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Mazda 626 Troubles

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Comments

  • faith48134faith48134 Member Posts: 1
    Ive been having really huge problems with my mazda. Yesterday as i was driving home my fans wouldn't work to keep my car engine cooled, so i pulled off to the side of the road and as i did, my battery died. When i got it home, we changed the alternator, since thats what people told me it was. Well, now after i have that fixed, i left my house was out for almost a half an hour and my battery dies again. Plus, my RPMs are jumping like its getting stuck in a higher gear or that my overdrive is stuck on. We can't figure out whats going on with it. Anyone know?
  • zillahzillah Member Posts: 7
    Does anyone have a recommendation on a timing belt kit brand? I've found Gates and Cloyes for around the same price. There are other kits by Gates labeled "kit" but they are only $100 which makes think something is missing from that set.

    Also, are the multi-rib drive belt and water pump always changed or just removed to get to the timing belt and then put back on?

    Thanks. :confuse:
  • putteringputtering Member Posts: 17
    You know, if you lived in Canada, you could just get it from an American by stealing it.
  • chris67089chris67089 Member Posts: 1
    Hello. I am in need of fuel injector seals for my wife's 2001 626 2.0 4-cyl.
    They look to be close to 2mmx11mm. I can't seem to order them anywhere as a fuel injector seal kit online. And I'm having trouble ordering a kit of o-rings (this is all I really need) from an online hardware store that might have the correct size and type.
    Can anyone point me in the right direction?
    Thanks.
    Chris B.
  • leighanne26leighanne26 Member Posts: 1
    I have put so much money into this car, and it just never seems to stop! Now I have a new problem hopefully someone can help me so I know what to fix. When my car comes to a complete stop it seems to be Idle rough/low then it just eventually stalls out. I have even had the car just die after it stalls out, and after playing with the fuse box and the batter connectors the car started again. Is this an electrical problem or intake problem? Any thoughts or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
    Sick and Tire Mazda Owner!
  • agitatedinabqagitatedinabq Member Posts: 1
    Hey been going thru the site here, nice, I need some help tho, shifter seems to lock in park and i have to shake itback and forth continually to shift into gear. Sometimes only a few times tho sometimes I literrally cant get for hours. I nocticed a few HUNDRED messages back that someone else had the same probs tho I couldnt find any responses to it. PLZ HELP..............and what in the world is the hold button suposed to do????

    Thanks all :confuse:
  • nik626nik626 Member Posts: 1
    See if the engine is a interference engine. If it is that would explain alot. If it is the the values are bent.

    What is an interference engine? An interference design is such that the timing is just right to allow the valves to open into the cylinder where they share space with the piston. The valves must be closed in order for the piston to peak; the piston must be below peak in order for the valves to open. Interference engines may offer higher compression for this ability to bring the piston right to the top of the head. Conversely, if the timing belt or timing ever goes on an interference engine while running, the valves will all be shot from being mangled by the pistons still in motion. Non-interference engines are less costly to repair in this event.
  • lisa31lisa31 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me where the crankshaft positioner sensor is located & if it is hard to replace? & if you think that is my problem??

    When the car is moving, the car seems fine; when I come to a complete stop or a short stop & try to take off again, the idle drops & the engine jumps. I chnaged the coil sensor and it didn't help, so I am thinking the camshaft positioner sensor? Or any other suggestions??

    :confuse:
  • my_old_mazdamy_old_mazda Member Posts: 1
    Hi - new here and looking for any info I can get on this problem. I have a 1995 626 LX V6 - 5 speed. When the weather is cold (under about 60F) the car starts right up. If it's warm out, or raining, the car won't start at all. I've been reading some of the posts and am wondering if it's a problem with the fuel regulator or maybe the fuel injector? I'd like to have some sort of idea what's wrong before I bring it in to my mechanic - I have a little issue with trust... Thanks in advance for your help!
  • tahbasbtahbasb Member Posts: 3
    I am looking very seriously at buying a used 1998 mazda 626 for between $4,500-5,000 with 90,000-110,000 on it. I pretty much gathered from reading the posts here that I should avoid the auto transmission (I prefer manual anyway). I have already narrowed the scope to 2 manual trans cars but looking at this site gives me 2nd thoughts. The 626 really seems to be a car with never ending problems. Everyone is complaining about one thing or the other and noone seems to stand by it. Honestly, is the 626 manual trans really as bad as it sounds here?
    Opinions will be greatly appreciated
  • skibry1skibry1 Member Posts: 174
    We have never been stranded in our 4cyl 5spd and really
    enjoy the economy. Simple prevent maintenance and would
    buy again.
  • tahbasbtahbasb Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the input. From all of who are 626 owners, would you say its wise to get one with about 100,000 miles on it already. I live in the DC area and I assume about 9,000 miles done a year
  • gyatesgyates Member Posts: 55
    Just my 2 cents worth. I bought my daughter a 99 ES V6 with just over 100k in August of this year. It has the auto trans as well. So far, no problems. She has about 103k on it now. Only 2 minor issues had to fixed after I bought it. Issue one was the Check engine light popped on, and all it needed was the EGR passages cleaned out. Second issue was a fluid leak, which turned out to be a bad gasket at the transmission. Had service performed on transmission, including new gasket, and problem is resolved. So far, we are pleased with the car.
  • jaybird22jaybird22 Member Posts: 1
    Ive got a buddy with a 626 with a 2.0L with an auto trans in it. He has had a lot of problems out of the car, the trans went out earlier this year, last month the timing belt broke on it. He had some troubles with it today, he is no mechanic, he hauled it to our shop and the engine is locked up in it. His wife said the oil pressure light flickered on and off a couple times and then it quit. I was wondering if there are any other vehicles that we could swap out an engine with? Would a Ford Contour engine bolt up in this car? Any others that anybody knows about? :mad:
  • guestguest Member Posts: 770
    I'm still looking for info about an automatic transmission in a 1990 626 that was working fine one day, then the car would not move when cranked later that day. No warning signs of trouble. could this be some type of transmission switch or electrical switch?
  • tahbasbtahbasb Member Posts: 3
    Seems to me that the car just has so many issues. Ofcourse the biggest is the auto tran (I would get manual anyway)but there seems to be so many others too. I am seriously having 2nd thoughts now
  • vashtievashtie Member Posts: 10
    I have recently encountered a problem with my dash lights coming on and off. When I have the lights on bright or turn signal (left) on, the dash lights come on but with normal light position will not come on. I understand it is probably a short or bad connection that is causing the problem. Any information about how to fix this or how difficult a job that would be to repair would be very much appreciated.

    Proud owner of a 95 manual 626 with 140K miles that gets about 32 miles to the gallon. Great little car but I'm not very handy mechanically.

    Thank you.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Your light switch is most likely going bad. This is the switch built into the turn signal lever. It has sliding contacts inside which will wear out in time.
  • mrjardenmrjarden Member Posts: 1
    Hello.I'm new here and need a little advice.Thanks in advance for any help.
    I was driving my Mazda 99 626 (98,000 miles)on Sun and it started sputtering and then died out.I had the car towed home and it will try and start,but will sputter and die out without turning over.I changed the battery,plugs,wires,coil pack about 6 months ago and the PCV Valve.
  • 87wing87wing Member Posts: 1
    Ha! I'm trying to decide if I should buy my
    neighbor,195K 5-sp 626 LX well cared for mazda but, burns 1QT.- 500 miles or so. 90% Hi way driven.
    I was thinking intake valve seals like a
    GM car.
    Please explain this old school device,and
    is it available to fit this mazda? :cry:
    Do's it, if installed stop the oil burning?

    Needing your adivce.....87WING
  • caseysdubs1caseysdubs1 Member Posts: 11
    Hi all,
    I have a 2002 626 V6 and when it's cold outside it is very slow to start. When it's warm or warmed up, it starts fine. It also starts fine when wet. I had a remote starter installed but it's useless because the car takes too long to start when it's cold.
    What could the problem be?
    Thanks a ton,
    Casey
  • limboandlisalimboandlisa Member Posts: 6
    Hi, our 626 pulls harshley to the right when accelerating and pull harshley to the left as soon as you let off the gas. The front end components are tight, just had a control arm bushing replaced which was very badly worn
  • vashtievashtie Member Posts: 10
    Thank you. Does this repair require removing the sterring wheel? Also, any suggestions about where to obtain a switch for the 1995 Mazda 626, manual transmission, V6?
  • mackeybloommackeybloom Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 626 4-cyl & Auto. Upon heavy acceleration (such as start into highway traffic or go up steep hill) I experience what can best be described as a Grinding Noise and sensation coming from the front end. :sick: This was after the local shop replaced all motor and tranny mounts as well as transmission dynamic damper. Also replaced was right transaxle (bad) and right bearing (also bad). Upon first 'repair' it was noted that left Motor Mount was improperly aligned, since "corrected." Repair shop ending up taking car to Mazda dealer at their expense - mechanic suggested checking Motor Mounts as well as control rods and bushings (OK). Mechanic noted that front Motor Mount goes to full mechanical limit upon accel -- could a new motor mount be bad? :lemon: Any suggestions greatly and desperately appreciated.
  • caseysdubs1caseysdubs1 Member Posts: 11
    Anyone???
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Try asking here as well: "No Start" Problems. That's a generic discussion, not model specific, but you may find some help there. Let us know what happens.
  • dreamer24dreamer24 Member Posts: 1
    I recently took my car for an oil change... while he had it up, I asked him to look at my control arms to see what was making so much noise when I turned. He said I need to replace the ball joints. I then took the car to get another opinion. This guys says to me that I need ball joints but i have to replace the entire control arm because of something to do with it being all the same part. I don't believe him... because I found a site that sells just ball joints for a 1995 Mazda 626. Does anyone know the truth about ball joints?!?! Please help and much thanks to those that do. :confuse:
  • vantagemotorsvantagemotors Member Posts: 14
    You can buy the ball joint seperatly from the control arm, however I would not recommend it. The ball joints are not designed to be pressed out of the control arm and when you try to press in an aftermarket ball joint it is often a loose fit. I have seen people spot weld the aftermarket ball joints in place to keep them from pulling out, which is not safe. So the control arm is costly but it is the only safe way to repair your car.
  • vantagemotorsvantagemotors Member Posts: 14
    It is possible for a new mount to be bad, but highly unlikely, especially if was a Mazda part. When you replace all the mounts or have the trans or engine out you should "neutralize" the engine and trans. This is done by loosening all the mounts and letting the engine and trans settle into a position where the is no more stress on one mount than any other. When you tighten each mount completely at a time it may have too much stress on it. This is one possibility, another that comes to mind is the axle you had replaced. I have seen aftermarket rebuilt axles give vibrations on acceleration. It is usually because of improper machining on the inner cv joint. The only way to know for sure is to try another axle. Hope this helps.
  • vantagemotorsvantagemotors Member Posts: 14
    If this condition started after the control arm bushing was replaced I would go back to the repair shop immediatly. It is a good chance something is misaligned or out of position with the control arm, or worse something is loose.
  • limboandlisalimboandlisa Member Posts: 6
    Hi, the pulling was there when we got the car a couple of weeks ago. We also replaced a rear sway bar 'bushing', looks like a dbl tie rod end, four new tires and 3 times on the alignment machine, of course things are somewhat better than before but we still have a ? not really pulling, but a drift, it will go one way without doing anything to the steering wheel, possibly a couple of feet to one side of the road and later a couple of feet in the other direction, its almost like you are sliding on ice. The strut rod bearing are worn and pop when making tight turns but I don't think that is the problem from what I have so far read. I suspect the rack-and-pinion but it is too costly to just replace without knowing for sure if that is the problem. 2 garages have looked at it and havn't seen anything like it and have no idea what is causing it.
    thanks to all in advance, Limbo and Lisa
  • vantagemotorsvantagemotors Member Posts: 14
    If it has been checked on the alignment machine three times I would like to think they would have spotted any bent suspension pieces. In the rear suspension there are two arms on either side that come out from the center of the car to the rear spindle. It is common for these to get bent from running over something or someone hooking onto them to tow the vehicle. The alignment shop should have seen if these were bent & it would show up as the rear toe in being off badly. It would also show in abnormal tire wear ( edges wearing badly ). You mentioned strut rod bearings, I think you are refering the front upper strut bearings. If they are noisy that means they are worn and can cause some handling problems. When worn badly enough they can cause "memory steer" which means the steering wheel will not return back to center after a turn and keep the car going slightly in the same direction until you turn the other way then the same thing will happen in the opposite direction. This could also be what you are describing. As a start I would recommend you replace the bearings since you know they are worn anyway. Good luck.
  • limboandlisalimboandlisa Member Posts: 6
    Hi, thanks for the reply, it may be a good idea to replace those bearings, the odd steering actually happens though when everything is fine, going in a straight line and suddenly shifts in one direction or another, it can happen in curves as well but mostly when heading straight. We really can't afford to blindly replace parts and she is now thinking of just selling it to try and get part of our investment back. Weve only had it about 2 weeks and paid $650 for it plus about $700 in tires parts and labour so far.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I just hit the 160k mile mark the other day in my '99 ES V6. Looks like I will need to replace the struts, front strut upper mount bearings, and several otther things. The car is holding up well. The engine has not lost any of its power, runs and idles very smoothly. And the transmission (5 speed manual) performs fine, no whining or any other strange noises. Nice original paint and no rust yet.
    I am forced to keep driving this car because the resale value is terrible, and with the current mileage the car is more-less worth next to nothing, despite its nice appearance and good driveability.
  • skibry1skibry1 Member Posts: 174
    We have a Left-Leg-Flexor also and are looking forward...
    some-day...to becoming a member of that special club also.
    p100,you've put all that mileage on yourself have'nt you?
    THINK SNOW
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Yes, I am the original owner. Between the '92 Protege LX and this one, I'have driven these two cars almost 300k miles. Both have excellent engines and reliable 5 speed manual transmissions.
  • yvonyvon Member Posts: 5
    the battery ran out a few times, due to leave the indoor lights on. yesterday morning, the car would not start and the lights on dashboard were not so bright, due to the weak battery. Recharge the battery for one hour and tried to start engine a few times, but no luck. so yesterday I decided to get a new battery and have it installed. then tried to start the engine, it crunked with one "pong" sound, then stop. it can not run. I called a mechanic and i was told, the engine was flooded, due to keep starting the engine. The cylinders have too much gas in. the fuse to gas pump should be disconnected and try to start and empty the gas within the cylinders.
    or push the gas pedal to the bottom and try to start the engine. I did it and the engine started to run at the second start.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    You cannot recharge a completely discharged automotive battery in one hour. At a typical 10 amps charging rate, it takes about 6-8 hours. At 2 amps it will take at least 24 hours. Many battery chargers have a 40-50 amp start mode, which can be used to boost a discharged battery for starting only. Do not charge the battery at this rate though.
  • 626crew626crew Member Posts: 1
    Ok, Now im kinda new to imports, and very new to mazda's. I have had small ars before. This is a mazda 626 Lx With a Auto Trans. Now, when i just start it up, only one fan works, and the other one turns on for about a second then turns off. And about 3 seconds later it comes back on, then turns off. Also, when just letting it idle in drive, it has a very rough raddle. Now, i could take it to a dealership and get it looked at, or maybe someone here has some idea's. It has almost 90k miles. any more info ya need lemme know... Also, i have taken a few pics and have been tryin to get some great idea's... I have pimped a car or two in my time, and is pulling blanks on this car.
  • limboandlisalimboandlisa Member Posts: 6
    Hi, just a follow up to any interested parties, I got tired of the garages not knowing what was wrong so I decided to actually look for myself, it had another bad control arm bushing, a bad ball joint and the strut bearings were put in beneath the bearing plates so they werent doing anything at all. These have been remedied now but I think one of the front sway bar links is causing trouble as it dips badly when turning right but stays level when turning left, there is alot of popping noises coming from that area when turning tight and on uneven roads. Thanks for all the comments, too bad I didn't just jack it up and look at it sooner, it actually drives great now except for the wallowing in those right hand turns.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    These cars have two electric fans. One is a radiator cooling fan, the other is an A/C condenser cooling fan. When you turn your A/C on, both of the fans come on and remain on as long as the A/C compressor clutch stays engaged. When the A/C compressor cycles, the consenser cooling fan will cycle too. When the A/C is not on, only the radiator cooling fan will come on, but only when the coolant sensor detects high enough coolant temperature.

    Each fan has its own relay mounted in the engine compartment, just in front of the relay box. You can test each fan motor individually by simply unplugging the fan motor leads and connecting them with alligator clipped leads to a 12 volt battery terminals. If the fan motor starts and runs, the fan is good. If it is good and the fan does not come on with A/C on, it is usually a faulty fan relay.
    Note: these electric fan motors are expensive. I had to replace one fan motor on my car and the lowest price I found on the OEM part was $ 140 for the part alone. I tried aftermarket suppliers, but the motors are different sizes and they could not match it. Relays are relatively cheap: about $20 a piece from your Mazda dealer.

    As for the rough idle, when were the ignition leads changed last? Injectors cleaned?
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Of the three alignment settings (toe, camber, caster), it is only caster set improperly which will cause the vehicle to pull to one side. The caster settings on the left and right wheels are not the same to compensate for the road crown. Caster is the angle the wheel axis makes with the vertical toward the front or rear of the vehicle along the long axis (one wheel is ahead of the other wheel when caster is set properly).

    Pulling, or more commonly drifting to one side can also be caused by a faulty front tire. I had this happen to my '99 626 shortly after I bought it. Replacing the front right tire cured the problem without doing anything to the caster settings.
  • fl_beautyfl_beauty Member Posts: 1
    I bought my car about 6 months ago.It worked fine untill about 5 days ago.It would cut out when I was doing any where from 40-60 mph then it would decelerate to about 20-30 mph...I even had to pull off the road. Or when I would stop at a stop light my car would die, so i would crank it up. even though it struggled to start back up on the second time it finally worked. So I was driving it to school yesterday ,and i t was fine until I went to pull in the parking spot.Then, it died.It struggled again to restart but it finally worked.Two hours later i went to crank my car and it would not crank at all.
    has anyone else had this problem???? If so can u please tell me what it might be..because I am so concerned
    thanks,
    amber
    :sick:
  • buck17buck17 Member Posts: 2
    I have a '97 626 ES and I recently took it into the mechanic to have the timing belt replaced. He replaced the belt and showed me where the spring had broken so he replaced that also. I had it back for 1 day and suddenly it dropped to 750 rpms, began sputtering, jerking and smoking. I stopped and when I got out I could see that the exhaust system was glowing red hot from the manifold to the rear wheels. Took it back to the mechanic who says the diagnostic says its the crank sensor. He then says crank sensor appears to be fine but a screen on the sensor has some bent and broken teeth :confuse: . He is telling me I must have run over something for the teeth to be bent and broken. I know I didn't run over anything after the timing belt was fixed yesterday...could these teeth have been bent before and suddenly became a problem or did the car skip time for some reason and damage these teeth? I don't want to pay him to fix this because he did a bad job with the timing belt.... :(
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    Get a new mechanic! I am almost certain that he is the one who damaged/broke the teeth on the crankshaft sensor pickup wheel. The pickup wheel is mounted ont he back of the harmonic balancer (damper). The damper assembly must be removed to change the timing belt. One needs to use a special harmonic balancer bolt on puller to remove it. If a regular gear puller is used, it will very likely damage the sensor wheel because it will grab the wheel and pull against it. The sensor wheel is a part of the harmonic balancer assembly. The crankshaft sensor by itself is just a magnet with a wire and not expensive the replace. But the harmonic balancer is, and it is most likely a dealer only item.

    So in summary, you did not run over anything to damage the sensor wheel teeth. That would be about impossible! Your "mechanic" is the most likely suspect here for the reasons I just mentioned. I cannot say with absolute certainlty if the pickup wheel is replaceable by itself, but I do not think so. Looks like you will need a new harmonic balancer assembly.

    Note: I replaced the timing belt on my Mazda before and the factory shop manual has a specific warning in it about using a proper harmonic balancer puller in order not to damage the crankshaft sensor wheel teeth.
  • randylarrandylar Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1990 Mazda 626 with a 2.2l 5 sp manual trans
    I found my way here looking for any answers to my problem I'll explain.
    My car shudders/stutters when a starting out and trying to maintain a constant speed. It "shudders" in all gears while maintaining a constant speed; say 30mph . It is more noticeable in a lower gear and RPM. It completely stops above 3,000 rpm in all gears. I had it checked and it's not the clutch or transmission .I was going to check the fuel filter but am looking for more ideas.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    When was the last time the plug wires were replaced? Plugs? who replaced the spark plugs? It is possible that the porcelain insulators on the plugs are cracked, causing a miss.
  • randylarrandylar Member Posts: 2
    A general tuneup fixed the issue. Plug wires were bad. I did learn something though. I hadn't known that some Ford Probe parts were interchangeable.I thank the forum for the info. Is there a way to get a list of parts that are the same?
  • skibry1skibry1 Member Posts: 174
    How many miles did you run that oem? Did you replace with like?
  • lexie4lexie4 Member Posts: 3
    i am having same prob now, if u find a solution please let me know ty kindly
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