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Second issue: At about 120,000 miles, right after replacing the front axles (for the first time) it developed a vibration mostly in second gear, under the pressure of acceleration. Again the dealership helped out by trying not one, but 3 more sets of axles .. all from different auto parts stores ... all had the vibration. What the heck happened I asked them ... I brought it in with one CV clicking but NO VIBRATION what so ever ... not I have new axles and a vibration. Honestly, seems to be getting worse the more we drive (130,000 on it now). Perhaps a trannie issue ... but this one came in out of the left field. Ready to rid myself of this headache ... really sad ... I praised that car up to 90K ... now I rarely have anything good to say about Mazda's. I've contacted many people on this, taken it to other repair shops ... everyone feels it, everyone is stumped.
The problem is that they look like they have been switched, and the one on the engine will NOT come out. It will loosen, but not pull out. The spring loaded yellow lable cap is now on the engine and the red lable flat bottom cap is on the coolant reservoir. My diagram says that is reversed, so they must be switched.
Is all that right? How do I get the stuck cap off? Does the loose cap make the coolant evaporate? Which cap really belongs where? Thanks for your help.
The car is a little over 8 years old because it was originally put into service in December 2000. I've owned it for a little over 3 years, only put 18k on it in that time. Car still runs very well. Engine is gruff, but the car is tight, no rattles, still handles well, leather interior is holding up well, and no rust yet (pretty good for being through 9 Minnesota winters).
I haven't had to do much to it. Added a tranny cooler right off the start ($200), but that solved a balky transmission. Also had to replace some rear bushings because of a clunky noise, and the driver's power window regulator. Put a couple of new tires on last year also--one was punctured and kept losing air. That's about it except normal maintenance. My son rear-ended someone nearly 3 years ago, over $4000 in damage including the airbags, but he only got a scratch on his arm--and a greater appreciation for maintaining safe distance behind other cars based on conditions.
I am hoping the car holds up without major work needed for a couple more years, until my son finishes school. So far, so good.
Any help would be great....
thanks
MIKE G.
I recently had a front wheel bearing replaced on my 93 626 ES. The noise I had was an annoying "humming" sound which oscillated slowly when the car was driven above 80 kph. Based on your description of the sound, it's more likely that it's a drive shaft (CV joint) issue. When the steering wheel is turned, the car is driven at SLOW speeds (it's easiest to hear when the car is driven slowly) there is a loud, almost knocking or clicking sound. This is a CV joint problem.
Crawl under your car, check to see if the CV boots are torn. If so, then there's a high probability that the joints are gone. When the boots are torn, the grease is thrown out and sand/grit get into the joints destroying them. Replace the entire drive shaft; it's way easier.
As for diagnosing the trouble codes, use a 12 volt LED test light (a test light with an incandescent bulb should work too but not sure if the "load" will be too high), put one side to ground and probe the terminals in the diagnostic (black) plug near the driver's side shock tower. Use the link below to get the codes, the associated faults and the diagnostic plug configuration. The mx-6 and 626's use the same fault codes.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mx6-uk/maint/maint.htm#malfcode
The master switch at drivers door does absolutely nothing for any window, including drivers!
The remaining 3 passenger windows operate properly from each individual switch.
The only odd thing is when trying to lower any of the three passenger windows from its own switch, attempting to raise it from the drivers door master switch at the same exact time, blocks it from going down. So therefore I assume some current is being sent to the passenger window motors, which either blocks it creates a Mexican Standoff?
Attemping to raise any of the passenger windows from its own switch is not blocked by trying to lower it from the drivers master switch. I have checked fuses in floor panel and moved the locking switch from locked to unlocked many times.
I disconnected battery and depressed brake pedal fo 5 seconds to clear any codes etc., in an attempt to reset circuit breakers
My wife said this happened to her once before and it came back to proper operation by itself.
Car is running great! As always, I keep it well maintained, in the past year having no major issues.
However next month, I have to upgrade the suspension. Roads in Montreal are war-zone caliber, and with 170 000 km on the clock, the shocks and springs are to be replaced, or else the rest of the suspension components will deteriorate at a faster rate..
The best thing about the car is the 5-speed with the 2.0 L, the engine pulls very strongly.
I am in sales and now drive about 31K a year!
I removed the plastic trim piece the covers under the lower interior trunk rim and part of each tailight section.
I also used a screwdriver to pry loose the rubber gasket that protects the hole in the sheet metal leading to the bulb and socket.
I loosened the gray socket with the bulb but it won't fit through the hole in the sheet metal so I can pull it out and change the bulb.
I would appreciate some advice.
Thanks
Symptoms:
- Knock seems to start suddenly, seems just after I went over a road bump at around 35 mph.
- Start: knock is pretty loud for a few seconds
- Idle: knock is more like a tick
- Gears 1-4: knock is most noticable at higher rpm
- Gear 5: hardly noticable
Tried:
- If I pull the lead from the no. 1 cylinder, knock goes away.
- Changed oil, spark plugs, leads to spark plugs
- Tried Lucas oil additive - didn't seem to help.
- Precision Auto diagnostics: said noise from lower engine bearings
Note: timing chain probably needs replacement, should I spend the money?
a few months ago and had to be replaced.
So it was a good car for us for over five years, although it cost more than I'd like in maintenance/repairs. I always liked the handling. I hope the new owner gets a lot of use out of it.
Can you guys please tell me what is Rocker Cover Gasket and how can I confirm if it is leaking and is it really an issue if not replaced.
Syed
The biggest problem with a leaky valve cover gasket is that the oil will eventually leak into the spark plug wells and flow into spark plug wire boots and cuase engine miss.
I just got done replacing the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulleys, water pump, cam and front crank oil seals, camshaft end plugs, valve cover gaskets, timing belt covers(old ones cracked at mounting tabs with age and heat) , spark plugs, plug wires, and coolant overflow bottle (4th on this car) on my 1999 ES V6. To replace the rear valve cover gasket on my car, you must remove the intake manifold, which makes this a very tedious repair. I did the work myself. I had a leaky rear valve cover gasket and timing belt was due in 10k miles anyway. I have 292,000 miles on the car now.
What they found was the coolant system had to be bled. The shop told me the car had to warm up at 2500 rpm, then be cooloed down completely. Then they removed the top hose from the radiator and filled the system. That was 8 days ago. Since then, it's been running cool again, no overheating.
I appreciate your response.
i am posting this here seeking your advice. i have a 99 626 LX V6 with 97k miles. a month ago, the temp gauge in the car was going to max and the car would stop. took it to a local repair shop and they noticed water pump leak and replaced it. repair guy said he is seeing a white smoke coming out of the car and suggested i check for coolant very often. after driving for 25 miles, car stopped again and i filled it with coolant and it was gone in no time. Now the repair guy is telling that it is a head gasket issue and would cost me 1500 repair it. i am not sure if its worth to repair it at this mileage or not. I dont want to start the repairs and get surprised with other issues. what else can go wrong.
So far, i did CV boot, spark plugs and spent around 2400 since 2008 on this. need your advice on what other things to be checked before i get into this repair.
thanks in advance.
Just looking for pertinent information. The engine is still 'terribly strong' so a little money on the tranny might be in order to avoid buying another.
Thanks,
SixS
There is one annoying issue with this engine - the EGR flow passages in the intake manifold clog with carbon about every 100k miles and must be cleaned. Otherwise you will get an engine check light with the "EGR flow low" code. The EGR valve itself is bulletproof, as it electrically operated (not vacuum) and it is cooled by engine coolant.