This morning my 2006 8 (with 17k mi) would lose power idling every 45 seconds. Then as i drove it to work I wouldnt get the normal power i usually do revving it up. Ever since i filled it up later this afternoon it hasnt had a single problem; back to normal. Could it be a bad tank of gas? This is the first time this has happened all though there have been a couple times coming off the freeway over the past month that it seemed like it would lose a bit of power, never accelerating though.

 

plugs are getting fouled.

 

Day 2: Maybe a handful of hardly noticable power losses out of 30 minutes worth of driving.

Hmmmmm. What causes that?

 

when was the last time you changed coils and plugs?

 

Never, i just bought the car in March with 11k mi on it (3k on the engine) It's now at 17k.

 

could be bad coils

 

Yep, a bad tank of gas can be an issue...
As Razz said could be spark plugs, or coils, but they are low mileage, do you drive in a dirty climate, could check you air filter and or clean your MAF sensor.

 

My climate can be a bit dusty (desert), but i just replaced the filter 2 months ago. Went on a road trip this weekend and everything went well for the most part. When I arrived at my destination the car died at a stoplight.

Guess I'll look up how to clean that sensor and check out the plugs. Thanks for the responses

 

Haven't had a chance yet to take a look at anything yet. However, twice in the past 2 days I've had weird startups where upon attempting to start it, I lost all power. Radio reset and so on. The really bad time I tried to start it, it clicked but wouldnt turn. I had to get out, lock and unlock the doors, then try again to get it to start. Think this is related?

 

Whatever it is, it sounds electrical. It could be a shorting starter, plugs, or coils. I'd start with the cheap parts

 

If you have to clean or replace your air filter is is generally a good idea to clean your MAF Sensor also, particularly if you are in a dusty region.

How is the condition of your battery?

04-early 06's had a 50 AMP Hour Battery which won't hold much of a charge over time, particularly if you do lots of short trips with long breaks between starts, your Engine Immobilizer, Alarm and Clock can drain your battery in 3 days or so if you have the 50 AMP Hour one...particularly if it is old or the original they can fail to hold much of a charge from your alternator..

Mazda went to 75 and 80 AMP Hour Batteries after 06's with upgrades to the starter.

If you still have a B2B warranty take it to your dealer and complain about hard starting, they should replace these two items, or even if you are out of warranty and had your car service regularly they may approach MNAO for you and try for "Goodwill" warranty or even a You pay for Labor, Mazda gives you the new parts.

Worth a try, be friendly and try to get their sympathy...it may just work.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tips, Ash! The previous owner dropped in a top notch battery, so i don't think that's the problem. Actually, the car completely died on me at a stop light on the way home tonight. So its not just a cold start issue. WTB a garage so I could work on this at night!