New to us Mazda5

[audiophool]

Hi from Calgary (canada)

We picked up a pre-owned Mazda5, rust red with grey interior and 24,000km in May and it's been good so far. Just back from a 2500km road trip and it ran great the whole way. Aside from a couple of niggles that is.

Before I ask any 'questions' and get n00b bombed, there are a couple of things that bug me about this car:

Stereo: Awful. 'nuff said. We'll be looking at ideas for upgrade, at least to get some bass from it.

Cruise control: if set to say 100kph and you encounter a steepish hill, it first unlocks the torque converter, then shifts to 4th, then to 3rd, at which point it will then gain 10-15kph and refuse to drop 3rd. Normal?

Chassis shake: ~80 kph, most noticeable while decelerating.

It goes back to the stealer tomorrow for the shake and the cruise, so we'll see what's what.

Problem is, the stealer has already provided less than stellar service for which I had to complain. When we first got the car, it blew a huge cloud of oil smoke during one of the aforementioned cruise control 'events'. Turns out the engine oil was a full liter too high (nasty dipstick on these engines...) and it was getting beaten into vapour by the crank and the vapour overwhelmed the crank case ventilation system.

Stay tuned for news.

Anthony

 

[Heat]

What year?

And yes, the stock stereo stinks - replace the stereo and speakers and you'll be much happier. On the cruise, no idea, my Mazda5 has a manual transmission. The shake may be tire related, but there is a shake to this vehicle but it is minimal and not present when people are sitting in the back (in my experience). With regard to the oil - extremely bad for the engine and probably your cat. I hope that no damage was done... I understand that this oil change had been done before you bought the car, but in the future consider doing your own oil changes - the manual calls for 4.3 quarts (4.1 liters).

 

[SuperJETT]

That's normal for cruise on most cars now---they have hill sensing logic so if it has to downshift for a hill and thinks it is still on the hill, it will hold the gear until clear and it starts overshooting set speed. If it has to go down 2 gears to 3rd for a hill, then it will stay there for that hill.

A shake is normally a warped rotor, tire out of balance, or bad shock/strut. All are fixable.

 

[Robotazky]

Cruise issue: normal. In fact, I've noticed that my Mazdas are worse than most cars for some reason. As a guy who's focus in college was control systems design, I can tell you that it seems pretty obvious that the control systems programming in the cruise/throttle/tranny are pretty weak. My MX3 is so bad about holding a speed that I actually get flipped off by other drivers in hilly terrain.

The shaking issue: unfortunately, that is probably fairly common on these cars. You could balance the tires with a road-force balancer (anything less is a waste of money). I'm convinced that the underbody braces that some are now making for our cars will help with all of the shaking. Like Heat was saying, the car has a shimmy that goes away with weight in the back. Your issue is probably related to this normal issue that the car has.

I would go to a tire place with a Hunter GSP9700 road-force balancer if I were you. The cruise control is what it is. Don't waste more time on that.

 

[DKaz]

I only use cruise control as an occasional auto pilot when my feet need a break. I can't comment on shifting as I drive a manual and cruise control seems to shut off as soon as I get out of gear lol.

I apply a fuel saving logic when I drive on the highway, I drive slightly over the speed limit on flats, I let it drift up as high as I feel comfortable driving without getting a speeding ticket down hills, and allow the speed to drift down to 10km/h below speed limit going up hills. This logic is better applied with a good right foot.

As for shaking, I also say wheel balancing is the probably cause.

 

[audiophool]

Thanks for the comments.

Stealer verdict: 1 bent rim on the rear, 2 front tires may have separation issues (tread moves side to side per stealer tech). These were new when we bought the car and now have 7000km on them. Stealer won't stand behind them. Booooo.

As for the one incident with the oil cloud, at least the event is 'on record' so can be supporting evidence for unusual failure modes in the cat etc.

Cruise: Stealer raised question to Mazda Tech line. "Does it go back to the proper set speed once leveled off?" Me: Dunno - not going to risk a speeding ticket to find out either, unless you're willing to pay it. Cruise is useless except on flat roads. I'll just have to live with it.

My '08 Infiniti G37S will hold the exact speed on any hill in 6th but it has twice the power and is a stick. Prior G35 AT sometimes dropped to 4th on a really steep hill but never gained. My '03 BMW 330i would, as noted above, hold a low gear if really pressed when going up a hill, but never exceeded set speed. Mazda needs to work on this one.

 

[Silentnoise713]

...Mazda needs to work on this one.

Welcome. As you get to know the car, you'll quickly learn there are quite a few things Mazda 'needs to work on', especially since you are coming from entry luxury cars (G37 and 330).
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123800655-Dislikes-about-your-MAZDA-5

 

[skyhawk]

The dip stick is very tricky. Try pulling it up early in the morning. It will show an almost empty (i.e. oil mark near bottom of the stick). Don't be tempted to add oil. Put the dip stick back in and pull it out again, this time you will see the actual reading (i.e. full).

I still don't understand how the stick can behave that way. It's supposed to reach the sump and is dipped in the oil. I have no idea why it shows low level the first time you pull it up.

 

[DKaz]

All my cars have behaved this way re: the dip stick.

 

[Robotazky]

The bottom of the tube that the dipstick is in extends down into the oil a bit on some cars. When you turn off the engine the oil goes to the bottom, obviously. The oil in the tube doesn't rise with the surrounding pan if there's a decent seal at the top of the dipstick because the column of air resists compression. Once you pull the dipstick out, the air is released and returns to atmospheric pressure, which allows the oil level to rise. Our cars have an O-ring that must seal well.

They should post something about this in the manual, but they don't.

 

[thaxman]

Good to know, Robotaz

 

[Donewood]

The procedure I have always used on all vehicals is to full remove and wipe the dipstick then reseat, remove and read. Not only is it easier to "read" a fresh line, this also breaks any airlock or surface tension. It's a good idea to know if your getting a cold or warm leval. Some engines show very high before running, and low after the galleries, top end and pump fill.

 

[audiophool]

Thanks again for the replies.

The best dipsticks are flat strips with holes punched through to mark low and high. The holes fill with oil and it's easy to see if the level is above or below said hole, clean or dirty.

The dark pot metal molding on the end of the cable on this dipstick gives very poor contrast, especially when the oil is clean. FoMoCo fail.

The advice to pull/wipe/insert/withdraw/read is sound and is my normal method for checking the oil level. Possibility of air locks is there, sure, but re-inserting the dipstick could just do the reverse and push the oil down the tube and give spurious readings as well.

 

[Robotazky]

Thanks again for the replies.

The best dipsticks are flat strips with holes punched through to mark low and high. The holes fill with oil and it's easy to see if the level is above or below said hole, clean or dirty.

The dark pot metal molding on the end of the cable on this dipstick gives very poor contrast, especially when the oil is clean. FoMoCo fail.

The advice to pull/wipe/insert/withdraw/read is sound and is my normal method for checking the oil level. Possibility of air locks is there, sure, but re-inserting the dipstick could just do the reverse and push the oil down the tube and give spurious readings as well.

The only way I could see reinserting the dipstick making a spurious reading would be if you insert it very quickly and disturb the oil at the bottom. If you insert it slowly I can't see how you would create bogus readings.

 

[skyhawk]

The bottom of the tube that the dipstick is in extends down into the oil a bit on some cars. When you turn off the engine the oil goes to the bottom, obviously. The oil in the tube doesn't rise with the surrounding pan if there's a decent seal at the top of the dipstick because the column of air resists compression. Once you pull the dipstick out, the air is released and returns to atmospheric pressure, which allows the oil level to rise. Our cars have an O-ring that must seal well.

They should post something about this in the manual, but they don't.

Thanks Robotaz. The idea of a tube protruding down (touching the oil) the length of the dipstick escaped my mind. I can now breath a sigh of relief. lol.