2001 MAZDA MODEL 626 Antifreeze

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-12

Q037-7IE
 Winter Driving
• Carry emergency gear, including
tire chains, window scraper, flares,
a small shovel, jumper cables, and
a small bag of sand or salt.
• Have the proper ratio of antifreeze
in the radiator (page 8-22).
• Inspect the battery and its cables.
Cold reduces battery capacity.
• Use only cold-weather engine oil
(page 8-16).
• Inspect the ignition system for
damage and loose connections. •
Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze—but don’ t use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-33).
• Don’ t use the parking brake if it
might freeze. Instead, shift to P
with an automatic transaxle and to
1 or R with a manual. Block the
rear wheels.

037-8H1E
 Snow tires
Your vehicle is originally equipped
with all season radials designed to be
used all year around. In some extreme
climates you may find it necessary to
replace them with snow tires during
the winter months to further improve
traction on snow and ice covered roads.
Use snow tires on all four wheels.
Don’ t go faster than 120 km/h (75
mph). Inflate snow tires 28 kPa (0.3
kgf/cm
2, 4 psi) more than
recommended on the tire pressure
label (driver ’s door), but never more
than the maximum cold-tire pressure
shown on the tires.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Maintenance
8-21
083-8C2E
 Engine Coolant
 Inspecting coolant level
WARNING
!
Hot Engine:A hot engine is dangerous. If the
engine has been running, parts of
the engine compartment can
become very hot. You could be
burned. Don’ t inspect the coolant
system or add coolant when the
engine is hot.
Inspect the antifreeze protection and
coolant level in the coolant reservoir at
least once a year—at the beginning of
the winter season—and before
traveling where temperatures may
drop below freezing.
Inspect the condition and connections
of all cooling system and heater hoses.
Replace any that are swollen or
deteriorated.
The coolant should be at full in the
radiator and between the F and L
marks on the coolant reservoir when
the engine is cool.
083-9C1E
2.5-liter engine
J94A7042_a
2.0-liter engine
If it ’s at or near L, add enough coolant
to the coolant reservoir to provide
freezing and corrosion protection and
to bring the level to F.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Maintenance8-22

083-10AE
Do not overfill.
If new coolant is required frequently,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
CAUTION
!
Radiator coolant will damage
paint. Rinse it off quickly.NOTEMixing green coolant with orange
coolant could decrease the service
life expentancy of the coolant. Use
only genuine Mazda orange
colored or equivalent coolant.


083-11DE
Changing coolant
Change coolant according to
Scheduled Maintenance (page 8-3).
CAUTION
!
• Use only soft (demineralized)
water in the coolant mixture.
Water that contains minerals
will cut down on the coolant’ s
effectiveness.
• Don’ t add only water. Always
add a proper coolant mixture.
CAUTION
!
• The engine has aluminum parts
and must be protected by an
ethylene-glycol-based coolant
to prevent corrosion and
freezing.
• DO NOT USE alcohol or
methanol antifreeze. DO NOT
MIX alcohol or methanol with
the coolant. This could damage
the cooling system.
• Don’ t use a solution that
contains more than 60 percent
antifreeze.
This would reduce
effectiveness.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Maintenance
8-23
For mixture percentage:
Volume
Protection
Antifreezesolution
Water
Above –16° C (3°F)
35%
65%
Above –26° C (–15°F)
45%
55%
Above –40° C (–40°F)
55%
45%
WARNING
!
Removing the Cooling SystemCap:Removing the cooling system cap
or drain plug while the engine is
running or hot is dangerous. This
might lead to cooling system and
(Continued)
engine damage and could result
in serious injury from escaping
hot coolant or steam. Turn off the
engine and wait until it’ s cool.
Even then, be very careful when
removing the cap or drain plug.
Wrap a thick cloth around it and
slowly turn it counterclockwise to
the first stop. Step back while the
pressure escapes. When you’re
sure all the pressure is gone, press
down on the cap — still using a
cloth — turn the cap, and remove
it.

083-12D1E
Cooling system cap
J94A7009A2.0-liter engine
Loosen
Tighten
LoosenTighten
Drain plug
To change coolant
1. Remove the cooling system cap.
2. Only when the engine is cool,
loosen the radiator drain plug and
drain the coolant into a suitable
container.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Maintenance
8-33

083-22DE
J94A7019 Inspecting Washer Fluid Level
Inspect fluid level in the washer fluid
reservoir; add fluid if necessary.
Use plain water if fluid is unavailable.
But use only washer fluid in cold
weather to prevent it from freezing.
083-23A2E
WARNING
!
Substitute Washer Fluid:Using radiator antifreeze as
washer fluid is dangerous. If
sprayed on the windshield, it will
dirty the windshield, affect your
visibility, and could result in an
accident. Use only windshield
washer fluid or plain water in the
reservoir.
083-26AE
 Body Lubrication
All moving points of the body, such as
door and hood hinges and locks,
should be lubricated each time the
engine oil is changed. Use a
nonfreezing lubricant on locks during
cold weather.
Make sure the engine hood’ s
secondary latch keeps the hood from
opening when the primary latch is
released.