1992 Mazda MX3 GS from North America - Comments

Leaks from the sunroof.

Leaked from the gas tank/sending unit - replaced at 140,000 km.

New tires - watch out for this one when purchasing an used MX3, try to buy one with already new tires, as replacements can be costly (up to $130 CD).

In a span of 42,000 km, I have replaced the calipers, all four rotors twice, and all pads twice. Some may say that it is my driving habits, but I never push that car over 110 km/hr and drive highway 90% of the time.

The paint on the roof panel has begun to drastically chip off in the past couple of months.

The distributor failed at 145,000 km, and the cost for a rebuilt one was $400 not including installation.

The rear seats are ripping at all seams.

The power window on the drivers side has a glitch when it gets about half way up (slows down, sometimes stops dead).

The air conditioning, when running, takes a lot of power from the overall operation of the vehicle and the shifting becomes quite rough. (maybe the refrigerant needs to be topped up, any suggestions?)

The carpet has started to lift from the floor in places.

The spark plugs have been replaced due to oil getting inside.

The timing belt and water pump have both failed (difficult to replace).

The doors have a poor design, in which when raining the water all pours right into the car if the window is open.

I ordered a bra from the manufacturer, but it does not seem to fit properly.

The BIGGEST problem I am having with this car currently is that the car will not start whether it is warm or cold. The gas pedal must be held down for a couple of seconds while turning over. I have taken the car to the dealer three times now for this problem, as well as to a couple of mechanics. The dealership could find no readings and said that it could be any of a list of ten different possibilities (half of which are included in the list above!). I decided to go with a couple of their suggestions i.e. oxygen sensor, etc., none of which was successful. The mechanics that I took it to just turned me around and sent me back to the dealership. If anyone has any suggestions as to what may be the problem, please help!!!

Note: You may also jump to conclusions and say that I did not take care of my car, but a complete maintenance has been performed every 4000 km since the day I have owned this car. Trust me, I did not want to pay for all of these repairs!

Overall, I find that this is a great car to drive, just costly to keep up. I do not blame the manufacturer or any other person for these defects (except maybe the previous owner ;)!) This car has simply turned out to be a lemon!!

I just hope that whoever may own this car next not be burdened with the same amount of problems I had to deal with.

Concerning your issue with the no-start and holding in the gas pedal I may have a solution. A few months ago I had the same issue with my car (92 mx3) & also tried replacing the O2 sensor. That, as in your case, did not work. What I ended up doing, and it worked great, was to get a can of heavy duty injection cleaner. I don't recall the name, but the small can cost me about $20. The theory in this was that the injectors were clogged or sticking open/closed. After I put that can in the car has worked great for the past 6 months. Give it a try.

My guess is that you have a malfunctioning fuel pressure regulator valve, a leak in one of your fuel lines near the fuel rail, allowing the fuel rail to depressurize once the pump shuts off, and it takes a little bit to pressurize then start. Or you have a fuel filter that is getting clogged, or something in one of your fuel lines clogging. Or your return line to the tank is blocked.

The first thing you should try is run some real good fuel system cleaner (not the cheap gas station or auto parts store kind). Call a local Mazda dealership, talk to a mechanic, and ask what in their opinion is the best to use. Maybe they have some to sell you. Run that with a tank of high octane gas, they work good together.

If you haven't replaced the fuel filter, go ahead and do so. They are cheap, then run the cleaner.

And if you notice a fuel smell in your car at all, pay attention to if it smells like you have a leak under the hood, or is it coming from somewhere else? If there is a leak, and fuel smell is noticed. Take it to a trusted shop (any shop should do) and have them use a fuel pressure tester, find out where your fuel drop occurs after engine shut off, it shouldn't take long to track down. Make them find out if your pump is pushing full psi, because old pumps sometimes drop off in pressure too, and could be your problem.

If you have exhausted these more common, and cheaper fixes. Then have a shop look into you fuel pressure regulator valve, if it is stuck open, it could be your problem. But if this is the case most times you can dislodge it and get it working with the cleaner if you tried it first. Last, but not least is your fuel return line, have some one flush the line back to the tank to insure no clogs. If you go threw all this and none of the steps help you out then you have a really odd problem. Best of luck, hope I helped you get your little car starting normally.

My wife loves her 92 mx3 to death, been threw just about everything with her car, 287,600 miles on it is why I'm sure!

Maybe you just need a new starter.

Sometimes I feel the car has a mind of its own I have owned two 1992 Mazda MX-3's GS Both over 170,000 miles and has always started every time no pedal. And believe me I have spent more money on this car then I have ever spent on anything in my entire life. and not performance ether.