Not starting..

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nintenjo
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Not starting..

Post by nintenjo »

My RX8 has been pretty idle this year with me working from home. I try to drive it once a week to keep it in use, but I’ve probably done less than 200 miles in the whole year. When trying to start it today when turning the ignition I can hear (what sounds like) spark plugs firing but the starter motor won’t turn over.. (all The dashboard lights are working ok) I am suspecting my battery is low but not flat as it’s been very cold lately and it’s had very few miles to keep it topped up (had a new battery in the spring of 2020, so should hold a charge well).

Does this sound like the most likely cause?

I am going to get a charger / battery booster to see if it gets enough power to start and if it does go on a long journey to give the battery a chance to charge..

If successful should I disconnect the battery to stop it depleting until the summer when it gets used again? Any other tips welcomed?


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Re: Not starting..

Post by nightfire10 »

Charge the battery first the 8 doesn't like half charged battery's

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Re: Not starting..

Post by warpc0il »

If you're hearing a clacking sound then it's not "spark plugs firing" it's the starter solenoid engaging, trying to power the starter and then disengaging again as the starter current drops the battery voltage below the point that the solenoid will hold. This will repeat as a rattle as long as you hold the key or the battery is killed.

You need to charge the battery and keep it charged.

When you do get is started, don't be surprised if it won't idle and tries to die at the first junction, as it will have forgotten the learned fuel trims, which it will have to re-learn as you drive.
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Re: Not starting..

Post by SmuttyHutty »

I use the Ctek MXS 5.0 which is easy to use. It has a connector which you can permanently attach to your battery terminals and poke the end of it between the battery cover and the airbox. I've also bought two alternate connectors which have a traffic light display to show charge level. There's a chap selling some at £50 a pop including postage on FB:



And if you prefer Amazon they're available there at £69


I use it to recondition each car's battery once a year and to keep an RX8 healthy. I am thinking of buying another one so that both RX8s are kept charged if I don't plan to use either for a while.
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nintenjo
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Re: Not starting..

Post by nintenjo »

Thanks for all the advise.. is it best to disconnect the battery if I am going leave the car undriven for over a month or more? Is it is simply better to just keep driving it once a week for 40mins to an hour?


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Re: Not starting..

Post by warpc0il »

They don't like sitting with the battery disconnected. We don't know why or how but there seems to be a significant increase in power steering system failures in 8's left with the battery flat or disconnected.

Best option is a plug-in conditioner, as above, or take for a drive, when there's no salt on the road.
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Re: Not starting..

Post by PaulAV »

Just remember a car needs to run for around 20 minutes just to put back the charge used to start it, not to mention the draw everything puts on the battery when the car is turned off, so even if you charge it, unless you go for some decent drives the battery will discharge again (unless you hook it up to a conditioner that keeps it topped up)
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Re: Not starting..

Post by Delanor »

I use a 7 stage BUDDYGO charger on my 911 and the RX-8 and leave them permanently connected so the batteries are fully charged when I take them out.

Fully automatic charge selection they will even charge a Lithium battery - Amazon £23.59 inc delivery.

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Re: Not starting..

Post by TriggerFish »

Another option is something like this. I have a ctek also, but there's no power in my garage, so I have the panel fixed above the door, and the rest of it inside, hooked up. Seems to be keeping my E30 battery topped up nicely, and that's considerably larger than the rx8

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07X97 ... asin_title

In cloudy winter weather (and my garage isn't in a good area for direct sunlight for most of the day) it added .5v to the battery voltage reading when connected, if that's at all useful as a metric of efficiency! You can also get ones that sit on the dashboard too, if you can't get power to it easily.
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Re: Not starting..

Post by nintenjo »

A plug in conditioner might be fine as my garage is only 2 m from the front of the car just need to get an extension I can leave out etc.


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Re: Not starting..

Post by SmuttyHutty »

nintenjo wrote:
Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:15 pm
A plug in conditioner might be fine as my garage is only 2 m from the front of the car just need to get an extension I can leave out etc.


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I have one of these:



It is compact enough to fit in the space near the brake servo and I pop the conditioner in there too. Just lightly close the bonnet but don't snap it closed.

EDIT: Although having just checked my purchase history I paid £19.99 for mine. This price seems a little steep.
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Re: Not starting..

Post by bigpete8 »

When I have had to charge battery in the rain I have left charger and socket under the bonnet closed the bonnet fully, trailing the cable out the corner by the headlight and plugged it in inside the garage that way both ends of the extension are dry with just the cable able to get wet. As long as ends are uphill not going to be an issue.
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Re: Not starting..

Post by SmuttyHutty »

That is a good solution. I did a similar thing with the PZ. I just ran a standard extension lead from my garage to the car and kept everything covered with the bonnet. The 192 and PZ are parked top and tail so the 192 extension lead is at the wrong end of the car and would be a trip hazard if I moved it (I have clumsy children). Also, the 192 is plugged into Mrs Smutty's garage and I also use that outdoor waterproof extension for other things like the pressure washer, leaf blower and lawn mower.