Couple of Issues with my 2010 Mazda 3 2.5 ( GS Hatchback )

[Raxor]

Hey there, I am new to the forums and decided to make an account to see if anyone could help me with a couple of issues I have with my Mazda. (Sorry if these have already been addressed)

its a 2010 with the 2.5 engine and roughly 80k kms on it.

Problem 1: Gas tank door wont open

When i try to open the gas tank once the car is turned off and doors are open it simply doesn't open. Even with a bit of force on the door it wont budge. I have been having to pry it open with a fork wrapped in a cloth for almost a month now. I bought this car recently (about 3 months ago) and have had no issues with the gas tank door until about a month ago when it simply decided not to open.

Problem 2: Car sometimes won't start

I would say im having this issue every 1 out of 15 times i try to start the engine. For example - I went out for lunch one day (drove about 2 kms) had lunch for about 15 minutes then once i got back in my car and tried starting it with the key turned all the way it wouldnt start. Tried the second time wouldnt start. Third time finally it started after keeping the key turned fully for about 5 seconds or so. This problem seems to be getting worse. I thought maybe it would be because of the cold temperatures but even after the engine running for 10 mins before another startup it would still sometimes have trouble starting. (Possibly the battery?)

Hopefully theres enough information there to have these issues resolved.

Besides those 2 issues I am totally in love with the car and plan on doing a lot of stuff to make it my own.

Thank You.

[Jackal]

Hey. I have a 2010 2.5 sedan. I guess you don't drive it very often if you haven't been able to put gas in it for a month. Not sure about that one.
The second one sounds like the battery. Get it checked out. Some people on here recommend the Costco kirkland batteries. I went with Optima. If you want a higher end one there's the Odyssey.

[Canadianbacon]

2010 2.5 here, its winter time car will take longer to start especially if you dont drive it much in this weather, even just 24hours on a cold start is not easy if your still on a 2010 battery.

No idea about your gas cap, but you should hear a sound like its opening when u pull the lever

[studum]

The fuel door is a mechanical cable connection, it will either work or not and the car being on or off should have no bearing on it what so ever. Get the fuel door open if you can and have someone pull on the release lever in the front seat. Look at the plunger to the left of the gas cap, you should see it retract when the fuel door lever is being pulled. If not the cable, or the attachment to the plunger or pull handle is loose/broken.

If the plunger does move check the little metal tab that's bolted to the plunger. It should be bent outward enough to put a small amount of opening pressure on the fuel door at all times so that it will pop the fuel door open when you pull the cable and retract the plunger. If that metal tab is bent in somehow and not putting pressure on the fuel door it won't pop open when you pull on the release cable.

[sarujo]

Raxor if you are still running the factory original stock Panasonic battery I would start there. The Kirkland 24F's are about $85 at Costco and have 3yr full replacement. If you are not doing a lot of driving, get a bottle of Redline SI-1 and add to your fuel - half bottle or full. Then go out for a good long adventure drive and be sure to be super spirited. It wouldn't hurt to get your entire charging system checked out as well to ensure both alternator and battery (new or original) are working properly.

Purge solenoid valve is another potential item to look at but start with battery and do some driving! :)

FYI - original factory battery here (4.75 years) and the car still turns over great in these very cold temps - I also have daily highway commutes.

[tommyx2]

Hey, my gas door was stuck recently too. found out the little black button that releases the door was rusting/dirty. i jammed some WD40 in the button and let it rip. wiped off the liquid and the button felt free and snappy afterwards. never had a problem after that day. give it a try.

[stock3]

For the non start issue, it sounds like the purge solenoid valve. A dying battery would not be able to crank the car for over 5 seconds after the first two failed attempts.

[Booter22]

is the gas or frozen did you try using hot water around the door to see if it was ice holding it closed. for the no starting issue it's simple the car is not warm enough you still having exhaust gases inside of the engine happens to both of my mazdas a d many customers i had at mazda

[Jackal]

is the gas or frozen did you try using hot water around the door to see if it was ice holding it closed. for the no starting issue it's simple the car is not warm enough you still having exhaust gases inside of the engine happens to both of my mazdas a d many customers i had at mazda

Not sure if hot water would be the best way to thaw it unless it were done indoors. Maybe leave it in a warm garage or use a hair dryer to slowly thaw it.

[ken6214]

I used a silicone spray on the latch of my wife's 2010 because it wouldn't open/close properly, no problems since.

[Raxor]

Thanks for all of the comments guys. I discussed with my dad and we decided to get a new battery for the car from costco. (Was around $80 or so) Hopefully that solves any startup issues.

As for the gas tank door i will try some WD-40 on the hinges inside and see if it works if not i guess ill resort to taking it to a body shop and getting it checked.

Once again thanks for the responses. Much appreciated.

[sarujo]

Thanks for all of the comments guys. I discussed with my dad and we decided to get a new battery for the car from costco. (Was around $80 or so) Hopefully that solves any startup issues.

As for the gas tank door i will try some WD-40 on the hinges inside and see if it works if not i guess ill resort to taking it to a body shop and getting it checked.

Once again thanks for the responses. Much appreciated.

Hope you got the 24F battery. Let us know how it works out.

[Raxor]

Hope you got the 24F battery. Let us know how it works out.

Yes i got the 24F battery. So far so good. Will keep updating.

Thanks :)

[Raxor]

Almost been a week since the purchase and install of the new battery.

No issues to report. Car starts perfectly fine every single time.


The Gas Tank - also got fixed by pulling the black lever inwards toward the outside of the car. Im assuming when i pushed on the door it wouldnt make contact and now it does.

[studum]

Glad it was an easy fix!

[Raxor]

Glad it was an easy fix!

Thanks!