9th Aug 2006, 22:44
How come everybody wants a "real Mazda" when the quality of both Mazda and Jaguar went way UP after Ford took them over??
16th Nov 2006, 13:42
Everybody wants a real Mazda because if they wanted a Ford Ranger, they would buy a Ford.
Hell the 3rd gen RX7 was a disaster because Ford took over.
24th Dec 2006, 17:24
Just bought a 93 B2600i 4X4. Some parts stores say the rear brake drums are the same for the 2x2. Not!
What years is Mazda not made by Ford?
The person that I bought it from literally drove it until it would not move. Fried the clutch and nuked the rear brakes. The only thing I did not have to replace in the brakes was the backing plates. $225.00 later the brakes are like new. Not too bad for foreign truck.
Motor has 150k miles and seems real strong. The drivers seat is shot, but, Over all it's in pretty good shape for a thousand bucks.
Never did like Ford anyway.
13th Feb 2007, 19:07
To the person that asked what years did Mazda make it's own trucks, I have your answer. Mazda made it's own trucks until 1993. I'm with the people that say that the Ford-Mazda's are not as good. I hear the 1994-2002 4-cylinder 626's have MAJOR transmission problems, thanks to the Ford designed transmissions. Just look at how many people complained on this site! I drive a 1992 B2600i with 121,000 Miles and ABSOLUTELY love it. I have had no problems with it other than normal maintenance, and it shows no signs of having problems.
6th May 2007, 16:39
May6 2007.
I recently bought a 1993 B2600i with 260,000 km on it. Ran great and was really impressed with it and its 4x4 abilities. Replaced the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor after purchase. It just started with a sticky lifter problem at 280,000 km. I have tried various means to stop it without tearing it apart. just wondering if anybody else has had this problem and what they did to fix it?
15th May 2007, 12:37
My dad bought his ’93 B2600i a little over 5 years ago. He passed it down to me recently and I couldn’t be happier. It drives great and is in almost perfect exterior conditions. The upholstery is still looking great. The only visible problem is that the paint has started to fade a bit on the hood. It is a great truck and I plan to keep it as long as possible.
26th Aug 2007, 22:47
Hi B2600I 4x4 lovers!!!
I've had mine since 2000, and I'm really impressed by my glorious truck!!! I bought it at 167k, and it now has 292k and is still working fine. Drinks a lot of oil because of valve seals, but everything else is in great shape for his venerable age!!!
I use it for my work and he let me down one time only!!! (CAUSE OF MAZDA SHOP ENGINE REBUILT!!!)
I'm from Québec, and 14 yearsold cars don't live so longer here, especially if you work with it!!!
24th Dec 2007, 21:14
I just got a 1993 B2600i and had done a complete engine overhaul, replacing all seals, bearings, and gaskets. It had over 206000mi, and was in need of this repair. Even though it has lots of scratches and dents from previous owners I do enjoy driving it. I replaced the entire exhaust system and she runs like a new truck. I just right now have 1 thing that's been troubling, and that's the ECU engine computer. I had it repaired and it still consumes too much gas during normal driving. So I'm in the market too purchase a new one. I also replaced the front wheel bearings and wheel holder and disc, because of bad wear and rust. It's an auto transmission and sometimes it slips and then engages, I believe the seals are worn and going to have that checked out.
4th Feb 2008, 10:41
I bought a 1991 Mazda 5 speed a few years ago and love it. However, one of m fuel injectors has started to leak. I'm told I must change all four. Can some recommend a decent place to get replacements without me spending more than I paid for the truck.
Fueldrip.
6th Feb 2008, 08:45
As for why the "Real Mazda's" are so great... for me it is because of the engineering. I have taken my interior out three times since I bought it to upgrade the stereo and cellphone system, and every time I take it apart I am amazed at the attention to quality for every wire, strap, screw placement and seal.
I have a B2600i that I bought used with 15K miles on it. After driving it until about 2000 I let my daughter drive it until 2003 when she bought a Chevy Blazer. She loved the comfort of her newer vehicle and gave the Mazda back to me and it got parked for the next four years. Now her Chevy had thousands of dollars of non maintenance repairs done and the Mazda had NONE. The Mazda got simple oil changes, plugs, battery, distributor cap, wires, antifreeze changes, tires, air filter, a few exterior lights bulbs, brakes and wipers. I just put the truck back on the road.
It had a sticky lifter which can be usually fixed by two methods. One is to change your oil and add a 5W-20 oil. If this does not work then pop off the valve cover, take off the rocker arm assembly and replace the stuck hydraulic valve adjuster. There are guys on eBay selling these now for about $50.00 a set of 12 (B2600i has 12 valves). You can actually clean the lifters yourself in diesel fuel and load them up with the fuel before you put them back in. Just make sure you have a torque wrench. Search the net for detailed photos and instructions.
Anyways... my truck has 145K miles. It runs the same as when I purchased it. It is one of the better vehicles that I have ever owned. It is very dependable and parts are not hard to get. You can even put a imported JDM G5 motor in it compared to the stock G6. I see them for sale on eBay for about $550.00. Not bad for a complete engine.
This truck is a pleasure to drive. It gets about 22 MPG on average and has a lot of pep and torque. In fact mine is so peppy that I have to be careful as it wants to jump off of the line at the stop lights. I have a light foot and this baby likes to go. I actually put 2 ounces pure Acetone and 3 ounces of Xylene in the tank at every refill, and I swear it is actually driving better than when it was new. It seems the additives increase the BTU burn temperature in the cylinder, and I am getting a cleaner emission than ever before.
Oh... I have to admit I just replaced the first and second muffler after the catalytic converter and the pipes that join them for $107.00. It seems that sitting for 4 years tends to rust out the "Americanized" exhaust system. The muffler guy even said "you have a really good quality exhaust tip and the last pipe is stainless, so I am going to cut it off and add it to our pipe to keep the nice finish.
I will admit that I would like to get better MPG, but who wouldn't at today's gas prices. One thing that I have noticed is that the motor is 2600cc, which is a very large four cylinder. Most of the V-6's out there are 2800cc and up, so this motor is borderline to the mileage of the larger V-6 engine.
I feel that if you have a well built vehicle, it can be capable of a lot of good and trusting miles as long as you take care of it and do not drive it hard. Anyone can destroy even the best built vehicles, but hard braking, hard acceleration and not giving a crap about what you hit on the road. But... some cars are built with such an importance paid to saving money that the cuts are made in the wrong places, and we suffer with the high repair cost.
Thanks Mazda for building a wonderful truck before 1994.
Ken in NC
14th Jul 2006, 19:57
I too have a 93 B2600 LE-5 extended cab purchased in Wisconsin. It was a dealer swap from out in Minnesota because I wanted the graceful red (burgundy) with the grey interior. It had a cold weather package, which the dealership didn't charge me for because I didn't ask for it. Cold weather package included a larger radiator, heavy duty battery and engine block heater. Nice package, and very rare. Confuses the dealerships down here in Virginia, they think I had it replaced with the wrong size! I've had this truck since brand new and only have about 100,000 miles on it. Love this truck! I wish Mazda still made their own trucks instead of selling Ford Ranger with a Mazda sticker on it. Gas mileage kind of sucks because it's a 4x4 though. Non 4x4 models got much better mpg. I have never had anything major go bad on this truck. Had the front half shafts replaced at 95,000 miles and the original front rotors at 100,000 miles. In typical Mazda fashion though, it goes through a muffler every couple years. I've owned 4 Mazda's now from 626, truck and Miata and loved them all! Mom, dad and sister are all hooked too and we have all owned at least 4 in the past 20 years. As long as it's a real Mazda (not Ford) I recommend them!