2017 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 RF Owners Manual (in English)

7–19
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tyre
WARNING
Always securely and correctly tighten
the wheel nuts:
Improperly or loosely tightened wheel
nuts are dangerous. The wheel could
wobble or come off. This could result
in loss of vehicle control and cause a
serious accident.
Be sure to reinstall the same nuts you
removed or replace them with metric
nuts of the same con¿ guration:
Because the wheel studs and wheel
nuts on your Mazda have metric
threads, using a non-metric nut is
dangerous. On a metric stud, it would
not secure the wheel and would
damage the stud, which could cause the
wheel to slip off and cause an accident.
5. Remove the tyre blocks and store the
tools and jack.
6. Check the inÀ ation pressure. Refer to
Tyres on page 9-8 .
NOTE
(With tyre pressure monitoring
system)
Do not press the tyre pressure
monitoring system set switch after
installing the spare tyre. The switch
is only to be pressed after installing
the repaired À at tyre or installing a
replacement tyre (page 4-42 ).
WARNING
Do not drive with any tyres that have
incorrect air pressure:
Driving on tyres with incorrect air
pressure is dangerous. Tyres with
incorrect pressure could affect
handling and result in an accident.
When you check the regular tyres' air
pressure, check the spare tyre, too.
NOTE
To prevent the jack and tool from
rattling, store them properly.
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7–20
If Trouble Arises
Battery Runs Out
J u m p - S t a r t i n g
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.
WARNING
Follow These Precautions Carefully:
To ensure safe and correct handling of the battery, read the following precautions
carefully before using the battery or inspecting it.
Do not allow the positive ( ) terminal to contact any other metal object that
could cause sparks:
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. When working near a battery,
do not allow metal tools to contact the positive (
) or negative ( ) terminal of the
battery.
Keep all À ames, including cigarettes, and sparks away from open battery cells:
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.
Do not jump-start a frozen battery or one with a low À uid level:
Jump-starting a frozen battery or one with a low À uid level is dangerous. It may rupture
or explode, causing serious injury.
Connect the negative lead to a good ground point away from the battery:
Connecting the end of the second jumper lead to the negative (
) terminal of the
discharged battery is dangerous.
A spark could cause the gas around the battery to explode and injure someone.
Route the jumper leads away from parts that will be moving:
Connecting a jumper lead near or to moving parts (cooling fans, belts) is dangerous.
The lead could get caught when the engine starts and cause serious injury.
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7–21
If Trouble Arises
Battery Runs Out
CAUTION
Use only a 12 V booster system. You can damage a 12 V starter, ignition system, and other
electrical parts beyond repair with a 24 V power supply (two 12 V batteries in series or a
24 V motor generator set).
Jumper leads
Booster batteryDischarged battery
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7–22
If Trouble Arises
Battery Runs Out
1. Remove the battery cover.
2. Make sure the booster battery is 12
V and that its negative terminal is
grounded.
3. If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, do not allow both vehicles
to touch. Turn off the engine of the
vehicle with the booster battery and
all unnecessary electrical loads in both
vehicles.
4. Connect the jumper leads in the exact
sequence as in the illustration.
 

 
 Connect one end of a lead to the
positive terminal on the discharged
battery (1).
 

 
 Attach the other end to the positive
terminal on the booster battery (2).
 

 
 Connect one end of the other lead to
the negative terminal of the booster
battery (3).
 

 
 Connect the other end to the ground
point indicated in the illustration
away from the discharged battery (4).
5. Start the engine of the booster vehicle
and run it a few minutes. Then start the
engine of the other vehicle.
6. When ¿ nished, carefully disconnect the
leads in the reverse order described in
the illustration. 7. If the battery cover has been removed,
install it in the reverse order of
removal.
NOTE
Verify that the covers are securely
installed.
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7–23
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Starting
Starting a Flooded Engine
If the engine fails to start, it may be
À ooded (excessive fuel in the engine).
Follow this procedure:
1. If the engine does not start within
¿ ve seconds on the ¿ rst try, wait ten
seconds and try again.
2. Make sure the parking brake is on.
3. Depress the accelerator all the way and
hold it there.
4. Depress the clutch pedal (Manual
transmission) or the brake pedal
(Automatic transmission), then
press the push button start. If the
engine starts, release the accelerator
immediately because the engine will
suddenly rev up.
5. If the engine fails to start, crank it
without depressing the accelerator.
If the engine still does not start using
the previous procedure, have your
vehicle inspected by an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer.
Push-Starting
Do not push-start your Mazda.
WARNING
Never tow a vehicle to start it:
Towing a vehicle to start it is
dangerous. The vehicle being towed
could surge forward when its engine
starts, causing the two vehicles to
collide. The occupants could be
injured.
CAUTION
Do not push-start a vehicle that has a
manual transmission. It can damage the
emission control system.
NOTE
You cannot start a vehicle with an
automatic transmission by pushing it.
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7–24
If Trouble Arises
Overheating
O v e r h e a t i n g
If the high engine coolant temperature
warning light turns on, the vehicle loses
power, or you hear a loud knocking or
pinging noise, the engine is probably too
hot.
WARNING
Pull over to a safe location, then
switch the ignition off 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 inde¿ nitely 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 cap 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 bonnet 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 high engine coolant temperature
warning light turns on:
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.
3. Apply the parking brake.
4. Turn off the air conditioner.
5. Check whether coolant or steam is
escaping from the engine compartment.
If steam is coming from the engine
compartment:
Do not go near the front of the vehicle.
Stop the engine.
Wait until the steam dissipates, then
open the bonnet and start the engine.
If neither coolant nor steam is
escaping:
Open the bonnet 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 expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer.
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 is low, look for coolant leaks from
the radiator and hoses.
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7–25
If Trouble Arises
Overheating
I f y o u ¿ nd a leak or other damage, or if
coolant is still leaking:
Stop the engine and call an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer.
Coolant reservoir
Cooling fan
Cooling system cap
I f y o u ¿ nd no problems, the engine is
cool, and no leaks are obvious:
Carefully add coolant as required (page
6-20 ).
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. Consult an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer.
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7–26
If Trouble Arises
When Fuel-Filler Flap Cannot be Opened
When Fuel-Filler Flap
Cannot be Opened
If the battery is dead, the fuel-¿ ller À ap
cannot be opened.
In this case, the fuel-¿ ller À ap can be
opened by taking care of the dead battery
situation.
Refer to Jump-Starting on page 7-20 .
If the fuel-¿ ller À ap cannot be opened
even if the dead battery situation has been
resolved, the electrical system may have a
malfunction.
In this case, the fuel-¿ ller À ap can be
opened using the following procedure as
an emergency measure.
1. Open the boot lid.
Refer to Opening and Closing the Boot
Lid on page 3-22 .
2. Pull the centre section of the plastic
fastener and remove the fasteners.
3. Partially peel back the cover inside the
boot, then pull the emergency release
lever.
Emergency release
lever
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