Boring Daily Build

I believe P0455 may have been the code that would come and go and the last two times I had it inspected I remember whenever the CEL went off had to hurry and get it inspected before it came back on.
 
The PO of my parts car used a different vacuum solenoid to replace his VICS.

It worked but the connector was a different size so he had to use little jumper wires to connect it.

I forget what solenoid he used? Purge Control maybe?







I think you're fine with a cheap replacement. Especially when the OEM is 5-10 times more expensive.

Every part I've replaced on my car has been aftermarket.
 
I bought a gallon of pb blaster yesterday so I can start spraying everything down while I wait for some decent weather. Today I'm working on my Jeep in the dry garage.
 
Is the VICS located in the engine bay? I want to check and make sure this is the right part before I order it and I'm not sure where to check. A video said under the rear of the car...
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The one under the rear of the car is the canister drain cut valve CDCV
The VICS solenoid valve is located in the engine bay.



Compare the picture to what you have.

The PRC solenoid valve is right beside the VICS and VTCS solenoid valves.

The VICS and VTCS valves are the same but the PRC valve is slightly different in how it attaches to the bracket and the wire connector is slightly different.


A lot of suppliers of these valves have different names for them so it's best to compare the pictures.
 
You're best off removing the solenoid from your car to compare it to the picture they posted.

All the solenoid valves are almost identical.
 
I assume that's a quick job? It's currently 19 degrees F so I'm not removing anything right now but...
 
Yea, it should be a 5-minute job but the wire connector can be kinda stuck/seized as well as the vacuum tubes.

The cold makes it worse.

Don't just pull on the vacuum tubes. Grip the tube with pliers at the end where it is connected to the solenoid and gently twist it to break it free before you pull.

The electrical connector can be a pain too.
You have to hold the tab in while you pull.
Try not to pull on the wires.
Try to wobble it a bit to help crack it free.
 
I see three solenoid valves that all resemble the rockauto part. I know you said to remove it but what differences am I looking for?
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also how does the low beam headlight bulb come out? I want to order new brighter bulbs but some are just a bulb while others have a bulb with a connector/socket. I’m not sure which ones I need.
 
Yeah, those three all look the same to me...

The diagram for the VICS shows the connector standing straight up, but on your car, the connector is horizontal???


I think the Rockauto one is the correct one.

Plus, it's almost always the VICS valve that people have to replace, so that is probably the correct one.

 
The low beam bulbs are a huge PITA.

The spring-clip is tricky and hard to reach and the low beam bulbs are always burning out for a lot of people.
(although I've had great luck with mine??)

You might want to stick with the regular wattage to hopefully get a more reliable bulb.








Use some dielectric grease on the terminals and you'll get more bulb life.

You might need new adaptors for the bulbs.
They get all burnt and crispy.
Be careful not to throw them out with your old bulbs...

 
Thanks, I could feel the prongs just wasn't sure how to remove it. So I need the bulbs without the connector and then adapters? Now that I looked again I guess all the ones with connectors are high beam. These are the ones I wanted to get
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Oh I forgot to ask what the factory wattage is? I see 65 and 55 although the ones I want don't specify.
 
Sixty and fifty-five...

The bulbs you want might be more efficient but if you blow them every month, it gets expensive...

 
Yeah... I just remember barely seeing at night and would like to remedy that but maybe I'll just go with regular replacements.
 
I started the Mazda today and immediately it starts smoking from the front of the engine. I got videos of the smoke, I'll post the link to them. I started it the first time and there was smoke then the second time there was SMOKE and then the third there was only a light mist of smoke unless I revved it. The header seemed to be very hot considering the temp had barely passed the cold mark but I didn't think to check the temp with my IR gun. It looked like oil was leaking out of the gasket between the upper cat and header. Idk if the cat is clogged again causing the header to get so hot although it's only 4,000 miles old. Hopefully, all the oil on top of the piston is burned off so I can pull the plugs tomorrow and check for oil.
 

The order got messed up but hopefully you can tell by the smoke levels which one is 1st 2nd and 3rd start
 
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