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Mazda 626 Troubles

2544 messages,  Last post on Apr 15, 2013 at 8:56 AM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda 626, Sedan




Messages Page 30 of 255

#284 of 2544 Recurrent quality problems by windowphobe6

Jan 26, 2001 (7:04 am)

The Tribute definitely came out too soon - which doesn't excuse the teething problems with the Focus, which went on sale in Europe a year before it did here. If nothing else, these twin debacles (plus the ongoing Explorer/Firestone fiasco) have pretty much convinced Ford that the same old procedures at its US assembly plants just aren't enough anymore. Would that GM could figure this out.
 
By most accounts, the 626 took a downward turn for the fourth generation (1993-97); it was as competent a road car as ever, but fit and finish at Flat Rock was arguable, and the Ford CD4E autobox, which appeared in some '94 models, was, um, a work in progress. From the looks of the few new ones I've driven (and the one I bought), Flat Rock has cleaned up its act considerably. The CD4E is still not bulletproof, but its most egregious failure modes have been addressed. Still, it takes a long time to recover from bad press, and bad press on the Internet never seems to die, so Mazda can't afford the luxury of not paying attention.

#285 of 2544 '93 Mazda 626 ES 4D by mazdauser

Jan 28, 2001 (10:42 pm)

I have a '93 Mazda 626 ES 4D with 110,000 miles on it. Recently I have started observing a new behaviour in the car. When I apply brakes, the engine continues to accelerate contiously (the rpm increasing). This is observed about once in a week. This is getting tougher when I apply brakes at signals. I have to act real fast and shift from 'Drive' to 'Park'. Is anyone else facing a similar problem. If yes, is there any solution?

#286 of 2544 Unintended acceleration? by windowphobe6

Jan 29, 2001 (6:32 am)

Never seen this before. Since presumably you're getting off the accelerator to hit the brake pedal, I'm going to guess that the throttle-position sensor is out of whack - it's reporting that you're giving the same amount of acceleration even though you're no longer on the pedal.

#287 of 2544 92 Protege - 200K & No Problems by dnaguy

Jan 31, 2001 (1:21 am)

I own a 1992 Protege DX and have put nearly 200,000 miles on it.
Never had any major problems what-so-ever, except the A/C doesnt work anymore.
I'm about due for a new car soon and will definitely be heading back to the Mazda dealer for a 2001 Protege. Great experience driving what turned out to be a very dependable car.

#288 of 2544 racing engine at stop by qbrozen

Jan 31, 2001 (10:07 am)

Just for the heck of it, I would check the accelerator cable. Make sure the cable under the hood isn't kinked or pulled. We had a similar problem with my wife's Mitsubishi (and, believe me, I'm not comparing the 2 cars), and it turned out that, when she had gotten her oil changed, the shop had pushed her cable out of the way and left it there. I moved it back to the original position and the problem was solved.

#289 of 2544 windowphobe6 by readytobuy1

Jan 31, 2001 (11:17 am)

It sounds like you're fairly knowledgable about the Mazda 626. I bought my '00 about 6 months ago, and now have about 6k miles. I am concerned about the transmission after having read about the various problems in the past years. I plan on keeping the car at least 5 years, or at least did when I bought it, and wonder whether there is anything that can be done to prevent tranny problems AND what signs/symptoms should I look for letting me know that there may be something wrong? I have a heavy foot, so I do notice the tranny constantly downshifting to pick up speed. I've also noticed that I have to give it 5-10 seconds to get in gear from a stand still. In other words, if I am at a stop and shift from Park to drive, I must wait a few seconds before hitting the gas. Otherwise, the car lurches when it gets into gear if I have given it some gas? I'm also somewhat disappointed in the gas mileage. I know that having a heavy foot doesn't help matters, I'm getting about 300 miles to the tankful with a combination of some stop-and-go driving and mostly highway driving. I think that works out to about 20 MPG. I have friends who have automatics with 6 cylinders that get better mileage than my 4 cylinder. Any words of wisdom?????????

#290 of 2544 Double-ought by windowphobe6

Jan 31, 2001 (4:41 pm)

I have a '00 myself, and I get around 21 mpg in town; must be all the lead in your foot.
 
Actually, the four-banger in this car is somewhat overworked, what with 2900 lb to pull around (not to mention the driver and his stuff), which is a definite disadvantage in the MPG race, and it does explain a lot of the downshifting. Look at the two Millenias: the base version (170 hp) gets slightly poorer mileage (20/28, says the EPA) than the 210-hp Miller-cycle S version (20/29). The difference is not so much in Mr Miller's magic valve timing, but in the fact that the S engine gets to loaf more.
 
It takes me a good three seconds to get off the brake pedal and onto the gas when shifting out of Park, so I haven't noticed this particular bit of lurching, though it is a little slower to engage when it's cold - and lately, it's always been cold, to the extent that I scored one tankful, during a period of two weeks where it never got above freezing, at a meager 17 mpg.
 
After a year and a half, have the dealership hook up their tranny-flush machine and get all the stuff out of there. (The CD4E has no bottom pan, so this is about the only way it can be serviced.) Repeat every 15k to 25k miles. It will cost you a little over a hundred bucks each time, but waiting around for the fluid to smell funny will cost you a whole lot more.

#291 of 2544 windowphobe6 by readytobuy1

Feb 01, 2001 (7:02 am)

Thanks for the input, although it still doesn't make me feel comfortable with the poor MPG. I traded in a '91 Acura Integra with 4 cyc, 5 spd. Realizing it's a lighter car and with a manual transmission it still got around 25-30 MPG, even after 147,000 miles!! I also know someone who owns a '01 Honda Accord Coupe with a 6 cyl, auto that gets 20-23 MPG-and I would gather it's weight is similair to that of the 626. Have you tried putting in anything other than the 87 Octane gas, I wonder whether that might improve the MPG/performance?

#292 of 2544 readytobuy1.... by agt_cooper

Feb 01, 2001 (10:53 am)

I have a '97 626, v-6, 5spd.... On mostly highway driving at 65 mph, i get 24.5 mpg...
 
...however, the v-6 requires premium fuel. Since premium gas carries about a 22% "premium" in cost, some of that efficiency is eaten away by the higher fuel cost.
 
Here's an example...
 
In my area, premium fuel is 1.689 per gallon...so, at 24.5 mpg, each mile costs about 7.0 cents in gasoline. Regular fuel can be had for about 1.459, so at your 20 mpg, that works out to about 7.3 cents in gasoline per mile.
 
Now, lets say you could get 21 mpg using premium (a fact that I seriously doubt!!), your fuel cost per gallon would now be 8.0 cents per mile.
 
The moral of this story? Be happy you can use regular fuel, and live with the so-so mileage!!!
 

#293 of 2544 agt_cooper by readytobuy1

Feb 01, 2001 (11:14 am)

I agree with your per mile fuel cost, it just irks me that other car makers have been able to produce engines with greater fuel efficiency and equal OR greater power output. One of the reasons I chose the 4 cyl was to save some $$ on fuel. Even with your calculations, paying extra $$ for premium fuel, your per mile fuel cost is less than mine-taking into consideration you have a larger engine and a 5-spd.
Have you tried using mid-grade? We also have a Sienna and the manual recommends premium fuel for optimal performance. We usually use mid-grade with no reduction in performance. At a 5-10 cent per gallon savings the $$ add up!!!

Messages Page 30 of 255

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