First post, but glad to join.


I have a 06 Mazda 3S with 150k. Bought 6 months ago and no problems. Recently threw a code that Oreileys said is "Throttle Actuator" which they said is built in the TB (drive by wire). Only think I noticed was a slight jerk on acceleration occasionally that was getting more frequent.


Got the new TB, clamped the two hoses, swapped the TB in with Battery disconnected. Waiting 15 minutes. Reconnected everything and started the car. Idled a bit high but seemed fine. Test drive: didn't get 20 feet. CEL, idle up and down, jerking under load, dropping throttle, undrivable. Limped it back to my garage and checked all the wiring and connections. Everything is fine. Reset the codes and tried again and same result. Thought I had a bad TB, so put the old one back in. Does the same thing! Uh-oh, now I am trouble. Checking all the wires, look good. MAF is reconnected and fine. No idea what to check now. Can't check the code again because its undriveable. I could use some ideas here!!


Thanks,
Randy

 

Update: So I purchased a code reader and scanned it. With the old TB it provided the same code and a preliminary code for MAF Low input A. SO I swapped in the new TB and ran again until it threw a code. This time, no TB code, just a MAF code. So I reset and ran it for a while and it consistently will throw the MAF code. So I ordered a new DENSO MAF ( I heard the China ones are junk) and will swap that in.


Hopefully this will solve the issue.


Lessons learned: When you go to the dealer or store to get the codes read, ask them to tell you ALL the codes, not just the hard code.


Randy

 

Ugh, not the MAF, it was the MAF connector. As is the case for a lot of people the stupid connector has a loose/broken wire or a bad connection terminal. This became very obvious once I got the car running and moved the wires a bit. Now the hard part, finding the connector at the junkyard or rigging it up myself.


Of course, the dealer will only sell the front harness complete for $650. Noone has just the connector.


This is such a common problem I have found through research that Mazda should provide repair parts at a reasonable cost.


Dang it!


Randy

 

Ring the mazda wreckers for a loom or short section.

 

Yep, I hit the local salvage yard and they were willing to cut them off for me. So I got two for $20 each. I installed one (solder, shrink tube, wire loom) and its 100% good to go. I will keep the MAF and connector as a spare (or maybe to help out a desperate buddy).


I hope this thread helps future people not repeat my issue. For reference:


TB: $105 from China on Amazon Prime.
MAF: Denso only, on Rock auto for $75.
Code reader (needed one anyway) $35 on Amazon prime (universal)
Connector: $20 from the local salvage yard.


So all things considered it was costly, but now its pretty much all new. I have noticed that it does seem to start faster and is more responsive.


Thanks for listening.


Randy