Leaky head gasket - 36,000 km

F

Fleeecy

Member
:
2014 CX-5 GT AWD
During a regular maintenance visit, my dealer found traces of coolant leaking from my '14 CX-5 2.5 GT's head gasket.

I'm scheduled to drop off my car for a 24h service that will involve disassembly of the engine to fix this.

I'm no mechanic, but this doesn't sound too good for a car with barely 36,000 km on the odo and 22 months of ownership. Am I crazy?

Here's my list of issues with the CX-5 so far...

- USB and BT Audio issues (partially fixed with the recent TSB)
- Vibrating hood and mirrors (hood improved but never 100% fixed)
- Rust bubbles found on hatch last summer, paint defect: repainted under warranty
- Driver's seat rocking back and forth, seat rails replaced under warranty
- Premature wear on the driver's seat leather; replaced the leather under warranty (installation was very difficult for the dealer, took 5 visits to get it right - don't get me started on this)
- Broken parts in the driver's seat that would let the headrest wobble. Parts replaced under warranty.
- Noisy driver's seat motor. Replaced under warranty. Why they have not just replaced the whole seat is beyond me.
- Noisy door locks, replaced a year ago but problem is starting to reappear...

...and now this. It's the first real mechanical issue with my car, but I'm starting to feel like this car will be expensive to keep on the road past the warranty period. (boom03)
 
This is the first case that I've seen of a serious engine problem with the skyactiv cars. Most of us here (and thousands of others not on the forum) aren't experiencing any engine problems. There are many 2012-13 skyactiv Mazda 3's with 100,000 miles plus on them.
Check out this thread for some confidence: http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/...o-s-got-most-miles-their-skyactiv-3-a-15.html

These aren't Subarus on which the head gasket is a common problem.

How did the dealer detect this coolant leak? Smoke? Coolant in the oil?

Hopefully the dealer will put it all back together properly and the car will be good as new after the repair.
Too bad you don't have one of the new cars with the unlimited mileage warranty.
 
The dealer said it was noticed during the checkup of the car that's part of each maintenance visit; that it's a minor leak at the moment, but since my car is under warranty they recommend that we fix it now so that Mazda doesn't call me negligent if I postpone the repair and it gets much worse.

I didn't ask for further details; maybe I should have?

Thanks for the moral support!


piotrek91 said:
This is the first case that I've seen of a serious engine problem with the skyactiv cars. Most of us here (and thousands of others not on the forum) aren't experiencing any engine problems. There are many 2012-13 skyactiv Mazda 3's with 100,000 miles plus on them.
Check out this thread for some confidence: http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/...o-s-got-most-miles-their-skyactiv-3-a-15.html

These aren't Subarus on which the head gasket is a common problem.

How did the dealer detect this coolant leak? Smoke? Coolant in the oil?

Hopefully the dealer will put it all back together properly and the car will be good as new after the repair.
Too bad you don't have one of the new cars with the unlimited mileage warranty.
Click to expand...
 
Dropped off my car tonight. They gave me a '16 CX-5 GS with 32 km on the odo as a loaner, so I get to play with the new infotainment as a perk, I guess.

Haven't noticed much difference in NVH vs. my 2014 so far.
 
piotrek91 said:
This is the first case that I've seen of a serious engine problem with the skyactiv cars. Most of us here (and thousands of others not on the forum) aren't experiencing any engine problems. There are many 2012-13 skyactiv Mazda 3's with 100,000 miles plus on them.
Check out this thread for some confidence: http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/...o-s-got-most-miles-their-skyactiv-3-a-15.html

These aren't Subarus on which the head gasket is a common problem.

How did the dealer detect this coolant leak? Smoke? Coolant in the oil?

Hopefully the dealer will put it all back together properly and the car will be good as new after the repair.
Too bad you don't have one of the new cars with the unlimited mileage warranty.
Click to expand...

This is an amazing fact in itself considering the high compression ratios and fuel pressures they use. I've looked for these kinds of problems and they barely exist. A true testament to the engineering put into these things.
 
Back from the dealer, it took them an extra 1/2 day to complete the work. They had to shampoo the engine and redo the front wheel alignment, not sure if this is normal for such a procedure.
 
What has to do a head gasket leak, with the front suspension, nothing. That sounds fishy.
 
tibimakai said:
What has to do a head gasket leak, with the front suspension, nothing. That sounds fishy.
Click to expand...

Ever remove an engine through the bottom? you generally have to remove the subframe that fubars the alignment.
 
There's a relatively strong smell of overheating/burning plastic coming from the engine compartment if I use the car for more than a few minutes. The smell comes in the car through the ventilation when the car stops at a red light. Don't know if such a smell is normal after shampooing an engine like that.

My dealer is closed today... If anyone has hints, let me know!
 
Maybe, some liquid(coolant/oil) leaked on the exhaust and now is burning off. If in a few miles, the smell doesn't go away, I would look into it and maybe stop driving it.
 
Well, my car was towed tonight. Smoke started to come out of the front of the car suddenly, so I had to pull over and noticed that the coolant tank had maybe 2 cups of coolant left in it. The engine temp light never came on, so either I stopped the car in time or the LEDs broken too.

Clearly, something is wrong with this repair.

Bonus : I'm a bit over 2 hours away from home, and all rental car places are closed, so I'm writing this from the hotel room that Mazda Roadside Assistance will refund me.
 
Fleeecy said:
Well, my car was towed tonight. Smoke started to come out of the front of the car suddenly, so I had to pull over and noticed that the coolant tank had maybe 2 cups of coolant left in it. The engine temp light never came on, so either I stopped the car in time or the LEDs broken too.

Clearly, something is wrong with this repair.

Bonus : I'm a bit over 2 hours away from home, and all rental car places are closed, so I'm writing this from the hotel room that Mazda Roadside Assistance will refund me.
Click to expand...

oh man.. that sucks!

As long as there is any coolant in the tank I think there is more than enough in the cooling system. The car probably didn't overheat, so at least you have that going for you.

I would insist that Mazda install a brand new engine in the car if it was mine.
I don't know if I would be successful, but I would definitely try.

Otherwise, after the botched repair I could never trust the car. Unfortunately, many mechanics don't take the time to fix things properly and there is no way for a customer to verify the repair. They sometimes don't properly torque bolts (they over-tighten everything instead.. a big problem on a head gasket) and they rush over many steps instead of taking the time to do the job right.

By the way, did you ever figure out how the dealer originally identified the leaky head gasket?
 
tibimakai said:
Maybe, the mechanic forgot to tighten something(hose clamp maybe).
Click to expand...

Actually, the hose clamp was not even installed. How professional!

The dealer that fixed it was very nice, and didn't charge me a thing. Now the car works fine, but the burning coolant smell won't go away. (rolleyes)
 
Last edited:
Hi guys. I'm thankful to read others who have suffered the same fate.

My 2012 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport AWD diesel has either blown a head or head gasket. Yes it has high kms, but all highway driven. 4 months out of warranty and I'm battling for some assistance from Mazda. Have advice from MTAQ who say I have a case and to pursue.

Disappointed seeing as I've had several Mazdas previously with no issues.

Hoping this will flag in people's "Google" searches in the event there are others out there ��
 
Jayeb123 said:
Hi guys. I'm thankful to read others who have suffered the same fate.

My 2012 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport AWD diesel has either blown a head or head gasket. Yes it has high kms, but all highway driven. 4 months out of warranty and I'm battling for some assistance from Mazda. Have advice from MTAQ who say I have a case and to pursue.

Disappointed seeing as I've had several Mazdas previously with no issues.

Hoping this will flag in people's "Google" searches in the event there are others out there ��
Click to expand...
Not quite the same fate, his was a gas engine which has proven to been an extremely reliable engine, yours is the diesel which has had quite a history of stuff going on.
 
madar said:
Not quite the same fate, his was a gas engine which has proven to been an extremely reliable engine, yours is the diesel which has had quite a history of stuff going on.
Click to expand...

Any hints I can give the dealer of what would relate in my situation?
 
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