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2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
I would just go back to 91 or 93 octane and see what happens. Premium is REQUIRED on the supercharged engines. However there is a TSB concerning Premium causing carbon deposits on the valves in the non-supercharged engine. According to that TSB all P models should now be run on Regular 87.
steevo2: yes the Check Engine Light should go out after 6 or 7 starts/stops. This seems to be the normal run of events after a "minor" problem has triggered the light. Minor in my case was a tumble when the engine started and perhaps a bit of extra unburned fuel entered the exhaust system. That seems to be enough to trigger the O2 sensor(s) and if the situation was temporary or a one-time event then the computer will reset itself eventually. In my recent case it took 6 or 7 starts over a period of 2 or 3 days to clear itself, (permanently I hope). I don't know for sure but I don't think 6 or 7 starts/stops over a period of several minutes will do the trick. I think the time element is part of the equation.
Other Mazda sites also mention a similar time element etc. If the light stays on or worse, if it continues to blink or flash then you have a more serious problem and you should have a dealer check it out. First stop would be to AutoZone or some other outlet that will read the code(s) for free. Take it from there whether you see your dealer. As far as resetting the light on your own, it is possible to do so by removing the negative battery cable from the battery for one minute and reconnecting. This will lead to all programmed features being lost such as radio station presets, the clock(s) and I assume the keyless remote program settings. Not a good way to do it. fairwood
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Great, sometimes a little knowledge pays off when addressing service departments. Also when buying.
I'd be interested in other's experience of issues with the car. At this rate I only have another 16 months before I expire my 50,000 warranty and would like to know what potential problems might arise. My car, like others, has wind noise from the door seal. It seems that this problem is prevelant and apparently there's no service bulliten relating to this other than on the '01 S. How do problems like this get recognized by Mazda and a TSB issued to correct the problem?
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S01898--APR 03--Body - Wind Noise Around Doors
http://alldata.com/TSB/33/02333664.html
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As for reliability of Millenia, it has been outstanding for all years. That does not mean it will never have a problem.
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Quote: "#2672 of 2675 check engine light by tomekk Oct 08, 2003 (9:35 pm)
Well, my MM S is in service today, got a loaner - Mazda 6. Fire it up - guess what... check engine light! 4K miles on that Mazda 6. Unbelievable."
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Maybe you should do as an independent mechanic once told me concerning Ck Engine Lights in general. He had black electrical tape over the one on his personal car, and suggested that cure for all of them. He was of course joking, but it shows how perturbed mechanics get with those lights constantly going on for no good reason.
I posted to the Maintenance thread "Check Engine Light" and found that about all that gets posted there is questions about those lights on various cars. There were very few posts to answer the questions about them.
His suggestion was to go to a slightly higher octane gasoline or have the computer reprogramed. I have no ping or knock even under hard acceleration, so I am going to put a couple of feelers out to see what online mechanics suggest.
http://www.davisnet.com/drive/products/carchip_products.asp
You plug it into your diagnostic port and it logs the info for each trip. Then you can download info to your computer for viewing. Kind of interesting...
For the seat cushion warmer you have to disconnect connector and check for continuity between terminals A and B with an ohmmeter.
FWATSON if I remember correctly you had the KL engine. The workshop manual says that it is a knock sensor 1 circuit malfunction. It says that "if the voltage at the PCM terminal 3S is below 1.25V or above 3.75V, the PCM determines that the knock sensor circuit has malfunction."
The possible causes are as follows:
1. Knock sensor malfunction.
2. Connector or terminal malfunction.
3. Open circuit between knock sensor terminal and PCM terminal 3S.
4. Short to ground circuit between knock sensor terminal and PCM terminal 3S.
5. Short to power circuit between knock sensor terminal and PCM terminal 3S.
6. PCM malfunction.
I hope this information helps you guys.
The instructions to pull off the seat back cover are as follows:
1. "Pull the edges of the seat back cover to disengage the clips from the seat back frame." There appears to be a total of 4 clips, 2 on each side.
2. "Pull up the seat back cover upward to disengage the clips from the seat back cover." There appears to be 3 clips at the top of the seat back cover.
Every little bit helps. Good luck if you try this.
Not only Mazda, but the manufacturers in general really need to get the "Check Engine" light under control. It is too vague a warning to be of much use to a consumer.
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Sorry you took it that way. I took your previous statement to mean that Mazda had a serious problem with that light as opposed to other manufacturers. I don't think that is true from what I have read on other forums and the Check Engine Light forum of Edmunds. It seems this is a problem all the way from Kia up through BMW and Mercedes, not especially to Mazda.
Anyway, my wife said the one in her Oldsmobile is back on, as well as the chime "bonging", and I will check it this evening. Any bets it isn't the brake fluid level again? I'll gladly make that 2 to 1 odds. Now that is a silly function for a Check ENGINE light, let alone the chime which won't even let you have the door open with the radio running even in the auxiliary switch position. Enough talk about the Oldsmobile, but just pointing out it isn't only a Mazda problem.
The dealer says i need to repalce the ECU, and the abs sensor. I am utterly tired of the Mazda dealerships. It seems that waht they do best is reaplce parts.
I checked the TSB list and there is a TSb for this problem.
Any help would be great.
It says for normal driving conditions for US cars:
2.5L (KL) engine to replace every 105,000 miles or 168,000 km.
For the 2.3L (KJ) engine replace every 60,000 miles or 96,000 km.
Now for Canada, Puerto Rico, and unique driving conditions in the US it states the same thing with one exception for the KL engine (2.5L). It says that "if the vehicle is operated in cold districts (below -18 degrees C {0 degrees F}), replace the timing belt at 96,000 km (60,000 miles)."
Since the timing belt item keeps coming up I thought I would put this out there.
Since a number of people are having this problem with the check engine light going on I was wondering about how many miles everybody has on their cars when this starts happening? It appears that it is not just a problem with the S but also the P model. Yes I know that it happens with all cars but I am just talking about the Mills here.
The woman I talked to on the phone said a loner car is not available unless my car is kept overnight. But I have a paper called "Mazda Driver's Assurance Plan" that came with the car stating:
"Take your car in for warranty work at a participating Mazda dealership, and you can get a loaner car at no charge. Just ask. You won't have to arrange your day around a repair schedule, ask friends for a ride or catch up on your magazine reading while you wait."
I decided to take that discussion up with them Friday when I can talk to the manager if necessary to determine if they consider themselves a "participating Mazda dealership". Trying to do it on the phone anymore is about impossible unless you are willing to sit and listen to their telephone advertising for a few hours. The blarb on that automatic telephone system says they have the best service anywhere, but I'm going to determine that for myself Friday.
They will certainly be taken off my list or people to deal with if they won't live up to their advertising.
Again, thanks for your information.
Fairwood, I looked in on the Mazda chat last night for about a minute, literally. It was about 20 minutes after it started and know one was talking. The few people that came in after me were asking what the discussion was about and know one knew.
The cycling period on my CE light has been shorter than yours. It has always lasted less than two days with probably about 5 startups. If all goes well Friday I should be rid of the annoyance, but it is something I could live with if I had to.
My main reason for this post is to let everyone know that you can see what the tilt steering wheel motor package looks like. Go to eBay, do a search on Mazda Millenia and go to item # 2439023613. As has been discussed here in recent past postings, this is overkill to the nth degree. A simple mechanical system with only a few moving parts would do a much better job and likely never fail in a hundred years. And cost the maker and the buyer a lot less money.
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With my 2.5 P unsupercharged engine, there has been no symptom of any kind except for that annoying CEL. I have intentionally gone full throttle acceleration numerous times when the engine light is on to see if there is any sign of a ping or knock, and there is none.
Your 2.3 S depends on conditions not seen in the 2.5, so I can't give you any help there. I am having mine repaired just to get rid of the light.
You can access it by just using the number you gave in the first search box when ebay opens. I just copy/pasted it. I have the auto-tilt turned off, but you can still manually adjust it by using the button on the left side of the steering column.
The car seems no different, which is good. I'll let you know if I get that light again.
And if you really want to appreciate your MM, drive a Hyundai Accent for about three hours. That was the loner car from Enterprise. Very noisy engine, transmission shifted well, and the car seemed solid. Getting back into my MM-P was a real pleasure after that.
Glad to hear that you did not have a problem getting a rental. Though to bad it was an Accent and not something a little closer to what you normally drive.
My light had gone off one stop short of the repair shop when I had to wait about 20 minutes for a freight train to get out of the way and shut down after waiting about 5 minutes. When I restarted the light didn't come back on. That is the way it has always acted.
I'll know within a week if it is fixed, because it had gotten that frequent. I am sure though that they would not change a part based on a rumor I had given them concerning a third party test ie AutoZone. They show the Sensor at $126, and there was at least 3 hours labor involved. Too much to spend on a whim I think.
The Accent was OK for temporary transportation as opposed to being stranded. But except for those looking for basic transportation for city commuting, I wouldn't recommend one unless you just are not sensitive at all to noise and vibration. I am very sensitive to those, and have never ridden in any car I couldn't find fault with some noise intrusion. Guess I need a majic carpet. Except for some tire noise on pebbly or coarse surfaces, My MM is very good in those departments. I don't know if there is a quieter alternative to the Michelin Energy MXV4's, but if I can find one I will use them when it is time for new tires. That is actually my biggest complaint about noise with all cars I have driven.
Back on topic. I ran two tanks of Techron enhanced 93 octane through my 97MM-S and CEL is still on. Today I will reset it by disconnecting the battery and see what happens. I'm really hoping that the O2 sensors are OK since I'm considering selling the car.
Good luck on the fix.
By the way you might want to keep an eye on your anti-freeze level because they have to drain the radiator to get to the knock sensor. This is just in case it starts sucking water out of your over flow container, even though you don't need to really worry about a freeze in FL.
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I wasn't aware they had drained the radiator, but I did look carefully under the hood while still at the dealer. It all looked to be in order, but thanks for the tip. I'll check the water level again to be sure it is up. I didn't see any charge for coolant on the repair ticket, but they may have saved the coolant they drained out. I also didn't look at it that critically because I didn't have to pay it.
fairwood, it can't be any worse than riding a motorcycle in Florida during Lovebug season. Yukkkkkkkkk!!!!!
I just went out and checked the car over thoroughly. They left it clean except for some smearing on the upper edge of the chrome grillwork. All fluids look fine and no mess under the hood. You couldn't tell they had worked on it if not for the smudges on the grill.