Hey all. I have a been a member of this site for a few months now but i have only been reading things on it. This is my first post. I thought i would formally intoduce myself. My name is Brian. I work for a chevy dealership and specialize in the duramax diesel. But anyways I own a 2004 mazda 6s with a cold air intake and an apexi fuel conroller. I also took the many hours it took to paint the factory wheels graphite. I think it turned out awesome, but let me know. Here are some pics i took.
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=21ebymh&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2zp1ord&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2utke36&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=nqqnp0&s=3

 

I like the wheels, they remind me of the old Mustangs.

I'm a Chevy man myself - welcome to the site.

 

I was gonna say the same thing!!
Welcome to our lil' not-completely ^ ^ ^ Mazda family. VB isone of ourwelcomed "outsiders." (He used to own a 6 too, but we welcome nearly anybody.... even him, the Goodfella!! )

Nice job on the wheels. Are they painted or powder coated? (I know you said, "painted," but...?) How do you like to Yoko's? I had a similar idea in mind for my 17" OE 3 wheels, but only the centers and the spokes. (Photoshopped)


Any other things in store for the 6 coming up?

 

but he just barely slipped through the cracks. i mean trading a mazda6 in for a malibu WHO DOES THAT. haha just kidding but welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks fot the welcome. The wheels are painted. I used dupli color wheel paint and clear. They have held up awesome for about a year now includingthrough a salty wisconsin winter. The yokos are great i have had no complaints so far. They handle good and the tire wear has not been to bad. Only complaint right now is its not a good winter tire. lol. There are always plans in store for 6 in the future. Right now im to worried about getting the cel light off. It is still setting lean codes, thus the reason for the fuel contorler. I guess i just need to get it dialed in right.

 

Well, I know I tout this a lot, but haveyou tried cleaning the MAF?? The car may not be running lean at all, just throwing a false code. It's a sensitive lil' bugger and can be easily dirtied causinga CEL tooccur. I know frompersonal experience.

Also, if I were in Wis, I would seriously consider a set of steelies and some aggressive winter rubber for your 6.

 

I also thought about cleaning the maf myself but like i said i work at a gm dealer and gm does not recomend cleaning the sensor. What is good to use to clean them? I have used just a clean rag on them before but should i try some sort of cleaner? I really dont wanna ruin it. i imagine its not cheap to replace.
Also one other thing i ran into as a gm tech, is aftermarket intakes not positioning the maf so it is pointing the right direction. Meaning it might be angled a little different from the factory location causing it to not get the right air flow across it. Could this be the problem? I dont have the stock airbox and pipe anymore so i cant compare the sensor positioning. Maybe someone can post a pic of the stock intake with the mass air flow sensor? Thanks for the help.

 

Of course GM doesn't recommend cleaning it. How else could they sell customers a ($200+) new one? And under warranty, it's probably cheaper for them to replace a part that costs them almost nothing vs having a pissed off customer when they come back in 200 miles w/the same issue.
Also, it can be damaged during a cleaning. Here's what I did.
As I've said many times (sorry to all the regulars here) I simply used 50/50 rubbing alcohol, as recommended by Pat Goss and a few others, and agentle touch w/a Q-Tip. I also flushed it using the alcohol, patted the housing dry, then let it air dry a bit before re-installing.
I had to do it twice in order to get it right, but 4k miles and no more CEL.
I installed the MS CAI, so the direction of the sensor should not be in question. And because I own a 3 not a 6, pics of my stock box aren't liable to help you.
The best price I had been quoted, should I have needed a new one,was @ Auto Zone, $80.