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Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • kajun58kajun58 Member Posts: 1
    I've experienced similar issues ... (2002 Mazda Protege ES)

    I've changed my belts twice in a week. I've had the belts retensioned three times!

    I have a terrible squealing noise ... not sure if it's the actual belt(s) or the alternator.

    I priced alternators for this vehicle and went into shock!
    $179 to $300 +

    Have you had any success in resolving your issues ...?
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    The classic belt squeal/slip occurs when the belt is wet like after driving through a big puddle on heavy rain days.

    The belts do stretch over time, but you shouldn't have to re-tighten them more than once a year tops. I think Gates belts are better than most.

    The alternators on the Protege are generally good, but if it does go bad you could have a local alternator/starter shop rebuild it for probably $50-$100. This would require the car to be down for a few days.
  • slavutaslavuta Member Posts: 9
    My car is 1998 Protégé ES, 1.8, 5spd. Recently I started to experience 2 problems simultaneously, which I didn’t want to relate one to another.
    Firstly, my car’s fuel efficiency declined. Normally, I would get 29.5-30.5 miles per gallon. These days it is always below 28mpg. So, I decided to check the engine. I removed spark plugs and noticed black soot on them, which tells you that too much gas goes into the cylinders. I started from checking fuel pressure regulator but it does work good as test showed. Second thing I’ve checked – the Oxygen Sensor. I ran test on it and it is definitely working. My check engine light is not ON either.

    This is time to jump to my second issue.
    When I drive, I noticed that my tachometer jumps up and then back down. For example, if I drive consistently with engine speed 3000 RPM. Looking at tachometer I would notice that the arrow would suddenly jump up to 3500 and immediately go down back to 3000. This happens sometimes every 5 seconds, sometimes just a few times on 20 miles trip. The engine sound doesn’t change, nothing hesitates, nothing else is happening besides the tachometer readings.
    So, at first I didn’t want to tie these two issues together and now, after I checked engine parts for operability, I think may be this is tied together. May be a central computer (if there is one) is malfunctioning and causing a few issues at once.
    Curious if anyone else got something like this?
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    It's Tuesday, so that means Mazda chat night. If you haven't joined us before, stop in tonight for a little fun with the group!

    The Mazda Club Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
  • tyengectyengec Member Posts: 1
    I have MAZDA PROTEGE 2002 65k mile. It's been 3 weeks steering wheel is shaking when it is between 60 to 70 mph. When i go over 70 mph i feel like car is hesitating to go, and then suddenle for a secon rpm goes to 4000 to 5000. It feels like engine going to drop on high way. My A/T ( Automatic Transaxle warning light flashes with engine ligh). Some times it happens when i reduce my speed to make complete stop, rpm goes to 3000 while my feet on break. Last week i change the transmission oil. but i still have same problem. when i go less then 60mph car goes well. Any one tell me what would be the problem?
  • mazdagrl1mazdagrl1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello All,

    I have a 2000 Protege DX, 60k miles, manual transmission.
    It has been doing a strange thing, mainly at freeway speeds of 60-75mph it does this little back and forth type jerk, doesn't slow down but the "jerks" range from small and lite to hard.
    This is the second time my car is doing this, the first time they diagnosed the ignition coils were having white marks from wear and tear, those were replaced and it fixed the problem. Now its doing it again. I had the coils replaced again about 2 months ago and it did not fix the problem,
    Any one experience these littel "jerks" i'm about to give up, no one can figure out what is causing it and no codes ever show up. This is getting expensive. :confuse:
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    I would take it into the shop as it could be several things. I and many others have had issues with the EGR valve; the car appears to want to stall and then to surge. The fix: a new EGR valve. I drive a 2002 Protege5 automatic; for the most part the car has been very reliable.
  • chewy62chewy62 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1998 Mazda Protege LX, after I had done a tune-up to it. I notice that on the hood it says the idle speed should be 750 rpm with the car set in park. I can get it to idle at 750rpm but when I put it in drive it idle low below 500rpm and when I turn on the airconditioning it idle around 100rpm. Sometimes it even turns off. If I put it back to the way it was for everything to work I have to set the idle at 1300rpm. What do I have to do to get it to idle at 750rpm like it says to. Thanks Victor
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    You should not need to set the idle speed screw if the Idle Air Control Valve is working properly. Also, are you adjusting the idle air screw or the throttle adjustment screw? Changing either one can affect more that your idle speed in park. However, since you are already playing with one of those screws, you need to make sure that you follow the proper procedure for adjustment found in the factory service manual. I believe this involves connecting the proper tool to the data link connector and setting it to adjustment mode.

    The other option (likely the smart one) is to go see your dealer.
  • bocatripbocatrip Member Posts: 194
    I am planning on purchasing a 99 DX Protege with 70,000 miles which is very clean and original. It is leaking oil from the crankshaft or camshaft seal. The shop of course needs to replace the timing belt and also wants to change the water pump and all the belts and valve cover gasket. The price is $700. Does this sound fair?
  • ardaproesardaproes Member Posts: 12
    Hello everyone!
    I bought a 2000 Protege ES two months ago with 177000 miles on it. Now i might sound crazy for buying a car which has that much mileage on it. But it was a love at first sight when i saw it. It had a full stereo system with dvd monitors and a lot of other bells and rings. The most appealing part was when i test drove the car. the 1.8 l engine coupled with the 5 spd tranny made me feel like i was driving a supercharged car comparing to my 93 civic with auto. And the price was al right. Since the purchase i've been challenging a lot of cars on the road and it shines in it's class. But recently i have noticed the idling problem and i am gonna work on that tomorrow. And by the way plz let me know if anybody recognizes my car (you may be the previous owner) It is a silver 2000 Protege ES with tinted windows, kenwood monitors, magnaflow exhaust, and clarion sub woofers in the trunk.
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    Price seems a little high, but if the seller is willing to pay and your mechanic feels the car is sound, then go for it.
  • bocatripbocatrip Member Posts: 194
    Mazda wants $850 plus tax and Mazda dealerships here are notorious for being dishonest. For all the labor and parts,(timing belt, water pump and seals, crankshaft and camshaft seals, valve cover gasket, alternator and P/S and A/C belts, antifreeze) the $700 is not outragious in my mind. Again, I'm not paying for the job, so it's a no lose proposition. Afterwoods, all my daughter has to do is drive the car as just about everything is new. Proteges are hard to come by in Florida. Everyone likes them and beats them to death.They either have super high miles cars for sale or low miles and are very expensive on car lots. I guess they have a following.
  • nursedad1971nursedad1971 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Auto Air Controller problem where Mazda said with their manual you need to replace it, which is about $700-800. But who knows what might happen next if this doesnt fix it. In the morning when the engine is cold I have to warm it up for aleast 10 minutes to get it moving where the idles for several minutes. But when it is warm the engine runs fine. I have 79K miles and still have a loan on it. Any ideas?
  • dodsonardodsonar Member Posts: 2
    Could you please explain to me where the spark plugs are located? I can not locate them and do not have amaintenance manual.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,359
    My wife's 2000 Protege ES (Auto) turned 7 years old last week. With over 86,000 miles on the clock, we got it a new Alternator for it's 7th birthday. The Alternator was completely dead & car was running off battery power.

    Is there anything else coming up that I can do preventatively?

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • red25red25 Member Posts: 2
    I am having the same trouble with my 91, has anyone ever solved this mystery?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Could you please explain to me where the spark plugs are located?

    The spark plugs are mounted in the cylinder head just like any other vehicle. On any DOHC engine, they will be straight through the top of the head.

    Perhaps this is a job for your mechanic?
  • 11b33t11b33t Member Posts: 51
    LOL, just follow the wires from your distributor cap to the elusive spark plugs.. ;)
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    there is no distributor cap ;)
  • 11b33t11b33t Member Posts: 51
    :confuse: image

    he's right!! Danged new-fangled models... Thanks to Hali @ cardomain for this pic from his space...
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    nice pic. I'm sure that air filter has set off a couple check engine lights but the header size is sweet.

    Anyway, if a person can't find the plugs, they should seriously think twice about changing them. I envision a stripped or cross-threaded hole, a broken coil or a boot pulled off of a wire.
  • emilymu154emilymu154 Member Posts: 1
    :sick: First time poster, who is loving all the info i can get on cars from this site!! I have a 2000 or 2002 mazda protege (its at the shop or i would look to see the exact year, i am inept with car issues sorry). The car was bought used from our family friend mechanic and has around 50000 miles on it. Lately it has been giving me serious trouble when going from stop to go. So much that i took it in to get looked at. Our mechanic says he doesn't know and to take it to a dealer.
    Anyway the problem is i can be at a stop light and when the light turns green I push the gas and the car struggles to go. I can feel the engine trying to go and after sometimes up to 10 seconds the car spurts to life. This happens at intersections w/ lights and stop signs, when making turns that i slow down to turn and try to speed back up after making the turn, when i move back out of spots and then put the car in gear. The check engine light has been on for months, which i have had checked out but was told that it is a just an error. My oil was changed approx 1 month ago and I keep that up to date. This problem has been getting worse and is dangerous when i am making turns and trying to merge. Any suggestions on what this could be before i take it to a dealer so I don't get ripped off. I am super grateful for any advice!!
  • boricuapr_1boricuapr_1 Member Posts: 1
    i have the same problem and waht i did was remove the spark plugs and look down to the pistons and one of them had water in there so i have a blown head gasket hopefully nothing else is broke or F U, good luck with your problem
  • 11b33t11b33t Member Posts: 51
    It sounds like a problem with your Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAFS) from the symptoms you've described. It may also be a clogged fuel filter but the symptoms are similar to a number of other problems. You can have the error codes on your car computer read for free at Auto Zone and they may be able to clear the error codes so you get newer input. That's the first step you need to take...
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Yes, it could be a number of problems. I had an issue with the EGR valve that gave me similar symptoms. I agree with your mechanic who suggested you go to the dealer; better that than getting involved in a serious incident. If there's more than one Mazda dealership in your neighborhood, you may want to ask which is the better for service. My experience with Mazda dealerships has been fine.
  • red25red25 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know how many volts I should have at the fuel pump of a 91 protege? I only have 7, and the open relay ohms ok with 12 volts coming out of it on the one side. I am not sure where to go next. Any advice would be appreciated.
    Thanks
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    '99-'00 Proteges with the 1.6L engine had a voluntary recall on the MAS. It could lead to the symptoms you describe (did in my '99LX).

    An EGR that is stuck open can also lead to similar symptoms. This is normally only open under certain conditions.
  • henzhenz Member Posts: 3
    Greetings.. I'm a newbie here & forgive me if this topic was discussed earlier. I have a 2001 Protege 2.0. I'll get right to the point.
    I removed master cylinder cap..removed e- brake cable...removed caliper..removed pads (left inner one in to be used for pressure against c-clamp)..Problem...Rear pistons will not move in to make room for the new pads. I tried w/ bleeder valve open too...will not push in. I was told that the rear pistons need to be screwed in..upon examination, there are no notches or grooves or anything on the piston to insert piston removal tool.What am I overlooking? I think I explained ( I hope so ) everything. Any advice will be appreciated. And thanks for your time. Jim
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Check the online manual, see: http://protege5.ugly.net

    This is the entire factory workshop manual for the protege/protege5 in pdf.
  • rboetsmarboetsma Member Posts: 2
    Motor mounts were shot replaced with AWR racing mounts. Alternator was running constantly because of bad battery and to much power draw from my stereo system. Fixed.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    alternator running constantly? i've never known one not to when the engine is running. you think your vehicle's systems are being run exclusively off the battery?

    i think not.

    perhaps you meant your alternator was being ruined constantly because of a bad battery and too much power draw from your stereo.

    that i could see. :shades:
  • irish1984irish1984 Member Posts: 1
    Every time i slow down for a stop sign my car idle goes to about 0 and it starts to jerk like it wants to turn off and sometime it does turn off on me. the only way i stop it from turning off on me is i put it on neutral and give it gas.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    then it's possible it needs to have the idle parameters relearned, or the idle on the intake adjusted, or perhaps a new idle air control / bypass valve.

    then again, you could have other problems. hard to say.
  • alaskamazdaalaskamazda Member Posts: 3
    I am having a problem with my 99 Mazda Protege transmission engaging after the car has sat overnight. It only does it in the morning. Most recently the OD light has started flashing and doesn't stop until the car transmission fully engages. I took it in to a transmission dealer today and he did a diagnostic and found no code errors. Plus once it is warmed up there is no more problem until the next long period of time sitting. I am planning to drive the car back to Alaska from MN and do not want to start on a trip of this magnatude without resolving this problem. It seems like something is restriction the fluid flow, maybe a gumming problem. Any suggestions?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    is the level of fluid good? there is a temp sensor for the tranny i think, maybe it is marginal.
  • alaskamazdaalaskamazda Member Posts: 3
    The fluid level and appearance is good. Where is the sensor and would it require a lot of labor to replace it?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    unfortunately, i can't answer that. sorry.
  • darrylicshondarrylicshon Member Posts: 1
    how hard is it to change a water pump on a 97 mazda protege lx
  • keyon19keyon19 Member Posts: 11
    I also have a 1995 Mazda Protege with low miles this car is a manual. I replaced the water pump the thermostat and the head gasket but the car still acts up. the water is not flowing through the radiator and the water hoses are getting tight with air. What should I do...
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Is it safe to assume when you replaced the waterpump, that you also replaced the radiator hoses (ie. no collapsed lower rad hose).

    I don't know whether your radiator fins are vertical or horizontal on that car, but when you take the radiator cap off, can you see the ends of the fins....and do they look clean (ie. not all gunked up which would restrict coolant flow thru the radiator).

    Is there an air purge screw on your thermostat housing (ie. no air block in the engine).

    If you still aren't getting flow, I'd pull the thermostat out completely, and then verify that you have good coolant flow thru the radiator even at low temperature.
  • keyon19keyon19 Member Posts: 11
    In regards of the Mazda protege

    No i didn't replace the hose. But i did put a new head gasket on ,but i bought an 1.8 and just recently found out that the engine size is a 1.5 could that be the reason it wont crank.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    oooooppsss....

    Check your parts house, and see whether it's the same or different part number for the different engines.

    When you took the head off, did you look to match up the gasket against the original?
  • keyon19keyon19 Member Posts: 11
    Yes, i did match it up and it matched perfectly, but the hose stills gets tight and it wont crank. What is the problem???????/
  • mazdalx01mazdalx01 Member Posts: 1
    I just put a used air compressor on my 2001 mazda protege DX.
    Well today it would not shift into overdrive, the battery light came on, and then the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air.

    But as soon as I started slowing down to make
    a turn back onto the rd. I live on the battery light went off and the air started working again.

    So I decided to drive it around a little more and when I got back on the main highway and started picking up speed it started doing the same thing all over again. As long as I drive about 20 to 35 miles an hour it's fine but when I try to go faster it will not shift to overdrive the battery light comes back on and the air stops blowing cold air.
    Any thoughts would be appreciated alot.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    You didn't mention in your first post that the engine wasn't turning over. Symptoms were overheating. Your engine not cranking is a totally different problem than overheating.

    Do I understand your symptom is when you hit the starter, it is not able to turn the crank of the engine?

    If so, then it is possible that you put the head back on and the timing is off. When the starter is turning the crank and pushing the piston up into the cylinder during the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve needs to open to get the air out of the cylinder. If your timing is off, then when the piston tries to move up the exhaust valve is closed, the air has no place to go, and it puts too much resistance against the starter.

    Alternatively, if there is a leak of coolant into the cylinder during the compression stroke, that will stop the crank as well. Fluid can't be compressed.

    Did you align the marks when putting it back together?
  • keyon19keyon19 Member Posts: 11
    SO do u think i should just get a new head, or is it another problem. The timing was set. Can u just tell me exactly what i need to do to fix the problem. Its a stick it will crank but once u let your foot off the gas it will shut off, and the radiator hose gets really tight.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Try tightening your drive belts.
  • endonendendonend Member Posts: 3
    My 2002 Mazda Protege had air conditioning service done at the dealership just a month ago. More freon was added and the system was checked for leaks. Besides having to add more freon, the dealership stated there was nothing wrong.

    I now notice that when I'm driving, the air seems to lose a bit of pressure and then come back. I notice a slight decrease in temp as well when this happens. Also, while driving, when the air starts acting up, it feels like my car accelerates a slight bit and then goes back to normal. When I'm at idle and I have the air problem, I'll step on the gas and it feels like the car wants to jump out of its body.

    The temp isn't what bothers me most, its the slight acceleration then decelaration of the car while driving at a steady speed. Any idea on what this could be? I had someone tell me it could be the compressor.
  • jcbourgjcbourg Member Posts: 2
    Hi,

    My 1997 Mazda Protege was rear-ended last week. The left corner of the rear bumper got punched in when the driver behind me tried to pass me in a right turn-off lane. Since that accident has occured I've noticed that the car's electrical circuit indicator (the battery) frequently lights up for about half an hour and then turns off. Could this be caused by the accident or is it a separate event?

    Thanks
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