Mazda 3 Owners Manual: Underbody Maintenance
Road chemicals and salt used for ice and snow removal and solvents used for dust control may collect on the underbody. If not removed, they will speed up rusting and deterioration of such underbody parts as fuel lines, frame, floor pan, and exhaust system, even though these parts may be coated with anti-corrosive material.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and wheel housings with lukewarm or cold water at the end of each winter. Try also to do this every month.
Pay special attention to these areas because they easily hide mud and dirt.
It will do more harm than good to wet down the road grime without removing it.
The lower edges of doors, rocker panels, and frame members have drain holes that should not be clogged. Water trapped there will cause rusting.
| WARNING
Dry off brakes that have become
wet by driving slowly, releasing the
accelerator pedal and lightly applying
the brakes several times until the brake
performance returns to normal:
Driving with wet brakes is dangerous. Increased stopping distance or the vehicle pulling to one side when braking could result in a serious accident. Light braking will indicate whether the brakes have been aff ected. |
Bright-Metal Maintenance
Use tar remover to remove road tar and
insects. Never do this with a knife or
similar tool.
To prevent corrosion on brightmetal
surfaces, apply wax or chrome
preservative and rub it to a ...
Aluminum Wheel Maintenance
A protective coating is provided over the
aluminum wheels. Special care is needed
to protect this coating.
CAUTION
Do not use any detergent other than
mild detergent. Before using any
...
Other materials:
Hood Latch And Release Lever Removal/Installation
Hood latch
1. Open the hood.
2. Disconnect the negative battery cable..
3. Disconnect the hood latch switch connector. (vehicles with theft-deterrent
system)
4. Remove the bolts.
5. Remove the hood latch.
6. Install in the reverse order of removal.
7. Adjust the hood..
Hood ...
Front Wheel Hub Bolt Replacement
1. Remove the brake calliper component and disc plate..
2. Remove the wheel hub bolt using the SST as shown in the figure.
NOTE:
When removing the wheel hub bolts, perform the work between range A shown
in the figure to assure a space for the bolt removal.
3. Place a new whe ...
Trunk Lid Adjustment
1. Measure the gap and height difference between the trunk lid and the body.
Standard clearance
a: 2.4—4.4 mm {0.10—0.17 in}
b: -4.6—-2.6 mm {-0.18—-0.11 in}
c: 2.5—4.5 mm {0.10—0.17 in}
d: -1.7—0.3 mm {-0.06—0.01 in}
e: 2.6—4.6 mm {0.11—0.18 in}
...
