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After returning home from lunch yesterday it seemed like the AC was REALLY weak - even for a Mazda - so I decided to leave the car running in my driveway and go get my thermometer.
To my surprise when I returned the air temp was 48 degrees! Maybe not ice cold - but cold enough to cool the car off - I thought.
Then for no specific reason I pushed down on the gas - slowly bringing the RPM up to around 3,000 RPM and holding it there.
My air vent temperature started to climb - from 48 to 52 - 58 - 64 - 68 - 72 it seemed to level off at 72 and hold close to this temp.
When I let the car idle again the temp started to drop and went all the way back down to 50 degrees before it started to cycle on and off again.
I understand that Mazda has a feature that turns the AC compressor off when you floor the gas - but 3,000 RPM is not even 80 MPH - and even under fairly normal driving the engine hits close to 3,000 RPM before the automatic tranny shifts.
I am guessing (hoping) that whatever regulator or sensor or switch turns the compressor off and on is defective and my long suffering AC problems will finally be solved.
Ever notice how the moonroof shade has slotted vents in the front? I'd imagine that the idea is that the vents would allow warm air to flow out if the shade is closed and the moonroof is in the tilt position.
When I got in the car and started the AC, I reached to open the shade. Very warm air was flowing into the car through the slotted vents. It might be better for the AC if the vents had a feature allowing them to be closed.
I do notice that when the sun is hitting the drivers window the heat in the car increases more than I would like. I have not yet done so, but will very soon get a dark tint (the kind that blocks UV rays).
I’m certain z71bill’s AC should not be cycling off at 3000rpm it’s a four cylinder, it lives all day above 3000rpm.
Perhaps your compressor suffers this malady????
I have tested my AC temp before at a fast idle and it (air temp) did not drop off like this - But I do recall more than a few times at highway speed where the AC would blow cold then cool then warm then cold again. Some temp flux is normal as the compressor cycles - but mine seems extreme.
I have noticed that if I am at a red light the AC performance drops off more than any vehicle I have ever owned - it also does not cool very well at highway speed (70 MPH or so), but when I drive a constant 40-45 MPH it seems to produce the coldest air.
I was told that they would start on the car first thing this morning - I sure hope they can get this solved - I really do like the Mazda3 - it has so many good features - it is just too hot in Texas to not have a good AC.
And, I agree, the Mazda3 is an incredible car, I helped my son buy one 2 months ago. And we read this forum and your comments about your AC issues before we bought. We live in Tucson...it's been 104-108 last few days...But..."it's a dry heat!" LOL I think his A/C is marginal for a desert environment, and Mazda probably does a bell curve, and designs for the midle of the bell....perhaps the heater is too weak for Alaska??? Doesn't matter, it should cool
.....we have experienced what you have, to some degree, it seems to cycle off and on way to much, and not in response to interior cooling, as it seems it should....He had the windows tinted and it has helped some, he is fine with it as it is.. it does cool..he says the same or better than his 2001 Civic he traded in on this.
Like you, I don't know a lot about Auto AC systems, but i think that the cycling is due to pressures in the system, rather than reaching a specific cooling plateau....contrary to what we think it should.
I hope your dealer can find a soultion for you..It is VERY agravating to buy a new car and have issuees that the dealer/manufacturer says are normal.. I know, I have been there before.....Good luck, and I know you will keep us posted! ;-)
By looking through this board, I find 2-maybe 3 people with bad AC (one admittedly who's more vocal than the rest), and about 5-8 with great to liveable AC. Based on this admittedly small sample size, can I surmize that roughly 20% of the 3s are defective when it comes to AC and 80% are OK?
Would anyone care to agree-disagree?
I really think the % of cars with defective AC is much less than 20% - maybe more like 5%. People who have a bad experience are much more likely to complain VS people who have a car that is doing what is should do.
Don't see very many people brag - all I need to do is turn the key and my car starts right up and then keeps running until I turn it off. People expect their cars to start - and keep running - it is normal. (Although I bet if I posted that my Mazda3 started stalling - and was hard to start someone would post something like - mine starts every time - I have owned bla bla bla Mazda cars and they always start every time) BTW my Mazda3 did start stalling a few weeks ago - and has also been hard to start a few times - I just got a call from the dealership - the fuel pump failed the pressure test - so it needs to be replaced.
The important thing is - you need to make sure the Mazda you plan to buy has a working AC - because Mazda will not fix the ones that are defective. So just pay very close attention during the test drive -
You may want to check out this site - it lists all of the Mazda3 problems - well at least the ones Mazda admits.
http://web2.iadfw.net/theman/protegefaq/tsb/mazda3.html
Nice and cool inside the 3, even though I was wearing a shirt and tie!
Meade
Correct.
Think about it -- there are the car buffs who come here anyway, to share their love for their car -- but I think this is the minority. The others who come to Edmunds come here looking for help with a problem. To most of the world, a car is an appliance. Now, how many people do you see visiting air-conditioner or vacuum-cleaner discussions because they love their appliances?
BTW ... those types of discussions ARE out there on this wonderful Internet! Been there ... but only because I too was having trouble with mine!
You always will find more negative than positive posts at a place like this. Why, I was just on the Cavalier discussion yesterday and encountered a discourse between the host and a visitor where the host was trying to calm the visitor (a middle-aged woman) down because she came here thinking this was a mechanics' blog -- she posted all these complaints about her car, waited a day or two and got no response, and then slammed the discussion saying (lemme go get the quote, it's worth it) ...
I wish I could say coming here helped, but I guess there were no mechanics who wanted to venture into '95 Cadaver territory. Cadaver as in Cavalier. I asked for help, and received none. ... Thanks also to all of you mechanics who ignored me and find discussion of photos more appealing, way to go (not)...I did find help in an AOL auto chat thank goodness. More than I can say for here. I am very disappointed in you guys.
The host straightened her out, though, and she finally understood what the Town Hall is all about and who hangs out here.
Meade
I have 10,000 trouble free miles - and have no problems to report.
BTW - My build date is October 2003 - I bought it in January of 2004 -
Yeah, your A/C works best if your vehicle is constantly moving (to evacuate the hot air under the hood) and your engine isn't being pushed hard (produces less heat, and the computer doesn't decide to throw what power is available to propulsion....luckily, my '99 ProLX seems to lack this "feature" - I'll decide when I want to turn off the A/C for more thrust, thank you). So, whatever speed you get in your top gear while the engine is gently being exercised will probably yield the coldest temps out of your air vents when you use your A/C.
My thoughts on cooling: the materials in the interior are poor heat conductors, but some of them have high heat capacity. They will take several minutes to release their heat so their temperatures lower to a tolerable point. Vigorous turbulent airflow will maximize the heat transfer from your car interior materials to the passing air. This pretty much means driving with your windows all the way down for some time (the amount of time depends on the materials of your car and their initial temperature). I find leather and vinyl holds more heat than cloth. Plastic can hold a lot of heat, and it releases it slowly, which is why it doesn't burn you as readily as metal at the same temperature would.
My car has a medium-grey interior, which gets hotter than a beige interior, but not as hot as black or dark grey. On a hot sunny summer day (over 85F and RH less than 50%) in Ohio, I find I have to drive with the windows down at least 5 minutes at around 40-45mph before it feels like I can raise the windows. It makes a BIG difference in the time it takes to cool down the cabin (the air cools first...the seat which I'm covering with my back and butt takes a while to cool as it can only cool down to the temperature of the parts of my body that contact them, which means they don't get very cool...ventilated seats would go a long way towards passenger and driver comfort). Breathable surfaces on your seats will help you cool down faster. So, leather seats hurt here. FWIW, even in cars with very powerful A/C systems, this helps immensely.
The "drive with your windows down for 5 minutes" solution has been pretty much pounded to death - 100% correct it helps cool off a hot car - but in all of my other vehicles my AC system completely cools the car off in less than 5 minutes. I roll down the windows as I am starting the car to let the really hot air out and maybe drive a few feet before rolling up the windows - in less that a minute I have cold air flowing out of the vents.
If you must do the "drive with the windows down" thing it proves "beyond any reasonable doubt" that you AC is weak. Case closed. Only exception would be if the temps are way over 100 degrees & high humidity.
There is one other thing about the drive with you windows down that should also be considered - read the owners manual carefully - I don't think that very many manufactures tell you to "roll the windows all the way down" they most likely say "crack the window"
Why not roll them all the way down? It would do two things - cool of the car faster and also make it much easier for a CAR JACKER. This happens so often in Houston the news does not even report it anymore - unless the car has a child in it - or if the driver gets shot a few times. It doesn't matter what part of town you are in either.
I guess the only thing that the Mazda3 would have in its favor is most car jackers want MB, Lexus or BMW.
How's your Civic shopping going?
Meade
I have BTW had new models from Toyota, Nissan & GM (Chevy & Pontiac) never had any problems like this - although I had a 1981 Pontiac Turbo T/A that spent alot of time in the shop - mostly oil & tranny fluid leaks - but that car got driven hard - come to think of it the AC in that old Pontiac cooled the car better than the AC in my NEW Mazda3 - and since it had the T-TOP option (90% of the roof was glass - no shade either) that really says something.
I have looked at every car under $35K and just can't find one that gives me that I WANT THAT CAR - feeling. Kind of sad really - Like the looks of the RSX - but it is really a 2 seater - the TSX looks OK - but for some reason the ride just seems kind of boring. Toyota is a complete waste of time - not one model that even comes close - Although I like the looks of the Scion TC - wife hates it - also read a review that says some TC's are having AC problems - so I sure don't want to go there.
To show you how desperate I have gotten I was actually about 1/2 way to the VW dealership to look at the new Jetta -
Since you seems to know everything about everything - a REAL KNOW-IT-ALL if I ever saw one - maybe you could help me out and recommend a few cars to look at.
Please take this to "Mazda 3 Owners: Meet the Members" or or to email. Discussing what should be your next vehicle is off topic in Problems & Solutions.
Thanks for your cooperation!
Meade
Thanks for the intro. I'll take it from here.
I have a 1 week old 3 s hatch manual (lava); less than 400 miles on the speedo. Fantastic car
I think I have some vibration issues, but not sure – everything may be normal (especially during break in). The car starts fine. But as it fires up (doesn’t occur while cranking), the car seems to vibrate a quickly (as seen looking at the top of the dash). There are no noises; just a quick shake. Afterwards, everything is fine again. This all occurs within a matter of a second; regardless whether the car is cold or warm.
Once completely warmed, the car idles at 650 rpm (+- 50). At that point there is another vibration, but ever so slight. The vibration is felt on the door arm rest, (but not on the door sill) and the ‘seat of your pants’ (but not on the center armrest). I only mention this slight idle vibration because everything is silky smooth until that low settling point.
The third vibration occurs at about 2,100 rpm (+- 50) as you rev the engine slowly past that point. Again, everything is silky smooth before and after, but not at that point. Quickly revving past that point makes it difficult to detect any vibration; ditto for driving in any gear at that point.
Anyway, those are my 3 vibration issues. None of these vibrations are harsh, just noticeable. Do I have anything to worry about?
BTW - I'm coming off of a 1998 Contour V-6 with 117k miles and a light grey interior. Recently, I did a back to back test on both cars. Temp. was in the low 90's with humidity approx. 90% Coldest reading from the a/c in that car was 34.4 with a digital therm. (center vent, recirc. mode). All this time I thought that the a/c in that car wasn't that cold. So far, the coldest temp. coming from the my Mazda 3 (center vent, recirc. mode.) is 42.2. Eventhough this is a 8 degree difference, I can hardly feel the difference (just slightly). I guess what I'm trying to say is that eventhough the a/c in my contour was more than adequate, my body wasn't convinced. But since, I've learned to accept it and now, the a/c in the 3 feels just fine. Go figure. Hey, age could be a factor.
richml - Ice cream truck - LOL - great post!
tmanuel - I feel your pain - had the same thing happen at a quick lube - since then I either do it myself - or go the the dealer.
My Mazda is still at the dealer - Took it in Wednesday - so far
Replaced the fuel pump parts came in today - as promised - hoping it stops the stalling & hard starting "issue"
Have parts ordered to replace the "mount rubber" on the front shocks - trying to get rid of the THUMP THUMP THUMP noise that I get on every small bump.
My AC fan motor - sometimes will not run - so far it has worked every time - looks like this problem will have to wait.
AC is still the main issue - everything is checking out within Mazda spec. The dealership has scheduled a Mazda corporate specialist to look at it tomorrow. (They did not call him in just for me - it is a regular visit) - hopefully he will have some ideas. The service manager took the car on two test drives - he says the AC does blow cold air and that since it has a black interior it is harder to cool - Would not say it was good or bad - just that it is "within Mazda spec". I think the car has two problems a defective temperature sensor (located in front of the evaporator) that sends a signal to the compressor to shut down when the air hits a set temp - I also think I have a weak radiator cooling fan - not enough air flow through the condenser - I have started shopping for an after market auxiliary cooling fan - should cost lest than $200 - it should help with cooling while stuck in traffic.
Same car (2005 3S hatch, manual), same vibrations -- except that the "once warmed up" vibration is VERY hard to detect. I get the same slight rocking when the car first cranks up (again, this is slight), and I've felt the 2,100-rpm shake -- but only when I rev the engine at a standstill. When I first discovered that shake, I got all concerned and went out on a lonely road, trying to duplicate that shake in-gear. I couldn't make the car do it (which is good, because the engine cruises at that speed when I'm going down all the 45-mph roads near my house).
I attribute the 2,100-rpm shake to a resonance of the balance shafts and the transmission when not in gear. After playing with it a little, I don't see it as anything other than a resonance -- which all cars have at some point in their power band. The (very) slight shudder at startup is comparable to other cars I've had, and well, the slightly noticeable vibration at stops is still FAR less than the way my Protege vibrated all the time!
I'm not worried about any of this. If there's any problem here, I think it's that Mazda has designed a tight suspension and a deathly quiet interior that makes us sensitive to anything coming from the front end of the car. My 2000 Protege ES was a typical small car in that you could always feel the engine vibrating through the steering wheel, the stickshift lever, the seat -- whatever. So now we've got a car (that cost virtually the same, I might add) that's 30% more powerful and only lets a little vibration through under certain conditions? Nice!
Sure, they could get rid of ALL vibrations and ALL resonance. But then you'd be at a Mercedes or Lexus lot, paying at least twice as much.
Give the Mazda3 a break. After all, it's still an (I hate to say it) "economy" car.
Just one helluva good one!!!
Meade
How did you take it to the dealership? Did you drive it there, after finding no oil in your car? Wow, if that's the case, I'm surprised anyone offered to pay for anything -- plus I'm surprised you got there at all!
Meade
I've seen air powered tools, but I'm not sure on how they would work. I don't happen to have an air compressor (I think that's what you need...) around my place.
One more thing you need to know - if you are concerned about the effort it will take to get the lug nuts off - you will also most likely have a MAJOR problem getting the wheels off (once all the nuts have been removed). The Mazda3 wheels will be "frozen" to the hub. I tried pounding on the tire with a rubber hammer - no luck - I finally sat down on the ground in front of the tire and used my legs to kick the tire - will all the force I have - in order to break it free. I had to do this the first 2 times I rotated the tires. I now put a very small amount of WD-40 on the wheel hub - but not on the lugs - the last time I rotated tires they came right off.
You will also need to have a torque wrench - so you get the lug nuts put back on - between 65 and 80 FT pounds I think - look in your owners manual.
About the WD-40... don't want to sound dumb, but what is the wheel hub exactly? The part right behind the wheels, like the actualy rotor?
Also, can I use a torque wrench to free the lugnuts instead too?
You don't want to use the torque wrench to free the lug nuts since it's a precision tool that tells you, using a needle, dial or digital display, how much force you're exerting. You only want to use the torque wrench for the final tightening of the lugs to their proper torque. A good torque wrench will cost you a few bucks; I just browsed the selection at Sears and they ranged from an el-cheapo one for $26.99 to a professional one for $1,348.99 (ouch!). You should be able to find a decent one for less than $100.
Meade
At 2,100 rpm the vibes are equal (same feeling) to idle just 1.5 – 2.5 times greater. Other than this, not a whisper. And I agree with you about the resonance. Our MPV has it as well, but with a V6 its more difficult to detect at those ‘resonance points.’ Interestingly, though, it has the resonance vibe about 2,200 rpm. Go figure.
About the shake during fire up - I started the car this morning with the hood up; noticed the engine rock back and forth (fore and aft or front to back, take your pick) slightly during cranking and then more pronounce during fire up. It all happens within a second.
z71bill – My point about the AC was that my perception is the same at 34 as it is at 42. In other words, I would probably be more comfortable in ‘freezer’ type temps. But 42 will do (as did 34). Oh, btw, both cars fluctuate approx. 3 degrees up and down while cruising at 70. Good luck on solving your prob, though.
Meade
At three in the morning i got some shady looking dude to drive me to a local wall mart to pick up some Moble 1 sin. I put it in a drove to the dealership the next morning. If mazda seems to think i need a new engine after what happened with the oil guys i don't see why they shouldn't foot the bill for something I had nothing to do with. But in the end i probably will just bite it hard, and go down with a rebuilt motor with no Mazda warranty, but not without celebrating my thoughts about Grease Monkey to the entire world. And if anyone wants to know what the best oil is out there on the market. Well apparently you can go about a week or 740miles on Moble 1 sin. if the plug's not in right. The car ran prefect until the check engine light came on. I kind of wish it would have run crappie so that i would have known somthin was up, and i probable would have checked it.
Meade
Wow! You must have a heckuva commute! I work 20 miles from home and use the car a lot on the weekends, but that only equates to about 330 miles a week!
You really putting almost 40,000 miles a year on your car?
Meade
1. All but the Civic had at least one complaint about air conditioner performance in the last 25 posts. Additionally, it seems Corollas are notorious for moldy, stinky air conditioning that is a real challenge to get rid of.
2. The Civics, especially the Si's, are full of complaints about creaks and rattles from everywhere on the car. There was even discussion of the "death creak" -- the steering rack going bad -- being a common occurrence (common enough that they've given it a name!).
3. Sentras are just unreliable cars!
4. Scion sales may be bolstered by the Toyota name relationship, but it would appear that Scion is having its own quality issues -- quite a few, actually. In fact, there's enough concern about the car that Edmunds has created a new discussion for it entitled, "Scion: Is the Honeymoon Over?" It's had 314 posts since its creation four months ago.
My point to all this? You'll find similar complaints in every discussion, because every car maker puts out a bad one from time to time. And, the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. After what I read today, I feel more comfortable than ever with my decision to buy a Mazda3.
Meade
well I did drive to charletsville once last week on it, but yea my average week dosen't usually work out to 740miles that one just happend to.
Meade
Funny thing happened on the way home from a visit to my dad last weekend ... I was on the highway, casually cruising at about 70 in the right-hand lane, when this car appeared in the left-hand lane behind me. It was about 10 p.m., and that car was running headlights and driving lights, like I was. But it persisted where it was, right in my left-hand blind spot, just behind me, matching my speed. This went on for about 15 miles and I started to get a little flustered, so I hit "cancel" on the cruise control and slowed down a little. Well, they slowed down too. Dammit! Another five miles went by. I finally slowed down more, and they sloowwwwly crept by me. As they passed, I glanced over and finally realized why my Velocity Red Mica 2005 Mazda3 hatch had had a shadow for 20 miles.
I was being passed by the exact same car! :shades:
She (cool!) pulled in front of me and we played hazard-signal games for a few minutes; then I shadowed her for another five miles or so until I had to exit. She stayed on the highway. Ah, I wonder what became of my shadow ...
Meade
My AC checked out as good - said they adjusted it - not sure what that means - I will need to find out more when I pick it up. He said it is working a little better - but it will never be any where close to the AC system that I have in my Chevys (I bought a Z-71 and a Tahoe from this dealership that I still own). He test drove my car and also took a new Mazda3 for a drive - back to back - and he said that my AC is working - AS GOOD AS A NEW ONE.
Still considering my options -
1. Install an "H" valve in the heater lines - so I can shut off the flow of hot coolant to the heater core - which is located right next to the evap.
2. Install an auxiliary cooling fan to push more air over the condenser
3. Get window tinting -
4. Buy a new car with a killer AC system - maybe an ice cream truck.
Bill --
Please tell us where you set your controls when you use your air conditioning. What position is the face/floor/etc. damper in? What fan speed setting? Thermostat setting (which should be a "duh," but hey -- I want to nail this down)? And finally, recirc switch setting?
I don't mean to sound condescending -- really Bill -- but it's kind of hard to believe that you say HOT AIR is blowing from your vents whenever your a/c is on, yet the service department says it's operating perfectly. Somebody somewhere is full of it. Have you taken a thermometer to the dealership, put it in the vent, and shown the service writer the 70-degree reading you've told us about?
I'll tell you one thing -- if my a/c was blowing 70-degree air and they told me it was working normally, I'd be right over there, picking up my car and taking it to another dealership!
Meade
Not new here to this site, but enjoy reading and have never really made any comments. I have 05 3S Sunlight Silver (Wanted Lava) sedan, and love it. I find my AC in my car to be quite effective. I do find that it works best at fan setting 2 and of course on recirc - I guess my question is why would an inside of a car need to be cooler than what we find to be a comfort level in a house. I pasted below a comfort level factor with humditiy levels for what is considered acceptable for inside a home. Are there different cooling factors for a car?
Table 1. Summer Comfort Zone.
Relative Humidity Maximum Comfortable Temperature Minimum Comfortable Temperature
60% 78.5oF 72.5oF
50% 79oF 73oF
40% 79.5oF 73.5oF
30% 80oF 74oF
I had been thinking the same thing for a while myself. Our home is pleasantly cooled by our A/C when set to the 70s; my Pro5 feels equally comfortable with a setting of 2.
If the air coming out of your vents (in your car or house) is 70 F, then it is going to take all day to cool it down from 95 F....
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http://media.mazda.ch/dossiers/mazda3/images/high/MAZDA3_CD2_27.jpg
The North American 2006 Mazda5, which is the new "microvan" based on the Mazda3, will have the climate controls, and I've heard rumors that Mazda's going to bring them to the U.S. Mazda3 in the next year or so too -- but that part (about them coming to the 3) is merely a rumor right now.
Too bad we didn't get the automatic climate controls -- I would've liked them!
(Just keep in mind they don't affect the performance of the system; they just make the system more fun to use!)
Meade
Meade
It gets HOT AS HELL here in Charlotte, NC. (being from Canada, its real hot for me) and I like the AC. you just need to let it run for a bit...and it get nice and cool.