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Mazda MPV: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Of course, r134a refrigerant is not nearly as efficient in a/c as the old style freon of yester-year, so this might be part of the picture. Also, everything is still running off of one compressor and condensor under the bonnet, and there's possibly some inherent loss in the transport to the back of the bus (hee) due to distance. Hmmmmm
--Java
We have the opposite problem. It seems we can only regulate the fan speed in the rear, but not the temperature. It blows freezing cold air only.
I spoke on the phone with two area Mazda service managers and they think the front temperature control should regulate the air temp in the rear as well, but they really don't know for sure. While my wife and I are comfortable up front, the kids and grandfolks in back are freezing - even if they turn the fan to low setting - if they turn it off completely, then they get hot. It's really going to irritate me if you have to have the four seasons in order to regulate the rear air temperature. I hope there is a fix for this problem. On another note, has anyone noticed, while working the "magic" rear seat that there is a pocket with a long, thin, black piece of metal in it? What the heck is that for? I can't find it in the manual? Otherwise, we love our MPV. We purchased on 7/7/00 (it was manufactured in 5/00) and have driven 2500 miles already - a long trip from Pennsylvania to Maine accounted for most of the miles. It worked flawlessly the entire time. Yah, the engine is a bit underpowered, but we can live with it. Cheers.
The black metal bar is a support for the rear seat when it is in the "tailgating" position. It is intended to keep the rear seat from folding backwards while in use.
It's shown in the Owners Manual on page 2-26 and 2.27.
Ours does it too, just started in the summer, appears below tail pipe. The fluid is clear and odorless, so I'm assuming it is A/C condensation.
It is not uncommon for water to come out of the tail pipe as well as water is a byproduct of the chemical reaction in your catalytic converter. However, the puddle is too large to be from that source.
Cheers,
TB
I feel it's understandable to have typo on labels
and in manuals, but it's ridiculous that the tire was stamped wrong, which meant the flaw in the tire maufacturing. Something fishy here, it might be that Mazda found they put on worng tires but
does not want to replace them. Since the letter said, there is no need to replace the current tires for the recall, but if the tires are worn,
they have to be replaced with 94S rating. Isn't that weird. Some comments on this, anybody? Thanks.
OBTW, the P stands for P-metric series tires.
Cheers,
TB
Cheers,
I am just old enough to remember when you got an H78-14 (or some nonsense like that)
But I do believe that if the P is at the beginning it means passenger and if the tire begins with LT it is light truck.
Perhaps a visit to www.tirerack.com is in order?
Cheers,
TB
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/pmetric_euro.htm
Looks like you can say we are both right.
Cheers,
TB
Kind of coincidental but I also went to Tire Rack's website for the answer. (After I posted my response)
I had a 74 Ford Gran Torino with a bad idler arm - it was always going through front tires - and I remember having to replace them with size G or H tires - but they were bias-ply!
What recourse do I have? Any suggestions?
Cheers,
Finally, little to no vibration!!!!!! The bad tires are now in the back. I still get a little vibration, but no pulling.
Mind you, I've had the pulling and vibration problem for 6 months!!!!! Driving on vacation was like driving a totally different car. I couldn't believe how nice this van drove!!!!
I believe that the van was out of alignment from day one and the front tires quickly went out of balance and became cupped. We had the alignment fixed, but the damage was likely already done to the front tires.
I don't think I'm going to get the tires replaced by the dealer. They have been very non-responsive to me. I guess I'll have to eat the cost of replacing the tires early. Oh well.
As a side note, we took one of the middle seats out to give us more room and that really helped. The van swallowed quite a bit of luggage.
Additionally, I got about 19-20 mpg on the trip. Not bad, but for all highway driving, it's still less than Mazda advertises and is still a very disappointing number.
On the plus side, the van's engine and speed were a non issue during the trip. The only time I even noticed the engine struggling was from a dead stop. Otherwise, highway performance was fantastic.
As for the posts about the rear air, we found out during the course of our trip that the temperature control did not affect the rear air. Our personal experience was that we only needed the rear air on for about 1/2 hour before the kids complained that the van was too cold. Then we turned off the rear air and just used the front air and it kept the van very comfortable throughout for the remainder of the trip. I also found that with the fan running at the highest setting (number 4), the van didn't seem to cool very well. We found that the 2nd and 3rd settings worked best for the air conditioning. Setting number 1 did absolutely nothing. I swore that the air conditioning wasn't even on when the setting was at number 1.
Overall, we had a good trip with the van and it performed very well. And I can't even begin to tell everyone how much better this van drives when you aren't dealing with a vibrating steering wheel!!!!
Mazdz in Irvine, dealers etc. there were some discussions in the old Cruisers' club. You are right, the celing vents only blow cold air. With rear heating option, heated air comes from underneath the third row on the floor, not sure if the celing vents also blow warm air. Those who have rear heating, please comment.
There are two vents underneath the first row which
blow warm air, there are good for the second row, but may not be sufficient for the third row.
--java
Gary
I wonder what happened to the bumper recall? Is Mazda still making the parts, or are they dragging their feet? When I went to the dealer to get the engine computer reprogramming done, the service manager showed me the notification he got about the bumper recall from Mazda, which was going to take place in July.
I would recommend getting the inner tie rods replaced if you are getting that popping sound. Not sure if it is a saftey issue. But my take is, if it is making a sound it should not be making, it can not be good thing. Mazda USA knows about it and their engineers recommended to my dealer to replace the inner tie rods, and it fixed the problem. Heck, done the road this issue could turn into a recall??
I'd leave the clock broken too. That way I won't know that I'm always late. ;-)
Cheers!
--Java
Kudos to the Mazda Gallery service manager in Massachusetts for his diligence on this problem .
Also, does anybody know if the rear air means there is a separate compressor? I thought that was the case with our 97 Quest. I will be very disappointed if it is not the case with the MPV. Why did most of us pay the extra $500, if there is not a separate compressor?
Easy for dealer to check AC performance on next service visit with a thermometer, dealers have specs for cars that indicate normal at given external temps and humidities.
Their is only one compressor...especially if incremental cost is only $500 for rear air. I think that is an advantage actually; fewer moving parts to break and more efficient to have one larger unit and than two smaller units.
Thanks jessjim for Service Bulletin info, will check my van for bi-level function (rarely used by us)!
Anyone know where we can get *current* access to service bulletins? I think I remember a site somewhere with SBs that are running about two years behind, that might carry Mazda...but I want to check for possible issues before Warranty is out.
Take care.
May assist in determining the cause. mykids driver aren't I nice guy
Not sure this is a large scale problem but for all you MPVers be careful. Post if you have experienced a similar problem.
Take care.
I've also read a few posts on this site from those that didn't get the 4-seasons pkg and are sorry they didn't. It seems as if some buyers weren't fully aware of its functionality when making their purchase.
I towed quite a bit with my 1990 MPV. It was rated at 5,000#, and it only had about 150hp, but the frame was understandably more heavy duty on the earier model, and it weighed over 4,000 vs 3,600 for the new van. I had towed snowmachines, a power boat, jet skis, 21ft travel-trailer, and my race car (on a 20ft flatbed trailer), also building materials. No, not all at once.
I would think (IMHO) that if you had the 4-Seasons package, you'd be better off towing than a van not so equipped. The reason I say this is because the 4-Seasons package includes a larger radiator AND (best feature...) a transmission cooler. This helps keep your tranny from cooking under the added load. Would that be covered under the warranty? Figure your Dutchman trailer will weigh a full ton when you put water, propane, clothes, dishes, kids' bikes, the canoe, your mother-in-law, all in it for a trip. You might feel like your van tows your trailer almost the same that your Corolla does, given similar p-t-w ratios. But, you'll have LOTS more room!
Cheers!
--java (dispensing nonsense, and fighting crime!)
I believe Yokohama and Dunlop are entirely separate companies.
Ford is reportedly doing everything they can to replace the tires for those effected, but Firestone/Bridgestone does not have the inventory to cover it. See the article at http://www.cnn.com for more info.
--Java
Power locks automatically unlock the doors when the igition is turned off.
Any knowledge on this? I was asked this question by a fellow MPV owner with a twin van to mine (LX, Touring Package, etc). His does not automatically unlock, but someone he knows w/ a DX w/power option does. Hmmmm.
I have a Remote Starter on mine, so the van auto locks/unlocks depending on if the igition is on/off.
Someone knows the answer to this, right? THX!
--Javadoc
For what it's worth, I think this is a good thing.