Getting ready for a large fixing project..

[preed08@gmail.com]

I have a Milly S 2000 that has many things that needs fixing. It needs :

Vacuum Tube Swap
Door locks don't work
Bad smoke at startup

It also seems to have a gas leak that i viewed in the engine compartment but can no longer locate.

I love the car, its just become quite sluggish recently and i want to give it that pep that it used to have.

Out of all the repairs it needs, id like to do some of them myself if possible. Im taking it to a Mazda dealership to get it a formal diagnostic.

Any idea on what will cause the smoke at startup? Its a thick white smoke that dissipates after driving.

[mazda-fla]

The gas smell under the hood is probably the small black rubber hose (about 3 inches) that connects the left (front) and right (back) sides of the fuel rail. That's especially the case if it is an intermittent problem that only happens maybe once out of ten times driving the car.

It might be worth fixing the fuel leak and fixing the vacuum leaks as a baseline. Once you get that fixed, then see what happens about the smoke at start up, and if the fuel and air leaks is causing part of that problem.

One thing I've learned about the Milly S, is to get the vacuum lines and T-connectors in order first. Because vacuum leaks often manifest themselves in all sorts of other problems. If you don't fix the vacuum leaks first, you are going to start chasing ghosts with this car.

[preed08@gmail.com]

Ok, ill handle those two things and report back later. Also, it has a intermittent code for the IAT sensor which i replaced with a junkyard part, but it didn't clear the code. It doesn't appear to be a part that fails easily, so was just wondering if something else could be the matter

[mazda-fla]

It takes a while for the code to reset by itself from driving around (could take a few days). Did you manually clear the code by either removing the negative post from the battery, or by using the code reader to clear the codes?

[preed08@gmail.com]

I did that quite a while ago and it still pops up. I'll probably just buy a new one. What I'm more worried about at this point is the white smoke. Talked to a mechanic that seems to know about the car, and he says if it's a head gasket problem then it's either a rebuild project or drive it till it can't anymore.


He also quoted me 450-500 to fix the vacuum tubes and that I would have to buy a tcs solenoid. From what I've read, it seems that I can probably change the vacuum tubes myself. Any pointers on where to start..and what is the part no for the solenoid.


Thanks much for your help, I know the milly forum isn't what it used to be

[Gripdog]

Head gaskets are rarely a problem on these cars, more than likely seals and an aging supercharger. Is it cold outside when it smokes or does it do it all the time

[preed08@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Gripdog

Head gaskets are rarely a problem on these cars, more than likely seals and an aging supercharger. Is it cold outside when it smokes or does it do it all the time

Almost every time i crank it up.

[preed08@gmail.com]

Ok, so I need pointers on replacing the vacuum tubes. Any takers?

[mazda-fla]

The TCS code/light/problems are almost always from vacuum leaks on the Millenia S. Don't replace anything having to do with the TCS until you have fixed all the vacuum leaks, because most likely that will fix the TCS problem.

To start with, you have to remove the CAC in order to change the hoses. Because most of the hoses and T connectors that go bad are the ones sandwiched between the CAC and the supercharger (probably the heat under there cooks then until they are brittle and cracked). Look in the technical guides section and you can find several posts with pictures on how to remove the CAC.

Removal and reinstallation of the CAC is the majority of the work involved. Then just get a spool of vacuum hose and a handful of T connectors and start replacing the hoses one-by-one. Don't remove all the hoses at once, or you will never figure out how to put them back together. Just do a single hose at a time, then move to the next single hose, and so on.

Also, what is a big help is to get an assorted package of colored electrical tape. They make packages that have red, blue, white, green, etc. So you can mark the connectors and hoses that have to be removed to pull the CAC. Or at the very least use masking tape and a permenent Sharpie Marker to mark everything. Sometimes it also helps to take close up pictures of things along the way as you start removing things, in case you need to look at them later as a reference.

[mazda-fla]

Here are a couple tricks to help find the vacuum leak, if you don't want to replace all the vacuum lines. Do this with the engine OFF.

1. Remove the air filter cartridge and top of the air filter box with MAP sensor. Get it to where you have the air hose connector.
2. Get a heavy ziplock freezer bag, or some kind of heavy gauge pastic and hold it with your right hand over the air hose connector, to seal off the air.
3. Take your left hand and remove one of the vacuum hoses, preferable one close to the intake manifold.
4. Blow into the vacuum hose with your mouth and build up pressure. You should be able to even quickly plug it with your thumb and feel it holding pressure, and then quickly release your thumb and hear and feel the hiss on your thumb. If you blow into the hose and it doesn't get hard and hold pressure or feel anything touching it with your thumb, then it is probably blowing out whereever the vacuum leak is. (but make sure your other hand is holding the bag over the air hose or all the air will come out there).
5. You might try another hose or two, in case the one you blow has a check valve.

If you blow and it doesn't hold pressure, but can't seem to find the leak, the next trick is to do that same thing. Only this time get a nice cheap cigar, then get a few good puffs and really get the cigar going and a mouth full of smoke, then blow the dense cigar smoke into the vacuum hose. You should then see the smoke coming out of where ever the vacuum leak is.

It also helps doing these tricks with an assistant. It is easier to do all this with an extra set of hands. If you are alone, and are having a problem with not enough hands. Then you can get a plastic bag (large ziplock or plastic garbage bag) and put the air filter in the plastic bag, and insert it back into the air filter housing and clamp it down. That will block the air without having to hold anything.