DEALER DUMB F**KEN QUESTION

Your answer should be do he (the dealer) know how F**KEN rich are cars really run , I never ever seen another car run so rich.

God I changed my so many times just to find a plug that does not carbon-up so fast.

 

Since problem on 1 and 3 , how are the wires?

 

The wires look great, but of course that means very little. It's interesting to me that the two cylinders I'm having issues with are the two that are fed by longer wires, instead of the coil sitting directly on top of them.

As far as richness goes, on the two cylinders that I consider to be great, the plugs look perfect, and keep in mind I just swapped out the originals a short time ago.

This morning meant more frustration and greater suspicion as to the condition of the valve train. On my way to work, after the engine was fully warm, I started to hear loud valve tap over the noise of the radio. I was alone on the street so it had to be me. I hit the gas a couple of times and it disappeared but it's been running like crap all morning.

I know the previous owners well, and the always ran super and changed the oil every 3k. I can't think of a single reason this car ought to run like this except for manufacturer screw-up.

Question: In the case of your local dealer giving you the finger over warranty work, have any of you contacted Mazda directly? If so, how did that go for you?

Thanks

Mike

 

I'm curious as to why you're running super grade gasoline? Regular is recommended.

The reason I ask is that my Dad had an Olds that he ran premium grade fuel in. Started having problem just as you described, ran great one minute would lose power the next, noise coming from under the hood. After several trips to the dealer to have this or that checked/replaced, the manager asks my Dad what gas he uses; Dad said premium. Manager said no way - use regular as recommended and the problem will go away within one or two tankfuls. Specifically recommended using Mobil regular grade from the first couple of tankfuls.

I told my Dad that this was BS; no way that the grade of gasoline would cause this problem. He ended up switching grades of gas to regular anyway. Problem went away never to return. Go figure.

I know it defies logic, but it maybe something to try.

 

higher octane gas will actually have a higher/hotter flashpoint than lower octane. His car may be sputtering and missing because some cylinders aren't able to burn up the gas...that would cause your plug fouling, rough running, engine noise, and poor driveability.

 

I'll try a tank of regular and report back. Damn, never thought I'd do that. My 323 ran like pinged like crazy on anything less than 89.

Thanks

 

Should get better HP with 87 octane. The combustion chambers are designed for it. The owner's manual makes a point of this too.

 

I agree, I noticed more carbon on higher octane.

 

after swapping the mp3 ecu into my p5 I notice the exhaust tip is coated in carbon....it severly hurts my "bling factor".

 

I believe you've said you're a certified automotive technician, so I'll ask... doesn't that mean it's running rich? If so, hopefully the software can be re-tuned because that causes problems, like breaking down the lubrication on the cylinder walls, fouling the plugs, etc.

 

It could mean a couple of things....catalytic convertor failure, condensation blow-through....a number of different things, but the car does run rich..