I was driving on the highway the other day cruising at about 70. Came to a spot where i know there arent any cops so i down shifted into 3rd and floored it. The shift was a lil hard but no grinding occurred. However, almost immediately the engine light started flashing once every 1.5 seconds or so for about 6 seconds. I dropped it back into 6th as soon as i saw this and then it went away. It hasnt come back on since and the car runs just fine like always has. I ran it hard yesterday and tried to recreate the incident... but no problems at all.

Anyone have any idea as to wtf happened?lol

 

you could take the car to your local Autozone or Advanced Auto parts and have them run a check.
You could also buy your own Diagnositc Code Reader.
heres some from amazon.com they look pretty cheap
http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-a...&sprefix=OBDII

 

blinking CEL is typically a sign of your car misfiring.
most common cause of misfires = bad ignition coils, ignition wires (spark plug wires), or bad spark plugs.

are those the original coils on your car?

RX8lovah brings up a good point about trying to retrieve the diagnostic codes but not all code readers are equal. Some cannot read the mazda specific codes. If you have a laptop, I'd just get Hymee's Scanalyzer, it's relatively cheap, works REALLY well and has a ton of neat features (data logging, live gauges, clearing codes, etc)
http://www.performancedesign.com.au/...yser_live.html

 

Since it's an 04 i'll go ahead and ask. Original eng? If so check compression at least 1 month b4 it's 8/100k. Probably the Coils but just saying.

 

This is exactly the first thing that came to mind when the light came on and then shut off. I figured a quick downshift to a high RPM + lead foot + original everything = possible misfire.

The car was originally owned by a 60 year old guy from Jersey. He drove it 2k miles a year. I bought it 7 months ago with 14k miles on it. It just hit 20,900 miles. Im almost 100% sure it has the original coils... but with the way this guy treated the car, it might have had some sort of tune-up or wire/plug change. Or maybe he just left it alone and didnt bother until Mazda told him to come in and change them... which wouldnt have happened at only 14k miles and no warranty. I dunno... I was going to get new coils/wires/plugs soon and do it myself anywayz so maybe this is a sure sign to do it. Might even change the ignition too.


I dont think the engine itself is bad... although a few start ups have had me worried. Every 6th or 7th start up sometimes takes a lil while and has a "free flowing" sound to it... almost like a piston engine with no compression (at least that's what my g/f's father told me when he heard it). It is an '04 and im yet to get the ECU re-flashed to the latest one which fixes the oil problem. The only sticker on the car is from a 2005 flash. Im still debating whether i should do it or just let the engine die and get a new free one when it happens since 20k miles later most of the damage has probably already been done. I dont want to fix the ECU problem only to buy the engine enough time to make it past the damn warranty time limit. I do drive it hard so carbon is not a problem. My last car broke because of the way i drove it.... very hard lol. SO this engine does get its RPMs worth.


I need to do a few things. ECU check/flash, possible compression test, new plugs/wires/coils, new tires (still has original rofl), tints... My god im going to be spending a small fortune lol.

 

my car recently had coil issues, and i also had the blinking cel when i was relining. the dealer changed the coils and plugs and the car seriously runs better than new. im sure your having coil/plug issues like many told me and were right.

 

lol, wow, this exactly happeened to me. i was driving home and i wanted to redline it before i got in because of carbon issues. so when i went into 3rd, enginne light was flashing for lik 10 seconds and then went away... hah, had me worrying. test drove it a lil afterwards but didnt get the flash anymore. im not due for another check till another 1k miles but im still a lil worried. o well. mines an 04. glad to know im not the only 1

 

misfire happens. sometimes it means something is going bad. coils/plugs/wires . sometimes it just happens

 

i had the exact same issue....but after the blinking was over the permanent cel stayed on took it to the shop it had to do with coils/plugs

 

Why is it the entire time I was reading this, I read it as code words to discuss premature ejaculation?

 

Misfires are common because of pig rich factory tune.

You don't need new coils.

Since you have not replaced the plugs and its a used car from an old man.. replace them then redline it every so often.

 

Happened alot when i would cruise at anything 75 mph or higher....or once in a while after very "spirited" driving. Just flashes on and off for while then nothing. Happened every once in a while even after i got new coils, plugs and wires, but not as much. Nothing to worry too much about IMO.