2004 MAZDA MODEL RX 8 engine overheat

4-8
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
When driving on ice or in water, snow,
mud, sand, or similar hazard:
•Be cautious and allow extra distance
for braking.
•Avoid sudden braking and quick
steering.
•If your vehicle is not equipped with
ABS, brake with the pedal by using a
light up-down motion. Don’t hold the
pedal down constantly.
If your vehicle is equipped with ABS,
don’t pump the brakes. Continue to
press down on the brake pedal.
•If you get stuck, select a lower gear and
accelerate slowly. Don’t spin the rear
wheels.
•For more traction in starting on
slippery surfaces such as ice or packed
snow, use sand, rock salt, chains,
carpeting, or other nonslip material
under the rear wheels.If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the
accelerator slightly and slowly move the
shift lever from 1 (D) to R.
Hazardous Driving
Downshifting on Slippery Surfaces:
Downshifting into lower gear while
driving on slippery surfaces is
dangerous. The sudden change in tire
speed could cause the tires to skid.
This could lead to loss of vehicle
control and an accident. If it is
necessary to downshift on slippery
surfaces, be very careful.
NOTE
Use snow chains only on the rear
wheels.
WARNING
Rocking the Vehicle
Spinning the Wheels:
When the vehicle is stuck, spinning
the wheels at high speed is dangerous.
The spinning tire could overheat and
explode. This could cause serious
injuries. Don’t spin the wheels at
more than 56 km/h (35 mph), and
don’t allow anyone to stand behind a
wheel when pushing the vehicle.
Too much rocking may cause engine
overheating, transmission failure, and
tire damage.
WARNING
CAUTION
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 8 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

5-4
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
5. Turn the ignition switch to the START
position and hold (up to 10 seconds at a
time) until the engine starts.
6. After starting the engine, let it idle for
about 10 seconds.

Foot Brake
Your Mazda has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop by
applying greater force than normal to the
brake pedal. But the distance required to
stop will be greater than usual. Don’t try the starter for more than
10 seconds at a time. If the engine
stalls or fails to start, wait 10 seconds
before trying again. Otherwise, you
may damage the starter and drain the
battery.
NOTE
•In extremely cold weather, below
–18
°C (0
°F), or after the vehicle has
stood idle several days, let the
engine warm up without operating
the accelerator.
•Whether cold or warm, the engine
should be started without use of the
accelerator.
•To protect the engine, when the
engine coolant temperature is low,
the engine does not run at high
speeds. The fuel supply will be cut
at an rpm lower than the red zone.
CAUTION
Brake System
Driving with the Engine Off:
Continuing to drive when the engine
is stalled or turned off is dangerous.
Braking will require more effort, and
the brake’s power-assist could be
depleted if you pump the brake. This
will cause longer stopping distances
or even an accident. Don’t continue
driving when the engine is stalled or
turned off, find a safe place to stop.
Riding the Brakes:
Driving with your foot continuously
on the brake pedal or steadily
applying the brakes for long distances
is dangerous. This causes overheated
brakes, resulting in longer stopping
distances or even total brake failure.
This could cause loss of vehicle
control and a serious accident. Avoid
continuous application of the brakes.
Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep hills.
WARNING
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 4 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

5-15
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Shifting specification
Shifting up
If the vehicle speed is lower than the
speed specified for each gear, the gear
cannot be shifted up to a higher gear.
Shifting down
If the vehicle speed is higher than the
speed specified for each gear, the gear
cannot be shifted down to a lower gear.
During deceleration, the gears shift down
automatically when speed is reduced to
the following:
If the vehicle is kicked down at the
following speeds or lower, the gears shift
down automatically:Recommendations for shiftingUpshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, we
recommend these shift points.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steep upgrade
, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
gives better acceleration when you need
more speed.
On a steep downgrade
, downshifting
helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.

Driving Tips
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transmission
will shift to a lower gear, depending on
vehicle speed.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release all brakes while gradually
accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight
and grade steepness. Descend slowly,
using the brakes only occasionally to
prevent them from overheating.
Gear Vehicle speed
M1→
M2You can shift up to M2
whether the vehicle is
stopped or moving.
M2→
M3 20 km/h (12 mph)
M3→
M4 20 km/h (12 mph)
Gear Vehicle speed
M4→
M3 163 km/h (101 mph)
M3→
M2 112 km/h (70 mph)
M2→
M1 45 km/h (28 mph)
Gear Vehicle speed
M4→
M3 31 km/h (19 mph)
M3 or M2→
M1 8 km/h (5 mph)
NOTE
If the vehicle is driven at a low speed
from a standing start while in M2, the
gear may not shift down to M1
automatically.
Gear Vehicle speed
M4→
M3 149 km/h (93 mph)
M4→
M2 56 km/h (35 mph)
M3→
M2 56 km/h (35 mph)
M1 to M2 24 km/h (15 mph)
M2 to M3 40 km/h (25 mph)
M3 to M4 65 km/h (40 mph)
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 15 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

5-32
Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge
The engine coolant temperature gauge
shows the temperature of the engine
coolant.
If the needle exceeds normal range toward
H, it indicates overheating. Don’t run the engine with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE.
This may cause severe engine damage.
NOTE
•The beep sounds to indicate engine
overrev when the tachometer needle
enters the striped zone.
•To protect the engine, when the
engine coolant temperature is low,
the engine does not run at high
speeds. The fuel supply will be cut
at an rpm lower than the red zone.
Red zone Striped zone
Manual transmission
CAUTION
Driving with an overheated engine
can cause serious engine damage
(page 7-18).
CAUTION
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 32 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

6-8
Interior Comfort
Climate Control System
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Ventilation
1. Press the mode selector switch to the
position.
2. Set the air intake selector to the
position.
3. Set the temperature control dial to the
desired position.
4. Set the fan control dial to the desired
speed.

Windshield Defrosting and
Defogging
1. Press the windshield defroster switch.
2. Set the temperature control dial to the
desired position.
3. Set the fan control dial to the desired
speed. When using the air conditioner while
driving up long hills or in heavy traffic,
closely monitor the temperature gauge
(page 5-32).
The air conditioner may cause engine
overheating. If the gauge indicates
overheating, turn the air conditioner
off.
NOTE
•When maximum cooling is desired,
set the temperature control dial to
the extreme cold position and set
the air intake selector to the
position, then set the fan control dial
to position 4.
•If warmer air is desired at floor
level, set the mode selector switch
at the position and adjust the
temperature control dial to maintain
maximum comfort.
•The air to the floor is warmer than
air to the face (except when the
temperature control dial is set at the
extreme hot or cold position).
CAUTION
Foggy Windshield:
Using the position with the
temperature control set to the cold
position will cause the outside of the
glass to fog up. Your vision will be
hampered, which could lead to a
serious accident. Set the temperature
control to the hot or warm position
when using the position.
NOTE
•For maximum defrosting, set the
temperature control dial to the
extreme hot position and the fan
control dial to position 4.
•If warm air is desired at the floor,
set the mode selector switch to the
position.
•In the or position, air
conditioning is automatically turned
on to defrost the windshield quickly
(however, the indicator light does
not illuminate) and the
position is automatically selected.
The air intake selector switch
cannot be changed to the
position.
WARNING
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 8 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

7-1
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
7In Case of an Emergency
Helpful information on what to do in an emergency.
Parking in an Emergency
............................................................. 7-2
Parking in an Emergency ........................................................... 7-2
Flat Tire
.......................................................................................... 7-3
Spare Tire and Tool Storage ...................................................... 7-3
Instant Mobility System (IMS) Emergency Flat Tire Repair
Kit
............................................................................................. 7-5
Changing the Tire .................................................................... 7-13
Overheating
................................................................................. 7-18
Overheating ............................................................................. 7-18
Emergency Starting
.................................................................... 7-20
Starting a Flooded Engine ....................................................... 7-20
Jump-Starting .......................................................................... 7-20
Push-Starting ........................................................................... 7-22
Emergency Towing
...................................................................... 7-23
Towing Description ................................................................. 7-23
Tiedown Hooks ........................................................................ 7-24
Recreational Towing ................................................................ 7-26
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 1 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

7-18
In Case of an Emergency
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Overheating
If the temperature gauge indicates
overheating, the vehicle loses power, or
you hear a loud knocking or pinging
noise, the engine is probably too hot.
If this happens:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and
park off the right-of-way.
2. Put a vehicle with an automatic
transmission in park (P), a manual
transmission in neutral.
Apply the parking brake.
3. Turn off the air conditioner.
4. Check whether coolant or steam is
escaping from under 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.
Wait until the steam dissipates, then
open the hood and start the engine.
If neither coolant nor steam is
escaping:
Open the hood and idle the engine until
it cools.5. Make sure the cooling fan is operating,
then turn off the engine after the
temperature has decreased.
6. When cool, check the coolant level.
If it’s low, look for coolant leaks from
the radiator and hoses.
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
8-12).
Overheating
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.
WARNING
If the cooling fan does not operate
while the engine is running, the engine
temperature will increase. Stop the
engine and call an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
CAUTION
Coolant reservoir
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 18 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

7-19
In Case of an Emergency
Overheating
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Cooling System Cap:
When the engine and radiator are
hot, scalding coolant and steam may
shoot out under pressure and cause
serious injury. Don’t remove the
cooling system cap when the engine
and radiator are hot.
If the engine continues to overheat or
frequently overheats, have the cooling
system inspected. The engine could be
seriously damaged unless repairs are
made.
WARNING
CAUTION
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 19 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM