Can someone please tell me what this reservoir under the washer fluid reservoir is for? Thanks! (gsl-se)

 

I pretty sure thats for the cold start assist mechanism. It takes antifreeze to fill it. If you have the stock nikki and fully functioning rats nest then it's probably working if t he temp sensor for it is still good.

 

There was a TSB that says to just unplug it. It doesn't really help.

 

As stated, its the reswrvoir for the sub zero starting assist. The mixtures was 90% antifreeze and 10% water. The mixture was injected into the carburetor when given the signal to do so from the oil temp sender located in the oil pan on the left side. I keep mine in place because I prefer the originality but unless you are cold starting and driving in below freezing temperatures, its useless.

 

Thank guys. I've had the car for 6 years and I had no idea! Lol. Currently in the process of deleting some things to make more space in the engine bay. I don't drive the car in winter ad the car is very low on rust. This will probably be on the chop block.

 

Since this is on a GSL-SE, if you choose to remove the Sub-zero Start Assist system reservoir, you'll notice that it has a washer-type pump mounted on the bottom which would be activated electrically in sub-zero temperatures. This rubber line goes to the Lower Intake Manifold where there exists a plate on the aluminum housing that routes the antifreeze mixture into the intake path for the primary intakes (*fuel injector path). You'll want to block that hose line connection or you'll have a minor vacuum leak afterward which can cause an erratic idle.

As the others have stated, this system was devised by Mazda for extremely cold climate conditions that rarely exist, and a TSB was created for stealerships to disconnect the power to the pump motor to deactivate the system, as it was marginally functional. The concept was that an extremely cold engine won't build compression without help, and spraying an ounce or two of antifreeze into the intake was just enough extra sealing for the engine to build compression and start. Additionally, the antifreeze mix would be easily burned in the exhaust, wouldn't damage oil control rings or water jacket seals, and was cheap for owners to add on their own. Good idea, but poor execution in real-world scenarios. In fact, few of us at this point drive our cars on anything other than bright, sunny days.

 

Interesting...I always thought that ethylene glycol was there to help ignition somehow (like the water vapor systems that BIG OIL doesn't want us to know about).

I love that its actual purpose is to temporarily gum up the seals a bit