Search results

Didn't mazdausa try to remove the 6MT choice from certain trims once before? I'm sketchy on the details but a new model year came out with the 6MT offered on only one trim. They swiftly corrected their mistake the next model year by returning the 6MT choice on all trim levels for the "nobody...

I had a wake when I learned how badly mazdausa screwed the new mazda3. They seem determined to jack prices way up on styling alone. Load the cars up with expensive frippery that I don't want, drop the 6MT that I do want, delay the skyactiv x engines. I suppose the last doesn't matter because the...

There are many great oils out there than contain no moly. There are some chemical engineers that feel the moly-based additive packages are old and obsolete. Others still love the stuff. If you want to be anal about your oil, it's best to do oil analysis every oil change and experiment. You may...

+1. Thanks for the interesting article.

A slightly low oil level shouldn't affect oil pressure.

Great article! Very detailed with lots of pics. Thanks for posting.

I don't feel 6.1" is adequate for snowy winters. It's fine for dry, paved roads.

I don't understand how this could happen from the failure of the SCBS--a system that's only designed to work up to 18mph.

The Smart City brake would have saved the day. You don't have to worry about snow and ice because Smart City brake will always stop you no matter what.

The volumetric thermal coefficient of gasoline is .000950 /degC., so for 10C (50degF for underground tank) to 32C (90degF car parked on hot pavement) the volumetric expansion would be 2.1%. That's .3 gallon expansion for a 15 gallon tank.

Lovely pics. Thanks. I especially like the red Knight Sports CX-5.

Possibly. Gasoline can easily expand 2% if pumped from cool underground tanks to your warm tank. It's best to leave room for the expansion.

If you live in CA or buy Top Tier gasoline, I don't think you need it. California has higher standards of gasoline detergency than other States. Top Tier gasolines also have higher standards of detergency than EPA requirements. I have 155,000 miles on my 2002 Acura RSX and it smogs like new...

I won't speculate on what might cause an increase in your mpg, but if the oil viscosity is/was too thin you'd have increased friction wear. You can't have increased friction wear without increased friction; thus lowering your mpg. If you think you have fuel dilution and that it might be causing...

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), used in grease, isn't the same moly used in motor oil. MoS2 isn't suitable for motor oil. Molybdenum dialkyldithiocarbamate (MoDTC) is used in motor oil and it's soluble and usually invisible in oil.

Manufacturers that include temperature "gauges" often cheat the gauges. First, there are no temperature markings on the gauge. Next, car designers know that drivers want a car engine that warms up quickly, so they make the gauge extremely non-linear. The needle pops up to the middle of the gauge...

^this^ Sea going steel ships rely on galvanic zinc coating for rust protection.

Remove the pads. Clean the pads front and back with brake cleaner being careful not to get any brake grease on the pad surfaces. Clean the rotors with brake cleaner too. Apply fresh brake grease to the rear of the pads and pad carriers. Basically, any place the carrier touches the pad, and any...

I bought a new Mazda once and the steering wheel pointed off-center on the test drive. It didn't pull or have any wheel alignment problems. I bought the car but told the salesman I wanted them to fix the off-center steering wheel. I suggested they pull the steering column out of the splined...

You don't have to guess about whether Mazda's ATF maintenance schedule is sound or whether the fluid is OK. Take a sample of the fluid and send it in for analysis. The TAN (total acid number) is a good indication of when the fluid is done. It's best to get a sample when the fluid is new also for...