Hi everyone, im new to Mazda. i have a 2000 milly S just bought it a couple of weeks ago. I am haveing an issue with the car running rough. then it will run great. when it runs rough it is like it dosent want to go anywhere no pickup at all i have to hammer on the gas just to get it to go anywhere. and the car shakes and knocks when im stopped at idle. when it runs good it runs great. i never know when its going to run good or not it just happens. any adviced would be helpfull thanks in advanced.

 

is the ce lite on, or is it flashing? if so, what codes are there?

 

No lights are on CE isnt on.

 

ooo. next question, when you turn on the ignition, but not start, does the ce lite come on with all the other dash lites?

 

No no light ouch this is a bad thing. guess i will be hooking that back up.

 

it is illegal to deactivate the check engine lite/circuit. you should call the person/dealer who sold you the car, and tell them that you are going to report it to the authorities. it is a felony. big fines, and jail time. you should also have the the codes scanned, and printed out if possible.

 

i would but i like the car and only payed 3300 for it and its in excelent condition body wise and inside. i will have the codes read. now if its going to cost to much to fix it i mite just do that. but for now do you have any ideas as to what would cause this? i was thinking possibly plugs or wires. i kinda of looked around under the hood and can not find the plugs or wires the setup isnt what im used to. i have a 65 mustang with a 306 cobra in it witch i rebuild myself so im pretty machincly inclined.

 

Mine is a 98 and after she received new plug, wires, etc., she is running beautiful!

 

the 2.3(S) has the miller cycle motor. WAY different from the 2.5. the coil on plug(cop) system is a bear to service. i think you have at least 1 bad coil, they cost about 177 each, and there are 6 of them. also, the plugs need to be changed every 60k, and if you pay someone to do them, sometimes they dont do the rear bank, because it is such a pita to get at them. if the ce lite has been disconnected, you probably have random missfire at the very least. if the ce lite is on steady, you can still drive the car, but it is warning you. if the ce lite is flashing, that means do not drive the car, you might damage it further. random misfire will usually set the ce lite flashing. if the coil(s)/plugs are bad, and you keep driving it, ESPECIALLY if you are flooring it trying to "drive thru" the missfire, you will damage the pre cats. the rear cat costs about 416, the front cat about 775. they are also fairly labor intensive to change out. you will also have to change out the o2 sensors, there are 4 of them, about 200/ea.

to get to the coils/plugs, you have to remove the intercoolers. the front bank is very easy, maybe5 minutes. once the intercooler is off, you will see the coils. 2 bolts hold on each coil, unplug the connector, pull the coil off, and the plugs are right there. take about 30 minutes total. the rear bank is labor intensive, because clearance is really tight, and you have to remove so much stuff. egr valve, the solenoid pack, and, for me, to get to the last(#5) coil/plug, i remove the rear intercooler. BUT, to get the rear intercooler off, you have to remove the battery, which means removing a lot more stuff. take about 2 hours, and you need some extensions/universals to get at the coils/plugs. there will be oil in the plug wells, which can cause the misfire, and/or destroy the coil. if you dont have a scanner to tell you which cylinder is bad, you are in for a very long day. because you will have to do it all over again. some of the aftermarket stores, like autozone, will read out the codes for free. then at least you can have parts ready to change out, and only do the job once. dont cheap out and get buttco plugs, like iridium. pay attention to the plug gap, this is a FI motor, the gap is much smaller(.28-.32), and most aftermarket stores will try to sell you 1.1mm gap plugs. get the wrong plugs, you get to do the job all over again. iirc, factory plugs are about 16/ea.

since we have 2 99s', i have acquired some special tools and parts, because i will probably have to do each job twice. i have already replaced all the coils on one car, and the plugs on both. i have also done the rear exh manifold on one car, along with oxygen sensors. axles were done on both cars at about 60k. seat heaters, brakes, some misc suspension parts. fuel filter is another fun job.

 

Ok here is where i am now. i read the codes said P0105 P1526 P0301 so i changed all the plugs and moved all the coils on the rear to the front. reset the codes. now im only getting the P1526 and the car is still doing the same. only not throwing any cilinder codes. any suggestions?
(note) car only knocks and runs rough in all but Park a small amount in neutral