Help me diagnose the problem....mazda...

Could possibly be an ignition problem. Plugs/wires? Most OEM wires are those carbon compound and do not usually last more than about

50-60K miles w/o significant resistance problems. Come to think of it most aftermarket wires are the same type.

This type problem would be most pronounced when engine is under a load like climbing a hill in high gear/ low rpm etc.

MB

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Could be something simple as a small vacuum leak like a cracked or slit hose on one of the hundred or so running all over the engine bay. Sometimes with the hood up and the engine running you can hear a hissing sound coming an area where it might be. In the 35 years I've built and worked on cars 98 percent of the time the solution to the problem was a simple one but we always "think" it's a major problem that's going to empty our bank account. Anyway, your problem sounds like one I had with an old Camry that I have. Felt like I was pulling a 4000lb trailer all the time too. Turned out to be vacuum hose that was split on the end and fell off the diverter valve for air injection system. Cost 1 hour of my time and 1 dollar in parts (the hose).

HTH, Rick

I'll check out the hoses & cross my fingers. Which ones in particular should I be looking closely at? Like you said - there's a lot of them. I guess the intake area is a main area - any others?

each leg, that way you'll remember what you have already looked at if you get interupted and have to come back later. What year is your Mazda? Is the "Check Engine" light on? A 96' or newer is OBDII and if you can get your hands on a code reader it will give you a better idea of what to look at. When I lived in Arizona, my local Autozone would rent one to you but I live in Calif. now and the automotive repair industries here got their panties in a wad and pitched a bitch about it, ended up buying one at Pepboys for 200bucks and its already paid for itself twice over, even reads the older OBDI codes.

Rick

Remove the air intake hose completely and inspect it for any cracks. This is a common failure for these cars/engines. If you find any, the cheap way out is to wrap the hose with electrical tape.

Larry