2006 Mazda5 lost all oil, where?

[gunn]

My wife drives a 2006 Mazda5 with 57K miles that recently had engine failure (2nd cylinder) due to lack of oil. The oil had been changed in the last 4K miles, no oil light or engine light came on until the cyclinder was shot. No puddles of oil, no weird smell, no black smoke. Does anyone know where the oil may have gone?

[KBrian]

Only two possibilities that don't include foul play: out the tailpipe or on the ground. Were there any checks at fill-ups during the last 4K?

[jimp]

only mazda vehicle I am aware of with those symptoms is/was the V6 engine in the Mazda 6, the pcv would clog up, and then boom if IRC. check out the 6 forums for issues.

[flcruising]

Does your '06 have the 60k powertrain warranty?

There's no way you'll lose 3+ quarts with no sign of it - blue smoke out the tailpipe or drops on the driveway.

[Jetmech]

Too many unknown variables here.

1. Who did the last oil change?
2. Did they put enough in?
3. Was it a slow leak that only appeared while the engine was going?


I find the Mazda 5 really hard to get a good reading on when I change the oil myself. The last time I changed the oil I pinched the gasket on the cover and the eng held oil ok but under pressure (eng running) it would leak.

[gunn]

We're assuming the oil change facility put enough oil in when they did the change. No way to prove it one way or the other now. Our manufactures warrenty expired at 50K and 4 months ago. We're now fighting with the Extended warrenty company to cover the cost of a replacement engine. Unfortunately they want a cause of why there was no oil in the engine. The Mazda dealer called the Mazda tech-line and both say the don't know where the oil may have gone. Baring a $2K taredown I don't know where else to look. Does anyone know why the oil-indicator wouldn't have registered a change in oil pressure if there was no oil in the engine?

[flcruising]

I take it you don't check your oil between changes? This is precisely why I perform my own maintenance and check it weekly.

If the dealer can't prove that negligence caused the problem, then what leg do they have to stand on? The burden of proof is on them. If there is no external sign of oil, then you may have some defending to do. If it's going out the tail pipe, there will be oil evidence inside the exhaust too. And regardless of whether it leaked when running or sitting, there will still be oil on the undercarriage and drops on the driveway.

If the dealer is unhelpful, maybe you should call the last place who did the last change and see what they have to say.

Edit - The 'oil indicator' is nothing more than a low/no oil pressure indicator. Usually when that illuminates, the damage is done. As long as the sump was still submerged, your pressure may have been fine. If you were driving around multiple quarts low for that whole 4k miles, the protection that little oil was providing may have accellerated the breakdown of it's lubricative properties and that's what caused the ultimate demise of cylinder 2. That's my $.02.

[gunn]

Thanks flcuising, insightful comments.

[pw~mp5]

If there are no signs of oil loss, I would say that the last time the oil was changed the proper amount of oil was not put back in. I have read horror stories about this happening at Walmart automotive service centers.

[skyhawk]

If there are no signs of oil loss, I would say that the last time the oil was changed the proper amount of oil was not put back in. I have read horror stories about this happening at Walmart automotive service centers.

One has to be careful also with the mazda5 oil dip stick. Several times when I check it, I see oil well above the 'full mark'. I wipe it and
dipt it back several times.. eventually I will get the actual oil level which is in the 'full' marker. Dip stick I think is touching a surface along
the tube that has oil in it, giving a false reading.

[mazdadude]

Sorry to hear about your problem. Have you tried bringing this complaint to the oil change facility? There might have been a disgruntled employee leaving oil out.