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Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    You might want to get it scanned for a problem code to narrow down the possibilities.

    You mention spark plugs being replaced; did you also check the condition of your wires?

    Finally, a common problem in the Mazda Protege is a dirty / clogged EGR valve; it may be worth a look see.
  • jfrankha112jfrankha112 Member Posts: 8
    This sound like ignition coil/Wire problem. to check, start car and then spray water on the wire and plugs/coil, distributor and best if done at night so you can see if you see any sparks arc-ing where they should not be. Give it a try, it is free and let me know.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    I have a '95 Protege. I have recently noticed (in the last half year) the fan switch malfunctioning on a few ocassons. For example, the switch can be on fan level 3 and the fan will not blow. If I then move it to 2 or 4 it will work. If I move it back to 3 it will usually work.

    I believe the contacts in the mechanical switch are probably corroded or worn out? and the switch is open and not allowing the flow of current. It hasn't occurred often enough to warrant me pulling off the plastic cover and examing the switch.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    edited October 2011
    I bought this car new in March '96. It has 230K+ miles. I believe the engineers who designed the seats probably did not anticipate a 220 lb. man using this car. Just recently, the metal seat rail broke where the bolt connects to it. A small piece of rail snapped off on the driver's front left side. The bolt at this location connects upward into a pivoting metal bracket while cinching against the rail. The bracket is connected to the frame of the seat.

    Thankfully, I found several good scrapped Proteges at our local pull-a-part junkyard. I got the part for $2.50. It was an easy removal/fix. I just pulled the whole seat out through the back door, turned it upside down, replaced the part, and reinstalled.

    I'm in this car for the long run. I need to attend to some rust in the rear fender wells. Will sanding down to metal, prime, and spray paint take care of it?

    I really don't have much clear coat left on the paint, so matching shouldn't be too big of a deal. The car actually looks very good when washed and waxed. The white color helps. I like the satin or matte look of the finish when cleaned, as opposed to the plastic shiny look of new cars with the clear coat. I may repaint the car down the road. I have a home-made paint booth in the garage and I have become handy with the purple $10 harbor freight paint gun, which is quite good for the price.
  • eugeneveugenev Member Posts: 2
    I"m loosing break fluid, and Im not sure where it's going. I recently replaced my master cylinder, because the seal was bad and it had been leaking into my booster. Days later, my break light came on. When I finally looked under to hood, the master was almost dry. Here's what's weird: Im loosing fluid, but I don't know where. I can pump the peddle up, but it will slowly drop. I can't see any signs of were the fluid might be going. If there was air getting in the line, then the peddle should be junk, and stay junk until I bleed the line out. If the master gets really low, the peddle is junk until I add more fluid. I am totally confused as to what is going on.
  • eugeneveugenev Member Posts: 2
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    sometimes the brake fluid can be burned through the vacuum brake booster.
  • stonasstonas Member Posts: 2
    i have replaced the TPS sensor which is what that code is for and reset the car but code still comes on and O/D light still flashs 98 Protege LX 1.5
  • stonasstonas Member Posts: 2
    Changed the TPS sensor and still getting a P0120 and O/D light flashing...... any thoughts?? 98 Protege 1.5
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Could be your MAF sensor, and could be a wiring defect between the TPS and the ECM.
  • tm7170tm7170 Member Posts: 1
    Hi!
    Long time... but did you ever figure this out? My 2000 protege is doing the same thing and I can't get it to pass inspection since it's unreadable!
  • ftrzaskiftrzaski Member Posts: 1
    Ok, so I was reading up on some of the Over Drive problems as well as the O/D Off mixed with the Check Engine light problems. Here is my problem, I have both O/D Off Light on (it blinks on and off constantly), and have the check engine light on. I have no problem, however, driving free-way speeds (65-85 MPH). What are some of the things I should look out for? And some places that do free diagnostics (without having me pay for the repairs right after doing the diagnostic, for they will charge me for the diagnostic check otherwise).

    Is my Over Drive really on, and just have the O/D Off light blinking for no reason? As for the Check Engine light, I have an idea that it may be the Spark Plugs since they do looks rather old, burned out and dirty. But, I wanna know some other known issues if anyone could help. Thanks.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    edited November 2011
    I have both O/D Off Light on (it blinks on and off constantly), and have the check engine light on. I have no problem ...
    The check engine light is a general alert to a problem with a critical area of your car (i.e. the engine). Driving with it "on" can appear to be okay but then again it could lead to a significant problem. A diagnostic that reveals OBD codes gives the mechanic more information to isolate the problem and solution. I believe Autozone provides customers a free scanning service to identify problem codes. However, be warned: the problem with the problem codes is that they, in themselves, may not point to the ultimate source of the problem but rather another symptom (e.g. fuel mixture may be too rich but is that caused by the spark plugs or some other source). Not addressing a problem may lead to a more expensive one (e.g. fouled spark plugs leads to failed O2 sensor). You might also look for related symptoms like burning more gasoline (i.e. less fuel efficient) than in the previous year to help determine the problem.

    If my car had a check engine light "on" I'd take it in to my favorite mechanic to see what he says. At the same time, he might help explain what is happening with the O/D light.

    Good luck!
  • mdmustang302mdmustang302 Member Posts: 1
    hi guys.. i am a first time poster..i hope you can help me out. So the other day i was driving and i came to a stop light. When i left the stop light i accelerated and the car wold not shift it would just rev out in first gear. the o/d off light came on for a while and then went out..so i limped home and checked the fluid..it was a litle low but i dont think enough to cause it to stop working..i topped it off and it still did not want to shift..the speedometer works so i dont thinks its a vss issue..do you guys think a flush and fill with a new filter would do the trick or is it more than likely a solenoid or something like that. i do not have the money for a new tranny and i wreally need to fix this..thanks in advance..also the car works in reverse and has not yet thrown an CEL or any codes according to my scanner..i have not tried to manually shift the gears for fear i may hurt somethin..any help would be appreciated..
  • calsexmachinecalsexmachine Member Posts: 1
    replace the alternator (bad brushes):
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Considering you responded to a message that's over 11 years old, I suspect the person has solved the problem by now and/or sold the vehicle. No matter... the info may help someone else, but you might check the date on the message you're responding to so you don't waste your time.

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  • mazdanormmazdanorm Member Posts: 2
    I would replace the fuel filter, air filter, plugs and wires, and egr valve. Also make sure your electrical system and spark coils are good. Pull each fuse out and re-insert them one at a time. Check your exhaust pipes for crimping.
  • mazdanormmazdanorm Member Posts: 2
    I myself don't mind time travelling into the past to help somebody out. With all the brake fluid and other stuff I got in my eyes, the vision isn't perfect anymore. Especially for for seeing the date. :-)
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Nothing wrong with a trip in the wayback machine. :) Your response might help someone else anyway, even though the original poster probably isn't around and/or doesn't own the vehicle now.

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  • osilkyosilky Member Posts: 1
    hey pmp3, I would like to clean my EGR valve as well, but seems to me that there seems to be no way around it w/o taking things out of the way. Any suggestions on how to get to it?
  • linda5772linda5772 Member Posts: 1
    1995 mazda protege that my daughter loves and cannot part with. I have had the mass air flow, fuel pump and a couple of other things changed but when the car is driven sometimes it stalls as if the fuel is not flowing and then it will kicks in. I cannot allow her to drive it in fear that someone may ram her in the back or she ram someone because when the fuel kicks in, the car goes forward really fast. No one seems to know what the problem is since I have had a lot of new parts put on. Can someone give me some help since I really don't know anything about cars. Thank you.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    edited February 2012
    when the car is driven sometimes it stalls as if the fuel is not flowing and then it will kicks in
    This seems to describe a known problem in Mazda Proteges: the failure of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve. Once the valve is clogged up, the flow of fuel is interrupted which causes stalling and then bucking once the fuel "kicks in". Most Mazda dealerships would be aware of this problem and the solution: a) clean the valve, or b) replace the valve.
  • reikagothreikagoth Member Posts: 2
  • reikagothreikagoth Member Posts: 2
    Hi,
    I have a 93 Mazda Protege DX 1.8 SOHC . I recently re-did the entire exhaust system (after letting it run for a while with a few holes here and there), put on new spark plugs & wires, gave it a new oil change & filter, and a new tie rod end. After finishing up, I took it for a drive, it sputtered and lost power (completely). I checked under the hood once I got home, and saw a spark plug wire had come off of the distributor cap. I fixed the problem, and it seemed to work fine. I noticed later that when I start my car, there's a bit of white smoke coming from the tail-pipe, but it seems to clear up pretty quickly. When I drive it, it seems to do just fine, until I get to a decent hill. My car loses power almost immediately, to the point where I wasn't sure if my car WOULD make it to the top of the hill before it just stopped or started rolling back down. I've checked the transmission fluid, it's still a nice, bright red, doesn't look murky or anything. I made sure the terminal connections on the battery were good, which they are. I switched out the fuel filter, even though it really shouldn't have needed a switch. I made sure there was nothing wrong with the muffler and the rest of the exhaust system, and I'm still having issues losing power up hills. Any ideas???
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    You may want to check the fuel tank for condensation or corrosion.

    You could bring it into a garage to have it diagnosed for OBD codes.
  • buckeye24buckeye24 Member Posts: 1
    Mazda 2002 Protege 2.0 litre w/120,000. On cold mornings the vehicle starts but idles horribly, when it's put in drive it barely moves. After approx 6-7 miles it starts to loosen up and then will run like its brand new. If it's 50 degrees or more, vehicle starts right up and drives with no problem. I've had a diagnosis run on it, changed the front oxygen sensor on the manifold, changed the egr valve, new timing belt and water pump, new plugs and recently new hose between the manifold and air intake filter. My mechanic had the diagnosis completed and the pistons cylinders are all at 200 plus psi but the vehicle is running lean. The spark plugs look like they're brand new after a thousand miles. No one can figure this out.
    thanks
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    How about a coolant temperature sensor? If that was defective, it would approximate all your symptoms---just a guess, but....

    The theory is that a defective coolant temp sensor would tell the computer that the engine is already warm, thereby not enriching the mixture for starting; as the engine warms up, it is more compatible with the defective sensor's default reading.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    One thing to check is defective spark plug wire(s). This will cause cutouts when driving, but ususally it will only last a second or two. It occurred at 40-50 MPH for me.

    Other possibilities include a crack in rubber air intake hose/snorkle from the air filter to throttle, defective engine coolant temperature sensor, defective fuel pressure regulator, and water or other contaminants in the fuel tank.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    I got lucky when the upper radiator hose partially broke recently. It didn't lose all coolant or strand me and the car never went past its normal coolant temp. level. So I changed both hoses with new Gates versions (Made In USA, O'Reilly Auto Parts) and looked at my records to see how long the old ones lasted. The answer is 8.5 years! I have slacked off in keeping up on some maintenance with my 17 year old Protege. This car lulls you into complacency due to its good build quality and many excellent parts (origninal clutch, alternator, ps pump, starter, etc.).

    Also, I have been using long-life orange Dex-Cool (Prestone Version) on this car since 1998 with no adverse affects. Radiator is always clean with no gunk and I flush the coolant every 5 years. I just switched to yellow Peak global coolant because of a sale. This stuff says lifetime, i.e. no need to flush, and thus just top it off. We'll see.

    We also own a '01 Olds minivan and many people with GM minivans refer to Dex-Cool as "death cool" due to poorly designed intake manifold gaskets combined with Dex-Cool and the coolant getting into the engine and causing failure. Well, we did have the bad gaskets replaced twice under warranty (3rd set is a redesigned version), but since then no problems and we are still using orange Dex-Cool changed every 4 or 5 years. The van is 11 years old and has 130K miles on the odometer.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    my 17 year old Protege. This car lulls you into complacency due to its good build quality and many excellent parts (origninal clutch, alternator, ps pump, starter, etc.).
    That's reassuring to hear.
  • morgancomorganco Member Posts: 2
    I have a 98 Mazda Protege DX (1.5) that about a week ago started to have some issues with the rear suspension. When I am making a left turn like say off on an exit my right rear wheel feels like its swaying and sometimes depending on my speed feels like im going to lose control. Not to mention when I hit a manhole at any speed or any size bump what so ever I get a loud noise/loud rattling coming from the right rear strut. I pulled the tire off yesterday and just kind of felt around to see if anything felt loose, and everything feels pretty tight. I inspected the struts and thr rubber around the coil over springs is pretty much all gone. I found out that the car never had a sway bar from the factory so i was hoping it was just the end links. I know there is an array of issues that have to do with the rear suspension on these cars as im told. Does anyone have any ideas for me to explore, please help! Thank You!

    Ryan
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    I have the same model car. So I assume the tire itself is fine and no tread separation or internal belt defects? Next, has the spring part of the strut cracked? This is not common, but springs can break. Is the shock absorber part of the strut still good, i.e. it properly dampens the rebound of the spring when you go over a bump or press down on the corner of the car? If this shock fails, the common symptom is leaking fluid and the car will bounce up and down for some time after going over bumps. Has the suspension support bearing failed? This is the part the connects the piston of the strut to the frame of the car at the top. Are the nuts that secure the strut to the car tight? These are just some of the major things to look for in diagnosis.

    I replaced all the struts at around 150K miles on my car. I reused the suspension supports and rubber spring seats. So far so good at 233K miles. This job was only moderately difficult.

    The Haynes repair manual has very good diagrams and instructions for DIY repair. Also, replacement struts can be purchased pre-assembled with a new spring, so spring compressors are not even needed if one is worried about that. I used the free loaner spring compressors from a local parts store when I did mine and followed all instructions and had no problems.
  • henzhenz Member Posts: 3
    Greetings! I have a 2001 Mazda Protege 2.0. My valve cover gasket needs replaced. I'm a do it yourself guy. Is it an an easy (relative) job? Any advice will be great. Thanx for your time. Jim
  • morgancomorganco Member Posts: 2
    So I ended up rotating the tires earlier today and this is the weirdest things but it does not sway, wobble, or shake as much on the highway (60mph+). I ended up taking it to big-o and the guy told me it was for sure my strut. So I'm going to have to replace the right rear strut. Before I begin this job im hoping you guys can help me out with a few things:

    1- Where can I find a pre-assembeled strut?
    2- While I'm under there, what are some low cost but important/effective things I can replace while I have it torn apart? I have the chiltons but it's not too informative on replacements for this job.

    Thank you in advance. I just today started hearing that wonderful click click noise that we all love to hear from the right cv so I'll be asking for some help when I get ready to change that next week.
  • kap64kap64 Member Posts: 2
  • kap64kap64 Member Posts: 2
    Hello, I have a 2000 Mazda Protege LX with 38k miles on it and a 1.4L engine. The car starts fine in the morning to go to work and starts fine in the afternoon to go home from work. If I get home and change clothes, hop in the car to go somewhere, it won't start, turns over like it's out of gas, sometimes sputters and lopes before it just stops firing. It seems to only do this in the afternoon, specifically between 3pm and 5pm, never after dark or in the morning. I can drive all day long as long as I don't cut off the engine. After sitting for about fifteen to thirty minutes, it will start like nothing ever happened. So far, it only does it once per day. After I get it started in the afternoon, I can seem to go anywhere, stop as many times as needed, and it keeps starting every time. It seems to be getting more frequent as the weather warms, never did it in January or February, but so far has done it every time I try to start it when the temp is around 80 or higher. I get no engine light, temp gauge is normal. Any ideas? Thanks.
  • bluebird12bluebird12 Member Posts: 3
    In my Mazda protege 1977, my directional lights don't work, if somebody can help how to check them, and where can I finda a Diagram, where is the fuse, I have fuses under the hood, and under the dash, but the only fuse with name is the emergency light.

    Thank you
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    edited May 2012
    In my Mazda protege 1977, my directional lights don't work
    I did not think the Mazda Protege existed in 1977. Do you mean 1997? If so, you may want to check your local library to see if they have a copy of Chilton's repair manual for Mazdas.
  • jdj2jdj2 Member Posts: 1
    I have was having the exact same problem for about 5 months. I could not get any answers from my mechanic as to what might be the cause, finally through a painstaking process of elimination my father figured out the cause was my crankshaft position sensor. We purchased a new one for around $70.00. Installation was very simple and I have not had any problems since with my car not starting.
  • dek416dek416 Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I am also having the same problem with my 2000 mazda protege lx, approx 37,000 miles and has been at my mechanic and now another mechanic over the past few months and they are telling me that they cannot do anything (repairs) on the car because there is no signs of anything wrong with it. I know that there is something up with the car. Can you tell me how you and your father were able to figure out that it was the crankshaft positon sensor? My dh and I are not mechanically equipped and don't have money to throw around unnecessarily on car parts. We just had the starter changed when this all happened in April when the weather here in NY started to get warmer. At one point the car wouldn't start after 4 tries and then it started fine after 20 minutes. We had autozone check out the batter, alternator, etc and all was fine. We do not have a check engine light on.
    Thanks
  • littlemazdalittlemazda Member Posts: 6
    Hey all, I'm new here and just thanking in advance. There's a lot of good info here. My protege will stall when driving then "buck" and run fine but it continues to get worse. I cleaned both sides of all multiconnectors and drew a blank as I was thinking this thing is just cutting out then starts to run again so I looked for intermittants in the electrical system.. no luck there. So I'll start with cleaning and checking the erg system. thx,jack
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    So I'll start with cleaning and checking the erg system
    Good idea. The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recycling) mechanism is a known issue with Proteges. Hope this solves it for you.
  • littlemazdalittlemazda Member Posts: 6
    Is there a diagram HERE for the vacumn line layout? There's no label under the hood. Also is that the IAC system mounted on the bottom side of the TB? (2 antifreeze filled hoses and control wire plug.) Last question...Do I need to remove TB to get to the EGR value? I'm having a hard time locating it. this car was wrecked at some point but did run well for the last two years my friend has owned it.
    2000 Protege 1.8 DOHC 5 speed manual.
    ps does that TB require a new gasket when removed?
  • littlemazdalittlemazda Member Posts: 6
    correction.:) this protege dx has a 1.6 in it. I did front brakes and had to get the ones for a 1.8 to match what was in it. fun eh?
  • navyguy123navyguy123 Member Posts: 1
    i had the same problem with my 98, it ended up being a dry rotted vacuum line forgive me for my lack of knowledge but my father inlaw said the line went to the brake if that helps any. i do know that we replaced it and the vibrating stopped.
  • littlemazdalittlemazda Member Posts: 6
    Back again. I cleaned the egr valve. Made a new gasket. Cleaned entire TB and all assosiated vacumn hoses. No cracks. repaced TB gasket too. The engine light went out then reoccured after about 20 miles. Then the motor would lose speed from about 55mph down to approx 40 mph then resume it's speed till about 55-60.. this continued till I got home. It seems like a fuel delivery problem. There is a canister shaped item mounted on the firewall passenger side. It has ONE steel line connected to the "tank" side and one vacumn hose on the other side...running to a sensor mounted on the TB. Both connections are on the top of it... Can anyone help me Identify this item?? It's obviously part of the fuel system... thanks.
    ps it does seem to idle a little high after warm up..
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    The part you are referring to is most likely the charcoal canister. It is part of the evaporative emissions control system and usually doesn't fail. Here is a good explanation:

    http://www.aa1car.com/library/evap_system.htm

    Are the spark plug wires O.K.? I had engine hesitation at 45-50 M.P.H. and it was a bad plug wire.

    Have you changed the fuel filter? I've not had any fuel related issues (pump, fuel pressure regulator, etc.) on my '95 Protege, so I'm not able to give much advice in this area.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    edited August 2012
    I just replaced my '95 Mazda Protege Muffler for the second time since I purchased the car new. The original muffler lasted 10 years before the weld failed at the flange connecting the muffler to the resonator pipe.

    The second muffler was a Bosal high end model and it only lasted 7 years. It failed internally and a big hole developed in the bottom of the muffler body. I thought this part was lifetime warranty, but I didn't keep the warranty documentation (have receipt) from the online purchase. The seller, although still in business, no longer sells mufflers and had changed computers, etc. They said to check with Bosal. Bosal didn't respond to my email request for warranty replacement, so no more Bosal parts for this DIY mechanic.

    I had a 20% off coupon and bought a new Walker high end muffler at a local Pep Boys store with lifetime warranty. This muffler is actually made in the USA (unlike Bosal- made in Mexico) and it appears to be good quality. I hope to get 10 years out of it!

    Changing the muffler on this car is pretty easy with jack stands. Just back the car up onto the stands. Use some rust remover on the nuts and bolts' threads. Use some grease on the metal support arms/hangers to easily remove the muffler from the rubber grommets. Piece of cake. One hour or less to complete.
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    That should be ramps, not jack stands, that I used to replace the muffler.
  • spanky22spanky22 Member Posts: 3
    Hey, I have a 1999 Mazda Protege and I have the same problem of the console/instrument lights will not come on. How did you fix the problem. on mine, the dimmer does nothing...no lights on the speedometer or the A/C panel. I have checked all the fuzes. I am curious to how you fixed yours??
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