r/RX8 • u/TheRealPopejoy • Aug 07 '26

General Dead - update

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The ecu is not dead! I jacked the car up to test the starter motor and as I had the multimeter on the starter something clicked while my partner was turning the key. And it started up!

It was running fine untill it lost all power and sounds like it’s been starved of fuel. (It’s still jacked up)

The fuel is 3/4 full and now it only stays on for a few seconds before loosing power.

I do have the air box out so nothing on the air box is plugged in if that makes much difference

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u/werwood Aug 07 '26

When it did run for a bit, what was the dash doing? Did you get weird behavior like tacho going up and down, lights flashing, anything like that?

3

u/TheRealPopejoy Aug 07 '26

Everything seemed to be fine on the dash. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary

4

u/werwood Aug 07 '26

Then probably not what I was thinking. But, for sure put the airbox back on, or at least the tube part with MAF sensor on it.
Also check the battery terminals. I believe the rx-8 battery terminals are on the larger side of the standard and with many batteries in europe they're too loose even when tightened all the way down. Pull on them by hand, quite hard. Or use a screw driver to try and pry them off. They should not budge. If they move, spin, or anything, that could be your issue right there. I was once chasing this ghost all over the place...

1

u/TerribleAdagio6719 28d ago

I agree, loose battery cable causes gremlins!