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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

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Messages Page 319 of 500

#3178 of 4991 Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier by z71bill

Apr 18, 2006 (7:06 am)

Its was over a year ago - so I can not quote the PSI readings.
 
I had a friend - that is in the AC business - hook up his gauges and monitor the pressure while the compressor cycled on and off.
 
He confirmed what Mazda was telling me - that the system seemed to be running at the correct pressures.
 
Which means the compressor was shutting down when the system reached the correct pressure on the high side. The system was not low on refrigerant - which could cause the compressor to shut down because of a low pressure condition (on the LOW side) - when there is not enough refrigerant the compressor will be running "dry" so most systems have a safety shut off to prevent this condition.
 
I have read a few posts that claim the Mazda3 had a weak AC when new - but after 10,000 or so miles the system seemed to get better - this was always hard to me to accept - these things don't heal themselves. But my AC seems to be a little better than it was last year - so I am keeping an open mind.
 
There are a few things that could be causing the AC to get better over time. Remote - but possible.
 
The evaperator could have a coating on it that reduces the efficiency - over time the constant flow of water (condensation) could be washing this coating off - making the system run better.
 
I know some industrial evaperator come from the factory with a protective coating (sprayed on during the manufacturing process) - this coating is removed before the evaperator is installed. 1 in 100,000 chance!
 
The second thing - the expansion valve could be too small - this would reduce the flow of refrigerant through the evaperator - although the pressure and temperature would still show the correct values. Over time - with use - this opening may be getting slightly larger - allowing a greater flow of refrigerant - allowing the system to cool better. 1 in 10,000 chance!
 
The system could have a very small amount of contamination in the refrigerant. A very very very small amount of moisture in the system can plug the expansion valve reducing the ability of the system to cool. There is a dryer in the system - it is like a filter that removes moisture / contamination from the refrigerant. It is possible that over time the filter removes this problem and allows it to work correctly. 1 in 1,000 chance.
 
Or - the darn thing is just too small / poor design. 1 in 10 chance.
 
Or Mazda knows the real problem and they just don't want to spend the $ to fix it. 1 in 2 chance.

#3179 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier [z71bill] by nifty56

Apr 18, 2006 (8:15 am)

Replying to: z71bill (Apr 18, 2006 7:06 am)
Thanks z71bill for your input.
Writing letters, phoning Mazda probably won't do us any good in getting a fix. Mazda has set its mind on doing nothing unless a large number of owners bug Mazda about this issue. I think alot won't bother.
Is it possible for Mazda to replce the evaporator with a larger one? Is there room for a bigger one? If not than I think we are stuck with a poorly designed system. We shall see what the summer brings.
Just one question. When driving with the A/C off and bring in air from outside the air feels warmer than the outside air. After I stop and park and restart after about 15 minutes the air from the vents feels very warm like the heater is on or the dial is set to hot, outside temp about 12C. It takes about 15 minutes of driving before it cools back down to something comfortable. I have a digital termometer which I will use to check the temps for a more accurate evaluation. Do I have a heater door not closing completely or is this normal for the car? I do not notice this on my other vehicles.

#3180 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by nifty56 by z71bill

Apr 18, 2006 (11:24 am)

I lost track of the number of times I had Mazda dealership test my AC -
 
I also noticed warm air coming from my vents - so even on a 50 degree day I would sometimes turn on the AC. I tested the air temp a few times - and the outside air temp VS the vent air temp there was about a 12 degree increase in the temp. (AC off - temp control knob all the way over to cold) - This seemed like a lot to me - but when I tested my other vehicles they also had an increase - can't recall the number - but something like 8-10 degrees. So I did not think that was the problem.
 
I had my windows tinted - plus the invoice indicated they adjusted my MCC - which I think stands for mix control cable. When you turn the temperature control knob from hot to cold - or some where in between - it is moving a little trap door that separates the AC evaperator from the heater core.
 
You may already know this - but the AC evaperator and heater core both look like little radiators - the difference is the evaperator has refrigerant pumped through it (lets not get too technical) and the heater core has hot anti-freeze/coolant pumped through it.
 
The way Mazda (and others) designed the system they are right next to each other - if you turn on the defroster with the knob turned to hot/warm the air goes though both - evaperator and heater core.
 
I can not tell if the improvement in my AC was from the tinting or the cable adjustment - or both - I still get warm air coming from my air vents - even on cold day (45 degrees is cold in Houston) - so I can't tell. I had these both done at the end of last summer - so I have not had many 90+ degree days to test it out yet - but time will tell.

#3181 of 4991 Is tire totation a big issue? by malak

Apr 18, 2006 (3:33 pm)

I am looking to buy a Mazda 3 next week but heard that there were significant problems with tire wear. Have any of you 2006 owners experienced tire wear problems?

#3182 of 4991 Re: Is tire totation a big issue? [malak] by cephme

Apr 18, 2006 (3:38 pm)

Replying to: malak (Apr 18, 2006 3:33 pm)
I drove a 3 5 door last night. It only had 4 miles on it before I drove it, but I did feel some vibration in the steering wheel. I told the dealer if I were to to take that car I wanted him to rebalance the wheels first. That should solve the problem. I drove a few other 3s (at other dealerships) and did not experience the issue so am hoping it is only a minor thing.

#3183 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier [nifty56] by ex_tdier

Apr 18, 2006 (7:58 pm)

Replying to: nifty56 (Apr 18, 2006 8:15 am)
nifty56 wrote:
 
Thanks z71bill for your input.
Writing letters, phoning Mazda probably won't do us any good in getting a fix. Mazda has set its mind on doing nothing unless a large number of owners bug Mazda about this issue. I think alot won't bother.
 
So we shouldn't bother? That's not the right kind of attitude. Is that the kind of attitude one should take when it comes to voting?
 
If all of us just give up at the first road block, then we are destined for failure. We can't expect those like me who will pursue this matter to fight everyone's battles. Mazda believes the problem effects only a small number of Mazda3 owners. It's perseverance that can and will make a difference, not negative attitude. So, write that letter and make that call, the power is in the numbers and we can make a difference if all of us take a few minutes of our time from the internet and write Mazda CEO Jim Sullivan and call Mazda Customer Service.

#3184 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier [z71bill] by ex_tdier

Apr 18, 2006 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: z71bill (Apr 18, 2006 7:06 am)
According to the A/C link I posted, the posters there said that the readings, whatever they may be, under the specified RPM load will say a lot and it will say much more than if the A/C pressures are within spec or not.
 
That's why those techs need the exact pressures to have a better insight what the real problem is. Right now, we are all guessing. So, we need some actual data to troubleshoot this A/C issue. Can anyone provide this?
 
Also, someone wrote that the compressor will cycle off less when the coolant is low. So, this may be why after 10,000 miles or so it is cooler because there would be less coolant.

#3185 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier [ex_tdier] by yu203964

Apr 18, 2006 (8:42 pm)

Replying to: ex_tdier (Apr 18, 2006 7:58 pm)
ex:
Do you have the email addresses of those high level people such as CEO, VP, President of Mazda Canada? I meet the road block at the customer service level. I think email is more fast and effective than mail or fax.

#3186 of 4991 Contact Mazda by ex_tdier

Apr 18, 2006 (11:43 pm)

I dunno if I am allowed to post personal info here, but check out this link. Personal email addy's though are not available for the execs, the best we can do is fax or mail. But, it's still worth it. Checkout post 599/600: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=6183.570
 
Remember, we got power in numbers; united we stand, divided we fall.

#3187 of 4991 Re: Mazda3 (2005) A/C is the pits by ex_tdier by z71bill

Apr 19, 2006 (9:28 am)

I assume by coolant you mean refrigerant?
 
If you ever see ice build up on an evaperator - it normally means that the system is low on refrigerant.
 
I have seen this on cars, my home AC system and on a refrigerator.
 
The compressor just keeps on running because there is not enough refrigerant to allow it to reach the point where the high side pressure differential switch reaches its set point & send a signal to the compressor to shut down -
  
The Mazda3 system is set up a little different - it also has a temperature sensor in front of the evaperator - it shuts the compressor down based on the evaperator hitting a set temperature - so in theory anyway - it should not change the compressor cycle -
 
Unless - maybe the Mazda3 system - with both a temp sensor and a pressure differential switch is not perfectly balanced - so you have two different sensors telling the compressor to shut down. If the system is set up correctly the pressure switch and the temp switch would both reach the set point at about the same time - because the pressure & temp are directly correlated.
 
As far as writing Mazda letters - not a bad idea - can't hurt. I still have a flat spot on the top of my head from running into a Mazda brick wall a few times.
 
I sent Mazda a few e-mails about the AC problems I was having.
 
The first E-mail - I got the auto reply and then a follow up e-mail from a person - some standard customer service form letter saying how sorry they were about my problems - but no solution was offered. My next e-mail I listed the exact things that I had done so far - something like 3 dealer visits, 2 calls to 1-800 Mazda customer service - plus 1 E-mail to customer service - I told them I had done everything that I could think of to get my issue resolved - and really wanted some advise about what I could do next to get my problem solved - I got the auto reply and then I got a letter that said - THEY RECOMMENDED I TAKE MY PROBLEM TO MY STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL. Really - cross my heart - that was their advise.
 
Hard to understand how any company would actually put this in a written communication to a customer - but they did.
 
I sent a follow up e-mail and it was returned to sender - could not be delivered - BLOCKED BY MAZDA.
 
Now before anyone says I must have been rude or nasty in my e-mails please save it - I was direct but nice. I tried to send additional E-mails - they all came back blocked - return to sender - after about 3 months I was able to send an e-mail that actually went through - I got the auto reply and a letter from a person telling me that Mazda had a TSB out on the AC issue - (it was the diffusser plate fix) - I was told to take this information to my dealer and they would install it.
 
The diffusser did nothing to help my AC -

Messages Page 319 of 500

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