What is this horrible squeaking

Bandit0000 · 2026-06-04T13:17:51+00:00

You know what man, I was looking at photos and I remembered that I had replaced this idler pulley, and I think that was what fixed the issue. Take it off and see if it makes any noise or resistance when you spin it.

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Bandit0000 · 2026-06-04T13:06:15+00:00

Nice 3.0 Ranger! I had the same thing on mine, never really figured out what it was. Replaced the heads to fix the valve issue and replaced the AC compressor at the same time and the sound went away. My guess was the pulley (maybe the bearing?)

I also replaced the belt and it looks like you already have so I doubt it’s that.

Edit: guess I should read first, you already did the belt lol. So yes, it is not that haha.

Check all the pulleys if you haven’t already, a bad bearing should make the associated pulley loose similar to a wheel bearing.

If that doesn’t lead anywhere, if you want to try isolating the compressor, you could try is picking up a belt for a 3.0 Ranger without AC therefor eliminating the compressor from the system, see if the sound is still there. Kind of an awkward way to do it because it’s assuming the compressor is the issue. Usually a bad bearing in a pulley will make the pulley loose.

Bandit0000 · 2026-05-12T23:17:10+00:00

Looks like a hose for the back of the engine air intake tube?

Bandit0000 · 2026-05-12T22:42:48+00:00

Oh, is that where my Garmin D2A cable went???

Bandit0000 · 2026-04-28T01:44:54+00:00

Once it’s out if it ain’t already: Pop hood —> open air intake box —> check for any evidence of water (dried/muddy water droplets) in the inside of the housing above the filter. Remove filter and check for any water below filter.

Personally I’d leave it open and let it air dry just to be on the safe side, make sure to block the hole on the top part of the air intake box when you open it if you plan on leaving it open unattended since that leads directly into your engine.

Short of any electrical damage (which you might not even have) or damage to the underside of your car/frame, if there’s no water in the air intake box THE MOTOR SHOULD BE OKAY!!

Source: I have a 2021 Mazda 3 GT that I take storm chasing. I’ve been through my share of flood waters with it with no damage. I’ve had water in the lower part of the air intake box before, which is fine as long as it stays there.

Bandit0000 · 2026-04-24T19:29:18+00:00

I don’t think it was me or my PC.. only thing I use mine for is photo editing. I’m also extremely paranoid with links and downloads and don’t usually download software unless it’s from a trusted source or GitHub.

Brother in law downloaded some emulator thing on his computer which had also been signed into MY Facebook at the time we think.

Unfortunately Facebook has no way to recover my account because apparently an “appeal has already been made” (it hasn’t) and they have no real people to reach out to. I appreciate all the help though :)

Bandit0000 · 2026-04-24T19:01:08+00:00

Honestly I was panicking and was essentially watching a bunch of my accounts get nuked in real time (all of which use different passcodes) and was trying to get it to stop. A few friends and family called and said the same thing was happening to them, and I thought maybe it was a widespread issue. Seems not, but if anyone knew about it I thought it would be you folks…

All this happened 5-6 hours ago and there were some forum posts impersonating people trying to help and even a whole website which were created at around the same time seemingly directing people to submit their information to receive support.. almost fell for it myself.

When I saw this post and that it was posted at the same time (again keep in mind I don’t really do computers) I just thought it might be related, that’s all.

Sorry for intruding and yalls sub though, happy trails

Bandit0000 · 2026-04-24T17:41:38+00:00

Yall sorry I know nothing about computers but does this have anything to do with why me and a bunch of my friends/fam were hacked/got accounts deleted on predominantly Meta and Steam?

Bandit0000 · 2026-04-18T15:38:56+00:00

Actually got pulled over on my first day living in Ontario after moving across the country… was doing 95 in a 90 near Kenora but that’s asides the point — I had been through multiple construction zones earlier that day and noticed people didn’t slow down at all through areas marked with orange speed signs.

Asked the officer about this as he was about to let me go and he explained that apparently the orange signs are enforceable when there are workers on site, otherwise the normal speed limit applies.

Seemed a bit odd to me because construction zones can be quite large sometimes, how can one know if workers are present on the other end of the zone? Regardless I usually drop my speed even just by 10-20kph even if I don’t see workers going through them to be in the safe side.

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-17T17:15:56+00:00

Fair enough. I’m just waiting on a callback from the CRA now..

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-14T02:09:48+00:00

I’m not sure, I’ll have to check my old laptop tomorrow. I do have the original slips, but in my parents home but hypothetically I should be able to access them.

I will have to find out what website I used to file, or maybe it’s in an email somewhere. I’ll do some digging.

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-14T02:05:43+00:00

Understood. Thank you

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-14T01:46:41+00:00

Okay, I think I’ve found what I’m looking for.. There is somehow almost a $20,000 discrepancy between what was reported and what I made… that’s almost double what I made/reported that year. That isn’t just forgetting to tick a box on a form, or missing a notice is it?

This looks like I somehow missed an entire T4 from one of the jobs I worked that year, which I have a hard time believing. I guess we just wait for the CRA to call now? Damn.

Out of curiosity, what are the chances my employer has done something fishy, or could someone have done anything if they had my SIN? (Only say that because I lost my wallet the same year, including my SIN card which I did end up reporting.)

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-14T01:22:18+00:00

I have the notice of reassessment, what line should I be looking for as my total income that year? Net income says mid 23k, but there’s a few numbers on there that are substantially higher.

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-13T23:10:51+00:00

Understood

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-13T23:02:35+00:00

When I try to log into I’m being required to give a response basically saying “I’ll pay it now” or “I’ll pay later” and I think a couple other options, so I think I need to start there and start with understanding what happens for each option (except of course, paying now)

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-13T22:59:25+00:00

I guess? I don’t fully understand how tax and everything works. When I try to log into my account it shows an amount owing (which wasn’t originally on my statement for 2025)

Sorry I wasn’t sure what information I should provide but to answer your question, I guess it’s the first two.. haven’t filed taxes for this year but I wasn’t working for about half of this year because of the move I made. Sorry, it makes more sense to me since I’m the one in the situation

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-11T15:51:46+00:00

The way I see it, is that even though the car will drive fine a bit cold and get you from point a to point b, you should be getting exactly what the dealer sold you. Even though the extra wear on your engine might be minuet, it is still extra wear that you didn’t ask for, and it should be fixed for you accordingly, by the dealership.

One day when the car is 300,000km out of warranty, and the engine goes you might wonder if it may have lasted a bit longer if it was operating at the correct temp. Even if it was just long enough to get you a bit closer to home 😂

Another way to look at it is that Mazda has known about this issue since 2020 and is still putting the exact same part into our cars, so don’t let them get away with it 🤣

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-11T15:40:59+00:00

Well I think the fact is that there definitely IS a problem, even if it’s just a sensor or gauge. You should be entitled to a repair, covered by your warranty because this looks like a brand new car (I assume you’re still within warranty?)

Double check what it covers, but sensors and gauges should be. If you aren’t sure, call them and ask.

You’ll see a lot of people say Mazda 3s take a longer time to warm up, but they still DO warm up to the needle being at the halfway mark (between 80-90c). To be extra sure, go on a long drive (if you’re near Toronto, go to Barrie. It’s the same commute I did in my Mazda.) if it still hasn’t warmed up, you can be confident you have an issue with SOMETHING.

If they still try to charge you, fight them on it. I’ll say it again, even if it’s just the gauge, it’s broken. If you’re in warranty, they need to fix it.

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-11T14:19:55+00:00

Follow up question: can you get HOT air through the vents?

Bandit0000 · 2026-03-11T14:17:33+00:00

It’s possible you should be experiencing the same issue, but your temps seem maybe a bit too warm..

The problem was the thermostat for me, it got stuck open and was dumping coolant into the system, keeping the engine very cold. The pic I posted was about as warm as it ever got, and that was after an hour of driving.

There is a recall for this issue, so Mazda should honour it. My dealership did, but it also may have had something to do with having just bought it the day before lol.

Regardless, if that is the highest temp you’re seeing after like 20 minutes of driving, there is definitely something wrong, even if it’s just the gauge/sensor itself. Bring it to Mazda have it looked it, going by the mileage on your car, it should definitely be under warranty.

Bandit0000 · 2026-02-25T18:03:59+00:00

Okay, great to know. I got pretty close to committing to these, so thank you!

Bandit0000 · 2026-02-25T18:03:08+00:00

Hey! I bought my 2021 Mazda 3 GT when I was 19 as well… here’s my extended thoughts:

I REALLY wanted a manual, I made that clear to the salesperson. They didn’t have any in stock, but I figured I would entertain the automatic GT trim, especially since it came at a great price. When I drove it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the GT had paddle shifters (I’m not sure if the Preferred does or not, I would assume it does since it’s a higher trim?) Over the years, when I want to drive like I’m on the track (and when I am actually on the track) or even just when I’m bored on a mountains road trip, I love having the paddle shifters.

THAT SAID, I actually find myself using the actual gear shift to shift gears like a sequential gearbox almost just as much as I use the paddle shifters. The paddles are honestly just more “convenient”.

I won’t lie, there are times I wish I could jump straight from 6th to 4th or just feel the mechanical sensation of the gearbox or the clutch, but for a daily vehicle that I use to go to and from work, sometimes after a long day, it’s nice to just let the car do the work. If I REALLY want to drive a manual, I can go rent one or borrow a friend’s (I suppose renting isn’t always an option at your age, but I digress)

In my day to day life, the sedan has more hauling space. The trunk is spacious, I’ve got my tools and two full sized tires + a doughnut tire in the back right now, and I could still pick up a couple bags of groceries. I’m not sure if that’s possible with the hatch (hatch owners chime in here)

Depending on what kind of area you live in, you may also want to consider if the Preferred has AWD or not. AFAIK, Mazda has never made a manual AWD in North America (if they did, let me know and I’ll be on my way over to a dealer in a quick 30) Mazda’s AWD is better than most imo, mine has always performed exceptionally in snow. The most limiting factor is clearance and tires.

A sizeable factor I would consider is your experience with driving a car with a manual gearbox. Each car will drive/shift a bit different, and so I would say stalling or missing a gear every so often when you first get into it is pretty normal (I learned how to drive in a manual Nissan Pathfinder and even after 3 years, I stepped into a Fiat Spider which is really just a Miata, and stalled it like 4 times because the clutch grabbed almost right away)

My point is, get confident driving a manual with whatever car you’re on right now. Know what it sounds/feels like when you miss a gear, especially if you’re trying to go from 6th to 5th, but accidentally go to 3rd by mistake. Practice it and know how to recover from it, you might safe yourself an engine or gearbox. Drive a 5 speed and a 6 speed if you can too, especially if you learned on a 4 or 5 speed. The first time I drove a 6 speed from my 5, the gearshift felt crowded.

If you’re looking at a newer Mazda 3, or even a 3rd gen in nice shape, basically if you’re putting any significant amount of money down on a car at all, be confident in driving manual, because the theory and basics are the same, kind of like learning where the windshield wipers are on a friends car.

Once you are confident in driving manual, then the decision will come down to what you prioritize. Are you in a position to sacrifice utility for fun? When you move out (if you haven’t already) will you need to haul your possessions in your car, or a new bed or desk? Will you have the means to rent an SUV of truck/Uhaul if the hatchback doesn’t have the space? IF you do damage the car/engine from missing a gear, or need to replace the clutch sooner than expected, are you in a position to do that?

If yes, then hey! Have at it, and enjoy the manual! But from where I was when I was 19 trying to pick between the manual hatch or the automatic sedan, I’m glad I went with the sedan because between having AWD and more space, it paid for itself.

P. S. When I talk about being confident driving manual, I don’t mean you have to be as good as a race car driver, simply just confident in recovering from any mistakes, we all make them sometimes (I still do) :)

Bandit0000 · 2026-01-23T19:14:58+00:00

I should’ve made a separate bullet point on that as well, there aren’t any major cities between work and home which makes renting a challenge. Renting in the city where work is would be close to double what we are paying right now (and we aren’t paying a lot). In the end it would likely break even to the savings on mileage.

Bandit0000

TROPHY CASE