Another data point to consider...

My very early build '04 (purchased July '03, VIN #1126) had the CEL come on Friday -- and yes, it's been hotter 'n' Hades here. Took it in to the dealer today, and the MIL code was P0456 - EVAP system leak detected - very small leak.

This code among others was addressed in a TSB issued back in February, and according to that the fix is a reflash to SW-N3Z2EN000. This was done and it apparently took care of the CEL, for now.

However, rather than being caused by just a glitch in PCM code, could this code have been thrown for an actual leak in the fuel system? As in, I could have a damaged fuel tank?

Last Thursday I went to pick up a 2004 car from my dealership. Unfortunetly, it turned out to be a wasted trip because of the stop notice that Mazda sent out. So I am in the same position that Crash is in. Thanks to the info provided on this site (mainly the PDF files), I went to the dealership this weekend, PDFs in hand.

Being armed with that information I got a lot of honesty out of them. It seems that I will not be getting my car until August. They don't know when the instructions for group one cars will be coming. They are assuming that the parts will be available in August because that is when the recall is due to occur. However they admit that they cannot even say with certainty that they will recieve parts in the first week of August.

Its gutting to hear, but for those of us that have just bought our cars, we have to wait a few weeks. The dealler says he will call me as soon as he hears more, and I will pass it on. But I imagine that there are people here that will beat me to it with that information.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole purpose of a catalytic converter is to burn unspent fuel, which in turn causes higher heat within the cat. Everyone is worried about Mazda richening the mixture, which would only make the cat run even hotter. Now true, a leaner mixture causes higher exhaust temperatures, which can overheat a cat, but richening it out won't help either. I'm thinking they could alleviate the problem by redesigning the cat to be able to handle higher temps, or more heat shields, or even a new gas tank....since that seems to be what they are concerned about.

No. The purpose of a catalytic converter is to convert bad stuff in the exhaust gasses (e.g. NOx) to nicer things to breathe (e.g. N2 and O2). It does this through a chemical reaction using a catalyst - this is an agent in the reaction that isn't used up by it. In the case of a catalytic converter in a car that is certain expensive metals such platinum, rhodium, or paladium.

Burning gasoline in the cat can cause it to overheat and the expensive metals can melt and not work anymore or block the passage of the exhaust gasses. Or the ceramic honeycomb that the metals coat can crack and break into little pieces.

I wonder why we didn't see this problem in the Southern Hemisphere summer? Certainly, where I live, I was regularly driving on days with 37°C + although not too much high revs low speed

After Reading...
 

I am a little concerned on a few things.

I have a 2005 Shinka with a build date of 03/05. I have to bring it into the dealer for some added options. I brought up getting the latest flash and of course I got the "This car is brand new and there are no flashes". I can get around that, but I am wondering if there is a chance my car will be held for the recall stuff? They called me today and said it would take 2 days instead of one, so I am a little concerned.

Any advice?

I'm assuming Southern Hemisphere cars aren't being recalled because either
(a) your PCM flash is not as lean as ours has to be in order to meet American emissions standards (thus your cars don't heat up their exhaust systems as much) or
(b) Aussies are less likely to sue Mazda if their car burns up.

Aratinga, this is most commonly caused by a faulty gas cap. Take your cap off and look at the white centre section underneath. You may see a rusty patch there which is an indication that moisture is finding it's way inside when the fuel cools overnight. US dealers are changing a good number of these caps. It may leak with no indication either, so be aware of that.

We don't have those caps in Australia. Ours don't have a lanyard and little rivet holding the lanyard to the cap, and we aren't seeing this problem here.

Gomez.

As your car is Group 2, they can perform the recall instructions and get you on your way quickly. Just so long as they don't find any evidence of tank damage.... ;) . That will be unlikely, in your case. And you will get a new flash, BTW.

Gomez.

Hello all, first post here.

I just purchased an 05 RX8 earlier this evening. The sales guy I bought it from was upfront with saying that the car would be a few days before he could release it because it needed a firmware update they were waiting to receive. Its a < 10 km 2005 GT in Canada. I appreciate the fact the sales guy didnt try and blow smoke out his ass and was upfront about it, but I would like verification that the firmware is actually being released now. Is the car im describing probrably type 2? Or is it a crapshoot? I dont need it right away, but I have a driving trip at the end of July and would be greatly depressed if I didnt have it by then. They did have one out for test drives though, and from my understanding of alot of the posts here many dealers dont. I will take that as a good sign... hopefully.

In the past I owned a Rx7 ( second Gen ) and loved the car. Currently I drive an MX6 and gotta say, I rather loved it too... but test driving the 8, well damn. What a beautiful car... I was trying to decide between an 8, an Acura TSX, a BMW 3 series and a Saab 9-3. After the test drives I have to say, no contests... I only have 2 beefs with the car... driver side rear visibility kinda sucks. That back window kinda obstructs your view. Do you get used to this? Secondly, atleast in the test drive model the shifter seems to rattle like mad. It doesnt make any noise, but I swear the shift knob shook a good quarter inch side to side at an idle. Is this normal, or a side effect of being a demo model? Anyways, im sure ill love the car from what ive experienced so far... just hope I dont have to wait to long until I can pick it up!

Oh, one last very off topic question... has anybody ever put a baby seat in the back? Please tell me its reasonable... thats one of the things I sold my wife on buying it! :)

Thanks, Gomez. As soon as the CEL lit up I pulled over and checked my gas cap to see if it was tight (it was). I took it off and re-tightened it just in case, but the CEL did not reset by itself. I recall reading somewhere that it would have done that after some number of on/off ignition cycles -- is it ten? Anyway, I don't remember seeing a rusty patch on the inside center part, but I'll certainly look again tomorrow morning.

And my car has been running perfectly all along...(knocking on wood)... no loss of power, no rough idle, no stalling. Even my air conditioner blows nice and cold. I'll keep my fingers crossed she stays healthy until the recall service can be done!

If it was built in the year 2005, it is a Group 2 car. Built last year, it's a Group 1.

Regards the shifter shaking, there could be a number of causes. Re-flash req'd, new engine mounts, new spark plugs.....that particular car has a problem. Baby seat goes in easy. Search for posts by Takahashi.

Gomez.

Edit...firmware for Group two is available. No Group one car in dealers inventory can leave the lot until the recall work has been performed....and that won't happen this month.

how many miles on car???? had same problem it was reaccuring, the cel turns off at ~20 restarts. after about 4 times i took it to the dealer. needed a new o2 sensor. this was at ~ 22K miles all is fine now.

beers

Thanks for the quick response Gomez.

I didnt know too much about the issue until I got home... good to hear the shifter shake is related to the model I test drove and not all the models in general ( it had a good 10 k on it as it was ), although it wasnt a deal breaker either way.

I know this is unfair to ask, but I never thought to see when the car was built. If it was new on the lot, as of a few weeks back ( delivery wise ), what are the probrability of it being a 2005 car? Plus, ifs its a 2005 car, should it be released fairly quickly?

Thanks,
mike

i had a cel that wouldn't go away..the dealership sadi i had to tighten the gas cap....well 6 months and 12 trips to the dealership later they tell me teh whoel evap system needs to be replaced....hmm yea guess it wasn't the gas cap...morons...oh well tha twas a while ago..and at a really bad dealership. hopfully you wont' hav eto go through the head ache i did. knock on wood.

Same here. Baby seat is a breeze. Just be warned that some fit better than others. There's a thread here somewere about which brands/models fit best. My wife took our 2-week old daughter to the doctor earlier and the seat only takes a couple of seconds to put-in/take-out.

baby seat is no problem...took a freind of my gf's baby on a lill trp and it hooked righ tin and baby had a blast :D

Just turned 12,000 miles today. Do you know what the trouble code was for your CEL? Mine was P0456 -- a very small evap. system leak, not an O2 sensor.

However, the O2 sensors are among the parts that are apparently affected by the excessive heat buildup issue.

Call the dealer and ask...that's the quickest way to find when it was built. Dealers have a stock of 2004 build cars on the lot, it could very well be built in 2004. If it's a 2005 BUILD car....the recall can be completed in an hour. Easily.

^hehe watch out for those small leaks...they can get baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

either that or the dealership's tech's were really just a buncha monkeys who flinged poo at eachother all day.

i think it's the latter :D

dont have the code, but i know the tech and he is very good. i do all my own mantaince and there are no signs of overheating under my car.

beers

Thanks for the reassurance, what is the easiest way to get the work done since it isn't "official" yet? Is there anything to print off that will assure the flash is done? I know I can go to safercar.gov and get the recall info, but it says it will start in August. Any tips for when I go into the dealer Wednesday

Here ya go:
Recall info

You are Group 2. It is official. Book your car in and the re-flash and recall inspection will be done. Massive dealer fines are liable if they don't re-flash it. George Bush is watching them..... :)

hehe adn they sure don't want "the man" coming down on them.