Page 118 of 365

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.
Page 250 of 365

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
In Case of Emergency
6-3
WARNING
!
Steam from Overheated Engine:Steam from an overheated engine
is dangerous. The escaping steam
could seriously burn you. Open
the hood ONLY after steam is no
longer escaping from the engine.4. Check whether coolant or steam isescaping from the hood or from the
engine compartment.
If steam is coming from the engine
compartment, don’ t go near the
front of the vehicle. Stop the
engine. Then turn the ignition
switch to the ON position without
starting the engine. The radiator cooling fans will start to cool the
engine.
If neither coolant nor steam is
escaping, open the hood and idle
the engine until it cools. If this
doesn’
t lower the temperature, stop
the engine and let it cool.
5. Check the coolant level. If it’ s low, look for leaks in the
radiator hoses and connections,
heater hoses and connections,
radiator, and water pump.
If you find a leak or other damage,
or if coolant is still leaking, stop the
engine and call an Authorized
Mazda Dealer. If you find no problems, the engine
is cool, and no leaks are obvious,
carefully add coolant as required
(page 8-21).
Page 251 of 365

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
In Case of Emergency6-4
072-2CE
WARNING
!
Cooling System Caps:When the engine and radiator are
hot, scalding coolant and steam
may shoot out under pressure and
cause serious injury. Don’t
remove either cooling system cap
when the engine and radiator are
hot.
CAUTION
!
If the engine continues to overheat
or frequently overheats, have the
cooling system inspected. The
engine could be seriously damaged
unless repairs are made.
073-1A2E
Emergency Starting Jump-Starting
Jump-starting is dangerous if done
incorrectly. So follow the procedure
carefully. If you feel unsure about
jump-starting, we strongly recommend
that you have a competent service
technician do the work.
CAUTION
!
Use only a 12-volt booster system.
You can damage a 12-volt starter
motor, ignition system, and other
electrical parts beyond repair with
a 24-volt power supply (two
12-volt batteries in series or a
24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING
!
Battery-Related Explosion:Flames and sparks near open
battery cells are dangerous.
Hydrogen gas, produced during
normal battery operation, could
ignite and cause the battery to
explode. An exploding battery can
cause serious burns and injuries.
Keep all flames, including
cigarettes, and sparks away from
open battery cells.
Page 309 of 365
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.
Page 310 of 365

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.
Page 311 of 365

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.
Page 312 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Maintenance8-24J94A7010A2.5-liter engine
Cooling system cap
Loosen
Tighten
Loosen
Tighten
Drain plug
3. With the drain plug loose but notfully removed, flush out the system
with running water.
4. Drain the system completely and retighten the plug. 5. Fill the radiator (to the top of the
filler neck) and then the coolant
reservoir (to F) with as much
ethylene-glycol-based coolant and
water as necessary to provide
protection from freezing and
corrosion.
In extremely cold climates, add the
amount recommended by the
coolant manufacturer.
6. Reinstall the cooling system cap.
7. Run the engine at idle for about 10 minutes. 8. Then do this:
•Run the engine at 2,500 rpm for
about 5 minutes.
• Increase the engine speed to
3,000 rpm for about 5 seconds
and then release the accelerator.
• Do this 4 or 5 times.
• Make sure the engine
temperature gauge does not
reach the HOT zone.
After turning off the engine, inspect
the drain plug and the water hoses
for leaks.
Page 321 of 365
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.