One day about 2 weeks after getting this car, I was low on gas, and it started sputtering and would stall while accelerating. I did what anyone else would do in this situation and fueled it up. Immediately after, it sputtered for a few more red lights, then it was fine. Or so I thought. A month later, it started sputtering and hesitating again, only this time, I had a full tank. Now, when I bought this car, it wasn't from a Mazda dealer, it was used and at a large and unnamed dealership. It had a 2 month/2,000 mile limited warranty on it. When this problem started, I was already over the 2,000 miles by 43 miles. I should know, since I took it in for service, and they wouldn't do anything except clean the injectors for $113. Now anywhere I go, I have to shut off the A/C every time I come to a stop. This is really insane, since I live off of US 19 in Florida, and if you've been there, you'd know that you need a car that will accelerate on demand.
The car I traded in for this junk was a 1995 Chevy Cavalier. I am really sorry that I did, since that was the most reliable car I've ever had.
If this is a 4 cylinder engine. The sputtering is actually caused by the spark plugs and not by the fuel injectors. The problem originates from that fact that the plugs are located at the top of the valve cover and the spark plug boots do not seal good. This in turn, allows moisture to pool around the plug, causing arcing from the plug to the block. The best way to remedy this is to buy four packs of $0.99 boot lubricant. Put a good bead around the bottom the boot where the plug goes in and a good bead around the top of the boot. This will prevent the arcing and you should see a noticeable difference.
I have a 1998 626 LX 4 cylinder that's been sputtering for several months. I replaced the plugs and went through a lot of dry gas. But the solution to the sputtering problem for me was the previous comment about lubricating the spark plug boots. For five dollars the problem is fixed and I don't hate to drive the car anymore, even with the A/C on. Thanks to the guy for the easy fix.
If new spark plugs don't fix the problem, replace your fuel filter and air filter.
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