Mazda 5 engine light with P2009: both intake runner solenoids dead.

The car

A 2007 Mazda 5, petrol, about 100,000 miles. The engine light had been on for about two months. The owner had already bought a code reader of their own.

The code

P2009-FF, stored in continuous memory: intake manifold runner control circuit, bank 1, circuit low. On Mazdas it covers the circuit for the intake flaps that swirl the air at light load, for a cleaner burn. The solenoids sit together on one unit.

What I tested

Both solenoids on the unit read open circuit on the multimeter. So both were dead, not just one.

The job

Two new solenoids fitted. I cleared the codes, then scanned for current and pending codes twice: once with the ignition on and the engine off, and once with the engine running. Nothing came back. It wasn't road tested.

What else turned up

While I was there:

• the engine oil was sitting exactly on the minimum mark (an oil and filter change strongly advised);
• the coolant was below minimum, with small particles floating in the expansion tank (a top-up at the least, a flush advised);
• the power steering fluid was black and above the max mark (a fluid change advised: this car has an electric power steering pump).

If your Mazda shows P2009

A code reader gives you the code. A meter on the solenoids tells you which part has actually failed. And while the bonnet's up, look at the levels: none of those three would have set a code yet.

How I got these readings: on the job, with a full-system scanner and a multimeter.

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