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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    I'm going to try to drag a couple friends up there with me this time.
  • speedyptspeedypt Member Posts: 200
    Dale,

    Session 14 - 11:20am check in.

    See you there. Think you can get your time within 10 seconds of mine this time???

    :-D

    Regards,

    Pete
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    I plan to BEAT your time by ten seconds!!

    :D:D
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I just fell off my chair and hit my head!
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    How's things going here lately? I can see that Rev It Up has everyones' attention. Would love to see Dale zooming!

    My Pro LX is still in the 17K range. Cold out and not driving much. Love the cast iron block, it holds heat a long time. I had dinner at a Red Lobster on a cold night -- was there 90 minutes. Came out and my temp gauge went right to 9 o'clock, plenty of heat.

    fowler3
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I like tat too about the PRO - stays warm for a few hours.

    71K Kms / 44 miles and still great!

    Dinu
  • repjrepj Member Posts: 14
    Hi all!

    I drove to Deleware a couple weeks ago. You are supposed to have keep your headlights on during the day there. So I turn on the headlighs of my 99 Protege ES. After a while I get tired and pull over in an empty parking lot,turn the car off and lay back and take a nap. A 1/2 hour later I wake up and turn the key. Nothing! I had left the headlights on. Luckily there was a kid in a car nearby yacking on his cell phone. He gave me a jump and I was on my way. So I am thinking that leaving the headlights on for only a 1/2 hour is too short a time for a battery to go dead. So, I am looking to get a new battery for my 4 and 1/2 year old Pro. Anyone have any recommendations for which is the best replacement battery for my pro? What size does it take anyway? Thanks!!

    Rob
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    Optima red or yellow top comes to mind. some mind-boggling cold crank amps these batteries crank out. But they are pricy though

    For a less expensive, but still very high quality battery, I'd recommend DieHard Gold from Sears.

    the battery dealers should have computer nearby that'll find you the exact battery size/type the Protege needs.

    good luck :-)
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    lately the OE battery in my Pro has been struggling to start the car during the recent cold spell we've had on the east coast. It still starts the car fine, just takes a few more turns compared to a year ago.

    maybe it's time for me to consider a replacement battery for my Pro as well now...
  • repjrepj Member Posts: 14
    Thanks Big H! There is a Sears near me, I think that I will go for a Sears battery. If something ever happens to it early on, there is usually a Sears nearby...

    I hope that I don't double post this message too! Seems to me the posting procedure has changed since I first got my Pro and I was on this board all the time.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    That happens when you refresh the page after posting but before clicking on some other link.

    The best thing to do to reload the page after posting is to use the "Recent Msgs" link on the page bar.

    ;)
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Car batteries go between 4 and 5 years. I replace mine every 4, since getting stuck with a dead battery really stinks (happened once, never again if I can help it). Some go earlier due to production variation and use. Just make sure to check for cracks, leaks, corrosion or oxidation at the leads and production date (you don't want one too old, lead-acid batteries are pretty much dead when their charge goes down too low, unlike NiCd, NiMH and lithium cells). And the most important number to look for (besides assuring fit): CCA (cold-cranking amps). Just be sure it meets or exceeds that of the OEM battery. Most aftermarket units should easily meet that requirement. Sears Die Hard have done very well in CR tests. But I find them a bit expensive, so I use Champion and Everstart ones ($35-40)and just replace them every 4 years. Then again, what's another $20-30 if you avoid having a dead battery (esp. for those in much harsher winter climates than where I am)?
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I remember a few years ago someone (maybe Sears) was offering a battery with a switch on it. That way, if you left your lights on and your battery went dead, you could flip the switch and start your car. Then you flipped it back and were on your way. It probably only worked once or twice since the extra cell would be small, but that would still be worth it.

    At the time I thought it was the greatest idea. Then it just seemed to disappear. But I still think it's a great idea for the occasional slip up.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Alas, folks, I am still alive.

    I was off for a couple of weeks during the holidays (no Internet at home), and then -- one day before having to return to work -- came down with that wonderful flu that's going around the country. And yep, I DID have my flu (and pneumonia) shot back in November. I was in the hospital for half a day having 3 liters of fluid put back into me intravenously, and then spent a week in bed.

    But here I am, back and healthy again! And Zoomster (er, my 2000 ES 5-speed for the newbies to the discussion) has 69,000 trouble-free miles under his (timing) belt.

    So, what's up everyone?

    Meade
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Well...in April anyway.

    I'm glad to hear you've recovered, even under the tender care of Tammy, who's led us to believe you'd been done-in. :)

    Aside from that, feeling like I need to wash my Protege. Poor thing has salt, mud and paper pulp (from the recycling place I drop off my used cardboard at) all over it. But it's too freaking cold! :(
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    No kidding. We're back down to zero tonight and high of 11 tomorrow. I still see people in the wash bays cleaning off their cars.

    I refuse to wash anytime under freezing. You never know where that water will get and freeze and pop something.

    The P5 is white right now. The whole darn thing, roof and all. Travelling with trucks splashing the salt and everything all over. I hate to even touch it right now. Maybe by Tuesday it will break freezing again and I can wash it.
  • ab999ab999 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 1997 Protege with a 1.5L DOHC engine. On my latest visit to the dealer I asked that the valve clearances be check, as is indicated in my owners manual for the 96,000 km (60,000 mile) service. The dealer told me that the valves are automatically adjusting and that they didn't need to be inspected.

    I checked in my Haynes service manual which says that 1995 and later 1.5L engines use a adjustment shim between the camshaft and valve. I showed this to the service advisor who checked again with a technician and came back saying that the valves do not need to be checked/adjusted, that the Haynes manual is wrong.

    Anyone else have the 1.5L engine. Have you had the valves adjusted?
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Ask him if your 1.5L has hydraulic lifters or solid lifters. If he says hydraulic lifters, then they do not need to be adjusted. I am not exactly sure which engine the 1.5L in your 97 is, but if it is a B series engine, it could have hydraulic lifters. If it is a Z5 engine, I have no clue since that series of engines wasn't used too much in NA.

    Ted
  • ab999ab999 Member Posts: 4
    The dealer did claim that my 1.5L engine does have the hydraulic lifters which are not adjustable. That is not what the Haynes Manual says, nor what would be implied by the owners manual which recommends valve clearance inspection at 96,000 km.

    Boggse, how would I tell if I have a "B" series Engine? The car was bought new in Canada. Is there any way to tell without taking off the valve cover what type of lifters I have?
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Well, my first round trip from LA to San Jose tonight (I do this monthly for the Army Reserve), so I'll get to see if I can coax better than 30MPG out of it onthe flat boring I-5. My 03 DX automatic currently has 4400 miles on it, and just had tires rotated and an oil change, swapping the stock dino-juice for Mobil One 0W30.

    Got my 6 CDs loaded and a full tank of gas, so unless nature calls, I'll make the run non-stop at around midnight.

    Catch you all Monday.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Sorry you had the flu, but isn't losing 3 liters of fluid part of the Atkins diet? LOL!

    God forbid department:

    Reading about batteries reminded me of a past experience. A co-worker picked up her car after the dealer serviced it and drove to work. A few minutes after leaving it in the company parking lot the engine compartment was on fire.

    I saw smoke coming from under the hood and called the fire department (this was before 911). My cubical had a view of the parking lot. Other co-workers took a fire extinguisher and tried to douse the fire without success.

    The firefighters arrived and put on their hazzard suits with masks and oxygin bottles before tackling the fire. One of them told me later, "If a car is on fire do not try to put it out yourself. Sticking your head under the hood the battery could explode throwing acid in your face and blinding you for life. If the fire is hot enough the battery acid starts to boil."

    Keep this in mind if it ever happens to you -- call for help or let it burn.

    A short time after that incident I was in a small shopping center when a car near where I was parked caught fire in the passenger compartment. (NO it was not my fault.) The owner came running out of the store with a fire extinguisher, opened the driver's side door and started to go headfirst into it with the extinguisher. I took it away from him and sprayed from a safe distance, warning him about the danger. He had left a cigarette burning in the ash tray, it fell on the carpeting and the whole front cockpit was in flames in less than five minutes. The dash melted and was sagging down, the seats and headliner were on fire too.

    When burning, car plastics give off toxic fumes that can be fatal if inhaled. This is why carrying a fire extinguisher in your car is false insurance and can lead you to take dangerous risks.

    fowler3
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    In the "Message Center", what is titled "Subscriptions" only shows those subscriptions I have yet to read. I thought I used to be able to see a list of all my subscriptions, but I can't seem to find such now. Has something been changed?
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Man, you've been in a lot of action!

    Thanks for the advice. Plastics are nasty when they burn, more so with the fire retardants they put into them (they slow the start, but actually make the fumes more toxic if the plastics that contain them do start burning).
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Go to Message Center and uncheck the box next to "Show only subscriptions with new messages" - it's at the bottom of the page. Then click on "Change Settings" and you will see all of your subscriptions.

    Yes, something did change. I think it was in "My Preferences" that the subscriptions were listed, but they are no longer there.
  • doublesixdoublesix Member Posts: 29
    The Check Engine Light on my 1999 Protege ES (45K miles) started to stay on from yesterday. A scanning at AutoZone revealed two problems in terms of DTC:

    (1) P0171 - Fuel Trim System Lean Bank 1;
    (2) P0455 - Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (gross leak/no flow).

    I'm not so sure what exactly these two codes mean, but I noticed that a few weeks ago there was a discussion regarding code P0171 (failing MAS). In message # 1881 mazdafun specifically mentioned a recall on some 1.6L models affected (99-00 DX and LX models). Does this recall also apply to 99 ES 1.8L model? Would these problems (mainly about emissions) still be covered under warranty?

    Can I still temporarily drive the car while trying to contact a dealership to take a look of the problems?
  • kaiserheadkaiserhead Member Posts: 166
    All the 101,000kms work has been done, new front pads and disks, new timing belt and oxygen sensor. The "Red Dragon" runs like its brand new. It'll be around for another 101,000kms, or until the next Mazda3 model change.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Oil change...I thought the oil changes on the Pro 2.0 are at 7500 miles? I could have sworn my manual and the online manual said that.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    is for 'normal' driving conditions

    the 'B' (aka busy traffic) schedule calls for 5000 oil change intervals.
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    Sometimes I'm faced with an ice layer on my outside mirrors that is nearly impossible to remove with a scraper. I have begun to use a hair dryer----which melts the ice and doesn't require that the mirrors be repositioned (because of being moved by the scraping). I don't know if there is any chance of the mirror breaking because of the stress of the temperature differential, but I haven't had any trouble so far. If you try it yourself, let me know how you fare.
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    for steering me to the "complete list" of my subscriptions. All hosts here at Edmunds seem to take a real interest in providing good information, so thanks to all of you.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Yesterday, I read some of the other boards here to see how those owners like their cars and what problems they are having -- it was surprising to find even the luxury car buyers have the same problems entry-level buyers have. Many posts about bad dealers, tires, oil changes, bad paint, squeaks and rattles, tranny jerks, etc.

    Paying more doesn't get you a better car, just more expensive repairs and service charges. A Mercedes S500 buyer complains about cheap leather in his car. A Lexus LS owner complains about stains on his leather seats. An Avalon owner complains about bad paint. And on the Lexus board they are discussing buying Bridgestone tires.

    Most of the posts read like here. You have to remind yourself which board you are on. LOL!

    Here's one post you should read, #2811, on the Toyota Avalon board. The poster is an arbatrator explaining the process in Lemon Law cases. Read it for information, not that Mazda3 owners need it, but what constitutes a legitament complaint.

    fowler3
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    Hey everyone here. I haven't been on here as much as I'd like but let me fill you in on this crazy month.

    I bought the JDM Sport20 front bumper/MP3 side skirts/rear skirt for my car and had it installed (call me r1ce or whatever you want):
    image

    Then...this past Monday, I was rear ended...AGAIN. Twice in the past two years. The roads were wet and my car was struck in the rear by a Dodge Intrepid. Hardly any damage to rear except for cracked paint and my newly added rear skirt:
    image

    TUESDAY (Day after rear ender, car was still drivable, or so I thought):
    My car caught fire. The car stalled out in the middie of the road and all electricals went out. I let the car coast to a stop. Soon, smoke started pouring out the hood...then flames! Fire department put out the fire and it was towed to the local Mazda dealer for insurance to appraise.

    Apparantly, when I was rear ended, it caused my(aftermarket Optima) battery to move backwards just enough for the positive terminal to come in contact with the metal battery tie down causing a short in the electrical system.

    image
    image
    These used to be my STEEL brake lines:
    image

    What a week. I'm now in a 02 Focus rental car. It's not all that bad. I kinda like the handling dynamics of the car.

    The lady's insurance is covering the rear end damage, and my insurance is covering the fire damage under comprehensive. I don't know why it's like that but that's what they told me.

    I have a feeling the car's going to be out of comission for a while.
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    That's terrible!

    (The Sport 20 kit looks cool, though. :)

    They really think they're going to be able to restore your insides?
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    Well, the fire wasn't a large one or anything. It was put out pretty fast and was only limited to the ground wires/brake lines under the hood. I don't know the extent of damage to the electrical system though...but I will find out in due time.

    I miss my car. :(
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Wow, I'm surprised she hit you hard enough to shift the battery. I wouldn't even have thought to look for such damage.

    Here's hoping you get your baby (lookin' good BTW) back soon. :)
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I saw those pics over on another site and it just stinks. I think you have one of the nicest cars I've seen. Very well done.

    Good luck in getting everything back to normal.
  • tomcivilettitomciviletti Member Posts: 207
    Was it contact with the strut bar that caused the short?
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    It came in contact with the battery tie-down. On the pictures you can see where it touched and etched the black paint.

    Meinrad, thanks for the compliment. Just about when my car is looking the way I've always wanted it to, it had to get hit. I guess that's the way life goes sometimes.
  • kaiserheadkaiserhead Member Posts: 166
    Strange. Was the fire limited to the area around the battery? What caused the steel to melt?
  • kaiserheadkaiserhead Member Posts: 166
    On the Mazda Canada website (www.mazda.ca) they have old commercials from the 70s. 80s and 90s, really cool stuff. Look under "fun stuff" --> "multimedia"
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Man, I'm sorry about your accident!!

    Your Pro looks terrific!! I'm sure you miss it, you made it the best Pro on the road. I still think the Pro is a better looking car than the Mazda3. All it needs are some "upgrades" similar to what you did.

    fowler3
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    I but that sucks. I'm starting to get attached to my SI. I don't know what I would do if that kind of stuff started happening to it.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    If you Si caught on fire you could replace it with a new one. Your on your third one anyway, are you not?
    Now, if my Protege caught on fire, there are not too many new ones left to choose from and they are not building them anymore.
    I consider my Protege irreplaceable.
  • steviejzsteviejz Member Posts: 4
    Well let me tell you all about it Proti fans. I bought mine in May of 01 and now have 50,000 miles on it.lots of hiways. Smooth on them but the ride is hard and jumpy on secondary roads ,you feel every crack and crevice.Anyhow so far they have had to Replace the Transmission and with a rebuilt one no less! The Dealer said it was standard practice .The Battery at 36,000 miles , The CD player twice,The brakes all around ,4 wheel disks,The orignal tires wore out at 23,000, 195-50r/16 Dunlops.and they are hard to find and pricy too. $110.00 each.Now its starting to break up when you step on it when it hits a 1/4 tank of gas. The dealer said the fuel pump & fuel filter are in the Gas tank. so they would have to remove it to get to it. for $550.00.yea right!!I change the oil and filter every 3,500 miles,and mid 20's for gas mileage or about 300 miles a tank. Can this car make it to 100,000 and beyond.?? All the trades said this was a best buy 3 yrs ago .I"am seriously thinking about a 2004 Camry Le for cheaper than the Proti was then. tell me otherwise...thanks for letting me unload..Steve
  • carguy58carguy58 Member Posts: 2,303
    every 3,500 milers. I get mine done every 3,000 miles. I replaced the battery in my Mazda 626 2 years after I got it. I don't have the 626 anymore. Unfortunately sometimes tranny blow up. The Gas Tank, Tire Issue would be my concerns. As far as cracks on secondary roads I can feel every crack too because if you live in New Jersey you would feel every crack too. I can understand if you feel every crack on a highways but on secondary roads I think everybody's car feels every crack. If I'm right the 01 Protege came with the 2.0 liter engine and gas mileadge was rated at 25 city/31 highway so if you drive in the city alot the gas mileadge in the mid 20's would be right on target with the mid 20's you are getting. Woo the brakes and the cd player. Sounds like a lemon to me. Most go to Toyota when they get burned by another brand.
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    The fire wasn't rather large, it was just limited to the ground wires on both sides of the engine and the brake lines. The mechanic said that it was because my aftermarket steel lines conducted current and that's what caused them to flame. Weird, if you ask me.

    Hopefully I'll get my Pro back soon.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    If my SI blew up, I'd probably get a Scion Tc, MZ3, or maybe even another Accord EX-L if I decided to buy new. I wouldn't mind another 1993-1995 Civic EX coupe if I cheaped out. Then again those 2000 3 series are getting cheap too.

    I don't know.
  • kaiserheadkaiserhead Member Posts: 166
    I sympathize with your situation. Although I love my Protege and Mazda in general, I'm disappointed with the problems I've had and am considering another manufacturer next time around, something I never would have considered three years ago. I strongly believe that a car should be FLAWLESS for the first five years of its life, anything less than that is unacceptable. (wear and tear items excluded.)
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Good luck. I don't think there has been a car in history that has been "flawless" for 5 years.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    has been very good for the past 3.5 years that I've had it, no major problems to speak of really.

    just want to post a GOOD testimonial to let the casual readers realize that MOST people are having great experiences with Proteges, and are enjoying it offline, and that only those with problems will post on forums such as this one.
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