Mazda 5 Changing Oil

Obama, auto leaders celebrate 54.5-mpg fuel-economy deal

WASHINGTON – It’s official: fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks will aim for a combined average of 54.5 m.p.g. by 2025.

President Barack Obama formally announced a deal today between automakers, the administration and California regulators that would set vehicles’ fuel efficiency targets for 2017 to 2025.

Obama said the plan represented “an aggressive target,” and that “the companies here are stepping up to the plate.”

The CEOs of the Detroit Three, along with top executives from 10 other automakers, joined the president on stage during an event held at Washington’s convention center.

The companies represented included: Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo. Together, those automakers account for more than 90% of vehicles sold in the United States.

UAW President Bob King and California Air Resources Board chairman Mary Nichols were also present to support the deal.

Obama called the new agreement “the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

He said the standards would translate to almost $2 trillion in combined fuel savings for the country, and by 2025 a typical consumer would save more than $8,000 in fuel costs when buying a vehicle.

The fine print of the agreement has yet to be disclosed, but the linchpin of the deal centered on lower standards for light trucks, particularly full-size pickups and SUVs. Car fleets will have to meet 5% annual increases beginning in 2017, but light trucks will face a lower target of 3.5% increases. A “midterm review” will also take place that could result in regulators changing the standards depending on automakers’ progress.

Thursday almost resulted in an impasse that threatened the deal. A last-minute snag over California’s role kept automakers and officials from the White House and California up into the early morning hours trying to iron out a solution before the ceremony.

Automakers balked at signing on without more assurances from the Obama administration that California would not attempt to set its own standards for fuel economy if it did not like the results of the midterm review.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland said in an interview that he himself was getting e-mails until at least 11:30 p.m. Thursday as all sides worked feverishly to reach a solution.

Replacing The Shifter Bushings In The Mazda 5 Speed Used in Ford ...

The Mazda manufactured transmission used in the Ford Rangers and F150 trucks and other vehicles is a great transmission, but it does require some maintenance. The owners manual for my ’91 Ranger calls out a 30,000 mile fluid change interval and when I initially changed it at 27,000 mi, I found it was black and “nasty”. Since then I have changed it at 15,000 mile intervals using synthetic Amsoil ATF fluid. DO NOT ever use 90 wt gear oil in this transmission as it will destroy the syncros and make it very difficult to shift. The correct fluid is Automatic Transmission Fluid (Mercon/Dextron) and I prefer synthetics such as the Amsoil. After the boot is lifted up, you take a 17 mm wrench and loosen the nut that is found on the front of the shift lever. Remove the nut, and reinstall it on the thread protruding out the back of the lever, tighten the nut and it will break loose a wedge pin that retains the shift lever, allowing the pin to be removed, and then the lever itself and the interior decorative boot, which is set aside. Underneath is another nearly flat lower boot, it is attached to the floor at the factory by four staples in the corners, which need to be cut and pulled out. This is also retained by the four screws that retain the decorative boot, so there is no need for the staples after it leaves the factory. (note that there is a black foam sheet also covering the hole in the floor, it is not disturbed) In my case, the bushings had long since disintegrated and crumbled into pieces and fell into the transmission, all that remained was the flat and wave washer!!! The shift lever had dropped down and was wearing on the opening in the transmission, but no real damage had been done. This transmission has 250,000 miles on it and has never had the boot off or the stub shaft out. This was causing difficulty getting the transmission in gear, as the stub shaft was 1/8” or more lower in the transmission than it should have been. If the bushings are still in place, you will need to drive out at least one of the steel pins that the shift lever pivots on. Pad or tape the top of the transmission as the punch will dent the aluminum as it lays on it while driving the pin. I started to use a brass punch but the brass started to lose shavings into the transmission and the brass absorbed so much of the hitting energy, the steel pin was not moving. I switched to a large steel punch and a heavier ball pein hammer.

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