Dangit, I thought I was one of the lucky ones.. I have one of the very first 2004 models, just hit 45677 miles.. driving down the freeway and the CEL is blinking while at the same time the car surges and stutters... then no power... have to shift lower and lower and gunnin it to keep up to speed... now she barely starts and just dies off...

Had to tow her to Mazda.

Whats up??

Loss of compression? Spark plugs? What would this typically be..

 

just curious.. at what point does it dictate a new engine.. I would hate for this to be a long arduous ordeal with the dealer having the car in and out every other week.. I just want a reliable and DEPENDABLE car...

Heck, I've chgd oil every 3000, kept coolant up, you name it.. grr..

 

Could be a catastrophic coil failure? A blinking CEL is almost always misfires...

 

^+1

 

coils, plugs, or even maybe a failing fuel pump. fuel pump failure is on the rise...

 

blech.. what's the effect on the engine if driven like that.. I gunned it just to make it home.. about 10 miles

 

if your car is at the dealership right now, i'd say that you probably aren't going to be driving it back home. if you have that significant of a power loss, it would be a bad idea to continue to drive it. you are just asking to make a bad problem worse. if it isn't a case of needing a new engine, you can further the problem by trying to drive it instead of fixing it. then you could end up needing a new engine and not being covered by the warranty due to neglecting to fix the problem. either way, good luck and keep us posted on what the dealership finds out. pulling the CEL code(s) and if necessary, a compression test, will definitely tell a bit more.

 

Yup, its at the dealer now.. we'll see what they come up with. I just want to avoid any drawn out ordeals like many have suffered... cant afford it, nor do I have the time to deal with that. If its truly the engine, I want that prognosis clear and not have to replace every other part before we get there. What are the key indicators for a new engine that would signal the dealer to do so? Is it purely based on loss of compression?

But yea, its serious power loss.. it cant stay on without dying, nor could I keep it over 30mph.

 

many times it seems that the dealership will make you replace any parts that they believe could cause the problem that you are seeing before they actually say that it is the engine.

 

yea, thats what I'm afraid of.. I mean I understand why they do it, its just typical troubleshooting to narrow it down, but man the hassle!

 

first they will do vacum testing and then test the cat. A clogged cat can cause the symptoms you described.
If everything checks out then next will be the de-carb procedure.
If still experiencing power loss then a compression check will be done.
For some reason (at least at my dealer) the coils/plugs and wires are checked last.

 

I hope my dealer follows the same.. At what point do they say, Yup, new engine.... Is it based on poor compression?

Its not that I am looking to get a new engine, but if it really is that, I dont want the hassle getting there if you know what I mean.

And even if I did.. what's the disadvantages of a new engine? Is the car ever the same.. or is it problems forever?

 

Instead of asking us the same questions...

Call your dealer, ask them to check your compression while you're there (they may charge you). Also ask them to check the coils, plugs, cat, and MAF sensor.

Advantages of a new engine (if the engine was the culprit of your power loss) are that the car will act as if it's brand new, you'll need to break it in before driving it hard, and if other issues arise, chances are you didn't need the new engine in the first place. If your stealership checks the above, it should narrow the choices greatly.

 

i believe the dealerships will (should) only charge for the compression check if it comes up negative for low compression. if it comes up positive (new engine), it is covered under warranty with the new engine.

 

Maybe, never had one. Sounds right. I've heard that they can charge it anyways but refund you if it comes negative, but same ****. Either way, you won't have to pay if the engine is blown.

 

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me while driving... stutter and shutters and then immediate loss of power and CEL blinking.
3 of the 4 coils were completely dead, no spark, with the 4th producing VERY little. Had the 4 coils replaced, spark plugs and she's running better than she was before!
My money is on the coils.

 

good advice.. thanks.. 'stealership', now thats a good one..

 

If it does turn out to be the coils, consider the BHR ignition, with its high output Yukon coils and MSD cables, as a future mod. You'll be glad you did!

 

If its coils, will that be covered by warranty? Of course I'm past the initial warranty, but I think we all got our powertrain extended, no? Is this covered under that?..

 

Coils, being electrical and a 'wear and tear' item, are not part of the powertrain warranty.

 

Ouch.. what sort of $ damage am I potentially looking at?

 

Parts are [relatively] cheap; dealership labor is expensive.

 

Depends if you buy them through the dealership (hence the name stealership).

I've seen dealership quotes of up to $700 for replacing plugs/coils..

You could get them much cheaper here.

 

coils run about 125 dollars for the set of 4

Labor, I can't say.

 

Huey, is this the BHR kit you spoke of?

http://blackhaloracing.com/products-...ition-system2/

Is it an easy install? Sounds like its plug and play lol. I'm no mechanic..