5th Dec 2005, 17:06
I bought a 98 Milenia "S" with 107,000 miles on it and it runs good and seems like a good solid car... after 3 days of use the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on and I took it to the dealership and they replaced the MAP booster sensor... I drove the car one more day and the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on again... this time they couldn't figure it out... no codes...they suggested I just drive it until performance suffers... any advice.
14th Mar 2006, 23:49
I had a similar "engine light" problem with my 1998 S which now has 98,000 miles on it (3/06). I stubbornly brought it back again and again and again to the dealer until finally, after leaving with them for a full week's time, they had enough time to find the problem, - a sensor in the gas tank needed to be replaced. Since then, no problems, but it cost me about $1,700 to get the "engine light" to stay off. Still, I love the car because it is very powerful, quiet, and comfortable. Softer tires make it ride smoothly, almost like flying. Sorry that Mazda decided to discontinue building the Millenia. Their "6" seems a bit small/tighter inside and not a true luxury car, but I haven't driven it yet. The Millenia S seems to ride best at 80 mph, - great for long trips. Replaced the Bose stereo (was poor for acoustic music - but I have a musician's ear).
9th Apr 2008, 18:07
Bought a 1998 Millenia. Have heard these are notorious for engine light problems. Was told it should be a recall, but Mazda will not do anything to fix the problem. Creates a real problem getting the car to pass emissions tests. Is there a way to bypass this problem to keep the light off and pass test?
4th Jun 2008, 13:43
Seems like the engine light problem is a defect that Mazda would not do anything about. Solution to the above comment is simple but I don't think any mechanic would agree to. You can isolate the CHECK ENGINE light and hook it up to your oil light. This way it will only come up when you start the car or oil is low. I've done that on several cars to get past emissions. Hope this helps.
5th Jun 2008, 16:02
I am having problems with my 98 Milenia S. First it seemed my transmission was slipping in any gear, so I had the trans fluid changed and it seemed to be driving better. Now I am having a problem with 2nd gear only. It won't switch over to 3rd unless the car has been warmed up for a least 20 minutes. Otherwise, I have to pull over to the side of the road and wait for it to finish warming up. Mind you, it's summer time, about 75-85 degrees out. Check engine light has been on since last July. Every time I bring it somewhere and they get the light to go off, it just comes back on. Only difference now is it's actually flashing.
Has this gear shifting problem happened to anyone else???
24th Sep 2008, 23:45
I've had my Millenia S for about a year now, and just recently I've had problems with the ABV valve and vacuum. My mechanics fixed that problem, but when the problems first came up after being warmed up, when you're at a dead stop and accelerate moderately hard, the engine shakes and refuses to accelerate, and the TCS light comes on above the check engine light. To keep driving, I have to turn off the car and restart it. This makes it a pain to drive even locally. It continues to do this even after we dealt with the codes.
18th Jan 2009, 22:33
I am an owner of a '98 Mazda Millenia. I bought the car brand new and have had few problems. It's a great car overall.
Recently I have noticed a tear in the rubber air intake (at least I think it's the air intake) and have been losing power or pep from the car. I placed duct tape over it for now until I get it fixed. Does anyone recommend a cold air intake as an after market part, or should I go with the original air intake for the car? Thanks.
13th Sep 2010, 09:27
My original post was 2004.
Now my Millenia S has 101,000 miles on the odometer and I'm still very happy with the car.
The transmission hesitation between 2nd and 3rd gears still happens, but I ignore it and after the car warms up, it's fine. I see from another post that the transmission failed at 155,000 miles. Not bad at all for a twelve year old car. So I'll keep mine until that happens.
I can't believe how smooth and quiet this car still is; no squeaks or rattles and everything still works fine. I get 24 MPG around town and almost 30 on a trip.
Will miss it when it craps out!
7th Nov 2010, 23:53
My 98 Mazda Millenia S has been acting up lately. There are only 195000kms on it and it still drives great (humming sound coming from the engine though.. quite loud when stopped??). However I've been having a difficult time starting it lately. I've been told I might need to change my alternator. I'm just not sure what to do.
1st Dec 2010, 12:47
I bought my 2000 Mazda Millenia S with 52K on it in 2004.
Besides needing to replace my O2 sensor within the first week, the car drove great until it had about 100K on it.
Around that time, the front left axle broke because the wheel bearing needed to be replaced, and within another 10,000 miles, the right front wheel bearing needed to be replaced as well. Luckily this time I knew what was happening, and didn't wait till the axle broke. My car also has problems with hard shifting, which can be fixed temporarily by changing out pressure solenoids.
Recently my car has about 121K on it, and is beginning to need repairs more and more often. 3 months ago my check engine light came on with a problem in the 'fuel bank'; turned out that the gaskets inside the engine itself had cracked, and were leaking, causing the car to run light on gas. The mechanic figured this out by smoking my engine. A process were they put something in the gas to cause smoke upon ignition, and then they watch to see if smoke comes out anywhere but the exhaust. If it does, then you've got a leak.
In the past two days, my car has made a slight whining noise when it first starts up in the morning, but stops after it gets warmed up, and doesn't do it again for the rest of the day, even if left sitting for hours. Online forums with similar problems have been pointing to something with a belt. Has anyone had a similar problem?
I'm not particularly mechanically inclined, but I feel able to learn. Does anyone know where to buy a good service manual for the 2000 Mazda Millenia S model? My local Autozone and NAPA Autoparts don't carry it, and I'm hesitant to buy something online that I can't see for myself first. I am looking for something comprehensive that would help me to diagnose and then repair with step by step instructions. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Paul.
22nd Oct 2011, 21:50
Hi, I have a 98 Mazda Millenia S. I have replaced the EGR valve sensor, the map sensor, the mass flow sensor, and the TPS sensor, and also the crank shaft sensor, and still it does the same thing! When I accelerate fast, it stalls, but if I let go of the gas pedal, and then accelerate slowly until it picks up speed, the car runs great, but forgot to mention no check engine light is on! Is there someone who knows what is wrong with this car?
16th Nov 2011, 08:21
So it was none of the sensors. I can think of some things that could be at fault.
1. The throttle body and EGR system need cleaning.
2. The charger is not working correctly.
3. The fuel pressure is not up to snug (pump, regulator).
4. The engine is coked up with carbon deposits.
I would give it a "Seafoam" treatment first. Only because it is cheap and effective on deposits. I also would try higher octane fuel.
Did you check with Mazda Forums?
23rd Jan 2012, 03:06
I have a 2000, and it's doing the same thing, and it's driving me nuts. It happened one day when I was sitting at a stop, and I slammed my foot on the gas and it stalled, and now it does the same thing you're talking about. Did you figure it out? If so, could you email me what you did? wii_modding@live.com
Thanks.
23rd Nov 2005, 11:08
I've had my 98 for 3 years and picked it up with 80K miles. During this time, I've only had a few problems (fuel pump and oil seeping into the plugs). Other than that, the car has drive great with the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT on for the last 75K. When I first go the car, I took it in a couple of times and the dealers/mechanics could never figure it out. The light would go off for a few days then reappear. So I drove the car with the light on up to 155K miles and now the transmission dropped, done. Was able to pick up a rebuilt one for $1800. I beleive there is going to be a lot of problems from here on out. But look, I got a lot of great miles out of this car. Usually 28 mpg on highway running a super smooth 90 mph daily. The car looks good and runs strong. No real complaints besides that stupid CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.