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LudiWag

Mazda 5 '05 Petrol Engine Problems: Grumbling Engine, High Fuel Consumption, Difficulty Starting, and Black Smoke Issues

Check engine light on

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Unsteady engine

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Engine shuts off by itself

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Longer cold start time

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Poor fuel economy

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Black smoke from exhaust on acceleration

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Car won't start

Hey, got a head-scratcher with my '05 Mazda 5 - petrol engine. It's been a right pain recently — grumbling engine, gas guzzling, and taking ages to kick over on cold mornings. Oh, and it’s shutting down on its own, too. Here's the kicker, spewing black smoke whenever I rev up, and the check engine light won't give me a break. Tried to turn it on this morning, but no luck - it wouldn't start. I'm thinking it could be something with the cold start injector but not sure how to nail it down. Anyone had something similar and can share how you got it sorted? Really appreciate your advice and any repair shop stories are welcome. Cheers!

4 comment(s)


WerniPohl

Hey there, sounds almost identical to an issue I had with my '03 Mazda 3. Not claiming to be a mechanic here, but I've got some experience getting my hands dirty under the hood. My pup started throwing tantrums almost the same way - the engine being grumpy, using up more petrol, and the cold mornings turned into a nightmare. And yup, your black smoke problem rings a bell too. It turned out, my injector was defective as well. I took it to my local workshop, was lucky 'cause they were able to nail the problem pretty quickly. And yes, unfortunately, it cost me a fair penny, 515€ to be exact, to get the injector replaced. But hey, it sorted the problem and my trustworthy Mazda was back to its normal self. Think you might have the same issue with your '05 model? If you can share few more details of your car, like mileage and recent maintenance history, I could try to help a bit more. Good luck!

LudiWag (Author)

Hey, cheers for the swift response. My Mazda is sitting at 214236 km now. For the upkeep, it got serviced in the nearby garage last month, an oil change and some minor checks. Nothing major popped up then though. So I reckon you might be onto something with the injector. That replacement cost did hit me a bit, but if it gets my old girl back to her normal self, it will be worth a shot. I'll go ahead and share this info with my mechanic and see what they say. Thanks a ton really appreciate it!

WerniPohl

No worries, glad I could help! Your mileage is decently high - the kind of range where wear and tear tends to show up express style. Injectors can cop a lot of that wear. My Mazda was around the 200k mark when I started having similar issues, so this might just be it. Considering your recent service didn't flag up anything big, and your symptoms are so similar to what I had, it does sound more and more like the cold start injector might be the culprit. And yeah, the cost kind of smarts a bit, but considering the alternative is probably a dead car, it's a necessary evil. It's a good move to chat with your mechanic and pass on these hunches. In the end, a professional opinion will always beat forum speculation. Hope you'll get to the bottom of this quickly so your Mazda can stop throwing tantrums. Good luck, keep us posted!

LudiWag (Author)

Spot on! Got nothing to lose, right? I'll gather my wits and visit the garage first thing tomorrow. Gonna share your story and all these clues we gathered. Like you said, no one beats a pro's opinion. It's worth trying to keep my Mazda away from that eternal scrap yard in the sky! Fingers crossed. Thanks for the solid advice, chap! Will update you on how things pan out with the garage. Wish me luck! Cheers!

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