JONSKI

I want to keep this organized and to-the-point. I might just be paranoid, but please give me piece of mind. It will help me sleep at night.

concern:
I hear a jingling sound coming from the right side of the car when I have the window down. I can only hear it when I drive along side something sound reflective like a high curb or a gaurd rail. It sounds like a bunch of washers rattling on a metal rod. Caused by car vibrations like rough roads, road cracks, and bridge seams. I think something is loose. It's been like this since I got the car 800 miles ago.

concern:
Occasional grinding noise coming from the rear of the car when backing up while turning. I think it's the differential, but I could be mistaken. This morning when I was taking off to do some errands (cold start) I turned the wheel all the way to the left and moved 180 degrees around. About 10 yards after I straighted out and started pulling away I heard the grinding noise. This is the first time I've heard it while moving forward. How do I check my differential fluid?

concern:
After driving my car for ten minutes or more I smell fuel under the hood. It's not faint at all, but I don't see fuel on the ground, nor can see any wet spots around the intake manifold area. Am I blind? I am very concerned about this. It's been like this since I got it.

concern:
Sludge in overflow tank. It looks just like s***! From what I've read in the forum, this is normal. Will flushing the radiator clear this stuff out? How soon will this become a problem (if ever)? My temps seems normal, but I'm using the stock temp gauge.

I've got some more concerns, but these are my biggest worries.

-Jon

Brad

#3 should be #1 on the list...check this page out... http://www.mazdatrix.com/c-pulsation.htm

They say it is most common for the pulsation damper to go out on a 86-88 NA...but it CAN happen on later models. You DONT want to be driving your car with a leaky pulsation damper. Not unless you like FD BBQ...

Sludge in the overflow tank isn't necessarily normal. The sludge is probably some sort of radiator stop leak...something like BARRS, which means your radiator has/had a leak.

How mechanically inclined are you? Do you have the tools available to work on your own car? Do you have a shop manual? I'd recommend checking all underhood fuel lines, the pulsation damper, the fpr, and all the injector o-rings and insulators for leaks/defects. Also, changing the radiator out isnt too difficult, as well as changing the diff fluid.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the dampers fail more on the fd's than any other 7

mike

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Could be the heat shield. For some reason, just about every mechanic seems to bend them or knock them loose...

First thing, get a fire extinsher. If something does catch on fire, the fire department won't get there before the car is destroyed.

Can you smell the fuel with the car just idling or does it only happen when you are accelerating?

See if you can smell fuel under the elbow...

Definitely get the coolant flushed, but some dirt seems to always find it's way into there. I get mine flushed once a year (right after the winter is over).

SanJoRX7

As far as your diff goes, just jack the car up, put it on stands and unscrew the filler plug on the diff. It's really easy to do...once the plug is out, you can stick your finger or a screwdriver (careful of the threads...they might have some sharp metal on them) to verify the fluid level. It should be reachable with the car on jackstands, and it shouldn't be too foul looking. If you've never changed it yourself, and you don't know when it was last changed, go ahead and plan to do it. Get some Redline 75w30 or whatever brand you like and have a pump handy (usually can find them at the autoparts stores pretty inexpensively) because you'll never be able to get a bottle into the right position to fill the diff up.

You might think about doing the tranny fluid while you're under there. It's pretty simple to do if you have that pump.

wasabi

I suspect your "jingling sound" may be from one or more of the ball bearings in the suspension. Mine did the same before it started "clunking" which is the clear signal...
-MP

JONSKI

I first want to thank you all for your replies. OK, on to buisness. Bust out the Ritalin, it's a dusey.


I forgot to say that it only happens sometimes. I usually drive my car gently (little or no boosting) and I won't smell any fuel after I drive only a small distance, longer distances (10 miles+) and driving while boosting will surely give me a fuel smell. I can only smell it after I've gotten out of the car. I can't smell fuel while driving with the windows down. What about my secondaries? I have no mechanical experience, but I swear that I'm a fast learner. My father owns a canvas and awning buisness and I have access to a wide assortment of tools and machines, including a 3000psi air compressor and argon spool and tig welder. I don't have a pair of jackstands, however. Are there any proprietary stands or should I go find myself some soft blocks of wood? I don't have a shop manual, yet. Where's the best place to get one? What about the Mazda Service Manual (the one issued to the Mazda service centers), is this the same thing? I'm still a beginner, though, and I doubt that fixing the FPD is for me. I should probably have Sport Compact Performance do it. Any idea on how much it will cost? Is that a recall item? If it is, then I'm pretty sure it's already been "fixed".


I don't imagine a loose heatshield will be a problem, right? Could a beginner fix it? It sounds more like nuts and washers are loose.
I will hopefully pick up an extinguisher tomorrow when I go to get some ATF and oil. Good idea.
I can only smell fuel when I'm outside of the car. I can also smell fuel if I open the door, but I can't smell fuel with just the windows down. Perhaps when the car is cool I could poke around with my finger and find some wet spots. Remember, I pre-mix nearly every tank. Right now I'm using Pennzoil marine grade TC-W3 fossil oil.
Can a beginner flush the coolant. Sounds easy. Just pick up 10 gallons or so of distilled water at the supermarket. Drain the radiator. Refill with distilled water and repeat a few times. Then add anti-freeze. Does 50/50 sound good for Florida? Yeah, I'm a total newbie at this stuff, but I've gotta start somewhere, and I know starting is often the hardest part (and sometimes stopping is hard, too ).


I need a pair of jackstands first. What stores have them? Any "special" pairs I should consider? I don't want to break either my bank or my car. Only I can heal . Can I just syphen (sp) the fluid or is it too thick (or will diff. fluid kill me the second it gets in my mouth)?


Bushings ? Yeah, I'm a newbie.


Thanks again for your time and knowledge.

-Jon

luneytune

If you smell fuel at high load or boost, it could indicate that the secondary injector(s) could be leaking at their o rings. The secondaries are only active above 4500rpm.

kundo

so is the sludge in the overflow tank normal 'cuse I have that to and I always thought it was oil. Scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it, but if you guys say it is just dirt i'll just flush it out.

P'cola FD

Jonski, any auto parts store will have some jackstands. You can use cinder blocks, but I personally, wouldn't feel safe underneath those, after seeing how easily they break.
The fuel pulsation dampner was not a recall item, and commonly leaks. If you want to do the silicone hose job, then you could findout what's leaking when you have the UIM off, but you should probably just pay someone to do, for the safety of your car and you.
You have the coolant flush right, but I would go with 70%water and 30% coolant with a bottle of redline water wetter in there as well.
For the differential, to drain it you take out the drain plug, but to refill it you will either need a little pump, or a long hose to get the bottle positioned well over the diff to get it filled. Hope that helps.

JONSKI

Thanks again.
I went shopping yesterday and bought some ATF, Marvel's Mystery Oil, Armor-All car wash , and a DOT approved BC dry chemical fire extinguisher. BTW, has anyone tried Rain-X car wax? Where do you suppose the best place to install the fire extinguisher is? I figured the passenger side near the knees and closest to the driver. After all, the passenger is sitting shotgun, right? I figure it would be out of the way of my legs and still be quickly accessible to me. I'm planning on installing it Sunday, so if you have any installation or placement suggestions please post them before then. The ATF that I purchased is DEXRON III. The owner's manual says to use DEXRON II for power steering fluid, but True Value didn't have any. Will the stuff I bought be OK for use as power steering fluid ? When the car is off or idling the fluid level is about a quarter inch below "MIN", so I figure I should go ahead and fill it to "MAX". Should the car be running or off when refilling power steering fluid?

An update on the fuel smell:
The past two days I have been keeping the car under 3Krpm and I have not smelled any fuel, even when I sniff under the hood when the car is still hot. Now, I am even more convinced that the it's one or both of the secondaries that are leaking. Any other thoughts?

-Jon