Mazda SkyActiv Diesel Engine

[pknopp]

yup. It's common-sense to check the oil every week or two, but a generation of car users have lost the knack.

Pshaw....I have the attendant check mine when he fills my car up. Right after he washes the windshield.

 

[TDiSkater]

Wow, is this on straight diesel? I thought this issue was mostly related to biodiesel concentration.

 

[bhtooefr]

This is also being discussed in the main SkyActiv thread.

The problem may not be the post-injection for the DPF, it may be the pilot injection, due to it occurring well before TDC (and there may be fuel not making it into the bowl).

 

[bhtooefr]

Something else I just realized, about this issue...

It's only occurring in Australia, on a car that just came out.

If it's not fuel quality, I'm betting we'll start hearing Euro reports of the same problem in a few months. Australia is coming out of their winter, so it could be compounded by cold weather.

 

[DPM]

There's also a chance Ozzy fuel isn't all as good as EN590. Anecdotally it seems there are more DPF issues with the Subaru Diesel in Australia than Europe.

 

[VWBeamer]

Car and Driver say the Mazda CX-9 with 2.2 Diesel is coming 2013.

CX-9: Mazda's three-row SUV carries over as is until a redesigned model arrives in 2013 with the fuel-saving, zesty-driving Skyactiv technology. It's possible that the CX-9 will get what is likely to be Mazda's first modern turbo-diesel in the U.S., a 2.2-liter.

 

[Powder Hound]

Yeah, there's a lot of possibilities. VW keeps telling us about all the possibilities all the time. And other manufacturers like to put rumors out, just to see if they float or if the bubble gets shot down before it crosses the fence.

The bottom line is, we'll see it when we see it.

Sorry to sound like a grumpy gus, but really, sometimes I just get tired of manufacturers putting out rumors like this, and magazines printing them, and then the article getting posted on here 42 times in separate postings, and somewhere, someone KNOWS there ain't a snowball's chance in Hell of that rumor coming to fruition.

All you manufacturers out there, put up or shut up. Sheesh. Is that so blinkin' hard to do?

 

[VeeDubTDI]

I'll believe it when I see it. Various manufacturers keep saying it and it keeps not happening.

 

[No More Buffalo]

FWIW, Mazda uses "SkyActiv" the way ford uses "EcoBoost". Unless it's specifically "SkyActiv-D" it is not guaranteed to be diesel.

 

[wxman]

Mazda6 diesel sedan offers up to 60 mpg US

 

[kjclow]

Ok, so Mazda showed a couple of cars in Paris. Where are those same diesel cars on the lots in North America? Has anyone heard anymore about the fuel blow by issues down under?

 

[cmitchell]

That's a nice looking wagon ... add AWD & I'm a customer. Of course it will most likely never be sold in the USA. Car companies love to tease us with this stuff.

 

[d-man]

I think the main issue is caused by not getting it up to operating temperature. Seems like the aftermarket tuning is going to be able to get a lot out of this package. four injection events, variable timing. I am very interested.

 

[kjclow]

That's a nice looking wagon ... add AWD & I'm a customer. Of course it will most likely never be sold in the USA. Car companies love to tease us with this stuff.

We probably won't see the wagon. I know they offered the 6 wagon in 2005 but am not sure when it was pulled from the product line because Americans won't buy station wagons, just minivans or extra large SUVs. Has Mazda ever offered AWD in anything other than the rebadged Fords?

 

[DasTeknoViking]

Yes they offered AWD in the 323 GTX back in the 80s, and late model Mazdaspeed6 had the 2.3T with 6M/T and AWD, friends elderly mom has one. 2 transfer cases and one rear diff under warranty, one turbo. I wouldn't trust a newer Mazda as my daily.

 

[Ace Deprave]

I wouldn't trust a newer Mazda as my daily.

I did, and would again.

I had 109,000 miles on my 2008 Mazdaspeed3 that I traded in on my Passat. The only problem I had was to replace a leaking gas cap...cost all of $17.

 

[eb2143]

Good God the new 6 is the best looking Mazda I've ever seen. According to Edmunds, the diesel is "almost a guarantee."

The mid-size and full-size sedan market is loaded right now; Altima, Accord, Passat, and now the best 6 yet coming. I wish the Passat was a little sharper in both appearance and handling, so a 6 with a diesel would probably compete very well with the VW TDI crowd.

 

[Sappington]

That is a nice looking car indeed. I'm still keeping my eye on the cx-5 as a minivan replacement. Of course, a Mazda6 wagon would be a strong competitor to it for me!

 

[bhtooefr]

Is it just me, or has Mazda been taking interior design lessons from VW?

Don't get me wrong, I still see elements of Mazda in there, but that interior wouldn't look horribly out of place in a VW.

 

[jayb79]

Yes most definitely euro influence in that interior. The CX5 is also more euro then Asian. I like it.

 

[TheLongshot]

Is it just me, or has Mazda been taking interior design lessons from VW?

Don't get me wrong, I still see elements of Mazda in there, but that interior wouldn't look horribly out of place in a VW.

I've always felt that Mazda had a lot of Euro influence in their design. Moreso than most Japanese cars.

 

[rotarykid]

I've always felt that Mazda had a lot of Euro influence in their design. Moreso than most Japanese cars.

Mazdas share design along with many if not all parts with similarly designed and badged Fords. They share assembly lines along with drivetrans, suspensions, brakes, clutches, body panels, you fill in the blank...... In my experience and I have decades of it with and repairing them, Mazda's are a thrown together unit from many parts bins......

This can lead to some pretty interesting models being offered by both that are fun to drive but can be, are many times a nightmares to get parts for repair. I have spent many hours/days & weeks going back & forth to parts suppliers trying to no avail get the correct replacement parts.

On many Mazda and Ford models parts numbers are less than useless, you must know the date of manufacture to exact date and where it was put together. Many times even this isn't enough to get the correct replacement part. On many models, FORD and MAZDA only with parts in hand to compare what has been sent for replacement is the way to go to get the correct replacement part.

Just a couple of years ago I spent a week of going back and forth to the dealer to repair a Ford Ranger pickup. Three times I was sent the wrong replacement part, all three were listed as being correct for this model. I had build date {7/2006} , vin number and site of manufacture but that was still not enough to receive the correct replacement part. In the end it turned out that Ford had the wrong part series listed for this vehicle and the only way to get the correct part was with old parts in hand. After a long week of this thing taking up space in my garage I was with a lot of effort finally able to get the correct part.

My experience with Mazda's & Ford's going back to the mid 70s that share their platform I could fill a book with stories just as described above.

The one thing that VW/Audi has over all other newcomers to the diesel power market in the US, is when I go to get parts all I need is the model or part number to receive the correct part.

From close to 4 decades of real world experience with Mazda and Ford on any shared platform are, it's pot luck on getting the correct part.

So for this reason I will likely never consider one of these...............

 

[bhtooefr]

rotarykid: I'll note that the new Mazda6 is all Mazda, designed after Ford divested their shares in Mazda.

 

[pruzink]

2014 Mazda 6 with Diesel Engine

Motor Trend has an article about a diesel engine that Mazda will be offering in its 2014 Mazda 6. This is what they said about it "While in France, we also got the chance to sample a Mazda6 with a high-power version of the Skyactiv-D 2.2-liter turbodiesel (173 hp versus 147 hp) mated to the six-speed auto. Here's another curiosity: Central to the Skyactiv story in the gasoline engines is their ultra-high compression ratios of 14:1 in the 2.0-liter engine and 13:1 in the 2.5-liter. But for the Skyactiv-D Mazda boasts an ultra-low - for a diesel - compression ratio of... 14:1! The lower compression ratio allows for lighter components, which means the engine will rev to 5200rpm, and Mazda solves the cold-start inefficiency problem by recycling exhaust gases to quickly heat the combustion chambers. More importantly, though, the engine's low NOx emissions mean it would not need expensive urea after-treatment to be 50-state legal in the U.S. It's a real sweetheart, the Mazda6 diesel. Ride, handling, and steering are the same pleasant mix as in the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G car, with the added benefit of 64 percent more torque. Sure, the little tingles through the steering wheel and the floor at idle leave no doubt you're driving a diesel, but once underway, everything settles down to a muted oily growl that's less intrusive than the gasoline engine's gargly snarl. The more powerful 2.5-liter is faster to 60 mph and over the quarter mile, but the smaller diesel feels quicker; it punches out of corners harder and is more alert on the freeway, with the six-speed auto adroitly exploiting the meaty 420Nm on tap from just 2000 rpm. Put simply, the diesel's more fun to drive, and you'll use 24 percent less fuel into the bargain, according to the Euro Combined Cycle fuel economy numbers. If Mazda USA really wants to stir up the mid-sized sedan segment, the Mazda6 diesel is a no-brainer."

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1210_2014_mazda6_first_drive/viewall.html#ixzz29T7NDsju

I'm not sure why you would want to lower the compression ratio on a diesel engine in order to boost the RPM. I always considered the lower RPMs that our diesel engines run at as an advantage over their gas counterparts. The heavier mass of the typical diesel engine is why they last for longer miles. I would also think that the higher RPM contributes to a higher efficiency.

Another thing that the new Mazda will have is regenerative braking.
"One new technology debuting on the Mazda6 is Mazda's i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system. Loopy name aside (really, can we stop with the Apple rip-offs already?), it's a clever system that combines a variable voltage alternator with a low-resistance, high-discharge double layer capacitor and DC/DC converter to quickly harvest energy during deceleration periods as short as 7 to 10 seconds. The capacitor sends the harvested energy to the DC/DC converter, which then uses it to power all the car's electrical systems. Surplus energy is sent to the regular battery. Shin Okamoto, who heads Mazda's Drivability & Environmental Performance Development Department, says the capacitor can store enough energy to power the Mazda6's myriad electrical systems for one minute. The genius behind this system is the capacitor enables the fast charge/discharge cycle that would otherwise damage a regular battery."

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1210_2014_mazda6_first_drive/viewall.html#ixzz29T8dwUoX

They said this can boost fuel economy by 10%.
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[RNDDUDE]

Capacators are the ultimate way to capture regenerative electric power and then dump it quickly when accelerating. Expect to see much more use of capacators in hybrids very soon.

 

[Jethro]

^^ Agreed 100%.

I think Mazda is taking a serious look at how many people keep cars to have 300,000 miles on them, and realizing it's a small number.

Most people who buy new cars will buy another new car withing 3-6 years. Not to many people are going to be rolling 100k / year. They warranty the drivetrain to 100k and call it good.

That being said, I love my '03.

 

[supton]

Have the Japanese ever thought someone would keep a car for 300k? What little I know of their home market is that they encourage getting rid of cars after a few years--rising registration and whatnot. I'm not sure when such a policy came about, though. Seems like their good years were marked by two things: parts that were well put together and tended to not wear out (nothing shoddy about anything, design or construction) -- and vehicles that rotted away.

 

[SuperAdellic]

Have the Japanese ever thought someone would keep a car for 300k? What little I know of their home market is that they encourage getting rid of cars after a few years--rising registration and whatnot. I'm not sure when such a policy came about, though. Seems like their good years were marked by two things: parts that were well put together and tended to not wear out (nothing shoddy about anything, design or construction) -- and vehicles that rotted away.

Maybe they don't think of it that way. As a culture, they pride themselves on being so precise and detail oriented that it naturally lends itself to the longevity and quality of their products.
The Japanese make it so expensive to re-register their cars after 5 years as a way to guarantee new car sales, protecting the domestic car manufacturers by ensuring sales. They also have restrictive import laws that make it difficult to sell vehicles from other countries there. There is a way around the high registration fees, but you have to be American to do it. Service-members stationed in Japan can buy and re-register those same vehicles for a few hundred dollars, compared to the thousands of dollars it would cost a Japanese citizen to do so.
Having driven a Toyota pickup with the D4D in Japan and a 4Runner with the 1KZ-TE, I would love to have the Japanese diesel engines sold in America.

 

[MrMopar]

Have the Japanese ever thought someone would keep a car for 300k?

Not in their home market. The Japanese, as mentioned above, favor a high vehicle fleet turnover to make jobs for their domestic auto industry. Also, it keeps pollution low in a densely populated country when you can ensure that the bulk of the fleet is new, properly functioning vehicles that are in the newest, lowest emissions categories.

Japanese vehicles *generally* are easy to service for basic wear items that occur in the first 150,000 miles of ownership. Beyond that, parts for major services can get expensive and *sometimes* the cars are not built to easily service things that break because the Japanese assume the cars are gone to be recycled at that point. These are generalizations that I've had some mechanic friends agree with, some disagree. But they are my observations.

 

[tdi90hp]

Not in their home market. The Japanese, as mentioned above, favor a high vehicle fleet turnover to make jobs for their domestic auto industry. Also, it keeps pollution low in a densely populated country when you can ensure that the bulk of the fleet is new, properly functioning vehicles that are in the newest, lowest emissions categories.

Japanese vehicles *generally* are easy to service for basic wear items that occur in the first 150,000 miles of ownership. Beyond that, parts for major services can get expensive and *sometimes* the cars are not built to easily service things that break because the Japanese assume the cars are gone to be recycled at that point. These are generalizations that I've had some mechanic friends agree with, some disagree. But they are my observations.

tonnes and tonnes of jap cars running around with 300-400K miles in north america....My 92 Camry wore like an anvil till 575,000 kms and ended in a ditch and wrecked because of lending it to a friend....maintenance and care (oiling the body etc) presented me with a long running jap car with NO rust 16 years later....tonnes of 15 years old jap cars with good bodies running around as well....on salty canadian roads...Its about caring for the car....