Before Driving Your Mazda; Emission Control System; Parking Over Things That Burn:- Page 73

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Before Driving Your Mazda

Fuel and Engine Exhaust Precautions

Form No. 8R09-EA-02G

Your vehicle is equipped with an emission control system (the catalytic converter is part of this 
system) that enables your vehicle to comply with existing exhaust emissions requirements.

Emission Control System

Parking Over Things That Burn:
Parking over or near anything inflammable, such as dry grass, is dangerous. Even 
with the engine turned off, the exhaust system could ignite it because the exhaust 
system gets very hot during normal use. A resulting fire could cause serious injury or 
death. Never park over or near anything inflammable.

Ignoring the following precautions could cause lead to accumulate on the catalyst inside 
the converter or cause the converter to get very hot. Either condition will damage the 
converter and cause poor performance.

•

USE ONLY UNLEADED FUEL.

•

Don’t drive your Mazda with any sign of engine malfunction.

•

Don’t coast with the ignition switch turned off.

•

Don’t descend steep grades in gear with the ignition switch turned off.

•

Don’t operate the engine at high idle for more than 5 minutes.

•

Don’t tamper with the emission control system. All inspections and adjustments must 
be made by a qualified technician.

•

Don’t try to push-start or pull-start your vehicle.

NOTE

Under U.S. federal law, any modification to the original-equipment emission control 
system before the first sale and registration of a vehicle is subject to penalties. In some 
states, such modification made on a used vehicle is also subject to penalties.

NOTE

After driving some distance and turning off the engine, the sound of a valve opening and 
closing can be heard behind the passenger seat, however this does not indicate an 
abnormality. Your vehicle has a self-checking device and it operates after turning off the 
engine.

WARNING

CAUTION

J07R_8R09_EA_02G_Edition4.book  Page 3  Monday, February 3, 2003  1:16 PM