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bewilson
Rough idle:
1. Vacuum Leak. Check all hose connections.
2. Leaking EGR valve.
3. Air Filter clogged.
4. Fuel pump not delivering enough fuel.
5. Leaking head gasket.
6. Timing belt and/or pulleys worn.
7. Camshaft lobes worn.
Engine hard to start when hot:
1. Air filter clogged.
2. Fuel not reaching the fuel injection system.
3. Corroded battery terminals, especially ground.
4. Faulty coolant temp. sensor or intake air temp. sensor.
Source: Haynes Automotive Repair Manual, Mazda 323 and Protege, 1990 thru 1997.
I'm a novice when it comes to cars. I don't know anything to be honest. I would be very glad if you help me out with some pieces of advice.
Here's the story: I bought a Mazda Protege 1999 last fall. Stupid as I am I forgot to ask about if the timing belt was changed. Now the car has approx. 120000 miles. If it hasn't been changed - now it's the time. If if has been changed twice - I guess I still have to have someone check it out. Is it hard for a mechanic to find out if it is time to change it? How much is it approx. to change it? I'm about to sell the car in about four months - is it still worth the trouble? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Mechanics really won't be able to check it because you have to basically pull everything apart to see it -- and by that time you've done all the expense (labor) of changing the belt, which is only about $50 for the part.
Keep in mind the Protege's engine is a "non-interference" engine, which means if the timing belt breaks, the engine will stop -- but valves won't slap into the pistons and total the car (like on some cars, like many Hondas). If you have AAA or a comparable driving club membership that will tow you and you don't mind the inconvenience of a sudden breakdown, go ahead and drive it until the belt breaks.
The only other alternative is to chomp the projectile and get it changed!
Meade
A reputable garage can perform this test in about a half hour, and tell you the relative condition of the belt.
Cheers Pat.
I've tried that.
Meade
This may seem obvious but have you asked the seller of the car about this? Considering the cost of this service, the seller may have records or may be able to tell you. If he cannot tell you, I would think the responsible thing to do is to tell the next person purchasing your car that you do not know whether the timing belt needs to be replaced soon.
TIP: Always ask for maintenance records when purchasing a used vehicle
Does anyone know whether this sounds like an honest quote? Sounds like robbery to me.
Andre
Is the labor extra or included in your quote?
You may want a second quote from a Mazda dealership and/or another garage.
Here is something on the EVAP that I extracted from Haynes' Chilton Guide to the Protege.
Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) system
The EVAP traps and stores fuel that evaporates from the fuel tank, throttle body and intake manifold that could escape into the atmosphere as hydrocarbon emissions. It consists of a charcoal-filled canister, the lines connecting the canister to the fuel tank, a temperature controlled vacuum valve and a check valve. Fuel vapors are transferred from the fuel tank and throttle body to a canister for storage when the engine isn’t running. When the engine is running the vapors are purged from the canister by intake airflow and consumed in normal combustion. The canister is equipped with a check valve that incorporates three check balls. Based on the running conditions and the pressure in the fuel tank, the check balls open and close the passages to the vacuum valve (consequently the throttle body) and fuel tank.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQA/is_2_80/ai_718471- 87
BTW, I just called the parts department at my Mazda dealer and, playing the part of you, asked for a price on a "canister purge valve" for a 1997 Protege.
The response?
"Mazda doesn't have anything called a 'canister purge valve' on the 1997 Protege."
Ask this mechanic guy of yours for the real part name, or find another mechanic. Is this guy at a Mazda dealership, btw?
Meade
Thanks in advance.
Would any of you say it's as well built and reliable as a Civic or Corolla? What was the first year Mazda started putting the 2.0 engine in the Protege? Thanks.
Thanks everyone who responded.
I suppose you could use carb cleaner on the carbon deposits. But if they are really baked on, it might require harsher chemicals. They also recommend cleaning the ports from the intake manifold into the EGR valve. As I recall, I was only able to do this a little bit as the port made a 90 degree bend very quickly. Ideally, one would remove the intake manifold and do a more thorough cleaning of the port. The Haynes Automotive Repair Manual (in many libraries) for the Protege has a very nice drawing and chart on EGR systems.
Some mechanics, like Pat Goss, are now recommending an EGR valve service where they take off the valve, install an adapter, and pump carbon removing chemicals through the passages every 30K miles. And also clean the valve, of course. The logic being that if it is not done regurlarly then carbon will get really thick and the chemicals won't work and you're left with time consuming manual cleaning.
Multiple short trips, during cold weather, and a fuel tank that's less than half-ful have causes this code to be erroneously logged. This happened to me this winter, just a few months after the first CEL (also code 0402) was logged in my '99LX. I had the dealership clean out the valve. It cost me only about $78 for the service.
I let the Autozone tech clear the code, then I found the erroneous code-logging reference, so I have kept my fuel tank more than half-ful since then and the CEL has not recurred. You could try this, and if it happens again even with the mostly-full tank, then I'd get the EGR valve cleaned or replaced.
I havent' confirmed (as the manuals in my local public library are one generation too old to cover the '99 Protege...guess I could BUY a recent one, but I can wait for the library to acquire them), but I think the EGR valve for the 1.6L engine is behind the valve cover, on the driver side. You can follow the pipe from the exhaust manifold (also driver-side) that leads to the back of the engine to it.
If there is truly too little flow through the valve, the combustion chamber can get hotter than intended as the main purpose of recirculating the exhaust gases is to cool the combustion chamber (not really sure about this, as I think it'd make it hotter since it's hotter than incoming fresh air, but that's what is stated in the emission controls section of any service manual...I think it's more to burn off fuel that wasn't completely combusted the first time), which you would first notice through pinging and knocking (I think). You can check your plugs to see if there's more erosion than usual.
It isn't. Introducing an inert gas such as engine exhaust lowers combustion temp below that at which oxides of nitrogen can form.
Proteges (I've owned four) have a tendency to go through plug wires every 30 to 40K miles. They short out due to the high temperatures and moisture that collects in the "tunnels" they follow down to the plugs in the valve cover. The first time I had one go, my car stalled and died. Somehow I managed to limp the 2 miles to the dealership on three cylinders, which I'm sure was not very good for my engine!
A new set of wires runs about $50 to $70 depending on where you get them, and they take less than five minutes to install yourself. I now do it as preventive maintenance every 40K or so, and I do notice a dramatic increase in performance even if none have deteriorated to the complete failure point yet! Replacing them usually results in a 1-2 mpg increase too.
Keeping your plug wires in good condition is just as important as changing your plugs.
Hoping this was your solution,
Meade
I recently had a bout with a patch of ice in my parking space and remembered words from the past "be careful about rocking your car back and forth in the snow / ice as you can burn out your transmission". Maybe it's time for some expert advice from your friendly garage.
2003: Body integrity
2002: Brakes, body integrity
2001: Brakes, body integrity & hardware, power equipment, electrical
1997-2000: several problem areas but still highly recommended as a used car
angie
Has anyone changed the spark plugs and wires for the 1.6L engine? I took a look around the engine and can only find 2 plugs with 2 wires. Seems odd for a 16 valve engine. I suspect that there are two more plugs under the coils. I thought only the domestic car companies place things in such awkward locations like that.