wheel alignment MAZDA MODEL B-SERIES 2006 Owners Manual (in English)

WARNING: If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., do
not rapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire
and cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three
to five seconds.
WARNING: Never spin the tires in excess of the 35 mph (55
km/h) point indicated on the speedometer.
Highway hazards
No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side, vibrate or shake when you’re driving,
the wheels may be out of alignment. Have a qualified technician at a
Mazda dealer check the wheel alignment periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by a qualified technician
at a Mazda dealer. Front wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an
independent rear suspension require alignment of all four wheels.
The tire should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
NOTE:When it is time to replace front tires with new ones, this is an
ideal time to perform an alignment. New tires should be balanced at the
time they are installed.
2006 B-Series(mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French(fr_can)
Tires, Wheels and Loading
114

•Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
vehicles/Four Wheel Drive
(4WD)/All Wheel Drive (AWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask a qualified technician at a
Mazda dealership to check for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire
imbalance or mechanical problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
2006 B-Series(mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French(fr_can)
Tires, Wheels and Loading
116

STEERING
Your vehicle is equipped with power steering. Power steering uses energy
from the engine to decrease the driver’s effort in steering the vehicle.
To prevent damage to the power steering pump:
•Never hold the steering wheel to the extreme right or the extreme left
for more than a few seconds when the engine is running.
•Do not operate the vehicle with the power steering pump fluid level
below the MIN mark on the reservoir.
If the power steering system breaks down (or if the engine is turned
off), you can steer the vehicle manually, but it takes more effort.
If the steering wanders or pulls, check for:
•Underinflated tire(s) on any wheel(s)
•Uneven vehicle loading
•High crown in center of road
•High crosswinds
•Wheels out of alignment
•Loose or worn suspension components
TRACTION-LOK AXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
This axle provides added traction on slippery surfaces, particularly when
one wheel is on a poor traction surface. Under normal conditions, the
Traction-Lok axle functions like a standard rear axle. The axle may
exhibit a slight noise or vibration in tight turns with low vehicle speed.
This is normal behavior and indicates the axle is working.
PREPARING TO DRIVE
WARNING: Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
Your vehicle has larger tires and increased ground clearance, giving the
vehicle a higher center of gravity than a passenger car.
2006 B-Series(mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French(fr_can)
Driving
147

Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between fourth and fifth gear occurs.
Unnecessary shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel
economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer torefill capacitiesin this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inservice maintenance section.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).
2006 B-Series(mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French(fr_can)
Maintenance and Specifications
237

Seat belts (see
Safety restraints) ........................65
Seats ............................................63
child safety seats ......................93
Servicing your vehicle ..............211
Setting the clock
AM/FM stereo ...........................18
AM/FM stereo CD .....................20
AM/FM stereo tape/CD/MP3 ....23
Premium AM/FM stereo
CD6/MP3 ...................................27
Snowplowing .................................7
Spark plugs, specifications .......251
Special notice
ambulance conversions ..............7
utility-type vehicles ....................6
Specification chart,
lubricants ...........................250–251
Speed control ..............................50
Starting your
vehicle ........................140–141, 143
jump starting ..........................181
Steering wheel
tilting .........................................47
Stereo
Single CD ..................................20
T
Tether anchors ............................97
Tilt steering wheel ......................47
Tires ...........................106–108, 171
alignment ................................114
care ..........................................111
changing ..........................171, 176
checking the pressure ............111
inspecting and inflating .........109
label .........................................121replacing ..................................113
rotating ....................................115
safety practices .......................113
sidewall information ...............116
snow tires and chains ............122
spare tire .........................171, 173
terminology .............................108
tire grades ...............................107
treadwear ........................107, 112
Towing .......................................129
recreational towing .................138
trailer towing ..........................129
wrecker ....................................186
Traction-lok rear axle ...............147
Transfer case
fluid checking .........................246
Transmission
automatic operation ...............148
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....148
fluid, checking and adding
(manual) .................................245
fluid, refill capacities ..............247
lubricant specifications ..250–251
manual operation ....................151
Turn signal ..................................38
V
Vehicle dimensions ...................251
Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) ..........................................254
Vehicle loading ..........................122
camper bodies ........................139
Ventilating your vehicle ...........143
W
Warning chimes ...........................16
Warning lights (see Lights) .......12
2006 B-Series(mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French(fr_can)
Index
261