Mazda 626 Troubles

maxx4me · June 2003

I'm wondering if it is the latter. I have disc all around; the squeek happens every time I start the car and pull out. I should try NOT engaging the hand break and see if it continues. My guess is, it will stop.

p100 · June 2003

I thought that only V6 models had rear disc brakes. I remember looking at a 4 cyl 1999 626 and it had rear drum brakes.

p100 · June 2003

I thought that only V6 models had rear disc brakes. I remember looking at a 4 cyl 1999 626r and it had rear drum brakes.

maxx4me · June 2003

nope, and nope. Disks all around. I was agast when my Vibe had rear drums. I thought they phased those out years ago. Nonetheless, squeeky disks rule the day. I'll let you know how my test goes.

sundhario1 · June 2003

I have a '99 626 and the antenna is screwed up. When I turn the car off the antenna is supposed to automatically retract. But -- i can hear the motor grinding away and the antenna does not go down. A gentle nudge on top of the antenna during this process will retract the antenna.

The antenna goes up w/ no problems. It seems the the gear that retracts the antenna is worn out. The motor is fine. Any easy way to fix this?

Weatherstripping -- I moved from Texas to Illinois. I think the change in temperature caused my weatherstripping to come undone. I've tried using 3M Weatherstripping adhesive to fix it. BUT -- it keeps coming off! I've tried this twice. The second time, I tried taping the stripping in place until the bond completely seals. NO LUCK! By the way -- I relocated from Illinois to Phoenix for the summer. The EXTREME temperature change could've also contribute to this problem.

Thanks!

slickdog · June 2003

My '00 LX-V6 exhibited similar behavior last summer in damp weather, but hasn't done so yet this year (and didn't do so during the first summer of it's life either). It has always produced a slight grinding sound from the rear during the first stop after being rained on overnight, but I believe that is caused by the surface rust that appears in those conditions, and it always ceases rather quickly.

Drum brakes can squeal and grab excessively when wet if they contain too much dust from the shoes. I'm not sure that disc brakes could accumulate enough dust to cause those symptoms, as the components are not enclosed and the dust escapes easily. However, it wouldn't require much time and effort for you to pull the wheels and spray most of the dust off with brake cleaner just to eliminate that possibility. Could save you a trip to the mechanic who may try to sell you new parts to stop the symptoms. Good luck.

maxx4me · June 2003

nah, I have new brakes and rotors all around. My first day of "not" using the parking brake did not yield any new clues, since I instinctly used the parking brake a couple of times. Something is telling me it is not related to the parking brake however. As long as the problem is not boiling my brake fluid and allows the brakes to work properly, I'll just turn a blind "ear".

pcollins1216 · June 2003

I have a 2002 Mazda 626 which I just found out tonite that is leaking oil. Car has 37K miles on it now and my oil change is very regular, almost every 3K miles, I go and get an oil change. Now tonite, my neighbor said my oil is very dirty and black. Has anyone has this same problem?

p100 · June 2003

Can you see where is the oil leaking from? Is the leak bad?
Some things to check:

1. Oil pan drain plug has an aluminum washer under it, which should be replaced every few oil changes as the aluminum is softer than steel and tigtening the steel plug will cut grooves in the washer. Also, there is possibility of overtightening the drain plug, thus stripping the threads and causing an oil leak

2. Oil filter could be leaking at the gasket if insufficiently tightened (only tighten new oil filter by hand.

3. Your engine is too new to develop valve cover leaks or front or rear crank seal leaks or camshaft sprocket seal leaks, but everything is possible. Also, oil pan gasket could be leaking or the oil pan bolts are loose.

As far as oil being too dirty in 3K miles: What oil do you have put in? Are you consistent with oil brand and viscosity (e.g. Castrol GTS, 10W 30?) What about the oil filters? What brand? I have heard of cases where certain brand oil filter gaskets did not seal right on some vehicles.

pcollins1216 · July 2003

My neighbor thinks its coming from the oil pan. My owner's manual said to use 10W-30 and every time, i get the oil change, that is what I tell the service man. The shop that I take it to uses Penzoil. I am taking it to the service shop at the dealership this morning. My car is still under warranty so hopefully it will be covered.

maxx4me · July 2003

hmmm...sounds like the J team has struck again. I'm beginning to think they did not tighten the hoses to my tranny properly, and I'm dripping fluid.

maxx4me · July 2003

e-gads, now I know what fluid is leaking; its my power steering fluid. I've been baby-ing it for a while now, but now it is downright dripping out. I wonder if there is anyplace other than the R&P steering column forcing the fluid out of the boot, that could be causing the problem. I knew I should have let the deer finish off this car when they had a chance!!! Tommmmmaaaaaccccooo!

p100 · July 2003

Just because it looks like the oil is leaking from the oil pan, does not mean it IS leaking from the oil pan. The oil could be leaking elsewhere and pooling around the oil pan gasket. This is exactly what happened to my Mercedes 300 SD. It looked like I had an oil pan gasket leak. I replaced the oil pan gasket twice to no avail ($ 15 per gasket). I even replaced the lower oil pan! Still leaking. The problem was solved when I replaced the valve cover gasket. The only good thing was that a brand new Italian made lower oil pan cost me $ 18. Yes, $ 18!!!!. This was not from the dealer, but was the same part made for Mercedes Benz. Figure that one out. $ 15 for an oil pan gasket, and $ 18 for a new oil pan!

p100 · July 2003

Your car must have rolled off the assembly line at 4:59 PM on Friday before the 4 th of July weekend. Mine was probably made on Friday too, but several hours earlier.

tahugoreng · July 2003

Guys I am planning to buy a used 4 cyl, AT Mazda 2002. what do you think of this car so far? any problem, especially with the transmission.

Thanks a lot.

windowphobe6 · July 2003

The '02 is really too young to have much of a track record. On the other hand, they're not so different from my 2000 model, and I expect the tranny is essentially identical; I've had no mechanical problems at all with the '00, which is about to hit the road again for fun and frolic for four thousand miles in the summer heat.

So the question becomes "How is it that this car, barely a year old, is already on the used market?" And that one I can't answer.

p100 · July 2003

I just looked at two brand new 2002 left over 626's at our local Mazda dealership. They are both 4 cyl 5 speed base models with no options, one silver and one white. The MSRP is $ 19K and some change. They are selling them at $ 5000 off the sticker, or for about $ 14K. This is not a bad deal in my opinion if you are looking for cheap transportation. These cars have a manual transmission and should be more reliable than auto versions. Buying one of these may be a better move than buying a used 2002, especially with the infamous auto.

By the way, these cars have DRUM REAR brakes, not Disc REAR brakes. I also distinctly remember that 1999 4 cyl models had drum rear brakes. It is possible that earlier models had disc rear brakes, but one should never underestimate Mazda's ability to delete standard equipment without advertising it.

maxx4me · July 2003

Yep: 93-97: disc all around

windowphobe6 · July 2003

My '93 had rear drums; at the time, they were giving rear discs only to the V6 cars.

My '00 also has rear drums.

maxx4me · July 2003

hmmm, did I get disk all around because I got ABS??

p100 · July 2003

All V6 models have rear disc brakes, with the ABS or without it. My 99 ES V6 does not have ABS because Mazda was clever enough to delete ABS, traction control, and fog lights as standard equipment from the 99 ES V6 models. These three items were standard on the 98 ES V6 and optional on the 99 ES V6 for about $ 1500 extra.

mad626 · July 2003

My 1993 626 has running day lights,and park lights but no headlights or fog lights. When the switch is turned on, the park lights go on, the dash lights go on, but the headlights do not. If I flash/dip the high beams, they come on, but I must hold the indicator lever in that position, pushing it back to leave it on as I normally do, does not turn them on. I think that there must be a relay or something causing this to happen. Any ideas? Thanks.

p100 · July 2003

I had a problem just like you are describing with my 95 Nissan pickup. When I turned on the lights, only parking lights would come on. When I pushed the switch forward, the high beams would come on. I had no low beams at all. The problem was the light switch assembly. It is a combination light switch and turn signal switch. In case of my Nissan it cost me about $ 70 for the part. I diagnosed the problem and fixed it myself.

Chances are you have a problem with the switch. Inside the switch are plastic slides with metal contacts and if one of those breaks, you will have a problem. The switch on your Mazda is very similar to the Nissan light switch. In my Nissan it was easy to remove and install. It took about 1/2 hour.

kidd3 · July 2003

I have a 1995 Mazda 626 thats not starting up anymore. I can't get it to even turn over, A few days prior this to this problem I check my fuses for some reason,I jingled my fuses around and the car started up, no problem. It was like that for about 3 days and now it won't do anything. The battery wires are a little corroded were they connect to the battery. Does anybody no, what else it could be besides the wires before I work on it and end up spending more money than I need to.

carbuyer4646 · July 2003

Thanks for all your recent suggestions regarding transmission fluid change. However I just found out that the transmission on this 94 mazda 626 V6 with 88k miles was actaully flushed before, around the 60k mark.

Does does impact your recommendation on getting it flushed now versus draining/sucking it out and refilling (i.e. is it safe to flush fluid that has been flushed before and is not as old as I had thought it was)?

Thanks again for all your input.

mad626 · July 2003

P100,
Thanks for your advice on the headlight problem. The light switch roll type of dial, must be the problem. The problem that you had is dead on with what I am experiencing. I will try changing it out. Thanks again!

windowphobe6 · July 2003

(I'd hate to have to say that fast three times.)

Actually, flushing is probably safer now, since it's less likely that the seals and such have deteriorated from exposure to used-up fluid.

Still, since the GF4A-EL has a real filter of sorts, I think it's probably worth dropping the pan in the traditional manner, just to see what sort of gunk has accumulated in there.

carbonni · July 2003

I noticed a few days ago that the battery installed in my '96 626 4-cyl. auto is rated CCA 500. By checking several internet sources it seems that the right CCA should be 580. I don't have problems starting the car, but I wonder if the low CCA might have possible effects on the electric system. Should I change it asap?

p100 · July 2003

The cold cranking amps (CCA) rating of 500 means that your battery can deliver 500 Amps of current for 30 seconds at 0 deg F and still maintain a terminal voltage of 7.2Volts(1.2 Vots per each cell).

I do not know the starter motor power output for the 96 model, but the starter for the 99 4 cyl 626 is rated at 1000 Watts, or 1 kW. The current drawn by the starter at 12 Volts is then 83.3 amps. Because your starter is a DC motor, and DC motors require up to 300 % of the running current to start, instantaneous current draw can be as high as 250 amps. This draws occurs for a very short time and then the starter current draw will drop back to 83 amps.
Keep in mind that when you crank your engine, all other accessories are switched off automatically, so your starter current draw is the only load on the battery for the duration of cranking. No other accessory on the car will draw as much current as your starter motor.

So in conclusion, your 500 CCA battery has more than twice the required capacity to start your car under the worst conditions.

carbonni · July 2003

Thanks, p100, for the detailed info!

tjexas · July 2003

I have a '01 626 V6 ES and have had numerous problems. I've been thru 5 CD/radios b/c the Bose system would eat my CD's and not reject them. It would also disable the tuner. No tunes for a salesman driving 2k miles per month. Not to mention Mazda wouldn't order the radio for me until they verified the problem first hand. Hello, I think I can determine that the radio just ate my CD and will not give it back. Then there is the loud clicking every other time I shut my sunroof or the flooded floorboards after a pretty good down pour in Daytona Bch, FL. or even the slow radiator leek that they say is undetectable. How 'bout looking at my anti-freeze receipts from Chevron. Someone please steal my Mazda so I can go back to an Accord. I had a '93 then a '97 put 180K miles between the two of them without one problem big or small.

maxx4me · July 2003

tjexas: meet you by the cliff at 10pm tonight. We'll "race" our cars to the bottom; P100, wanna join us???...he, he, he..................(8 ^ (l)

p100 · July 2003

Sounds tempting......except it's hard to find any cliffs here in Florida. Maybe drive them off a bridge?

Some suggestions for tjexas:

Sounds like your sunroof relay may be sticking and chattering intermittently

I had a slow coolant leak too and it turned out to be a leaking coolant overflow bottle along the bottom seam. The leak was very slow, and in my case hot coolant leaked into the A/C compressor clutch harness connector, and caused intermittent A/C problems, which nobody could find for months. My local Mazda dealer told me that there is nothing they can do until the A/C quits for good. I described the problem as electrical in origin, yet they never ran a resistance check on the clutch wires to see if they are OK. Anyway, finally the coolant leak got worse and the A/C quit. Replacing the overflow bottle took care of the problem for good. Mazda never recalled these overflow bottles although there are known problems with them.

Bose radio: never experienced any problem with mine - they should replace yours under warranty

Water leaks: there could be number of entry points. I would make sure that the sunroof drain tubes are clean (blow them through with compressed air).

Hesitation problems: you may not have any yet, but before you experience them, sugest you use Techron in your fuel system regularly (about once every ten tankfulls) and replace your spark plugs and plug wires at 60K. These V6 engines are extremely sensitve to carbon buildup and Techron helps prevent it. Walmart sells Techron for about $6 a bottle. Use one botle with about 12 gallons of gas. I was skeptical at first about using the stuff, but it really works

p100 · July 2003

I am curious what kind of gas mileage are you getting out of your ES V6. I assume that yours is an automatic. Mine is a 5 speed manual and I cannot get better than 23 MPG in combined driving with A/C on. I use mid-grade fuel, because premium does not do anything or this car in terms of performance or mileage. I believe it just generates more carbon, which helps degrade performance.

Speaking of Honda Accords, I must mention the following: my local Honda dealer had a 99 Accord LX (4 cyl) with about 60K miles and they were asking $ 14K for it (cloth seats and no sunroof). I was recently offered $ 4500 on trade (different dealer) for my 99 Mazda ES V6 with 68K miles and $ 23K MSRP. That's a whopping 19.6% of the original MSRP after four years for a Japanese car in mint condition (not a single ding or scratch and no accident history), leather seats, power sunroof, alloy wheels and Bose CD/cass stereo. I would expect better resale value on a Yugo. Resale value on this car is a real joke, except not very funny one for the owner. And the joker who "appraised" my car told me that he did not even need to drive it because it was in such great shape. I wonder what an average looking one would bring? Maybe $ 2000?

irishalchemist · July 2003

I recently posted on the Protege forum regarding pinging. Well, the Protege is 'fixed', but this weekend I noticed that the 626, mainly driven by my wife, is pinging pretty bad. It is fine while it warms up, but after it reached operating temp (i.e., the fan comes on and off), I had to struggle to make it go up hills withouth marbles knocking around the engine bay.

For more info, this is an 95 ATX with an L4, 88K miles, and I'm using 89 gas. Last year I did an almost complete tune up (everything but distributor cap/rotor), and it's oil was changed 800 miles ago. It's done less than 10K miles since the tune up. Oil is fine, and everything else is as well (no problem on the freeway). Only problem is the pinging. Could this be carbon knock? Should I check base timing? should I check the (presumably good) plugs?

TIA,

G.

tjexas · July 2003

P100
Thanks for information and the heads up with my future problems. I get around 27mpg/HWY and 23mpg/city and I always have the AC on. They did replace my radios under the warranty. That's interesting information on the trade in value of the 626. This website, I believe, values the trade in around 9K for one in good condition.

p100 · July 2003

There are several causes for engine pinging:

1. Heavy carbon buildup on tops of pistons and valves. Carbon will glow red hot when engine reaches operating temperature and cause pre-ignition

2. Base timing that is advanced too far. Check your base ignition timing and make sure it is within spec

3. A non-functioning EGR valve. This is a common problem. EGR diaphragms tend to go bad with age and heat exposure. The valve then stay permanentoy closed. Or the valve actuation solenoid could be malfunctioning. The valve is easy to check with a vacuum pump.

Switching to high octane gas will alleviate the problem until you find the cause and eliminate it.

To find out if you have a heavy carbon buildup on your pistons, suggest you do a compression check on your engine. If the readings are abnormally high (e.g. 180 psi) in each cylinder, you definitely have a lot of carbon in your cylinders. Normal compression readings for your car should be in the 140-150 psi range. When you do a compression check, make sure you unplug the distributor ignition wire from the distributor (still attached to the coil) and ground it to your engine block.

maxx4me · July 2003

1. Well, I'm still dripping power steering fluid pretty steadily now. My mechanic told me to add brake fluid to help the rubber seals to swell so I'm trying that. I can get a 626 rack for $75 from a junkyard. I have not called to find out if that includes the tie rods. I'll just keep adding fluid for now. Hopefully I can get this thing to last 6 more months.
2. Also, it was funny how my check engine light started turning on only 1000 miles after the Mazda warranty ran out on the catalytic converter. Mazda probably programmed all of them to do that. Now some 11,000 miles later at 91k, my light stays on all the time. I wonder when I'm going to turn the key and it won't start any more because the converter is too clogged. That will be the day that the donation tow truck takes it away.
3. Does anyone know if it is hard to rip off the heat shield where the exhaust pipe makes a bend to go up into the engine?? I have a tiny leak there, and would want to yank that off and wrap aluminum tape around it just to patch it together until the tow truck of death comes.

xhan · July 2003

Since yesterday, my 94 Mazda 626 LX suddently had a wierd sharp noise when the car is just igniting.
It sounds like the engine is suddently sucking air or coolant, or some belt is slipping. It only last one second, and this only happens when the engine is cold. After the car is warmed up, and restart, the noise won't appear.
PCV volve? Air leak?
Any suggestion is welcome!
Thanks in advance!

guess_what · July 2003

97 626 tranny problems. Lurches, shifts irregularly and just plain old doesn't seem right. Read many posts on this problem. I can't really afford to drop $2500 on a new tranny at this point....is there something I can do to prolong or prevent total loss of this thing? Wife drives it VERY gently, I change the tranny fluid every 20,000 miles since I bought it. Will synthetic fluid or Transmedic sort of stuff do anything for me or will every tranny of this make/year eventually fail?

p100 · July 2003

Well, let me put it this way. Your transmission is designed and built by the same company that designed and built a Ford Pinto. Your transmission came, I believe, from Ford Tempo, which is one step above the Pinto in quality.

maxx4me · July 2003

guess what: I offer this option: don't put the money into the car if you cannot afford it, and especially one which has a lousy track record. If you have any available cash on hand, go buy a great used Japanese vehicle (accord, camry). There are tons on the market, and in all different price ranges. I think throwing money into a 626 is like throwing your wallet into the street. Neither option provides a good "return" for you money.

p100 · July 2003

One option perhaps is to find somebody who can correctly diagnose your transmission problem and perhaps rebuild it for far less than $ 2500. Why does it cost so much to rebuilt this small transmission? It only costs $ 2000 to rebuild an auto transmission on my 83 Mercedes 300 SD. And this is a lot bigger and better auto transmssion, believe me.

Several years ago I had an auto transmission rebuilt in my 83 Pontiac Boneville. It cost only $ 530, including a rebuilt torque converter. And this transmission was shot, it had no second gear left at all. The work was done a smaller transmission shop with low overhead. Usually these are places that can do the work chaper. I would shop around and see who can come up with a reasonable diagnosis and fix at an acceptable price.

guess_what · July 2003

I had a 88 Ford Tempo that was a mechanical wonder. Granted it was a manual transmission, but the thing was bulletproof for me for 11 years and 198,000 miles. Got rid of it for the Mazda cuz the wife couldn't drive a stick. The only mechanized things I replaced on that car in all those miles/years was an alternator and a fuel pump. That car must have been made on a day after a bonus check or something cuz nothing ever went wrong. So, some Fords do run well guys.
Anyways, I will look into having someone rebuild my tranny, but after reading all the horror stories about how after all these folks rebuilt or replace their trannys and have to get them worked on constantly afterwards, I am a lil worried. It's sorta like my fear of chiropractors, once you start you gotta keep going......I am leaning towards trading it in anyways on a SUV i.e. a 4-runner or Exploder since baby #2 is due next month. Might have to keep this thing 4 months yet to pay the loan down to at least it's trade value...hope the force is with me to hold that tranny together long enough.

mcdawgg · July 2003

626's are generally good cars except if you get an automatic. But that's generally the case with a lot of cars - get a stick, and it will be a better car reliability wise. I can't understand why more people don't buy stick, seeing high number of $$$$ problems with automatics these days.

slickdog · July 2003

That won't fly with some of the people on this board who believe that every manufacturer should be capable of building cars like Honda and Toyota, who must be perfect because we never hear about their problems here (which by some warped form of logic must lead to the conclusion that they don't have any). Yeah, right. Go over to the Accord boards and see how perfect some of the '03 owners feel their cars are right now.

maxx4me · July 2003

that's why you should take the information given here for what it is worth: a small handful of knowlegeable people who have a monopoly on this forum (ie, the same people saying the same thing). I always ask people not to believe just me, but go find places where thousands of owners give ratings on their cars. Consumer Reports is one of them. Having researched those other sources, I can say with a straight face that the 626 is NOT a car I and thousands of others would call reliable, and the automatic transmission is NOT the only part that goes wrong with it. While the Honda and Toyota also have their problems (they are machines too), the great majority of people who own Hondas and Toyotas know that they are statistically a bullet proof car.
As for the Tempo owner, my neighbor had the same experience you did. While the Tempo was not very reliable, there are some who had little to no mechanical problems. I am mystified as to why you two (and others) had such good luck. One normally would chalk it up to good maintenance, but in the case of my 626, all my cars are pampered beyond your wildest dreams; yet this car had failed me at almost every turn of the corner. Last night it was my driver's side door lock cylinder breaking, forcing me to do some fancy repair work. And tonight??????.......stay tuned.

p100 · July 2003

Let me guess: your car started all by itself, put itself in drive and crashed into your neighbor's car.

maxx4me · July 2003

he, he, he....No, it was the other way around!!! I need to collect the insurance!!

p100 · August 2003

I have about 69K miles on the 99 V6 and I am surprised to see that the rear brake pads are wearing at a faster rate than the front ones. I have at least 50% left on the front ones, but only about 25% on the rear ones. All the brake pads are the original pads. Of course, the rear brakes provide only about 25% of the stopping power, so if the pads were the same size as the front ones, theoretically the rear pads should last much longer. I use the parking brake very seldom . It is possible the the manufacturer makes the rear pads thinner deliberately so they wear out quicker. Any similar experience out there?

Mazda 626 Troubles

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