27
votes
Is my head gasket cracked?
It is totally possible. Combustion chambers are quite small and it doesn't take much fluid to fill one up.
As the piston goes down during the intake cycle, a vacuum is created and anything in the ...
- 718
26
votes
Accepted
I ran my car on almost no oil for a few weeks before realizing the problem. Now what?
It sounds as though you were low on oil, but not out of oil. Your MS6 requires around 5.5-6 quarts of oil, so if you dumped three quarts in to get it up to level, you still had nearly three quarts in ...
- 152k
21
votes
Accepted
Hit a curb; chewed up rim and took a chunk out of tire. Will they need replacement?
tl;dr: Sadly, that tire appears to be a goner. The wheel is likely fine, though. You might be able to replace just the one tire.
If you look at the divot cut out of the side of the tire, you'll see ...
- 24.3k
20
votes
Is my head gasket cracked?
Yes. If the engine ingests water, you have a big problem: water is incompressible. When water gets into a cylinder, it will be forced out through the path of least resistance: the head gasket. And ...
- 4,422
19
votes
Accepted
How do you get more horsepower out of a 1979 Mazda RX7?
I agree with your praise for this car, I had one back in the day and I have never loved a car as much since.
To get more from this Wankel powered beauty, it's all about two things:
Getting it to ...
- 9,326
15
votes
What could this water leak be under my car?
What you are more than likely seeing is condensation from your A/C unit. The drain for these are usually located on the passenger side of the car about where the firewall is at (just behind the engine)...
- 152k
14
votes
Accepted
Does putting an automatic car into neutral at stop lights significantly harm the transmission?
No. Not by any significant or even measurable amount. Constantly using the shifter may, over time, wear the bushes and linkages prematurely but these parts are usually inexpensive and simple to ...
- 1,688
13
votes
What to look out for when buying a car that hit a deer?
I'd be asking if the car was put on a chassis rig when it was repaired. If it's even had just one day on a rig, it was clearly enough of an impact that made the assessor/repairer think it might be a ...
- 1,586
13
votes
Accepted
Power steering out after driving through deep puddle
My first thought is that the belt(s) that drive the accessories (alternator and power steering) slipped due to being wet. As for the check gauges light that came on later, I don't know. When it came ...
- 1,308
12
votes
Accepted
Strange noise from timing belt area
I don't know if I deserve all this credit. My idea was sound, but my measurements were pretty bad so my numbers are way off.
If you try this, use the more precise software that Robert S. Barnes ended ...
- 1,945
12
votes
I ran my car on almost no oil for a few weeks before realizing the problem. Now what?
When you visit your dealership, have them (and join in if you're allowed into the shop) examine the oil after it's drained. This is important to ask beforehand since some shops use a large funnel/...
- 121
12
votes
Accepted
What's this button for in Mazda cx 5?
This isn't a button, but a plug to cover the shift lock override.
- 152k
10
votes
Accepted
What is this extra light on my headlights?
According to this that extra space is for the integrated fog light, which is probably where the fog light would be if you didn't have the separate fog light.
- 1,502
10
votes
Accepted
Timing chain jumped. Probably bent a piston. Is my engine worth fixing?
Before jumping to conclusions, you could take the rocker cover off and see whether the chain is still connected. The fact that you were able to turn the engine over for a while quickly without it ...
- 24k
9
votes
How do you get more horsepower out of a 1979 Mazda RX7?
Just like with any other internal combustion engine, there are two ways to increase power output: add more cubic inches of displacement; make the motor think it has a larger displacement.
More ...
- 152k
9
votes
What to look out for when buying a car that hit a deer?
You said "the dealer tells me that the car was likely rebuilt." The dealer should know for a fact that the car was rebuilt and issued a salvaged title, if not, walk away. On top of that, if the seller ...
- 6,037
9
votes
Accepted
How does a cobra alarm system disable starting
I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Assuming that your alarm is a Thatcham approved alarm and was installed by an approved installer, it must disable the vehicle at a minimum of three different ...
- 23.4k
8
votes
Hit a curb; chewed up rim and took a chunk out of tire. Will they need replacement?
Based on your picture I would replace the tire without question. It's not worth the risk. If the sidewall fails while driving it could result in you losing control of the vehicle.
8
votes
Trouble getting in first gear when car is hot
While I agree that Solar Mike's answer is a possibility, you. might check the simple and inexpensive things first.
Try changing the transmission oil/fluid. Sometimes this works wonders especially on ...
- 12k
7
votes
Does putting an automatic car into neutral at stop lights significantly harm the transmission?
It shouldn't as stated above, but there are bushings and bearings that will get worn out, its probably better to just leave it in gear.
Engineering Explained did a good review on this, so I recommend ...
- 311
7
votes
Does putting an automatic car into neutral at stop lights significantly harm the transmission?
It could be argued that by putting the car in Park or Neutral, you are saving wear on the torque converter, which can be an expensive piece of equipment to replace. But I can't site any first-hand ...
- 71
7
votes
How do you get more horsepower out of a 1979 Mazda RX7?
Mow much money do you have? :D
In all seriousness:
Swap in a later 13B engine and give it a fresh rebuild.
Install a Racing Beat header and exhaust system.
The Racing Beat intake is also pretty good....
- 3,363
7
votes
2012 Mazda3 shifts gears but won't move
If the clutch cable was bad you wouldn't be able to put in in gear with the engine running. Based on what you have described you have a bad clutch.
7
votes
How do I remove these electrical connectors on the inside of my drivers side door?
First off, no, you do not need to disconnect anything else. If the key is NOT in the ignition, there is no electricity going through these connectors.
So, basically in the image below:
Green Arrows: ...
- 152k
7
votes
MAZDA 3 2006 (UK) - poor acceleration then takes off at 3250 revs
My gut says it's likely to related to either a dodgy throttle position sensor or a faulty air mass meter. Whilst it is reporting no errors, it's worth doing diagnosis such as resetting the throttle ...
- 23.4k
7
votes
When to change oil for new generation Mazda?
I downloaded the manual for the car.
There are different service schedules for different countries.
Many countries like the UK have a 12500 miles schedule, whereas some hot countries are as low as ...
- 24k
6
votes
Engine temperature low when it's cold outside
Oil leak is unrelated. You should fix that. (:
There are various possibilities:
The temperature gauge is faulty or the sender that sends the gauge the temperature reading is.
Test: Block part of ...
- 3,363
6
votes
headlights come on by themselves when car sitting in sun
Possible culprits:
A bad headlight relay
Have the relay tested or replaced. It could be that the switch for the main circuit is intermittently stuck-closed.
A closed-circuit in the light switch or ...
- 39.1k
6
votes
Timing chain jumped. Probably bent a piston. Is my engine worth fixing?
IIRC on the 2.3 there is no keyway to keep the crank gear and balancer aligned. If the engine is spinning and has compression you probably spun the balancer and it's out of time.
Set piston 1 at TDC ...
- 10.7k
6
votes
Hit a curb; chewed up rim and took a chunk out of tire. Will they need replacement?
Replace the tire by all means. If you drive around with a tire damaged that badly, you risk having it explode while you're driving and losing total control of the vehicle, and possibly being stranded ...
- 5,245
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible