Moody Mazda 3,extremely sluggish

[machda]

Hi guys i have a 2006 mazda 3 Touring Edition with 160k clicks. My car is very sluggish, but here is the thing its moody it does when it wants to and other times it drives perfectly fine like the day i bought. Sometimes it starts randomly when i am driving, or right when the start the car. It doesnt matter on the weather conditions.
It has been eating more gas than usual too. When its in its bad mood i have to hit harder it to get it moving(gets loud, sound horrible), other times i hit it lightly and it goes!

From what i can remember it started in august
-Oil Levels are good(oil Change in the next week or so)
-air filter is new
-MAF is clean (just did it a month ago)
-drove better for a week i guess)
-brand new spark-plugs NGK brand (replaced less than 3 weeks ago)
-No CEL
- Something along the exhaust is about to go or is gone, sometimes you can hear it under you when you have your foot on the break, it rumbles but most times you don't hear it. Sometimes with a cold engine it the car rattles more.

I took it to the mechanic he couldnt find any, he said my catalytic converter and exhaust were in bad shape. then he stuck it to the computer and everything was fine except the lamda sensor reading was very low and only when up to yellow line when you hit the gas.

SO guys and girls please help its very annoying, i love my mazda or only do when its not moody.

any solutions or help ?

[6strings]

Auto or manual?

[machda]

auto, no difference when i drive in manual either

[Booter22]

whats a lamada sensor? if your cat is bad and either seperated in side the case then it could be blocking air flow adding back pressure casuing your car to be sluggish. sadly an expensive fix but maybe take it to another shop for a 2nd look.

[midnightfxgt]

whats a lamada sensor?

I'm guessing you stay behind the desk at the stealership? A Lamda sensor is an O2 sensor.

[Booter22]

I'm guessing you stay behind the desk at the dealership? A Lamda sensor is an O2 sensor.

well i sure dont go out and fix the cars or i would be a tech now wouldnt i..i figured just never heard anyone call it that. even a tech of mine has never heard it call that but im sure its right next to the fru fru valve and the halogen fluid.

[midnightfxgt]

I wouldn't let a tech work on my car who didnt know know what Lambda was lol.

[Booter22]

I wouldn't let a tech work on my car who didnt know know what Lambda was lol.

Lambda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Labda" redirects here. For the mythological figure, see Labda (mythology). For other uses, see Lambda (disambiguation).
Lambda (uppercase Λ, lowercase λ; Greek: Λάμβδα or Λάμδα, lamda or lamtha) is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is related to the Phoenician letter Lamed . Letters in other alphabets that stemmed from lambda include the Latin L and the Cyrillic letter El (Л, л). The ancient grammarians and dramatists give evidence to the pronunciation as [laːbdaː] (λάβδα) in Classical Greek times.[1] In Modern Greek the name of the letter, Λάμδα, is pronounced [lamða]; the spoken letter itself has the sound of [l] as with Latinate "L".
In early Greek alphabets, the shape and orientation of lambda varied.[2] Most variants consisted of two straight strokes, one longer than the other, connected at their ends. The angle might be in the upper left, lower left ("Western" alphabets), or top ("Eastern" alphabets). Other variants had a vertical line with a horizontal or sloped stroke running to the right. With the general adoption of the Ionic alphabet, Greek settled on an angle at the top; the Romans, borrowing from Western alphabets, put the angle at the lower left.

think you would find few tech that either know that or know you mean an O2 sensor, mind you, about 8 years in this industry and thats the first i have heard it. but hey you learn new things every day.

[midnightfxgt]

Most guys who mod cars know what it is... Hell, AEM Widebands used to even come in Lambda.

[Booter22]

Most guys who mod cars know what it is... Hell, AEM Widebands used to even come in Lambda.

seems all the years ive been modding cars ive been missing out. anywho



but like ive said before if the other location told you the cat requires replacement or is no good. have someone else get a look at it. that could be the cause of the sluggish concern.

[McGuyver_3]

Hi guys i have a 2006 mazda 3 Touring Edition with 160k clicks. My car is very sluggish, but here is the thing its moody it does when it wants to and other times it drives perfectly fine like the day i bought. Sometimes it starts randomly when i am driving, or right when the start the car. It doesnt matter on the weather conditions.
It has been eating more gas than usual too. When its in its bad mood i have to hit harder it to get it moving(gets loud, sound horrible), other times i hit it lightly and it goes!

From what i can remember it started in august
-Oil Levels are good(oil Change in the next week or so)
-air filter is new
-MAF is clean (just did it a month ago)
-drove better for a week i guess)
-brand new spark-plugs NGK brand (replaced less than 3 weeks ago)
-No CEL
- Something along the exhaust is about to go or is gone, sometimes you can hear it under you when you have your foot on the break, it rumbles but most times you don't hear it. Sometimes with a cold engine it the car rattles more.

I took it to the mechanic he couldnt find any, he said my catalytic converter and exhaust were in bad shape. then he stuck it to the computer and everything was fine except the lamda sensor reading was very low and only when up to yellow line when you hit the gas.

SO guys and girls please help its very annoying, i love my mazda or only do when its not moody.

any solutions or help ?

What exactly did your mechanic say in regards to the cat and exhaust being bad? You say you hear rattling which do not quote me on this but could be particles of your cat falling apart if it really is in this "bad shape". IF it is emmisions related I am pretty sure there is a 7 or 10 year warranty on them. Last I knew it was 7 but I heard of talk of it being potentially 10 years. But mileage was 160k km cap. Double check that

[Booter22]

What exactly did your mechanic say in regards to the cat and exhaust being bad? You say you hear rattling which do not quote me on this but could be particles of your cat falling apart if it really is in this "bad shape". IF it is emmisions related I am pretty sure there is a 7 or 10 year warranty on them. Last I knew it was 7 but I heard of talk of it being potentially 10 years. But mileage was 160k km cap. Double check that

cats and some emissions components had an 8 year 128,000 km warranty/

[McGuyver_3]

cats and some emissions components had an 8 year 128,000 km warranty/

thanks for clarifying. At work I was told 160k thats why I thought I was sure on that one

[Booter22]

thanks for clarifying. At work I was told 160k thats why I thought I was sure on that one

no problem - heres the notes from policies and procedures

Warranty Coverage Details
2000-2013 Warranty Coverage (Except “B”-Series Truck & Tribute)

96 months/128,000 km Emission Warranty Parts List

Catalytic Converter
Electronic Emissions Control Unit
Onboard Emissions Diagnostic Device.

[machda]

What exactly did your mechanic say in regards to the cat and exhaust being bad? You say you hear rattling which do not quote me on this but could be particles of your cat falling apart if it really is in this "bad shape". IF it is emmisions related I am pretty sure there is a 7 or 10 year warranty on them. Last I knew it was 7 but I heard of talk of it being potentially 10 years. But mileage was 160k km cap. Double check that

He meant that it was gonna need to be replaced soon, and it was rusty. could there be a whole some where along the exhaust that could be making some sort of problem. the rattle is not like metal on metal sound its like a thick noise.if you get what i mean

[McGuyver_3]

Just because it is rusty does not necessarily mean it is bad. If it has holes in it then you would hear it as the car gets really loud. But it would be consistently loud not just here and there like in your case. If it is a small leak from a clamp for example you would hear a mild stuttering hissing noise at idle and it would in most cases sound normal under driving conditions.
A "thick" noise, not to sure what that means. A sound clip would be nice.
Your new plugs, were they gapped properly? Were they dropped prior to instal? Generally bad plugs would throw a misfire code but an improper gapped plug would not. Were your problems present prior to plugs being replaced?

[machda]

Just because it is rusty does not necessarily mean it is bad. If it has holes in it then you would hear it as the car gets really loud. But it would be consistently loud not just here and there like in your case. If it is a small leak from a clamp for example you would hear a mild stuttering hissing noise at idle and it would in most cases sound normal under driving conditions.
A "thick" noise, not to sure what that means. A sound clip would be nice.
Your new plugs, were they gapped properly? Were they dropped prior to instal? Generally bad plugs would throw a misfire code but an improper gapped plug would not. Were your problems present prior to plugs being replaced?

Just to make this clear McGuyver_3 your the man you know everything.
what you described in your post is what i have "If it is a small leak from a clamp for example you would hear a mild stuttering hissing noise at idle and it would in most cases sound normal under driving conditions" these are the symptoms i have.
the plugs were not dropped from when i got them, and yes they were gapped.

[midnightfxgt]

Head to an exhaust shop. If its a flange leak, they can weld in some new ones. If it does need a whole new cat, they can whip up a universal one much cheaper than OEM.

Not sure Where your from, but I hear good things about: GT Custom Exhaust (who I use in the East), Hot Rod Scotts, and Noyz boyz. Maybe one of them is close to you?

[McGuyver_3]

Just to make this clear McGuyver_3 your the man you know everything.
what you described in your post is what i have "If it is a small leak from a clamp for example you would hear a mild stuttering hissing noise at idle and it would in most cases sound normal under driving conditions" these are the symptoms i have.
the plugs were not dropped from when i got them, and yes they were gapped.

By far I do not know everything but when someone says an exhaust is rusty and needs replacement sounds strange to me. After 1 winter off the showroom floor you will see surface rust. I am trying to help you solve your issues and giving my opinions. Without physically seeing the car and diagnosing it all I can do is give out suggestions.
If your exhaust is making noise like described take it to an exhaust shop like mentioned by midnightfxgt. Get their opinion what they think of your exhaust. As for like I asked before was this problem present prior to plug replacement?

[machda]

By far I do not know everything but when someone says an exhaust is rusty and needs replacement sounds strange to me. After 1 winter off the showroom floor you will see surface rust. I am trying to help you solve your issues and giving my opinions. Without physically seeing the car and diagnosing it all I can do is give out suggestions.
If your exhaust is making noise like described take it to an exhaust shop like mentioned by midnightfxgt. Get their opinion what they think of your exhaust. As for like I asked before was this problem present prior to plug replacement?

the problem was before the plug replacement.


thank you midnightfxgt AND McGuyver_3