I have looked across many threads for an answer to my question well before I posted this.

I was having a horrid sound at starting and I could smell almost a flood at start up. Had that smell for a good while but once the car got to this point it was very bad. The sound was kind of a popping sound and I couldn't get the car to idle correctly. When I started it I would have to rev it to 1k up to 2500rpm, depending. Sometimes it would hold and I could just let it idle out.

Finally, with enough searching, I decided it was ig coils, wires, plugs. I replaced them with what I could. Trimmed out in a few tries. Drives better and has pick up. I cleaned the MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) sensor(s) and cleaned the screens. Even better. Ok, so I maybe should clean the air filter but it looks clean in all but one spot.

However, I cannot figure out why the starting is still sounding like it does. Sometimes, it wants to drag like a dying battery but it is new and other times there is just a drag and this odd sound and popping. I have a link to a video of it, perhaps you can hear what I hear and maybe not. At one point you can hear where I let up off the clutch and I mention that.

Oh! and to add to this, I do get a sweet smell from antifreeze around the car and sort of in the car. There is no wet in the passenger's floor, drain plug had a drop so I tightened it. I have heard from inside the car a sound like the thermostat open and a flood of coolant entering another part of the engine and flowing through. I do have to add coolant regularly. More often then I believe I should. Not finding other leaks but I do feel like a rebuild may be in order soon, dangit!

Please see the video and tell me what you think.

 

Coolant loss + coolant smell + rough start = new engine time

 

Hey I have a pair of those shoes!

 

A wise man once said

 

@WCS I blew the tread out and had to go NewBallance this time. ROFLOL

@Charles or anyone else that might know:

I have found that I have a leak and a decent one too from the radiator, I guess. Granted, it could be from the overflow tank or a hose but the engine cover was holding fluid today and it was coming out rather green. I am going to hope that it what it is.

Perhaps I should explain better. I have spent a few hours fighting front struts, and I am obviously not a mechanic.

I lowered the car to finish the struts. I did. I started the car. I added a hair of brake fluid since I never had and it was down a hair. I checked and added H2O to the overflow. Spilled a bit. Left of the cap. I noticed it was burping and bubbling. The burp was odd. I kept watch and it calmed a bit but I saw steam. I looked under and naturally, I could not see anything because the black plastic piece that covers everything was there. I could see green dots in two places so I pushed the plastic up some and found antifreeze running out a hole on the passenger's side by the strut are of the front end.

I thought, Perhaps the thermostat but the steam came up right where the overflow tank and battery is. This makes me thing a radiator or line. Perhaps even the overflow is busted. What sucks is Mazda never did a recall on mine that I know of or see on their web page.

A thought! Since my engine had to be rebuilt at 48-50k because of a Mazda recall issue, would this engine be under some warranty?

As per the start up–
Could there be another reason for the sound? I will try to get a better audio clip of it. Best ask for help holding the camera.

 

The bubbling and burping is not a good sign. The steam and coolant could be coming from the overflow (either because it has cracked or because the system is over pressure and coolant is being forced out of the overflow's overflow tube). One way to find out

Fluids never flow up, so look for the highest point in the engine bay that has signs of coolant. That's likely to be your leak.

There was no recall related to the radiator or overflow bottle and a rebuild doesn't extend your original warranty or carry much of a warranty of its own.

 

@Loki
I am holding on to the idea that the fix is simple. I hate to pull all that stuff off in order to see where I might find a leak, yet it looks like I will get a lesson in how to tear one of these things down! I love learning new things. Hooo BOY!

can the engine run for say 20-30 minutes, or any short length of time, without the air filter and MAF attached? reason is I would like to pull all that out and the bottom and run it to find the leak better.
Thoughts?

 

Oh ya it should idle without the Maf.
It may idle like crap but it should be ok.

And well not using an air filter is a bit of a crap shoot.
If it's in a nice clean garage I wouldn't worry about it but if you're in the desert with a gale force wind at your back ... well

 

Thanks WCS! I wanted to know so I could pull out as much as possible and find the true leak as I don't feel it is in the engine. I hope that I can remove the driver's side stuff and the plastic on the bottom and find the real leak while it runs.