Recent content by Dave9

^ Any chance of making plugs to cover the top of the fastener holes?

I'll leave my original reply below, but see this video: You'd be more likely to receive a response from someone who has actually done this repair, in a Mazda owners populated forum. https://www.mazda3forums.com/forums/ https://www.mazda3revolution.com/forums/ https://www.mazda3club.com/ Small...

Sure, measure the voltage over time to see how much self discharge it has. Self discharge with a healthy battery is usually a lot less than the parasitic draw of a semi-modern, meaning even 30 year old, vehicle. However if the battery was disconnected from the vehicle and kept float charging...

Forum needs a search feature because I am certain that many many years ago, someone posted a similar topic. Then it happened again a dozen more times. :) Don't leave a vehicle sitting for weeks, let alone months with the battery connected unless it's on a float charger. Anything PCM...

We need to get back to the relevant information. This is not about ego but rather keeping info useful. There is no somewhat agree. You're just wrong. Let me be clear: Not using a capacitor does not cause it to dry out faster. I would have never thought that I would be in a situation to...

No AI needed, I learned this decades ago and keep an (aging) stash of capacitors for repairs and new projects, though I've never had an ECM that needed them replaced.

You are confusing two different failure modes. Electrolytic capacitors can dry out over time and fail, but this does not happen from lack of use, happens either way, somewhat faster if it sees a lot of thermal cycles or perpetual high heat. Instead, lack of use for long periods (years at a...

I would have no problem contacting a mobile mechanic, especially for issues that make the vehicle undriveable so you're avoiding a tow charge if it's even reasonable to try to get it onto a flatbed. Recognize that all of us at some point will be old enough or due to some illness that certain...

Maybe it's really expensive to make that extra cardboard box that holds 4 at a time? At least I feel like Rock Auto is one of the least likely places to be selling counterfeit plugs.

Tailgaters sometimes can't be avoided. Even driving in my own suburban neighborhood at the 20 MPH speed limit (which is a real practical limit because children play and dogs and deer bolt out into the street), I've had someone so anxious to get home faster that they felt the need to tailgate me...

All you needed to do was swap that worn pad with the other one, and not fix the slider pins. :) Of course I'm kidding.

Is that really every problem? Dirty enough MAF can cause those particular issues and if someone already knew to clean it every now and then, or knew how to DIY further diagnostic data gathering, then they can ignore the advice and rule that out. Then again... ... yeah. That's not where I...

The typical cases I've seen are due to the original fluid becoming more viscous then someone puts fresh, thinner fluid in. If that is what happened, any additive that's a thickener might help, though I would add only a little at a time to see how it responds. If that doesn't work, change the...

I know, but rust is an issue here too, but the only time it needs addressed is if one of two things happens. 1) The vehicle wasn't driven for a long time, so the normal movement of the braking system didn't scrub off the small amount of rust accumulating in these movement areas. 2) Low...

Mine is Eagle brand. Took the cap off and the seal looks perfect, is compressed cardboard with some kind of plastic film on top. I'm trying to remember... it's been so long, but that can maybe came with a flexible stainless spout too, in addition to the red painted steel cap which is what I...