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Oh, that makes all the difference in the world! You are lucky that they are footing the bill for all the changes.
Tip: Before purchasing a used car, have it independently checked to ensure there are no surprises. "Independent" as in your garage not the seller's garage.
got a call from Honda dlr. today. Pump assembly arrived, gasket did not. It won't be here till monday. So, at least 3 more days with the loaner car.
Thanks Debbi,
Got the car back yesterday (Fri) with new fuel pump and filter, CEL and engine power loss today. Back to the Honda dlr on Monday morn. When I dropped the car off last week i read all of the posts about p5 CEL on this board and another. I called the Honda dlr back later that day and told him that cars with the exact sypmtoms needed and EGR or igintion coils. Since Mazda's diagnosis was fuel pump he said that's what they had to do. When I talked to the salesman today that he said they would probably do wires first. I told him I wanted new coils while they're in there. I may have to pay for a portion of this one.
question for you Debbi, how many days or miles did you dirve before your cat was fried?. I'm worried about this now because the problem hasn't been fixed, and i've driven about 150 miles in the car since i got it.(only a mile or two with obvious engine power loss symptoms). The orginal code pulled by Honda was the P0300-Random misfire. They didn't get a code from Mazda. any adivce would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -Matt
Coils were $15.00 a piece off of Autozone.com/ And supper easy to replace.2 screws
I replaced both. mainly because i didnt want the same problem again.
also to Nipzip,
may be too soon to tell, but I wondering how non-OEM coils would hold up to coils from Mazda. Huge difference in price, like $75 or more each. thanks
I must admit I drove the car much longer than I probably should have (almost 6 weeks & my daily commute to/from work is about 80 miles a day)
that helps to put my mind at ease. The car is in the shop now and I'm driving a rental. The coils are being sent overnight from another NAPA, they had the wires in stock. I'll drop the parts off tomorrow am and hopefully have it back by the afternoon. As expected, they were very unreceptive to paying for any of this work (even though the original problem hadn't been fixed). They wanted to take the car back to mazda for another diagnosis thinking it could be a bad PCM. When I talked to the salesguy and offered to pay for the parts if they would cover the labor,(and told him again about others with the same problems) he agreed.
So, fingers crossed, this will do the trick. If not, the Mazda dealership will be abusing my credit card in the near future. I'll certainly keep you posted, although i think it will take a couple months of trouble free driving to restore my confidence. Thanks so much for your information, it has been a great help. -matt
Any suggestions.
My guess is I'm safer going w/ a dealer vs. private shop, in case the new belt breaks or other problems arise.
Any suggestions?
Also, considered replacing air filter w/ stock K&H. They appear to allow better air flow because they don't filter small particles in intake air as effectively as a standard filter.
Anyone have any experience or opinions w/ K&H filters.
Thanks.
Anyone have any experience or opinions w/ K&H filters.
from what i've read probably best to stay away from the K&N. Lots of people use them, but over time the smaller particles could to do dammage to the engine. The HP gains are negligable. Also you have to coat the K&N with an oil based liquid and if you put too much it can clog things up. I think they are best suited for much larger engines that draw a lot more air.
Just a quick update. I've had the car for two weeks now with new coils and wires. Haven't experienced any of the previous symptoms
Woohoo - glad to hear that you've been two weeks free of CEL problems! I'm guessing that you didn't have any CAT problems either - that's even better news! I still am at a lost as to why this problem isn't being properly diagnosed by the Mazda techs when it's obvious from just the posts seen here that it's such a widespread problem? I noticed a new post from someone just this morning having the same problem! I am so VERY thankful that I happened to stumble across this forum - a little too late to save my CAT but still soon enough to prevent any further problems. In case I haven't said so lately - THANK YOU to all of you (especially you Dave
agreed about the diagnosis. I'll try to find a good independent shop for any repairs in the future. It may just be that because it's a RANDOM misfire that when (and if) they tested the coils, they seem fine. Either way, they should be aware that this was a possible cause. The honda dlr. wanted to send the car back to Mazda for another diagnosis, I had to insist that they try this.
Also, for anyone having this problem in the future, according to everything i've read, if your coils are going bad, cold weather brings out the worst in them so...
dying at a stop light+ engine power loss at higer speeds + CEL + P0300(random misfire code) in cold weather = bad ignition coils/wires
1. Alignment of your alternator and AC compressor.
2. Bearings going out on either the Alternator or AC compressor.
3. Belts could be set to tight or to loose on either of the above.
well the bottom one you might need to jack the front end up a little to slide under the front of the car. the top one is sticking in the side of the heat shield on the from of the header. has blue,black and white wires going to it i believe.
You will need to disconnect the wires first before you loosen it.the wires clip together.
my mechanic was going to charge me $450 to do this job. I'm sure I will figure it out.......
If the CEL comes on flashing for some odd reason (And I hope it doesn't), what I did was pull over quick and turn off the engine. That should stop the flashing at the very least.
Now I will be known as "davidingilbert check engine light Part....."
I think at a dealership, it is something like $50.00
Dave
WalMart Everstart 800 cold crank. Approx $80
Turn car switch to "on" and wait 10 seconds for coil to build charge in cold weather.
Engine cranks about 12 times, then starts.
9 degrees below in WI this year, started every time.
If you are concerned about need of more power in your colder weather, there are "sealed" batteries w/ more cold cranking power for over $100 at WalMart, Sam's Club, etc.
Any after market pads and rotors that are better performers than OEM w/ rotors that don't rust?
Thanks.
GL-4 rated 75W90 can't be found anywhere.
GL-5 rated has additives that corrode brass components in transmission.
One dealership said synthetic causes seals to deteriorate.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Any suggestions?
Also, considered replacing air filter w/ K&N. They appear to allow better air flow because possibly because they don't filter small particles in intake air as effectively as a standard filter.
Anyone have any experience or opinions w/ K&N filters?
Thanks.
Visiting Host
Your input sounds logical. Thanks for the help.
What I would do, is try and see if the grooves on the timing belt are missing or have spaces.
The dealership my wife & I took her Mazda to said the same thing and I thought it was to a degree bull because they always found something up with her car. But, I did feel the part of the belt that goes around the pulleys and did find some where spots / spaces where the grooves of the belt were missing.
Since I live in AZ and the chance of this happening fairly far away from a dealership were great, I just bit the bullet and did it.
When driving on slight left turns (think country roads) I hear a slight thumping and pulsating through the steering wheel. I have new 205/50/16 tires and was thinking the front passenger side is out balance, I rotated the tire to the rear. The thumping has not gone away. Driving straight I don’t have the problem or when I am turn right. I have 80k miles on the car.
What else should I check? I didn’t see any bad bushings and the noise doesn’t sound like a CV joint. I planning to get an alignment soon since my last set of tires wore quick severely on the inside edge.
Usually with tires that have the "16" in the final number, you sometimes are harder on the tie-rods because your turning radius is diminished because of the larger tire, (At least that is what we were told with my mom's Buick Regal GS many years ago.) and you keep the steering wheel cranked as far as it can go longer to make the tight turns.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Turned out to be a bad front bearing. Approx $200. Although the noise is different, it might be a place to look.
Yup, never know when the dealerships are throwing bull, being lazy, or trying to be accurate, as each has a different answer.
Thanks for your specific input; I'll have to stick around while they work on it.
Not very high mileage for an eight year old car. Has it been problem free all that time?
it is due for timing belt since I don't live in one of the states where belt replacement isn't required unitl 100k, but I figure if their's can last 100k, mine isn't any different.
Considering the timing belt is made of rubber, it may not be the mileage but rather the age of the material that should be your alert to change it. How long do rubber belts typically last?
Timing belt: I'm at 104000 miles and am changing now (WI environment - 0 degree winters to 90 summers). Although I have mostly low RPM freeway miles, I drive the car like a gocart and belt has lasted this long. I replaced now out of fear. Upon replacement, old belt looked new - probably would have easily gone another 50 - 80K. Looks like it's made of flexible hard plastic vs pulley type rubber belts.
Dealership said it is not interference type motor, so breaking belt would not have damaged motor. I'm pretty sure they are wrong.
Mazda maintenance shows inspect at 64K and replace at 105K. At 60K two dealerships said they rarely inspect at 64K but replace at 100K.
Replace or wait - your call.
W/ water pump and belt tensioner, dealership prices came in at $750 - $1000. Private shops around $600. I went w/ dealership in case of future problems - they might be more concerned w/ bad press than a private shop, so I'm hoping they are more quality oriented.
My experience - you can ask 4 different dealerships the same question, and get 4 different answers. My guess, there are so few 2/3 P5's out there, the dealerships don't have much experience working on them, but the'll sell you whatever service thet you would like to buy. This forum certainly helps.
Hope this helps, good luck.
The dealer tells me it's due for a new timing belt, which will cost somewhere around $450. I've seen references to belts lasting much longer, so do I have any leeway, to wait until, say 80k?
I believe all current Mazda engines actually are "non-interference" type
Mazda maintenance shows inspect at 64K and replace at 105K. At 60K two dealerships said they rarely inspect at 64K but replace at 100K.
Timing belt, I replaced at 104,500 miles (WI environment - 0 degree winters to 90 summers). Although I have mostly lower RPM freeway miles, I drive the car like a gocart and belt has lasted this long.
Upon replacement, old belt looked new - "who knows" maybe would have easily gone another 50 - 80K. Looks like it's made of flexible hard plastic vs pulley type rubber belts.
It is an "interference" type motor, so breaking belt would damage motor.
Mine made it to 104,500 miles.
Replace or wait - your call. Hope this helps.
thanks
Tarzbad
-Ashley
p.s. As is often noted here, it makes sense to change the waterpump and some related belts at the same time that one changes the timing belt.