[tango]

I just ordered a pair of D2S bulbs for the low-beam headlight. The left one on the car is not illuminating so I'm going to change the bulb first. I seriously hope that the ballast isn't at fault, though. Thanks to this site for giving me the part number.

 

[tango]

I just ordered a pair of D2S bulbs for the low-beam headlight. The left one on the car is not illuminating so I'm going to change the bulb first. I seriously hope that the ballast isn't at fault, though. Thanks to this site for giving me the part number.

Yesterday I finally got a chance to have a look at the bulb and lo and behold, the bulb was not blown. My wife had an accident last year and the headlamp was replaced. It seems as if the guys who replaced the headlight did not properly fit the control module to the bulb. I found the control module practically bouncing around inside the headlamp housing. It has to be pushed on and turned clockwise to be properly fitted and chances are those guys didn't carry out the turning part. I'm keeping the bulbs I ordered though. They're some cheap stuff and would probably not last long, but a cheap bulb could save me a ticket that costs way way more.

 

[tango]

I did an oil change and rotated the tyres today, at 128,949 miles.

Oil: SuperTech 0W-20 High Mileage 10,000 Mile

Filter: Fram Extra Guard PH3614

Rotation:

 

[tango]

I'm not following that rotation scheme. I was told that I have directional tires so I should only do a "front and rear" and not the "cross" rotation.

The stock tires that came with my car is Bridgestone Turanza and it has more than 60,000 km since December of 2017.

I rotate the tires every 10,000 km.

The original equipment tyres on my car are asymmetrical non-directional, and I've replaced them with the same. The sidewalls of asymmetrical non-directional tyres will have the word "OUTSIDE"on the outside wall of the tyre. This is because they will have different patterns on the inside and outside of the tread.

I've gotten into the habit now of rotating them with each oil change, every 5,000 miles (8,000 kms).

 

[tango]

I went out on the road this morning and after a few minutes I got a CEL. When I got back home I checked my little generic code reader and it said I had a P013B (O2 Sensor Slow Response - Lean to Rich). I didn't check ForScan because after I cleared the code and took it for a short drive it didn't return.

Symptoms of this code may include:

1. Lowered fuel efficiency - I've noticed a drop in economy recently, to the tune of about 3-5 mpg at a steady 75mph.
2. A general lack engine performance - Can't say I've seen this, to be honest.
3. Other related diagnostic trouble codes may also be stored - Haven't seen any.
4. Service engine soon lamp illumination - That's what got me here.

Potential causes for this code to set are:

1. Defective O2 sensor(s) - Possibly.
2. Burnt, broken, or disconnected wiring and/or connectors - Hmmm...not sure about that.
3. Defective catalytic converter - Dear Lord, I hope not...
4. Engine exhaust leaks - Doubt it...haven't heard any strange new sounds to that effect.

Anyway, I'm going to keep monitoring the situation.

 

[tango]

Oil and filter change with tyre rotation. Current mileage: 133,124 miles. The rotation was not done to spec, but just with a simple fore and aft technique.

Oil: Supertech 0W20 20,000 Mile Advanced Fully Synthetic. I went for this instead of the regular 10,000 mile stuff even though I still plan to do the oil change at 5,000 miles. For some reason, these usually retail in Walmart for $26.48 but my local store had them for $19.98. The 10,000 mile stuff was going for $19.68. $0.30 difference for hopefully a little better protection.

Filter: Fram Extra Guard PH3614.

Tomorrow I get to do this all over again tomorrow with my wife's Camry. I'm not really looking forward to it because the last time I did, I couldn't get the stupid cartridge filter out. The cover was being difficult and I didn't want to break it. But I have resigned myself to doing just that tomorrow, whether with a breaker bar (first choice), an impact wrench (second choice), or a damn 4 pound dead-blow hammer (distant third choice). I also want to change the valve cover gaskets. Wish me luck.

UPDATE:
So the breaker bar didn't work, so I had to resort to the impact wrench. That did the trick. I actually watched a video from 1A Auto and they had difficulty with that setup as well. Dumbass design. I also changed the valve cover gasket. That was another debacle. Then, to add insult to injury, Karen and Cynthia reigned supreme. Yep. HOA rolled up in their golf cart and handed me a warning letter. Remember this is my wife's Camry. Mazda6 is far better designed in every way. Let's give thanks for that, shall we...

 

[tango]

I finally replaced the two blown Bose door speakers (part# GS1G-66-960B). As per usual, I did a video. I'm planning to do my brakes (rotors and pads) and maybe the downstream O2 sensor on Saturday, March 26. I have some tie-rod ends to replace as well, but we'll see. Videos will be made!

 

[tango]

Okay, as I mentioned earlier, I replaced the following at 137,555 miles:

2 front brake disc (Bendix PRT5668, rockauto.com, $39.79)
Set of front brake pads (Bendix CFC1164, rockauto.com, $32.79)
2 rear brake discs (Wagner BD125611E, rockauto.com, $57.58)
Set of rear pads (Bendix CFC1161, rockauto.com, $22.79)
Downstream oxygen sensor (NTK 22129, rockauto.com, $63.79)

I promised to do some videos, but I decided not to. The first reason is that my HOA is on my ass about working on the car and so I don't really have a convenient place to work. I found an empty parking lot nearby, but it's only a matter of time before somebody chases me out of there. It's a lot of working hauling my crap back and forth as well. Filming really takes up a lot of time and I really wanted to be in and out of that parking lot as quickly as possible, and I also had an errand to run at noon. As luck would have it, I had to stop working to run that errand and then continued afterwards.

Some comments:

Front discs/pads: Mazda needs to never ever make anti-rattle hardware like this again. Why in the name of all things good and gracious did they not make the parts out of a single damn piece of steel?!? This damn thing has 6 pieces of metal per side. Ridiculous. This caused me a good deal of delay as I tried to figure out what the heck I was looking at. I eventually figured it out. The separator tool made it a snap.

Rear discs/pads: A much better, simpler design, but, without the separator tool, it would have been impossible to change the pads.

I really wanted to get all the same brand for all the discs and pads, but as luck would have it, I couldn't get all I wanted at the time, so I just did the best I could. They all felt like quality pieces, so I'm satisfied thus far. I did notice one of my front right sliding pins was very very dry and I had to do some fighting to get it out to grease it. In case you're wondering, I used Sil-Glyde.

Oxygen sensor: The NTK 22129 is the original equipment item. Take my word of advice and never, ever, buy anything else. Every single clip that the original sensor has, the replacement has too, and comes pre-lubricated with anti-seize. It's even wrapped with the same green insulation material. I had bought an O2 tool and a 3/8 breaker bar at Harbor Freight, but neither was convenient. I just couldn't position them properly in order to get a good turn. In the end, I just grabbed my 22mm wrench, and in less than 2 seconds, the sensor was free. Zero hassle.

I tried to change the tie rod ends as well, but as hard as I was hitting those knuckles with that 4-lb dead blow hammer, neither would budge. So I'm going to tackle it again, but this time with a proper tie rod end puller tool. But that's a task for another day.

I also noticed that my right rear shock absorber is sweating. I'll get to that in a little while. Needless to say, I will be ordering a set of KYBs from rockauto.com when that time comes.

As for the videos...we'll see.

 

[tango]

What?!? That's the colloquial term for the battery?

LOL. Not really...that's the colloquial term for anything that weighs too much and slows or hinders things.

 

[tango]

Not a 6, but, finally installed the Anti Gravity ATX20 today and am glad to report there is more than enough room to sit another one right next to it when I get a second one. I need to cut down the comically long hold down hooks, I took a m6x1.0 die and threaded them all the way down so I wouldn't have to source something new. Picking that thing up out of the box, you'd swear it's fake and empty (the stocker will break your back), but my voltmeter says 13.0 right here and the stock battery was floating around 12 if I didn't bump it with the Battery Tender over night once in a while. Over all, it wasn't as hard as I thought. I had some m6x35mm set screws that I used to make studs so I could secure those to the battery and not have to dick with screws and block nuts if I had disconnect it for any reason. I was able to remove the fusible link set from the positive cable end, but had to cut the loop on the negative side, which worked out perfectly as I didn't want to make new cables or crimp a new lug on it right now. Turns out the main cables are already 4ga, but I'll still do the Big 3 later on when I do the second battery.

View attachment 245765

I got tired of my Nokia 8.3 charging slow in the car, so I tried a Y cable to see if it could combine the older 2.4A sockets together, but it didn't. So I got a QC3.0 socket and it rapid charges now. You can actually turn it off with that touch button. 2 USB type A and one type C. Not really a fan of the blue, but it's in my center console and the lid is always closed, so, no biggie.
View attachment 245766

I believe this is the first time I'm seeing anybody convert from conventional lead-acid to lithium ion for their cars. You know, now that I think about it, I'm wondering if anybody makes a direct fit alternative. You know, a lithium ion battery that looks like a conventional battery without have to modify anything.

 

[tango]

Hit a tire on the highway. Wasn’t a fun time.

Also, who is a admin here? My build thread is missing and I can’t find it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry that happened to the ride. It's a tragedy.

 

[tango]

Finally hit 1k subscribers on YouTube!!

https://youtube.com/c/DariusBuildz

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations! I've been trying to get there for a long time. Unfortunately, the 2G like mine is just not that popular. The 3G is another issue entirely. Glad to see you hit that mark!

 

[tango]

Thanks for the advice, brother. I've been at this for a number of years. I started with my motorcycle and a number of my subscribers were from those long-ago videos (mostly from India). I can't be as consistent as I like because, let's be honest, these cars are pretty reliable and the things that have needed rectifying I've done videos on them...well...most of them. I lack a good place to do my videos now, so that's another issue.

Anyway, my channel is here.

Thanks for the support.

 

[tango]

I think I long since gave up on hitting that 1000 mark. At least, via the way I'm doing it. I have some other ideas that I think would be far better, but again, I have no space to work. Maybe in the future if I relocate I can get the ball rolling. But for now, I enjoy shooting and editing (especially the latter) the few times that I can.

I’m your 801 Sub

Thanks a lot. I see it now!

 

[tango]

At 148,111 miles, I changed the engine oil (5 quarts):

oil filter:

transmission fluid (3 quarts):

and the air filter:

I went with the Mobile 1 oil this time instead of the usual Walmart brand Super Tech because I just couldn't find it at the two stores closest to me. I have no problem with Mobil 1 (can't say the same for Castrol) sp I just went with that.

I'm a fan of Fram oil filters because of the rubber grips, I must say. I know there is debate about the quality, but I'm fine with the brand.

The transmission was fairly warm when I drained the fluid so I'm reasonably sure that's why I only got 3 quarts instead of the usual 3.5 or so. This why we drain, measure, and then refill. You will notice that I went with the Idemitsu brand this time around. That's the OEM for Mazda M5 transmission fluid, so I can't go wrong. Last time I used the Beck-Arnley brand. When I drained the fluid it was reasonably dark, but it didn't smell burnt.

The air cleaner was changed, not because it was particularly dirty, but it's been a while.

What I've noticed after I drove off for the first time was the following: I had a slight shudder while accelerating past 20mph before the fluid change, but now it's smoothed out. Weird. Could this be from the trans fluid, the air filter, or the oil change? A rhetorical question, of course, but all the same, interesting stuff.