Have you noticed any burning smell and/or smoke coming up the backside of the engine? If you have never had either one of those symptoms, then there's a reasonable likelihood of a much less expensive issue with your vehicle, such as a leaking valve cover or timing cover.

 

no smoke, only smell the burning slightly when using fresh air with no air recirculation. The leak is minimum so driving on the high speed on the free way I could not smell it but when driving local at the low speed less than 50mph and doors close and turn on fresh air then I can smell it.

 

Ok, the presence of the burning smell makes the cracked head a possibility. If you haven't been to a dealership for diagnosis yet, you should do that. Mazda has been getting lots of negative publicity about cracked heads on their vehicles, and they have recently been giving some financial assistance on the repair even to owners who are out of warranty. Definitely worth seeing what they have to say.

 

It's always worth a shot. The dealer may really help out, or the Mazda HQ could be the next step.

 

If Mazda was smart, they would voluntarily extend the warranty for this specific issue to 7yr/100k. It would show goodwill on their part that they stand behind the product. This shouldn't be happening and Mazda knows it.

 

I think from a business point of view, they are going to minimize the cost and increase the profit so unless the negative publicity brings the sell to a halt which would be to late to reverse. From consumer point of view, one negative experience is all it takes to stay away. Originally, I plan to keep the car until my daughter is ready to drive and buy new cx5 when it has a hydrid version but obviously after this experience that thought is gone.

 

Hi,
My 2019 CX5 just got a low oil light and there is a good amount of oil on the bottom tray, so I am thinking it may be the head. How did you end up making out with your situation, and if it was a head, do you have any advice for me before I send it to the dealer?

Thank you,
Dave

 

Dave,
If it's all over the place and accumulated at the manifold cover at the bottom then there's a good chance that it's the cylinder head but if it's just at the bottom of your oil pan then it might be a different issue. I would say you need to jack up the car or better yet have those foam ramps and run it up there since it's more safe then put in some oil and start the engine and trace it. Even if you decide to take the car to a dealer or an auto shop it would be a good idea to do some homework first. I did my own inspection by had my car up on the ramps and clean everything and have the engine running to figure out where the leak was. Is your 8th vin digit is an M? Is your car still under power train? If not, do you always bring your car to the dealer for service? I didn't so Mazda corporate didn't help that much. I spent almost $200 at the dealer for inspection to confirm the problem that I knew after my inspection so I have something to submit the the corporate and at the end the corporate gave me $150. What's the mileage of your car?
Bryan

 

Thank you for your response. It seems to be behind the engine and under the exhaust manifold it's pooled up on the cover under the car. The second pic is the passenger side of the car, looking behind the engine straight down to that cover.
Yes, the Vin has M as the 8th digit. I have 67K on the car and it's a 2019. The dealer has done all service to the car, but not the oil changes. Have you has yours fixed?

Thank you,
Dave

 

Seems like similar issue, there was a guy whose cylinder head was replaced by the dealer and he took pictures of where the crack is and it was posted in one of the forums. I also found someone from youTube and his car was out of power train and the corporate still replaced the cylinder head for him. My guess is that he took the car to service at the dealer and I think having record of changing oil at the dealer is quite important but I don't want to discourage you. The first thing you want to do is open a case with the corporate office through the website. The guy from youTube encouraged me to be nice when writing to the corporate and say that you love your mazda. In my case, I did since it was my second mazda and the car is super clean inside and out including the engine. Once the corporate responds to you, you might have to bring it to dealer for diagnostic just so you have something to submit to the corporate. The cylinder head itself is around $1700 with all the gaskets but I think you can get it a little lower by order online. The dealer wants $5000 plus tax for parts and labor with 12 months warranty. I was lucky enough to find a mobile mechanic to replace it for much less. I sold my car after replacing the cylinder head and driving it for a month just to make sure no leak. Mainly, it's a psychology thing so I just want to sell it; also, the brake is not that great compared to my previous mazda 3 and honda CRV. It tends to skid quite a bit. If you are in Southern CA and want to go with the route I took, I can share the mobile mechanic with you. But who knows, maybe you are more lucky than me. I was thinking it's Japanese car so it should be very reliable so I did all the oil change myself since I like to keep my car clean and know what's going on.