MAZDA MODEL 626 2002 Owners Manual

8-25
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Battery Maintenance
To get the best service from a battery:
• Keep it securely mounted.
• Keep the top clean and dry.
• Keep terminals and connections clean,
tight, and coated with petroleum jelly
or terminal grease.
• Rinse off spilled electrolyte
immediately with a solution of water
and baking soda.
• If the vehicle will not be used for an
extended time, disconnect the battery
cables. For reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tire inflation pressures and
stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.
Tires
Using Different Tire Types:Driving your vehicle with different
types of tires is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor
braking; leading to loss of control.
Except when using the temporary
spare tire, use only the same type tires
(radial, bias-belted, bias-type) on all
four wheels.
Using Wrong-Sized Tires:
Using any other tire size than what is
specified for your Mazda (page 10-6)
is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance, tire
clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tires that
are the correct size specified for your
Mazda.
WARNING
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Tire Inflation Pressure
Inspect all tire pressures monthly
(including the spare) when the tires are
cold. Maintain recommended pressures
for the best ride, top handling, and
minimum tire wear.
Refer to the specification charts (page 10-
6).
Incorrect Tire Inflation:Overinflation or underinflation of
tires is dangerous. Adverse handling
or unexpected tire failure could result
in a serious accident. Always inflate
the tires to the correct pressure (page
10-6).
WARNING
NOTE
• Warm tires normally exceed
recommended pressures. Don ’t
release air from warm tires to adjust
the pressure.
• Underinflation can cause reduced
fuel economy and poor sealing of
the tire bead, which will deform the
wheel and cause separation of tire
from rim.
• Overinflation can produce a harsh
ride and a greater possibility of
damage from road hazards.
Keep your tire pressure at the
correct levels. If one frequently
needs inflating, have it inspected.
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Tire Rotation
To equalize tread wear, rotate the tires
every 6,000 km (3,750 miles)/*12,000 km
(7,500 miles) , or sooner if irregular wear
develops. During rotation, inspect them
for correct balance.

*Canada
Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
• Incorrect tire pressure
• Improper wheel alignment
• Out-of-balance wheel
• Severe braking
After rotation, bring all tire pressures to
specification (page 10-6) and inspect the
lug nuts for tightness.





Replacing a Tire
If a tire wears evenly, a wear indicator
will appear as a solid band across the
tread.
Replace the tire when this happens.
You may need to replace it before the
band is across the entire tread.
Rotate unidirectional tires and radial
tires that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tire performance
will be weakened if rotated from side
to side.
Front
Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY
spare tire) in rotation.
CAUTION
Worn Tires:Driving with worn tires is dangerous.
Reduced braking, steering, and
traction could result in an accident.
Always use tires that are in good
condition.
WARNING
New tread Worn tread
Tread wear indicator
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Temporary Spare Tire
Inspect the temporary spare tire at least
monthly to make sure it ’s properly
inflated and stored.
The temporary spare tire is easier to
handle because of its construction. It is
lighter and smaller than a conventional
tire and should be used only for an
emergency and only for a short distance.
Use the temporary only until the
conventional tire is repaired, which should
be as soon as possible.
Maintain its pressure at 420 kPa (60 psi).





Replacing a Wheel
When replacing a wheel, make sure the
new one is the same as the original factory
wheel in diameter, rim width, and offset.
Proper tire balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tires can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and flat spots.
• Don ’t use your temporary spare tire
rim with a snow tire or a
conventional tire. Neither will
properly fit and could damage both
tire and rim.
• The temporary spare tire has a tread
life of up to 5,000 km (3,000 miles),
depending on road conditions and
driving habits.
• When the tread wear solid-band
indicator appears, replace the tire
with the same type of temporary
spare.
CAUTION
Using a Wrong-Sized Wheel:Using a wrong-sized wheel is
dangerous. Braking and handling
could be affected, leading to loss of
control and an accident. Always use
wheels of the correct size on your
vehicle.
A wrong-sized wheel may adversely
affect
•Tire fit
• Wheel and bearing life
• Ground clearance
• Snow-chain clearance
• Speedometer calibration
• Headlight aim
• Bumper height
WARNING
CAUTION
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G
Light Bulbs
Headlights
Interior light
Courtesy lights
Front-turn signal lights/Parking lights
License plate lights
High-mount brake lightTrunk light
Rear-turn signal lights
Reverse lights
Brake lights/Taillights
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8-30
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G
Yo u r M a z d a’s headlights have replaceable
halogen bulbs.




Replacing a Headlight Bulb
1. Make sure the headlight switch is off.
2. Lift the hood and find the bulb in the
rear of the headlight body.
3. 2.5-liter engine Remove the bolts and the coolant
reservoir.
4. Detach the electrical connector from the bulb by squeezing the tabs and
pulling it to the rear.
Handling Halogen Bulbs:When a halogen bulb breaks, it is
dangerous. These bulbs contain
pressurized gas. If one is broken, it
will explode and serious injuries
could be caused by the flying glass.
If the glass portion is touched with
bare hands, body oil could cause the
bulb to overheat and explode when lit.
Never touch the glass portion of the
bulb with your bare hands and always
wear eye protection when handling or
working around halogen bulbs.
Children and Halogen Bulbs:
Playing with a halogen bulb is
dangerous. Serious injuries could be
caused by dropping a halogen bulb or
breaking it some other way.
Always keep halogen bulbs out of the
reach of children.
WARNING
Do not touch the glass surface
Bolts
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G
5. Pull off the sealing cover.
6. Unhook the bulb retaining spring.
7. Swing the retaining spring out and away to free the headlight bulb.
8. Carefully remove the headlight bulb from the socket by pulling it straight
back.
9. Replace the bulb.
10.Install in the reverse order of removal.
NOTE
• When reinstalling the sealing cover,
make sure faces up.
• Use the protective cover and carton
to dispose of the old bulb promptly
out of the reach of children.
Sealing cover
Bulb
retaining
spring
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Replacing a Bulb (Front)






Replacing a Bulb (Interior)
To replace the map light bulbs, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Front-turn signal lights/Parking lights
Interior light Courtesy lights
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G





Replacing a Bulb (Rear)
Rear bulb access
To replace the turn-signal light, brake
light/taillight or reverse light bulb, pull the
center section of the plastic retainer and
remove the retainers and trunk end trim.
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8-34
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q50-EA-01G
License plate lights
Rear-turn signal lights
Brake lights/Taillights
Reverse lights
Trunk light
High-mount brake light
J94S.book Page 34 Saturday, June 23, 2001 1:04 PM