1996 Mazda 626 LX from North America - Comments

I have the exact same problem, Mazda 625 95' shifts hard, going at highway speeds, but only after like an hour and a half. the transmission was rebuilt on mine 7 thousand miles ago, but some to me 2 thousand after the rebuilt and although still should be under warranty, Greg's Japanese auto will absolutely not honor it even though the problem they say they fixed is not fixed whatsoever. beware of gregs japanese auto. they are not a satisfaction guaranteed as they say they are. I have also had the O/D light flash at me before, and after reading some of these I know it will only continue to get worse.

I have read all the posts here because I have the same (Protege 97) OD light blinking, engine check on, and the hard gear shifts by itself issues.

So after all the postings I still don't know where to take my car for a check up. Transmission shop, dealer, or local repair shop? It seems everyone diagnoses differently resulting repairs from $28 to $3,200.

Can any one suggests one trusted method?

Thanks in advance

Ravi.

Same probelm as everyone else with the blinking o/d light and hard shifting. when o/d light is not on, the transmission shifts smoothly like new. Common sense and logic tells me that the transmission is fine and it must be something electrical. Everyone has an opinion with repair fixes in the thousands. I will do as someone on here noted which is to have the sensor replaced. I will find a mechanic that knows how to do the job and will print out a copy of these notes as a guide to the mechanic that will be doing the job.

Same problem hard shifting problem with my 1997 626. I read several comments about replacing $28 dollar sensors and overdrive solenoids. Does anyone have a part number or better description so I can try something before I spend another 2K?

Has Mazda said anything about helping with this issue?

dwbelvin@nc.rr.com

THANKS DB from NC.

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I've also read all these comments, yet to see a reply that helps/helped anyone. Apparently we are on a site that isn't seen, or no one cares about, or at least it seems!

I also have fell victim to Mazda's faulty Automatic Transmission. Purchased my 94 626 used less than 6 months ago, 2 months after owning the vehicle the transmission seemingly failed. Got a used Transmission, all seemed well, until it leaked 5 quarts a day... When I took it back to the mechanic, he said "Well, the seals are probably all bad..." LOL The name of their shop should have been D&D'r Notsomatic... (D&D'r = Dumb & Dumber...) Well after a week of talking... Explaining to a mechanic of how a transmission changing should go... 1st thing to look at is the seals... Don't even look, just change the exposed seals, who wants to do a job like that more than once? Thought I had found a good deal with the price, they seemed capable of doing the job, well was I wrong?

Over all, car did fine, seemed to use more gas after the fix, except on the highway... In town driving I get about 10mpg, highway as well as 25mpg. This all after shady-industries-unincorporated fixed my transmission...

I would assume my problem is the entire Computer in the car... Now recently the Hold light blinks as soon as you start the car, & only stops when you shut it off, when cold it shifts like a teenage boy is in a race everywhere he is going, it will chirp the tires going into 3rd gear even... But once it warms up it seems to do MUCH better...

Not looking for a solution I guess, just venting, hoping someone will realize 626 Automatic Transmissions are junk... After reading here I didn't believe this site, thought it was mostly unknowing drivers that didn't check their fluids... etc... As I own a 626 Manual Transmission, was looking into the one I have now, for my wife... Worst investment ever! In both cases... sadly...

I have a Mazda 626 1996. I had it for about 2 years.

My car problems are relating to the other comments about Mazda cars. When I'm about 40 mph or more, my overdrive flashes, and the engine light is on. Not good at all!

About a month ago I had a serious electrical problems with my radio, door lights, door locks, the head lights above the head and my lights in the dash broad. My car had bad wiring and the fuse box was a mess! crazy! It's strange when your car is on running, but when you take out the radio fuse the car shuts off. And the only way to make it start was to put a piece of foil around the radio fuse chip, but foil was causing more problems to blow out each wire in the fuse, so that could start a fire or worse. My car didn't work for about 4 days and it would not start.

So the person working on my car had his computer somehow to pick up the problem. After days of figuring out, he said that I'd got to get a crank sensor in order for the car to start. It worked out, but also cost a lot to repair. To this very day my overdrive and engine light is still on.

I have a Mazda 626 1995. I had it for about 1 and a half years.

My overdrive flashes in the highway, and the only thing I do, was unplug-ed and plug-ed again the electrical wire harness plug in the top of the transmission, under the the air intake pipe.

Overall I haven't really read any good solution to the problem. O/D light seems to flash on and off whenever going up slight incline and does a little downshift. Whenever I notice this downshift occurs, I manually push the O/D button my shifter so that it doesn't get stuck in the blinking, hard-shifting O/D madness. Really annoying.

Hi. I am a layman when it comes to cars, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't sound like I know what I'm talking about...

In a two month time period, my wife and I each lost our vehicles to critical engine issues, and on a very tight budget, we went looking for a car. We found a used automatic 1996 Mazda 626 LX 2.0L 4 cylinder with a little over 90k miles on it. The car had been stationary in a yard for about six months before we purchased it. All seemed well after taking it for a test drive, so I purchased it used for $1500. A number of frustrations arose trying to get it through the state inspection, but these were the results of a less-than-truthful salesman.

We have had the car a total of two months. It is currently out of commission with a transmission issue that sounds awfully familiar here, with a few other bizarre circumstances. I was literally on my way to drop the car off at the garage where it was to be inspected when the check engine light had first come on. When we picked the car up after, it was off again. A few weeks passed before it reappeared, and it was accompanied by the notorious flashing O/D Off light. The transmission "changed" for lack of a better way to word it.

Drive no longer had a first gear. Maybe a second, either. I had to manually shift into first, then to second, then drive, manually downshifting at stop signs, red lights and in heavy traffic. I'm a delivery driver, so I need the ability to drive my car.

I continued to drive it like that for only a few days. On my way back from a delivery, the O/D Off light flashes again. Stopping at a stop sign, I realize that drive once again reclaimed first gear. I parked the car up against a curb in front of my building. I was rather excited that my car seemed to be behaving properly now, despite the fact that the check engine light was as bright as ever.

The next delivery, I go to put my car in reverse, and it won't budge. It's like a second Park. Neutral, D1, D2 and D all behave as though they are drive. I had to turn the car off in gear and drift to get out of the parking spot since there was no reverse or neutral.

Halfway through the next delivery, the O/D Off light flashes again, and it goes back to where I have to manually shift to get up to speed. I take the last delivery of the night, and on the way back, the O/D Off light flashes again, and the results are tragic... It's almost the exact opposite of where everything was drive or Park and no reverse or neutral.

Now there is no drive, D1, or D2. Neutral, Reverse, and Park are the only things left, and you can't operate a vehicle like that. Since it coincided with the O/D light, I hope that it is just another twist thrown my way. However, I fear that I have ruined my transmission after just two months, leaving my wife and I, plus our two children, without a car, and myself without a job.

My brother and I will be running some diagnostics this morning to see if it is necessary to replace the O2 sensor and go from there. Hopefully, we can find a solution, but it's hard to be optimistic.

This car has ruined my life.

To comment 4:13.

It's too bad you got stuck with that. Mazda 626's are mostly known for bad transmissions. I would've recommended doing more research on it before buying, but in a pinch I could see buying the first car you found. It's too bad Ford got a hold of Mazda and started building their cars with their junky Ford parts.