Cooling system

J

jack z

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2014 CX-5
2017 CX 5 GT 6K miles washed the car checked the oil very hard to tell the oil mark.This is my second Cx had a 14 same engine. Had oil way up the stick and high on one side and lower on other. I tried about 5 times. Not easy and
I've been checking over 60 yrs so I have some practice. BUT the other thing is I touched the cooling system and it's very loose about 1-2 inches of play in the radiator and also everything that is part of the system. My question is that normal to have that much movement or should it be tight. Please let me know your thoughts . Thank you . jz.
 
Well all I can lay claim to is about 55 years of checking oil, but I'll bet if you let the car sit overnight on level ground you'll get a perfectly readable stick in the morning. As for the cooling system, they are shock mounted these days (and have been for quite some time(wink)), so nothing to worry about there.
 
jack z said:
2017 CX 5 GT 6K miles washed the car checked the oil very hard to tell the oil mark.This is my second Cx had a 14 same engine. Had oil way up the stick and high on one side and lower on other. I tried about 5 times. Not easy and
I've been checking over 60 yrs so I have some practice. BUT the other thing is I touched the cooling system and it's very loose about 1-2 inches of play in the radiator and also everything that is part of the system. My question is that normal to have that much movement or should it be tight. Please let me know your thoughts . Thank you . jz.
Click to expand...
At 6K miles, have you changed factory oil yet? Watery 0W-20 oil sometimes is hard to read on dipstick. Level of ground will affect the reading too for every car. Just do what paris1 said check your engine oil the first thing in the morning before you start the engine that's the best way to check oil level.

Radiator usually is loosely mounted, nothing to worry about. Make sure to check your coolant level as it normally would be low from factory.
 
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jack z said:
2017 CX 5 GT 6K miles washed the car checked the oil very hard to tell the oil mark.This is my second Cx had a 14 same engine. Had oil way up the stick and high on one side and lower on other. I tried about 5 times. Not easy and
I've been checking over 60 yrs so I have some practice. BUT the other thing is I touched the cooling system and it's very loose about 1-2 inches of play in the radiator and also everything that is part of the system. My question is that normal to have that much movement or should it be tight. Please let me know your thoughts . Thank you . jz.
Click to expand...

Yep I'm 76 now and drove a police car for 15 yrs and checked the oil myself at each shift to minimize problems. jz
 
Checked this AM oil is fine. My 04 chevy 2500 van is so easy to check anytime always easy to read. Thank you for the info. jz
 
Whaddaya mean don't check it cold?Guess I've been doing it wrong for over 50 years.Gives me a better reference than warm/hot expanded oil or with any oil still pooled in the engine.You actually believe the manual? HA! LOL
 
I waited 20 min and still was unable to read the stick. Oil was way up on one side of the stick and low on the other side. Very hard to tell the real reading and I tried about 4 times and not able to see a level that looked normal. CX great car bad oil stick. jz
 
jack z said:
I waited 20 min and still was unable to read the stick. Oil was way up on one side of the stick and low on the other side. Very hard to tell the real reading and I tried about 4 times and not able to see a level that looked normal. CX great car bad oil stick. jz
Click to expand...

Here are the Mazda CX-5 2.0/2.5 instructions for checking the oil level.

1.Be sure the vehicle is on a level surface.

2.Warm up the engine to normal operating temperature.

3.Turn it off and wait at least 5 minutes for the oil to return to the sump.

4.Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, and reinsert it fully.

5.Pull it out again and examine the level.
The level is normal if it is between the MIN and MAX marks.
If it is near or below MIN, add enough oil to bring the level to MAX.

6.Make sure the O-ring on the dipstick is positioned properly before reinserting the dipstick.

7.Reinsert the dipstick fully.
 
And that ^^^ will never assure you of getting as accurate a reading as checking a dead cold engine on level ground. Anyone who*s been around cars for any length of time knows that. I*m amazed Mazda would publish such tripe!
 
paris1 said:
And that ^^^ will never assure you of getting as accurate a reading as checking a dead cold engine on level ground. Anyone who*s been around cars for any length of time knows that. I*m amazed Mazda would publish such tripe!
Click to expand...

Interesting, been around them my lifetime too, and checking the oil while warm is what I have always been taught... Same with motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc...

If you were to bring the oil to the MAX mark when cold, it will be overfilled when hot.
 
mazdadude said:
Interesting, been around them my lifetime too, and checking the oil while warm is what I have always been taught... Same with motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc...

If you were to bring the oil to the MAX mark when cold, it will be overfilled when hot.
Click to expand...

+1, but I've only been checking oil for 42 years...relatively inexperienced I guess..
 
Thanks for all the info ? I also stopped at the Mazda dealer and checked another CX 5 and was happy to find the cooling system was very loose and moves quite a bit of motion so mine is normal. Now if I can use my chevy oil stick in the Mazda I can check the oil anytime and see the real level on the stick. HA HA jz.
 
Oil Level ⋯

mazdadude said:
Interesting, been around them my lifetime too, and checking the oil while warm is what I have always been taught... Same with motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc...

If you were to bring the oil to the MAX mark when cold, it will be overfilled when hot.
Click to expand...
Not necessary. Engine oil won't expand much at all due to heat like ATF. That't why we don't measure engine oil temperature when we take the oil level measurement but we do for ATF. The wait time mentioned in the owner's manual for engine oil level measurement after engine is shut off is to wait for the oil draining back to the oil pan to get more accurate measurement. As the result if we measure oil level the first thing in the morning when engine is cold, most oil has drained back to oil pan and we'll get a little higher level than taking the measurement when engine is warm. So your claim can't be true.

Taking oil level measurement the first thing in the morning not only is more accurate but also is very convenient as you don't even need to wipe the dipstick, as the oil level will be clearly shown on the mark at your first pull! :)

The manual has never said the oil has to be warm, but it only says "wait at least 5 minutes for the oil to return to the sump". Technically we can wait 10 hours to measure oil level in the morning which still follows the instructions.

So yes, I'm on the paris1 side, with many years of experience too ⋯ :)
 
yrwei52 said:
The manual has never said the oil has to be warm, but it only says "wait at least 5 minutes for the oil to return to the sump". Technically we can wait 10 hours to measure oil level in the morning which still follows the instructions.

So yes, I'm on the paris1 side, with many years of experience too * :)
Click to expand...

Re-Read the Mazda instructions... It says specifically to Warm the engine to operating temperature*

Searching the internet, and many other manufacturers operating manuals yields the same result, they all say to check the engine oil after warming up the engine and waiting ~5min.
 
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mazdadude said:
Re-Read the Mazda instructions... It says specifically to Warm the engine to operating temperature...
Click to expand...
Yeah, then "wait at least 5 minutes for the oil to return to the sump". Nowhere it says the engine oil has to be warm or at certain temperature like checking the ATF level.

Do the experiment for yourself. Measure oil level like you always do when engine is warm, then do it again the first thing in the morning, and see what I said is true or not.
 
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(scratch)
So why then do the instructions say to bring the engine up to operating temp>??

Why then would the instructions not just say to simply check oil before starting vehicle?

How would you ever be able to check your oil at the gas station, or the mechanics at the service station?
 
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Oil Level ⋯

mazdadude said:
(scratch)
So why then do the instructions say to bring the engine up to operating temp>??

Why then would the instructions not just say to simply check oil before starting vehicle?

How would you ever be able to check your oil at the gas station, or the mechanics at the service station?
Click to expand...
The manual on my Honda CR-V says check oil level at each fill-up, but be sure to wait a few minutes for oil to drain back to the oil pan.

Just go do the experiment. The oil level when cold should be (very) slightly higher than when engine is warm. Basically the instructions are emphasizing you have to wait a few minutes for oil to drain back after the engine is off to check the oil level. Then the difference on oil level between warm and cold engine won't be too much. But I like the way checking the oil level the first thing in the morning as I don't need to wipe the dipstick, and the oil level will be clearly shown on the mark at my first pull!

paris1 said:
And that ^^^ will never assure you of getting as accurate a reading as checking a dead cold engine on level ground. Anyone who*s been around cars for any length of time knows that. I*m amazed Mazda would publish such tripe!
Click to expand...
 
yrwei52 said:
But I like the way checking the oil level the first thing in the morning as I don't need to wipe the dipstick, and the oil level will be clearly shown on the mark at my first pull!
Click to expand...

I have to disagree with this method also. I don't think that you get a true reading from an unwiped dipstick.

I like your idea for the experiment and I will try it out to verify everything: Wiped vs Unwiped, Cold vs heated and wait for 5 min.

I love applying the scientific method. (drinks)
 
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As long as it's above half you should be fine...either way
 
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