Recent content by alawat82

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    Right rear axle(?) greasy

    That is your rear shock absorber. They are filled with oil and when they leak this much it means they're blown internally. Replace it as soon as you can, it is a safety issue. Shocks control the up and down bouncing of the car, without it your rear will bounce more than it should and...
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    2012 Mazda5 Questions

    Rotors have a minimum thickness stamped somewhere, you'd have to find the stamp and measure to be sure. I would just replace them, rear rotors are especially inexpensive. Have you checked your rear shock mounts for the rattle?
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    Relocate Drivers Seat

    I wouldn't mess with the seat location, it's a pretty big factor that they take into account when designing the safety system. Have you tried raising or lowering the seat into a better angle? I'm 6' with a bad back and find I can stretch out just barely enough to be comfortable. I also never...
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    anyone know how to remove roof molding (2012)?

    I couldn't find any M5 specific directions, just M3 websites that you say you have to pry up on them carefully and they will pop out of place. Have you pulled back the inner trim to take a look ? Leaking around the windshield is much more common, has your windshield been replaced recently?
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    2012 Mazda5 with Hard Shifting (4th -> 3rd)

    Does it still do the hard shift when you're in manu-matic mode and tell it go from 4th to 3rd? I think you're on the right track with some kind of buildup, that throttle body looked really bad. Have you also cleaned out your MAF sensor? Make sure all your motor mounts and transmission mount are...
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    FYI Rear Shock Mounts 2013 Mazda5

    Can you post a link to the steel versions ?
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    Coolant question

    OK cool. That stuff should work well then. Fill the reservoir, drive like you normally do then check it every day for like a week so you can top it off if needed.
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    Coolant question

    What color is the coolant you're running now? The Zerex Asian Vehicle stuff is good but you want to match the color of what you have already to be safe.
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    Mazda 5

    When did you last: Clean throttle body? Clean MAF Sensor? Replace air filter? Replace spark plugs? Replace transmission fluid? These are the first things I'd suspect for what you're describing.
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    Sway bar bushing and end links. Order of install?

    I would remove the old end links first , replace the old bushings and then install new links. Loading one end or not is going to depend on how far the new links need to reach, you'll probably need to force something into alignment no matter what.
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    2009 Mazda5 Leaking Oil Cooler

    New oil cooler and filter housing gasket install went well this weekend, no more leaks. After teardown i'm not totally sure it was the oil cooler that was leaking though, think it was actually the oil filter housing gasket. But after reading how common the oil cooler failure was, I'm still glad...
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    2009 Mazda5 Leaking Oil Cooler

    Yes the housing to engine gasket is included. Thanks for the heads up on catching all the fluid, trying to minimize the mess as much as possible.
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    2009 Mazda5 Leaking Oil Cooler

    I get the impression that the gasket is built into the cooler, and that they redesigned them so this doesn't happen again. Oil change is due and coolant is 2.5 years old so I don't mind changing them both out during the job. Still driving the van in the meantime, only lost about 1/2 a quart in...
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    2009 Mazda5 Leaking Oil Cooler

    Noticed some steadily increasing oil drips in the garage from my 2009 Mazda5 2.3. This car has 180K miles and the spin-on style filter if that makes any difference. A quick peek underneath shows lots of oil around what looks like where the oil filter adapter bolts to the block. All my...
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    Keep or sell?

    Confirmed, also in Indy and my control arms were toast at 150K. Suspension in general needed replacement all around at 150K, think it's just under-built for the weight of the Mazda5.
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