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 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.