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Good Morning,
My Mazda 3 S Touring 2.3L 4-door sedan (automatic) Year: 2008
NO CEL, but it had a stored P0126.
That said, 1) the engine properly comes up to temperature and 2) does NOT overheat.
From what I read, it might be smart to change the thermostat and possibly the temperature sender (in addition to the coolant, obviously) to address this code…
That said, the car has 87,000 and the coolant was changed at 60,000 with Mazda’s FL22 pre-mix (120,000 Coolant)… Of course, this was done as preventative maintenance in an attempt to prevent something just like this… :woohoo:
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Regardless, being I have NEVER had any trouble with that car, and the thermostat is hard to get to (under the belt tension-er), I just reset the code in hopes it won’t re-occur. Obviously, it it blows another P0126 (or similar), I am going to have to assume it is not a fluke and fix it.
That said, I have one problem.
The EV Monitor will NOT become Ready. It stays incomplete per my Innova scan tool.
I have tried several different drive tests, including from cold, different speeds, stop/go, freeway driving, etc. Different fuel tank levels… This includes cold starts, idling it at 3500 RPM to warm it up for about 200 seconds, idling for a half hour, blasting off like a rocket full-throttle, gentle acceleration, driving at 5-20 mph, gently stops to simulate city driving…
I CANNOT get the EVAP Monitor to go “READY” Before clearing the P0126, it was NOT ready, either, and I drove the car 2,600 miles across country!
What I want is either A) the Car to bring all monitors to READY with no codes or B) Blow a code, so I can fix the problem, reset the DTC and drive until condition A is met.
Any way to force the monitor to the EV monitor to do whatever tests it needs to do to enter a ready state?
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Especially if you are in an inspection state, your car is basally unregisterable until it gets’s fixed. And the fact the dealer is saying “sorry” sucks big time.
Later tonight I will do some more thinking and see what I can think of. I wish I could give you the answer, ugh, wish it was in my bay, I LOVE the challenge of an unrepairable car.
No, never got a new thermostat. Two dealers and myself think that code was a one-time fluke. It happened several months ago and has never re-currred. The coolant is good, there are no air bubbles, the temp sensor seems to be working okay, and the car IS getting up to temp without overheating.
Right now everyone thinks the T-Stat is fine. It’s measured temp was 181 F when hot.
Maybe a scan tool like this?
http://www.autoenginuity.com/products/scan-tool.html
You can even get the manufacture specific stuff here for Mazda
http://www.autoenginuity.com/products/oe-coverage-options/mazda-ei05.html
If yes, I am taking it out of CA back to SC around the end of this year.
You are more than welcome to stop by here on your way (wont even be too far out of the way) I do specialize in drive-ability repairs. And yeah Scannerdanner is my hero :kiss: , I found Eric by watching the Scannerdanner/Eric the car guy mashup repair videos. My wife laughs because at night she curls up with a good book and I curl up with a good technical manual 😆
What is ironically funny is when I was 11 my dad decided it was time for me to learn to repair…well, repair everything. He taught me how to weld and fabricate, how to fix cars and had me help him restore his 40’s Chevy truck. And I HATED it, I did not want to fix things and I used to complain that there was no way I would ever do such low-brow work for a living.
Fast forward to the end of high school and I join the military to become a turbine engine repair technician and from that moment on I was in love with machines. Now I could not even fathom doing anything else. I learned that machining and repairing cars was anything, but low-brow, these days if you don’t understand physics, electronics, chemistry and mechanical theory you just are not going to make it as a tech.
I feel a little strange offering this suggestion in a DIY fix it forum but I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago. I stuck to it and eventually fixed the problem but then I otherwise really loved the car. If I hadn’t had this car romance going on I think I would have quickly found the car a new owner in a state without vehicle inspection.
– Register the car in a kinder inspection state than CA and risk it / plead ignorance if caught
– Dedicate yourself to harassing Mazda USA or w/e
– The vehicle has an unfortunate accident
– Find a totaled vehicle that’s comparable and go crazy swapping parts
– Unload the car either for a loss or not being entirely honest about it. I might not feel bad if it’s in a non-OBD inspection area.
– Spend possibly a ridiculous amount of time and money having somebody top notch go thru the entire systemI’ve tried all of those one time or another except the last one / in that order. None of them are pretty….
In my case I had to wait until amateurs completely decompiled the ECU programming and had created software that made it viewable. Then people proceeded to discover what the various tables and settings did. Eventually the fix for my problem was discovered.
Meanwhile, the maker of the car offered two software updates that did nothing. After that crickets. The maker knew the real fix, it didn’t occur in later years of this same model. I assume it would have been expensive to retrofit existing models.
[quote=”NETWizz” post=82809]Fair enough, but isn’t it a different process with a pressurized Radiator system that doesn’t have a fill cap on the radiator?
Also, I cannot find a coolant bleed screw on my Mazda 3.
Next question is what type of Scan tool can force the monitor to run?[/quote]
Yes, indeed there is. BTW, squeezing the lines is not a valid test for air in the system. This video shows how to bleed that type of system at the end of the video. Also, the bleeder valve is just there to make filling the system easier, it’s not there to bleed the cooling system.
Great News,
EVAP finally passed of its own volition.
Here is what I had done:
1. PCM replaced and flashed with original flash. (Still didn’t work)…
2. Went back and had a PCM Calibration (which means re-flashed again)… This time with a MUCH newer flash image, which the dealer said, “we don’t know what it does” :sick:
3. All the monitors went down and came back except EVAP… Maybe just an incomplete drive-cycle.
4. Added silicone lube (brake lube to the gas cap gasket) and cleaned tank filler…Filled gas tank to full and drove from Fallbrook, CA to Desert Hot Springs, CA and stayed with my sister through Christmas… She lives up in the mountains where it is dry and the elevation is high and there are windmills…
Regardless I tested it this morning and ALL Monitors passed!!! banana:
Took it in and it passed Smog!!! :woohoo:
Okay, so what really fixed it?
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