2008 MAZDA MODEL CX-9 engine overheat

Black plate (149,1)
Rocking the Vehicle
WARNING
Do not spin the wheels at more than 56
km/h (35 mph), and do not allow
anyone to stand behind a wheel when
pushing the vehicle:
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.
CAUTION
Too much rocking may cause engine
overheating, transaxle failure, and
tire damage.
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 D to R.
Winter Driving
lCarry emergency gear, including tire
chains, window scraper, flares, a small
shovel, jumper cables, and a small bag
of sand or salt.
Ask an Authorized Mazda Dealer to
perform the following precautions:
lHave the proper ratio of antifreeze in
the radiator.
Refer to Engine Coolant on page 8-21.
lInspect the battery and its cables. Cold
reduces battery capacity.
lInspect the ignition system for damage
and loose connections.
lUse washer fluid made with
antifreeze―but don't use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-26).
lDon't use the parking brake in freezing
weather as the parking brake may
freeze. Instead, shift to P and block the
rear wheels.
qSnow Tires
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Don't go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
2, 4.3 psi)
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires.
WARNING
Use only the same size and type tires
(snow, radial, or non-radial) on all four
wheels:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle's handling
could be greatly affected and result
in an accident.
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
4-9
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Black plate (158,1)
Ascending a hill
Shift into a lower gear to reduce the possibility of overloading or overheating the engine, or
both.
Descending a hill
Shift into a lower gear and use engine compression as a braking effect.
WARNING
Always use lower gears to reduce speed:
Holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently is dangerous as it could
cause the brakes to overheat and lose power, resulting in loss of control and a
serious accident. Use lower gears to help reduce speed. Pull off the road and allow
brakes to cool down whenever braking performance feels reduced.
Overheated engine
The extra weight of the trailer may strain the engine on hot days and on long or steep
upgrades.
If the temperature gauge indicates overheating, turn off the air conditioner, drive safely to
the side of the road, park off the right-of-way and wait for engine to cool. Refer to
Overheating (page 7-14).
Parking
Always make sure the tires of the trailer and the tow vehicle are blocked while parked.
Apply the parking brake firmly and put the transaxle in P.
Avoid parking on an incline, but if you must, follow these instructions:
1. Depress and hold down the brake pedal.
2. Have a helper put wheel blocks against the downhill side of all vehicle and trailer tires.
3. Then release the brake pedal slowly until the blocks bear the load.
lIf the grade is downhill, turn the steering wheel so that the front of the front tires face
the curb.
lIf it is uphill, face the rear of the front tires against the curb.
4. Firmly apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transaxle into P, and stop the engine.
To restart after parking on an incline:
1. With the transaxle in P, start the engine. (Be sure to depress and hold the brake pedal.)
2. Shift into gear.
4-18
Before Driving Your Mazda
Towing
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Form No.8Z28-EA-07J

Black plate (165,1)
Brake System
qFoot 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.
WARNING
Do not coast with the engine stalled or
turned off, find a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine 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.
Shift to a lower gear when going down
steep hills:
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.
WARNING
Dry brakes that have become wet by
driving very slowly and applying the
brakes lightly until brake performance
is normal:
Driving with wet brakes is
dangerous. Increased stopping
distance or the vehicle pulling to one
side when braking could result in a
serious accident. Light braking will
indicate whether the brakes have
been affected.
qParking Brake
WARNING
Before leaving the driver's seat, always
put the key or start knob to LOCK
position, set the parking brake and
make sure the shift lever is in P:
Intentionally placing the key or start
knob into LOCK position is much
more important where you will not
be removing the key to leave the
vehicle and because leaving it in
other positions will disable some of
the vehicle security systems and run
the battery down.
Leaving the driver's seat without
putting the ignition switch in LOCK
position, setting the parking brake
and the shift lever is in P is
dangerous. Unexpected vehicle
movement could occur. This could
cause an accident.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake on
will cause excessive wear of the brake
linings or pads.
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
5-5
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Form No.8Z28-EA-07J

Black plate (175,1)
NOTE
The gear does not shift down to M1
automatically while in the second gear fixed
mode.
If the vehicle is kicked down at the
following speeds or lower, the gears shift
down automatically:
Gear Vehicle speed
M6→M5 230 km/h (142 mph)
M5→M4 90 km/h (55 mph)
M4→M3 65 km/h (40 mph)
M3→M2 40 km/h (24 mph)
Recommendations for shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, we
recommend these shift points.
Gear Vehicle speed
M1 to M2 24 km/h (15 mph)
M2 to M3 40 km/h (25 mph)
M3 to M4 65 km/h (40 mph)
M4 to M5 73 km/h (45 mph)
M5 to M6 80 km/h (50 mph)
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steepupgrade, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
gives better acceleration when you need
more speed.
On a steepdowngrade, downshifting
helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.
qDriving Tips
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle 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 the brake pedal 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.
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
5-15
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Form No.8Z28-EA-07J

Black plate (183,1)
CAUTION
Do not rely on the TCS to maintain
constant control of the vehicle under
severe or maximum handling
conditions. If the TCS operates
frequently due to severe driving
conditions, the TCS may stop
operating to protect the brakes from
overheating. After the brakes have
cooled down, the TCS resumes
normal operation.
qTCS/DSC Indicator Light
This indicator light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position. If the TCS or DSC is
operating, the indicator light flashes.
If the light stays on, the TCS, DSC or the
brake assist system may have a
malfunction and they may not operate
correctly. Take your vehicle to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
NOTE
lIn addition to the indicator light flashing, a
slight lugging sound will come from the
engine. This indicates that the TCS is
operating properly.
lOn slippery surfaces, such as fresh snow, it
will be impossible to achieve high rpm
when the TCS is on.
qTCS OFF Indicator Light
This indicator light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.
It also illuminates when the TCS OFF
switch is pressed and TCS is switched off.
Refer to TCS OFF Switch on page 5-24.
If the light remains illuminated and the
TCS is not switched off, take your vehicle
to an Authorized Mazda Dealer. The
dynamic stability control may have a
malfunction.
NOTE
If the TCS/DSC indicator light and the TCS
OFF indicator light remain illuminated even
after turning the ignition switch to the ON
position, attempt the procedure again. If this
still does not work, consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
5-23
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Form No.8Z28-EA-07J

Black plate (199,1)
The trip meter records the total distance
the vehicle is driven until the meter is
again reset. Return it to“0.0”by holding
the selector depressed for more than 1
second. Use this meter to measure trip
distances and to compute fuel
consumption.
NOTE
lOnly the trip meters record tenths of
kilometers (miles).
lThe trip record will be erased when:lThe power supply is interrupted (blown
fuse or the battery is disconnected).
lThe vehicle is driven over 999.9 km
(mile).
qTachometer
The tachometer shows engine speed in
thousands of revolutions per minute
(rpm).
Red zone
CAUTION
Don't run the engine with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE.
This may cause severe engine
damage.
qEngine Coolant Temperature Gauge
The engine coolant temperature gauge
shows the temperature of the engine
coolant.
If the needle is near H, it indicates
overheating.
CAUTION
Driving with an overheated engine
can cause serious engine damage
(page 7-14).
Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
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Black plate (361,1)
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
Changing a Flat Tire ................................................................. 7-8
Overheating ................................................................................. 7-14
Overheating ............................................................................. 7-14
Emergency Starting .................................................................... 7-16
Starting a Flooded Engine ....................................................... 7-16
Jump-Starting .......................................................................... 7-17
Push-Starting ........................................................................... 7-19
Emergency Towing ..................................................................... 7-20
Towing Description ................................................................. 7-20
Tiedown Hooks ....................................................................... 7-21
Recreational Towing ............................................................... 7-23
7-1
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Black plate (374,1)
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.
WARNING
Turn off the ignition switch and
make sure the fan is not running before
attempting to work near the cooling
fan:
Working near the cooling fan when it
is running is dangerous. The fan
could continue running indefinitely
even if the engine has stopped and
the engine compartment temperature
is high. You could be hit by the fan
and seriously injured.
Do not remove either cooling
system caps when the engine and
radiator are hot:
When the engine and radiator are
hot, scalding coolant and steam may
shoot out under pressure and cause
serious injury.
Open the hood ONLY after steam is no
longer escaping from the engine:
Steam from an overheated engine is
dangerous. The escaping steam could
seriously burn you.
If the temperature gauge indicates
overheating:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and
park off the right-of-way.
2. Shift into park (P).3. Apply the parking brake.
4. Turn off the air conditioner.
5. 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.
CAUTION
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.
6. Make sure the cooling fan is operating,
then turn off the engine after the
temperature has decreased.
7. When cool, check the coolant level.
If it's low, look for coolant leaks from
the radiator and hoses.
7-14
In Case of an Emergency
Overheating
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Form No.8Z28-EA-07J