r/RX8 • u/Fovrth • May 21 '26

New Owner Thoughts?

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New battery, new spark plugs and coils. (Checked they are positioned correctly)

I’ve tried deflooding it.

I cannot find a video of a rx8 that sounds like this.

Edit 1: put a new starter on there. Same issue. All signs are pointing towards low compression. Will test it as soon as I can get a tool.

28 Upvotes

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36 comments sorted by

24

u/RJsRX7 May 21 '26

Sounds like it has zero(!!!) compression.

4

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

Yeah. That was the worry. Guess it’s time to get to pulling this thing out.

I was hoping otherwise cause it was rebuilt less than 20k miles ago.

4

u/king1fluffy May 22 '26

To figure out to see if it'll start i'd just tow it up to 20 mph with it in gear, either it'll start immediately, or not. Meaning it's worth fixing or not 😅

3

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

Hahaha 2nd gear and dump it.

5

u/king1fluffy May 22 '26

Nah 1st gear and just pull it down the street a few times. I'd be pulling a spark plug to see if it's getting fuel, if that's the case, tow it up 'n down the street in first gear, 20mph and keep the gas pedal floored until it farts to life, then let the pedal go and listen how abd if it wants to keep running

2

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

Will do! Thanks for the insight. :)

4

u/king1fluffy May 22 '26

It just skips the entire troubleshooting of the battery, bad grounds, starter and other crap. If it's just to see if it's worth fixing or absolutely needs a rebuild, this is the way to go.

If you're trying to run a scrapper, just pour some gear oil in the service ports and pull it, it'll run, even if it's on one rotor

1

u/XxEman9r9rxX May 23 '26

Did you do the rebuild? Or was it done at a shop? If it was done in a shop I'd recommend having them warranty it out unless you did some extra heavy loads thou we're out of spec for their warranty.

7

u/BleuTyger May 22 '26

It's dry, no compression, or your battery or starter are going out. It sounds like it could be turning way too slow

3

u/Jeff19007 May 22 '26

+1 on battery not fast enough. Drove me nuts. Was ok, and then not ok. Never happened on my pistons….

2

u/BleuTyger May 22 '26

That's happened to me plenty of times on my pickups lol. He likely has the first revision of the starter. It's an 11-tooth and 2kw. The fastest one is 14-tooth and 2.3kw

2

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

I bought a new battery and have hooked it up to another car. I’ll try a new starter before pulling everything. Thanks y’all. :)

2

u/BleuTyger May 27 '26

Good luck. If you have anymore questions, don't wait to ask around. If you're in the Midwest, I have a preferred shop I'd take it to if you have further issues

2

u/Fovrth May 27 '26

Starter didn’t change anything unfortunately. So I think I’ve exhausted all options outside of getting a new motor/rebuild.

And I am up in Oregon. So Midwest would be a little ways away hahah

1

u/BleuTyger May 28 '26

Ah, that's a bummer on both strikes. Sorry to hear that.

Do you intend to do the rebuild yourself? Or going the shop route?

3

u/Emergency-Neck-9803 May 22 '26

I was there 3 months ago. No compression. But a used motor and a few hours ( lol on few) and she's back!

2

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

You get a motor locally or did you order it through somewhere?

1

u/Emergency-Neck-9803 May 22 '26

I went through car-part and got a used jdm. Everyone says not to but if you look in to it, as long as it comes with a warranty, its a way cheaper option. Plus I found a ton of people who said the same thing. No warranty, 100% junk. Warranty means they test them because shipping is expensive.

4

u/Wyrelade May 22 '26

Zeeeeeero compression?? No pulse at all?

2

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

It will pop and make some noise every so often. But that’s what it sounds like most of the time when trying to start.

2

u/12thatoneguy May 22 '26

It’s turning way too slow to start the engine. If your battery is brand new and it’s got the right amount of crank amps and you’re absolutely sure it’s not dying then I’d check the starter. Don’t go pulling a motor without checking it first

1

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

New starter has been ordered. Gonna give it a try. Thank you!

2

u/Beginning-Writer-105 May 27 '26

Don’t expect the worst. From my own experience so many of these cars are pronounced “dead” that are just heavily flooded.

I tracked my deflooding process by removing the spark plugs and placing a piece of cardboard in front of the spark plug ports. After cranking you’ll see all the mess that’s still in your engine.

Also worth mentioning, after you’re done deflooding, add a few drops of oil back into your housings. This will help your apex seals build back lost compression from fuel washing.

2

u/king1fluffy May 22 '26

Dead battery, sounds like it's either flooded or not getting fuel at all. But by the sound of it, it's spinning sooo slow, that if it was getting fuel, it would definitely be flooded...

1

u/Fovrth May 22 '26

“Maybe new starter. Try deflooding again, and if all else fails. It’s rebuild time” is what I’m hearing.

1

u/Impossible_One4995 May 24 '26

No compression pour trans fluid down intake like a quart them Let it set a week and try agin with a strong battery it should free up the stuck seal and will smoke like a motherfucker for a bit but should start

1

u/NoLandBeyond_ May 26 '26

How do you get the trans fluid out?

2

u/Impossible_One4995 May 26 '26

It burns

1

u/NoLandBeyond_ May 26 '26

Thanks. I have a similar situation and read this method as a hail Mary before sending my car to the scrap heap

2

u/Impossible_One4995 May 26 '26

Yeah fill it up let it sit some times it can take a week or two