series2, along with the improvements to the engine that should mostly solve the lubrication problems. They still need better cooling.

But you also have the warranty. 100,000 miles, 8 years for the engine core. (if you are in that and outside powertrain, a "free engine" may still cost you ~$500 for all the fluids, gaskets, etc... associated with the engine, but not part of it)

Another source of problems is repetitive short trips, without getting the engine to temperature for at least a few minutes. Limited internal temp, and a proportionally larger amount of running time is under temp, increases carbon buildup dramatically, which leads to all sorts of further problems.


Specific Issues — Problèmes spécifiques

TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins)

You should familiarize yourself with the official Mazda TSBs here: TSBs - Technical Service Bulletins

TSBs ARE NOT RECALLS! They are Technical Service Bulletins, and are nothing more than a set of instructions from the factory to the dealers to tell them how to handle specific customer complaints. You will only have warranty coverage on a TSB IF YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE WARRANTY THAT COVERS THAT AREA OF THE CAR.

Ratés d'allumage (Misfires)

Misfires are shown by a blinking check engine light (CEL), and are usually caused by a failing coil, failing plug wire, and/or failing spark plug. They can also be caused by cat failure, engine failure, vacuum leaks, fouled e-shaft sensor, dirty MAF, missing intake screens, aftermarket intake, failing intake valve actuators and a few other items. Start here for diagnosis: Suffering Misfire? Start Here

Eau dans les feux arrière (Tail Lights)

Primarily a 2004 and 2005 problem, but can be seen across all years, including Series2, is a failing tail light gasket that lets moisture into the tail light lens. The improved gasket from the dealer helps, but isn't perfect. You have options for repair, including DIY stuff and aftermarket gaskets. Drilling the tail light is a quick and easy solution, but is not recommended.

Pédale d'embrayage (Clutch Pedal Assembly)

The clutch pedal assembly is weak, and over time the pivot points wear through the mounting points, and eventually this will cause a failure in the assembly. A squeaking clutch when you push it and release it signals the issue getting worse. Getting a new assembly only solves it till that one breaks. There are a few options for fixing it, including welding at your local shop, buying a bracket from Race Roots, or buying a fully welded up assembly from BHR. As a result of the NHTSA investigation, Mazda has extended the warranty on the clutch pedal assemblies to 100,000 miles. Only North American RX-8's.

Décoloration / mousse sur la jauge d'huile

Discolored or foamy substance on dipstick. The oil collects moisture in colder ambient temperatures. You may notice that the dipstick will look like it has weird discoloration. This has been described as foamy, milkshake, white crap, brown oil, etc... This is normal, and nothing of concern. If you want, you can pay a large chunk of money to make it go away, but there is no harm to it, so just ignore it. Drive your engine harder to cook it off if it bothers you.

MAIC — "Marbles in a Can"

MAIC, or "Marbles in a Can" is a fortunately not common issue where you may hear a rattling sound from what sounds like the glovebox area, sometimes accompanied by inconsistent power loss. This is usually Secondary Shutter Valve (SSV) failure, which is typically caused by the valve getting over carboned, from oil burping or excessive oil vapors in the intake. Dealers will charge $2,000 or so to replace/clean, but you can DIY it for pretty much free.

Another possible cause for MAIC: Please help - Potential new owner question - MAIC

Direction assistée (Power Steering)

Mazda's QC missed a little issue with the coolant overflow tube, as it dumps overflow right onto our power steering connectors (the main power and torque sensor connections). Even without an "overheat" condition, overflow is possible, which in turn can affect the condition of these connections, causing various power steering issues, including complete failure. Then there are other issues that can crop up, including too much salt, dust, or debris interfering with the grease on the u-joint in the steering shaft, rack failure, and control module failure. The u-joint re-greasing is dirt cheap, easy to DIY, the connector quality isn't much harder (clean, replace harness for $100, or eliminate the connections and just make it solid wire). The rack and control module are REALLY expensive however. Most power steering issues were addressed by dealers replacing the module or the rack, when all the car needed was some clean connectors. Ideally, swap the coolant overflow hose to a longer one and run it farther down, where it won't bother anything.

Main thread for Power Steering issues: Power Steering Failure

Supports moteur (Motor Mounts)

Our motor mounts collapse/degrade over time. This causes the car to shake more, especially at idle. This isn't the actual engine attachment points, but rather just the vibration dampeners. However it is not inherently a problem that you need to rush out and fix. Adding more vibration to the car isn't inherently bad, but can lead to other problems with rattles and joints wearing down. Most people choose to live with it.

Défaillance du catalyseur (Catalytic Converter Failure)

This is too common unfortunately, as the heat and emissions level of the RX-8s engine is not friendly to cats at all. Additionally, most of the encountered failure points on an RX-8 cause misfires, and misfires will destroy a cat quickly. A clogged cat is dangerous to the engine, the car, and your life.

If it does fail, you have options: Catalytic Converters... Cats, Cats, Cats

Problèmes de démarrage (Trouble Starting)

There are numerous things that cause you to have difficulty starting. Here is a thread that goes into all the common ones: Starting Issues? Start Here


What Does the CEL Mean? — Le voyant Check Engine

The Check Engine Light, also known as a CEL or MIL, is a light that is lit up on the dash by the ECU when it detects something wrong. It is NOT comprehensive about everything that could go wrong. In fact, your car could be on fire and it wouldn't know. The ECU only monitors EMISSIONS related items, due to the US laws that were enacted in the 1990s regarding emissions and OBD2 compliance.

Comment effacer le CEL ?

  1. Disconnect the battery without reading the code to see what is wrong. This also clears your fuel trims, audio head unit presets, DSC/TCS learned parameters, and your car may idle roughly for the next few drive cycles.
  2. Go to an auto-parts store that will read the code for you for free, and then will clear it for you if you wish.
  3. Buy a code reader for less than a diagnostics fee at a shop, read and clear it yourself, and read all future codes on all your cars for free.
  4. Buy a bluetooth OBD2 dongle and pair it with your smartphone or tablet and an OBD2 app.
  5. Go to a shop and pay their one time diagnostic's charge to get the code for you.
  6. Go to a dealer and pay their even higher one time diagnostics charge to get the code, and then charge you even more for fixing it.

Codes DTC courants du RX-8

DTCDescriptionCEL
P0030Front HO2S heater control circuit problemON
P0031Front HO2S heater control circuit lowON
P0032Front HO2S heater control circuit highON
P0037Rear HO2S heater control circuit lowON
P0038Rear HO2S heater control circuit highON
P0076VDI solenoid valve control circuit lowOFF
P0077VDI solenoid valve control circuit highOFF
P0101MAF sensor circuit range/performance problemON
P0102MAF sensor circuit low inputON
P0103MAF sensor circuit high inputON
P0107BARO sensor circuit low inputON
P0108BARO sensor circuit high inputON
P0111IAT sensor circuit range/performance problemON
P0112IAT sensor circuit low inputON
P0113IAT sensor circuit high inputON
P0117ECT sensor circuit low inputON
P0118ECT sensor circuit high inputON
P0122TP sensor No.1 circuit low inputON
P0123TP sensor No.1 circuit high inputON
P0125Insufficient coolant temperature for closed loop fuel controlON
P0126Insufficient coolant temperature for stable operationON
P0130Front HO2S circuit problemON
P0131Front HO2S circuit low voltageON
P0132Front HO2S circuit high voltageON
P0133Front HO2S circuit slow responseON
P0138Rear HO2S circuit high voltageON
P0139Rear HO2S circuit slow responseON
P0171System too leanON
P0172System too richON
P0222TP sensor No.2 circuit low inputON
P0223TP sensor No.2 circuit high inputON
P0300Random misfire detectedFlash/ON
P0301Front rotor misfire detectedFlash/ON
P0302Rear rotor misfire detectedFlash/ON
P0327KS circuit low inputON
P0328KS circuit high inputON
P0335Eccentric shaft position sensor circuit problemON
P0336Eccentric shaft position sensor circuit range/performanceON
P0410AIR system problemON
P0420Catalyst system efficiency below thresholdON
P0441EVAP system incorrect purge flowON
P0442EVAP system leak detected (small leak)ON
P0443Purge solenoid valve circuit problemON
P0446EVAP system vent control circuit problemON
P0455EVAP system leak detected (large leak)ON
P0456EVAP system leak detected (very small leak)ON
P0461Fuel gauge sender unit circuit range/performanceON
P0462Fuel gauge sender unit (main) circuit low inputON
P0463Fuel gauge sender unit (main) circuit high inputON
P0480Cooling fan No.1 control circuit problemOFF
P0481Cooling fan No.2 control circuit problemOFF
P0500VSS circuit problemON
P0505Idle air control system problemOFF
P0506Idle air control system RPM lower than expectedON
P0507Idle air control system RPM higher than expectedON
P0562System voltage low (KAM)ON
P0564Cruise control switch input circuit problemOFF
P0571Brake switch input circuit problemOFF
P0601PCM memory check sum errorON
P0602PCM programming errorON
P0604PCM random access memory errorON
P0610PCM vehicle options errorON
P0638Throttle actuator control circuit range/performanceON
P0661SSV solenoid valve control circuit lowON
P0662SSV solenoid valve control circuit highON
P0703Brake switch input circuit problemON
P0704CPP switch input circuit problemON
P0850Neutral switch input circuit problemON
P1260Immobilizer system problemOFF
P1686Metering oil pump control circuit low flow side problemON
P1687Metering oil pump control circuit high flow side problemON
P1688Metering oil pump control circuit initial check problemON
P2004APV stuck openON
P2006APV motor control driver IC problemON
P2009APV motor control circuit low inputON
P2010APV motor control circuit high inputON
P2016APV position sensor circuit low inputON
P2017APV position sensor circuit high inputON
P2067Fuel gauge sender unit (sub) circuit low inputON
P2068Fuel gauge sender unit (sub) circuit high inputON
P2070SSV stuck openON
P2096Target A/F feedback system too leanON
P2097Target A/F feedback system too richON
P2102Throttle actuator power supply line circuit low inputON
P2103Throttle actuator power supply line circuit high inputON
P2106Throttle actuator control system-forced limited powerON
P2107Throttle actuator control module processor errorON
P2108Throttle actuator control module performance errorON
P2109TP sensor minimum stop range/performance problemON
P2112Throttle actuator control system range/performance problemON
P2119Throttle actuator control throttle body range/performanceON
P2122APP sensor No.1 circuit low inputON
P2123APP sensor No.1 circuit high inputON
P2127APP sensor No.2 circuit low inputON
P2128APP sensor No.2 circuit high inputON
P2135TP sensor No.1/No.2 voltage correlation problemON
P2136TP sensor No.1/No.3 voltage correlation problemON
P2138APP sensor No.3/No.4 voltage correlation problemON
P2195Front HO2S signal stuck leanON
P2196Front HO2S signal stuck richON
P2257AIR pump relay control circuit lowON
P2258AIR pump relay control circuit highON
P2259AIR solenoid valve control circuit lowON
P2260AIR solenoid valve control circuit highON
P2270Rear HO2S signal stuck leanON
P2271Rear HO2S signal stuck richON
P2401EVAP system leak detection pump control circuit lowON
P2402EVAP system leak detection pump control circuit highON
P2404EVAP system leak detection pump sense circuit range/performanceON
P2405EVAP system leak detection pump sense circuit lowON
P2407EVAP system leak detection pump sense circuit intermittent/erraticON
P2502Charging system voltage problemOFF
P2503Charging system voltage lowOFF
P2504Charging system voltage highOFF

Flashing CEL — Le voyant Check Engine clignotant

A flashing Check Engine light in any modern Mazda means that the ECU is detecting a misfire. Period. There are no other conditions that will trigger a flashing CEL.

Misfires can be caused by numerous different possible failures, and are involved in nearly every common parts failure in the RX-8. They need to be addressed quickly however, as they can lead to additional cascading failures if ignored in addition to killing your fuel economy and power.

Start your diagnosis and troubleshooting here: Suffering Misfire? Start Here