 History of the Mazda Pickup Truck
Should you fix your Mazda Pickup yourself?
History of the Mazda Pickup Truck
The Mazda pickup was first introduced in 1972 and in '74 with a Wankel rotary engine. It was considered a compact pickup with 2 doors and was only available in the United States with the Wankel. This Mazda pickup had a 4-barrel carburetor, and only approximately 15,000 were made, some were actually restamped an S model Mazda truck for 1975. This seems to be due to the 1970's energy crisis.
The Mazda truck got a bit of a new design in '76 with a stretch cab and a 5-speed transmission. Again, due to the economy it was discontinued after just 3,000 trucks. The Mazda pickup truck had impressed Road & Track because of its smooth, quiet power and nice interior, so good reviews kept the Mazda truck on the road.
In the '80s Mazda brought out the B2000 with a 2.0-liter engine that replace the Mazda B1800. Soon the B2200 Mazda pickup arrived and was offered with a long bed called the Mazda Sundowner. By 1986 the new B series carried a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual, although the automatic was preferred. The Mazda Mark 3 pickups, B2000, B2200, and B2600 was still considered a 2 door compact truck and was manufactured until 1991.
In 1992 the Mazda pickup discovered it had a twin, the Ford Ranger and was therefore discontinued in the US until 1994. When it shared a Ford V6 engine and was offered with an extended cab, and all wheel drive. The Mazda pickup was still sold in foreign countries under the Mazda name.
1998 ushered in a larger engine for the Mazda truck and came under several different names including the well-known Mazda B3000. The new automatic transmission carried 5 speeds and the new 4 doors helped the Mazda pickup become a well-known name again.
To the present the Mazda pickup truck has been a well-known compact truck. It has proven it's reliable and performance orientated design. The Mazda truck and its unique rotary engine allowed enthusiast to get involved in the racing game. Its win in 1975 in the SCCA Mojave 24 hour ralley helped the Mazda truck become a household name. Proud owners of the Mazda Pickup Truck have developed truck clubs and meets and upgrading and restoring abound.
In the United States the Mazda pickup is now produced by Ford and is a shared truck. International models known, as the Mazda Titan, Mazda Bounty and the Mazda Drifter are all still produced by the Japanese, this little compact truck has set the precedents for all compact trucks for reliability and performance.
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Should you fix your Mazda Pickup yourself?
There are many repair jobs on your Mazda pickup that you can fix yourself with a little common sense and a few basic tools. Deciding whether to tackle more than that takes some research.
If you're handy with a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and have a few general crescent wrenches you can tackle some jobs easily. You can change the battery in your Mazda pickup, change or replace glove box and other simple mechanisms, change your windshield wipers, replace worn fuses and lights, check your oil, and all other fluid levels. Much more than that and you will need to delve into repair manuals in order to insure not only your personal skill level, but also the manufactured recommended Mazda truck tools for the job.
Purchasing a genuine Mazda truck repair manual for your particular Mazda truck will insure that you have the basic information to do the repair job. Some are relatively simple and only need general mechanic's tools; others require specialized tools and diagnostic machinery. Some basic tools before you begin any job should be a complete set of crescent wrenches as well as a socket set, and different sizes of screwdrivers with both heads will also help. You don't want to get started on a repair job on your Mazda truck to find that you are missing the one size of wrench or socket needed to finish the job.
Once you've read the Mazda truck repair manual, be honest with yourself about not only your skill level but also your time constraints. If you are new to the repair job realize it's liable to take you longer to do, than someone who has done it several times before. If you have decided to change your oil be sure to allow for extra time the first several times you tackle the job. Familiarity will make the job go much faster each time you do it. If it is a big repair job and you do not do mechanical repair on a regular basis, just the unfamiliarity of the tools will slow you down, so be sure to allow plenty of time for the job. There is a reason a repair shop is able to charge an hourly rate, the mechanics are working with the tools and vehicles daily so are generally quick to do simple tasks.
There are many general maintenance jobs you can do yourself on your Mazda truck, be sure to research the job and be careful to follow manufacturers recommendations. Allow for extra time for jobs that are new to you and have on hand a genuine Mazda truck repair manual for all of your Mazda truck maintenance repair jobs. These tips and some common sense will allow you to enjoy your Mazda pickup's reliability and performance.
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