Help a Med Student Dad of 3

[Docsted]

Hey Mazda 5ers,

I am a fourth year medical student about to start ophthalmic surgical training residency for four years. My wife and I have three kids under 4 years old and we have owned our 2010 Mazda 5 Touring for about 2 years now. We are a one car family, and I mostly commute on a bicycle to and from the hospital. We are starting to run into some problems (both new and old) and with close to $400K in student loans from med school and a large family, I am left trying to figure this all out on my own. We live in Northern Arizona and the stealership is terrible up here. Lousy service and even worse diagnostic and mechanical skills. I want to start doing my own repairs as much as possible because of their terrible abilities. I'm definitely a rookie when it comes to cars, but I'm a DIY type personality and would love the mentoring help from the experts on this forum.

Problem #1
From the day we bought our 5 there has been a front end noise that has been very mysterious. Stealer "can't find anything wrong". Bull. When I start the car and begin to drive I hear a "sliding" noise coming from the left front end that engages right around the gear shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The noise finishes and I can sort of feel a vibration of some sort in the gas pedal as I'm accelerating. This noise sometimes happens when turning incredibly sharp and accelerating at the same time. We have gone through several motor mounts (about 4-5 within the two years we have owned it) and have put on about 35K miles on it since ownership. I also had the tranny fluid changed when we bought it (noted to be dark at around 36K miles), and again just yesterday at 76K miles (again noted to be dark). There is definitely some play (delay from the time I press down on the pedal to when the car actually engages and speeds up, also clunking heard from the front end) in the drivetrain as I accelerate and especially going from a slow 1st gear. I have repeatedly asked them to look at the transmission and they said they did a "test" on it and everything checked out fine.

Problem #2
I also hear a squeak from the rear that I assume are bad sway bar bushings (I just replaced rear shocks three months ago).

Problem #3
Rear Brakes are at 1/32"

Problem #4
Power Steering fluid is dark

Problem #5
Engine Mounts are now bad again and need replacement (dealer wasn't sure which ones? Seriously thats what they told me...)

My goal is to try and fix Problems 2-5 and get to the bottom of #1 (not necessarily fix it). Can everyone pull it together for me and help me out. Links/tips/advice on how to do problems 2-5 would be greatly appreciated. I have a craftsman mechanics toolset and some jack stands. Anything else I can most likely find/purchase. Thanks guys. I'll be happy to return the favor one day when your eyes need it.

 

[Db84drteg]

Welcome to the site! Lots of good info here, using the search function and google will help you find a lot of info for problems and projects. Good luck with med school! It's rough, but totally worth it!

Rear brakes
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123823499-Mazda-5-Rear-Brake-Pad-Replacement

Engine mount locations/recommendations
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...n-(-4)-Motor-Mount-Experience-Recommendations

Problem #2
Try taking off the sway bar bushings, wrap the bar with white teflon tape (for water pipe threads) and see if that helps.

 

[Docsted]

Can anyone recommend an excellent pad/rotor brand? What about mounts? Should I go with eForce?


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[Db84drteg]

In my experience, any solid-face rotor (no slots or holes) works well for anything from everyday driving to light track use. I just bought Centric rotors from rockauto.com and paired them up with Hawk brake pads. I chose their hp+ pads, but the hps pads give decent bite and feel without the noise and dusting of the hp+ pads. I'd recommend Hawk HPS pads with any rotor with a fluid change. This is my recommendation and preference, but everybody has their brands they like.

 

[mazdadude]

Hey Mazda 5ers,

I am a fourth year medical student about to start ophthalmic surgical training residency for four years. My wife and I have three kids under 4 years old and we have owned our 2010 Mazda 5 Touring for about 2 years now. We are a one car family, and I mostly commute on a bicycle to and from the hospital. We are starting to run into some problems (both new and old) and with close to $400K in student loans from med school and a large family, I am left trying to figure this all out on my own. We live in Northern Arizona and the stealership is terrible up here. Lousy service and even worse diagnostic and mechanical skills. I want to start doing my own repairs as much as possible because of their terrible abilities. I'm definitely a rookie when it comes to cars, but I'm a DIY type personality and would love the mentoring help from the experts on this forum.

Problem #1
From the day we bought our 5 there has been a front end noise that has been very mysterious. Stealer "can't find anything wrong". Bull. When I start the car and begin to drive I hear a "sliding" noise coming from the left front end that engages right around the gear shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The noise finishes and I can sort of feel a vibration of some sort in the gas pedal as I'm accelerating. This noise sometimes happens when turning incredibly sharp and accelerating at the same time. We have gone through several motor mounts (about 4-5 within the two years we have owned it) and have put on about 35K miles on it since ownership. I also had the tranny fluid changed when we bought it (noted to be dark at around 36K miles), and again just yesterday at 76K miles (again noted to be dark). There is definitely some play (delay from the time I press down on the pedal to when the car actually engages and speeds up, also clunking heard from the front end) in the drivetrain as I accelerate and especially going from a slow 1st gear. I have repeatedly asked them to look at the transmission and they said they did a "test" on it and everything checked out fine.

Problem #2
I also hear a squeak from the rear that I assume are bad sway bar bushings (I just replaced rear shocks three months ago).

Problem #3
Rear Brakes are at 1/32"

Problem #4
Power Steering fluid is dark

Problem #5
Engine Mounts are now bad again and need replacement (dealer wasn't sure which ones? Seriously thats what they told me...)

My goal is to try and fix Problems 2-5 and get to the bottom of #1 (not necessarily fix it). Can everyone pull it together for me and help me out. Links/tips/advice on how to do problems 2-5 would be greatly appreciated. I have a craftsman mechanics toolset and some jack stands. Anything else I can most likely find/purchase. Thanks guys. I'll be happy to return the favor one day when your eyes need it.

Can you explain the "sliding" noise that you hear using a different term, or expand a bit more on that noise...

Do you know anything about previous owner history, possible accident, problems, etc.?

Where is the next closest dealership? I would honestly go to a different dealership, as for some reason, this dealership does not care to help you. (bang)

 

[Swenny]

Problem #5
Engine Mounts are now bad again and need replacement (dealer wasn't sure which ones? Seriously thats what they told me...)

Maybe because the PMM change is fairly simple with a floor jack and scissor jack and they're losing money. But if you're using OEM mounts there is no way you should be going through that many in such a short span

 

[pkthomas]

Problem 1 could be ABS or traction control related. I get a similar noise in tight turns. I have a 2010 with a manual transmission. I also have a leaking boot on the drivers CV axle that could be making noise due to grease coming out.

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[Secondtyme]

Plus two for further elaboration on the noise from the front end. You will need to get yourself a brake caliper service kit from Harbor Freight (49 bucks) that will allow you to compress the rear brake caliper once you have removed the old shoes. Without the kit, or something similar you will find the rear calipers (which incorporate the e-brake) almost impossible to compress. What brand of trans fluid was used when the fluid was changed, if you know. For the record, what the techs probably did was plug a diagnostic scanner into the TCU (transmission control unit) and scan it for codes, when they found none they declared the trans "fine" Its good practice to swap out fluid in the 5 spd auto every 35-40K as preventative maintenance. And Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Swenny]

Plus two for further elaboration on the noise from the front end. You will need to get yourself a brake caliper service kit from Harbor Freight (49 bucks) that will allow you to compress the rear brake caliper once you have removed the old shoes. Without the kit, or something similar you will find the rear calipers (which incorporate the e-brake) almost impossible to compress. What brand of trans fluid was used when the fluid was changed, if you know. For the record, what the techs probably did was plug a diagnostic scanner into the TCU (transmission control unit) and scan it for codes, when they found none they declared the trans "fine" Its good practice to swap out fluid in the 5 spd auto every 35-40K as preventative maintenance. And Welcome to the Forum!

If you want to save some money, O'Reilly or Autozone will probably rent it to you for free

 

[thaxman]

Welcome Docstead.

As for a dealer, it really sucks being 70 mi from a big city. To be truthful, I stopped using our dealer as soon as the warranty period ended. IDK what shops are going to be good, honest and affordable up there or else I would sling a referral your way. Let's see, as for actually getting your maintenance, I would turn to rockauto.com. Some things to consider: pretty much ALL brake rotors are made in China, so shopping around becomes kind of a moot point b/c quality is poor no matter how expensive the rotors are. For pads, I went to ceramics w/good results. I have Centric Posi-Quiet up front, but I still have OE rears. I have 83K now and am surprised you have worn all the way through your rears.
I also have only been through 1 set of motor mounts. The passenger mount should be good for 50K, the drivers side mount should get a bit longer, esp if the pass mount is addressed quickly enough, and the rear mount should be the last to go. They are easy to change, since each is pretty easily accessible compared to other vehicles. Need a jack under the engine to support it and lift it 1/2" so you can swap the right or left. The vehicle needs to be lifted to do the lower mount and you still need to support the powertrain.
You say your ps fluid is dark. Does it still smell sweet? It just seems like you have needed more work on your car than I have and more than I have heard about on this forum. Did you get a report on it when you bought it? The "sliding" sound makes me wonder if there was a collision in its first few years, although I really don't have a reason to think so more than the fact that nobody can identify the problem.
But in general, these do make a bit of noise. They are a big van body built over a compact car platform. I have squeaks, clunks, etc and have found this to be the 3rd most maintenance-free car I have ever owned.

 

[Secondtyme]

If you want to save some money, O'Reilly or Autozone will probably rent it to you for free

Well, sort of free anyway. They usually take the price of the tool from you and return it when you bring back the tool un-harmed. That's usually not a problem, but I know when money is tight every cent counts. For 49 bucks you own it forever and you can use it to do the rear brakes on roughly every imported car made in the last 15 or 20 years.

 

[Primergy]

Brakes:
Centric offers some fitting parts. They also have StopTech under their belt, can't be too horrible.
The consumer line of Brembo rotors is decent and affordable.

4-5 motor mounts in ~40k miles / 2 years? (eek) - I hope I misunderstood something.

As for research and resources, take the Mazda3 parts of this forum / the web into consideration. Under the hood, they are pretty much the same.

 

[Docsted]

Okay you guys have been super helpful and I really appreciate all of your input and advice. I went through all of my service invoices today and here is what I found out about my motor mounts:

At 34588 Miles:
bcm439060d

At 57850 Miles
Bp4s39040B
Bcm439060d
Bp4n39010d
Cc2939070

Now at 76000 miles at least one if not all, need to be replaced again.

My ATF fluid was replaced with XT5DMC fluid? Any thoughts on this? Mazda manual "recommends" genuine Mazda fluid. I took it into a Ford/Mazda dealership.

I ordered up Bosch Premium Quietcast rotors and ceramic pads for the rear.

To elaborate on the noise, it almost sounds like a cable or stiff wire connected to the engine that "twangs" as the car shifts into 2nd. I'm going to try and film the noise and post it to the forum.




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[thaxman]

Okay you guys have been super helpful and I really appreciate all of your input and advice. I went through all of my service invoices today and here is what I found out about my motor mounts:

At 34588 Miles:
bcm439060d

At 57850 Miles
Bp4s39040B
Bcm439060d
Bp4n39010d
Cc2939070

Now at 76000 miles at least one if not all, need to be replaced again.

IDK PN#s, but there are only 3 mounts on these. And you should only be going through one set by now. As I said, these are really easy to change and all 3 can probably be done in 1 day by even someone w/less experience as long as he (she) has a good metric ratchet set and a breaker bar. The one under the battery is probably the most complex, but if you can't take it apart and put it back together in proper order, you probably have no business digging around inside someone's body

My ATF fluid was replaced with XT5DMC fluid? Any thoughts on this? Mazda manual "recommends" genuine Mazda fluid. I took it into a Ford/Mazda dealership.

I ordered up Bosch Premium Quietcast rotors and ceramic pads for the rear.

To elaborate on the noise, it almost sounds like a cable or stiff wire connected to the engine that "twangs" as the car shifts into 2nd. I'm going to try and film the noise and post it to the forum.


I wonder if that has to do w/the motor mounts. Poss it is the downpipe flex or connection near the firewall. If the engine isn't moving so much it might do away. You should be able to get all 3 mounts for under $150 but you will need a jack and jack stands or a buddy with a lift.

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[Docsted]

Update: Hey everyone I just wanted to keep you posted that I swapped out all three engine mounts, tightened up the skid plate, replaced spark plugs, rear sway bar bushings, and rear pads/rotors. Did a tranny flush, oil change, and tire rotation. I'm fairly happy with how things turned out except that I still am getting that weird noise under the dash. It almost sounds like it is coming from right behind where the gas pedal connects into the firewall? Any thoughts? It only happens when the car has sat for a while and only when I am shifting out of 1st into 2nd. I can feel a "twang" underneath my right foot on the gas pedal most of the time that this occurs.
Finally, I just moved to Spokane WA. Any recommendations on who to take my 5 to for regular service?


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