Since about February, I have heard my car sputter some while idling. In winter, it didn't do it that often. The few times I noticed I thought maybe a little water in the tank or the fact it was extremely cold out. Now with warmer weather and especially today, I definitely hear the car sputter, a lot, while idling. It was especially concerning today when I realized how much it did while putting air in tires.
Today, it was sputtering most of the time at maybe 1-3 times per second. It was clearly audible when outside the car near the engine as well as the tailpipe. I don't have any loss of power while moving.
The car also idles extremely low when at normal operating temp. Also, idle RPMs have been jumping around lately which seems to be connected with the sputtering/rough running while idle. The car has had a very low idle speed since I've owned it for the past 5.5 years, but it didn't jump around as it does lately. At normal operating temp, I'd say it idles at no more than 550 RPM and sometimes drops as low as 250 or so. If it is at all possible or believable, the car does not stall at these low RPMs.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Again, it's only at idle, only when car is warmed up, and seems more prominent with the warmer weather (but this may be as time goes on with an unresolved problem, it will get worse). I will probably have to have it looked at soon, but I would like to know something about it before believing everything a mechanic says.
My possible guesses are that its just due for a tune-up (plugs, wires, fuel/air filter, O2 sensor(s) perhaps), fuel injectors faulty or just dirty/clogged up, or MAF?
Vitals:
1993 Mazda 626 i4, auto trans
~173,000 miles; driven 8,000 miles a year
3k mile oil changes
spark plugs, wires, rotor, cap: 3 years old
one O2 sensor (is there more?): 1 year old
air filters: 1.5 yrs old
fuel filter: 3.5 yrs old (I swear it was replaced once more since then, but my papers say otherwise)
distributor: 3 years old
two belts: 1 year old
P.S.
Two more things actually. It really seems like this year's winter beat the living crap out of my car moreso than normal.
(to keep this shorter I'll leave out all the other, non-critical stuff)
1) For quite a many months now, I detect an odor quite often when inside car most often when idling (also most often when car is warmed up, but no weather factor here). I can't tell what the smell is or where it's coming from, but is possibly from the engine. I will do my best to get it described next time I smell it. Or it may be from the exhaust, as some of you may have noticed, a lot of Mazda 626s sound like utter hell. I don't know if it's just the i4 or what, but it seems common for these things to go through exhausts like a junkie through a bundle of dope. It's annoying, and I go 1.5-2 years between exhaust work when it could use it once a year or more. Last pipe I had put on was August 06. I'm not sure if a slightly loud/worn exhaust would produce such odors.
2) Smoke from tailpipe has been happening sometimes since around the odor deal. It is more noticeable now. I don't believe it is black smoke nor a straight blue either (oil?). It seems more of a white with some blue, darkened with some black! I'll keep a close eye next time. Months ago, I only seen a small puff as I started the car for the first time that day, backed out, and when I drove forward it would come out.
Today, I was parallel parking on a steep incline (attempting to anyway) where when in reverse, I was going up the incline. So as I was getting in to the spot, I needed to give it quite a bit of gas in reverse for the steep incline. Looking over my shoulder, I could see small to mid-size clouds of smoke coming out as I hit the gas.
Any ideas on the two things above as well? It's an old car and some problems are expected or have been happening for a while with no ill affects (the car drives excellent still). It is possible however, that I've lost a noticeable amount of MPG since this stuff has happened.
Today, it was sputtering most of the time at maybe 1-3 times per second. It was clearly audible when outside the car near the engine as well as the tailpipe. I don't have any loss of power while moving.
The car also idles extremely low when at normal operating temp. Also, idle RPMs have been jumping around lately which seems to be connected with the sputtering/rough running while idle. The car has had a very low idle speed since I've owned it for the past 5.5 years, but it didn't jump around as it does lately. At normal operating temp, I'd say it idles at no more than 550 RPM and sometimes drops as low as 250 or so. If it is at all possible or believable, the car does not stall at these low RPMs.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Again, it's only at idle, only when car is warmed up, and seems more prominent with the warmer weather (but this may be as time goes on with an unresolved problem, it will get worse). I will probably have to have it looked at soon, but I would like to know something about it before believing everything a mechanic says.
My possible guesses are that its just due for a tune-up (plugs, wires, fuel/air filter, O2 sensor(s) perhaps), fuel injectors faulty or just dirty/clogged up, or MAF?
Vitals:
1993 Mazda 626 i4, auto trans
~173,000 miles; driven 8,000 miles a year
3k mile oil changes
spark plugs, wires, rotor, cap: 3 years old
one O2 sensor (is there more?): 1 year old
air filters: 1.5 yrs old
fuel filter: 3.5 yrs old (I swear it was replaced once more since then, but my papers say otherwise)
distributor: 3 years old
two belts: 1 year old
P.S.
Two more things actually. It really seems like this year's winter beat the living crap out of my car moreso than normal.
(to keep this shorter I'll leave out all the other, non-critical stuff)1) For quite a many months now, I detect an odor quite often when inside car most often when idling (also most often when car is warmed up, but no weather factor here). I can't tell what the smell is or where it's coming from, but is possibly from the engine. I will do my best to get it described next time I smell it. Or it may be from the exhaust, as some of you may have noticed, a lot of Mazda 626s sound like utter hell. I don't know if it's just the i4 or what, but it seems common for these things to go through exhausts like a junkie through a bundle of dope. It's annoying, and I go 1.5-2 years between exhaust work when it could use it once a year or more. Last pipe I had put on was August 06. I'm not sure if a slightly loud/worn exhaust would produce such odors.
2) Smoke from tailpipe has been happening sometimes since around the odor deal. It is more noticeable now. I don't believe it is black smoke nor a straight blue either (oil?). It seems more of a white with some blue, darkened with some black!
I'll keep a close eye next time. Months ago, I only seen a small puff as I started the car for the first time that day, backed out, and when I drove forward it would come out. Today, I was parallel parking on a steep incline (attempting to anyway) where when in reverse, I was going up the incline. So as I was getting in to the spot, I needed to give it quite a bit of gas in reverse for the steep incline. Looking over my shoulder, I could see small to mid-size clouds of smoke coming out as I hit the gas.
Any ideas on the two things above as well? It's an old car and some problems are expected or have been happening for a while with no ill affects (the car drives excellent still). It is possible however, that I've lost a noticeable amount of MPG since this stuff has happened.
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