Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

the_big_h · December 2001

perhaps cold temperature is the culprit, since it only happens when I drive off to work in cold mornings, without letting the car warm up a little. I have tested driving over that particular bump in both directions when I come back from work, which is about a 20 minute drive, plenty of time for car to warm up. Everything sounds normal, only the nice solid 'thud' that I'm very happy to hear.

Moral of the story? on cold mornings take it easy on the speedbumps!

mkassar1 · December 2001

Just wondering if anyone else has encountered a similiar charactersitic as I. I have a 2000 Protege SE standard, I have done 26000KM.
The latest "problem" or not, I have noticed is a noise when braking to a stop. I also notice a slight vibration on the brake pedal. This noise being hard to describe, may be normal. I just only really noticed it this week whilst driving the car a bit more than usual. I have not had any service performed to the brakes just a wheel rotation recently.
Anyway the noise is kinda buzzy, not at all high pitched, occurs, and is most noisy, just before coming to a stop. Maybe just the normal sound of brakes working?
Can someone else give me their opinion on this brake behaviour , before I go hassle a dealer for nothing.

Many Thanks

Mike

speedypt · December 2001

Did the brake noise start just after your tire rotation? If so, it's possible the person who rotated your tires did not torque the wheel nuts properly (over tightened or did not be careful) and may have warped your rotors. I had this happen with my '92 Pro LX. Got a new set of rotors from my very honest dealer. Unless you ride the brakes or did a few hot braking stops from 100kph or more, I'd guess that to be the situation.

Regards,

Pete

floridian · January 2002

My son has a new 2002 proto5, loves the car but a pesky problem has cropped up. The cruise control will not maintain a constant speed but will "hunt" above or below the setting by as much as 5mph. This on level ground, not rolling or hilly roads where you might expect a little varience. Very annoying to say the least.

The service writer said "oh, this is within specs you can't expect it to do better than that" Funny, my Hyuandi can, up and down hill etc. What gives with the Proto ? He's not gonna take that for a answer and go up the "ladder" to service mgr and or zone manager 'till it's right. Anyone else have a similiar problem with any of their Protos.

Floridian

reagle · January 2002

my 2002 pro ES can keep it's speed constant on cruise control while going up and down fairly steep hills with no problems. I don't even see the speedometer needle moving.. My guess would be a vacuum leak somewhere or a problem with vehicle speed sensor, but that's just a guess. Bug the dealer until fixed.

tomciviletti · January 2002

my '99 pro es can keep within 2 mph up or down hill in cruise control mode

zoomzoom79 · January 2002

my Protege is the same way. When it got down to 25 degrees here last week I thought my car was going to self-destruct. It didn't want to start, and once it did start the engine was loud and buzzy, there was a rattle coming from the passenger side, the gearbox shifted funny, and when I turned my radio on to cover up the funny noises there was a 30-45 second delay before I actually got sound.

Once it warms up though it's great.

mazdafun · January 2002

Mine controls within a couple mph as well.

The "it's within specs" is just an excuse used by most manufacturers. You'd be surprised how loose some specifications are. If it bothers you, they should try to improve it. Let them know it's a "customer satisfaction" issue. Plus/minus 5mph seems excessive to me.

mkassar1 · January 2002

Hi Pete,

To get back to you on the "brake issue" I appear to have. I took the car back to the garage who performed the rotation, They ofcourse are certain that the brakes are fine.
I am not 100% certain how prevalent the noise was before the rotation but tend to think the car is normal.
The sound I hear is more like a loudish rubbing sound when applying the brakes to a stop. The noise seems to get louder the warmer the car gets .
Does your Mazda not make the slightest rubbing sound at all when braking?
PS After hearing a similiar sound in a Echo the other day I may just accept this one as the way it is, just that my mazda may be a bit noiser.

Thanks for your input
Mike

mazdafun · January 2002

Sure, mostly when there's some rust on the rotors, or when the pads are new and haven't broken in to match the rotors yet. It's more noticeable then. The rest of the time, it's not loud enough for me to discern unless I'm listening for it. If I do, then I can hear it. That's only to be expected.

If they over-torqued the rotors when rotating the wheels, you'd feel and/or hear some pulsing.

nematode · January 2002

Anyone have problems with their cruise control not catching when its cold outside? After 20min of driving its works fine but before that it will not catch properly. This is what happens:
1) The cruise light comes on when I engage
2) but the car slows about 15mph before a down shift
3) and then....nothing. Cruise light is on but there is no cruise control.

This only applies when the temp is below about 32F. The speed I'm trying to maintain is 75mph. It the spring and fall everything was fine.

suchismit · January 2002

My curiosity always gets the better of me..

I have read (and experienced) that engines perform
better in slightly humid weather. My car (99 pro ES) always runs better after it has rained for a couple of days, than when the weather is dry. (possible reason could be a richer mixture).

Now on one dry morning I told myself why not
simulate humid weather ?! So I take off my air
fliter, soak it in water, let the excess water
drain off and then put it back on. Car starts without a problem but then starts emitting thick dark blue smoke. I suppose--incomplete combustion(=smoke)--> unused oxygen in the exhaust, oxygen sensor tells engine its running lean -->injects more fuel..and pretty soon things are going nuts. Within 1/2 a minute the check engine light comes on, I tell myself its
enough, and remove the filter and dry it with a hair drier. An hour later the car is running fine again with no problems and no emissions (perhaps better than it was before). The next day the check engine light goes away but I take it to the dealer anyway(of course not telling him about my 'experiment'the previous day) Dealer tells me Mass Airflow sensor needs to be replaced.

Thankfully my car is still covered under warranty. Sweet.

ashutoshsm · January 2002

Too much time on your hands, huh?

any other guesses/explanations as to why what happened, happened?

Makes me think about the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo ad, where its chivalrous enought to stay submerged in a stream to let the ladies walk across on its roof. With the disclaimer at the end 'Not meant to be driven underwater' :-)

speedypt · January 2002

The culprit for the noise is probably the caliper pins. These are the pins that allow the calipers to move 'slightly' to follow any irregularities in the rotors. Even the slightest amount of corrosion on them can cause them to make noise when you are pressing on the brakes, squeezing the rotors and causing the calipers to move back and forth ever so slightly. It's very easy to warp the rotors by improperly torquing the wheel nuts. This was the problem I had on my '92LX. I had the rotors and caliper pins replaced, under warranty at that time, and the noise was cured. I never had it happen again, but brakes on modern cars should be mostly noise-free. They do have parts in the pads to make noise once the pad is worn away, but that shouldn't be the case under normal circumstances.

Regards,

Pete

nfin8 · January 2002

My car began to 'not start' just before Xmas. I had to get a jump. Everything was cool. Went on vacation for a week; came back, my car wouldn't start. I rolled downhill, popped it in 2nd gear and popped the clutch. To make a long story short, I've either been push-starting or getting a jump for the last 2 weeks. I took the car to the dealer yesterday. He called back today and said I need a battery ($118) and an alternator ($279) labor included. I bought a battery for 69 bucks; I plan to start my car drive it off the lot and get a second opinion. If in fact it IS the alternator, I think I can get the work done for less than 279. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? I am a member of the WORKING POOR, a victim of the recession; I just started a new job, and the LAST thing I need is a big car repair. OPINIONS PLEASE!

mdaffron · January 2002

How many miles are on your car? You have a four-year-old car, and those two items do tend to wear out after you rack up some miles. I wouldn't call needing a new battery getting "screwed," and I've never seen an alternator run forever. Some last longer than others, but they all seem to go eventually! In fact, you may have had a bad battery but then screwed up your alternator yourself by waiting for weeks and roll-starting your car in the meantime!

I definitely would NOT get a new alternator from the dealer. Go to NAPA or a private shop and get a price. (Also have them check your current one again and see if you really need one.) I'll bet you can nearly cut that price in half.

You're not screwed ... it's just a 4-year-old car having 4-year-old car problems. Be glad you aren't suffering from a real problem like the head gasket in my wife's 1995 Cavalier. We've had to replace it THREE times in 52,000 miles at $800 a pop. The Crapalier is getting traded for a 2002 Protege5 in three weeks or so.

Meade

mikefm58 · January 2002

I believe if both your alternator and battery are dead, then the vehicle will start only if it's jumped and then will stop almost as soon as you take the jumper cables off. The same thing happenned to my son's truck. The battery died, which I replaced, then it died again a few days later. Turns out the alternator had died. Oh, and $279 for a dealer to replace an alternator isn't that bad, Ford dealer charged me $400.

You've already replaced the battery so if the alternator is bad, then it'll run for a few days until the battery is drained. Also, just take your vehicle to any Discount Auto or Auto Zone type store and they'll test the alternator for free.

Good luck, let me know how you make out.

mdaffron · January 2002

Just called NAPA. The alternator for that car is $189 there. Of course, then you have to get someone to install it ... but I'd still recommend calling a private shop before you take it to the dealer.

Meade

dsm6 · January 2002

I'm with Meade - get that new battery then as soon as you can after that, take to a good auto parts store. They can check your alternator. If it is the alternator, it should be replaced before it does any harm to your brand new battery.

If you are at all handy, or have a handy friend who can help, replacing an alternator can be relatively straight forward. I can't promise it will be, but it can be, as long as the alternator is in a relatively easy location in which to work. Don't recall where it is placed in the Protege. Just remember to take your time and follow safety precautions - the main one here being to disconnect the battery before you do anything with the alternator - Oh, and watch out for that accessory drive belt that drives the alternator. Be careful to replace it if it is damaged/gets damaged during the process, and make sure it has proper tension and routing when you put it back on.

dsm6 · January 2002

In fact, how about this? Pick up a battery at a good auto parts store, go put it in the car, then drive back to the auto parts store (if possible depending upon alternator??) - you'll want to drive back anyway to get your battery core deposit for the old battery. Have them check your alternator while you're there.

protege_fan · January 2002

What about a rebuilt alternator? Anybody have any positive/negative comments about using one?

dsm6 · January 2002

Generally when you pick up an alternator from a parts store, it is a rebuilt alternator. I would guess that, at the $189 price quoted above, you're getting a rebuilt alternator. Can't say for sure, though.

maltb · January 2002

the dealer alternator is rebuilt as well. $279 isn't that bad but I agree that a $118 battery is a bit pricy.

vocus · January 2002

These two things usually go together. If one goes for a long time and is bad, the other goes with it. I had this experience in a 1994 Bonneville my mother had. It went through 6 of them in like a year or so.

I took the car to Goodyear and got both things replaced for like $300 or something (it's been 2 years, can't remember exactly how much). You might try that, as the Mazda dealer is always (more than likely) going to be the most expensive.

And I agree that $279 for an alternator is kinda high.

doctor_r · January 2002

I'd have to agree with mike. If both the alternator and battery are toast, there would be no power to run the fuel injection. An electronically fuel injected vehicle can presumably run without the battery holding a charge (consuming power directly from the alternator). However if both were dead, like mike said the car would die immediately after the cable from a boost were pulled.

Changing the alternator is not that difficult of a task if this is the case. All you really need apart from the regular tools is a bar to hold back the belt tensioner so as to remove the belt.

R

tomciviletti · January 2002

Batteries last about 3 years, alternators should go at least 100k miles is not damaged some way. the dealer should be able to tell you which it is before doing the work. My guess is they have not checked out anything except the lack of juice. You might also have a short that's draining the battery, or if your pro has a seperate voltage regulator, that could be bad.

pradhan_tushar · January 2002

I have a 99 ES with 28000 miles and absolutely no problems till last week. Last week, all of a sudden, the check engine light came on and the O/D light started blinking while driving.

I took it to the dealer and they think it requires a new transmission. Fortunately, the car is still under warranty, but the incident has shaken my belief in Mazda quality.

I am wondering whether I made a mistake by not buying an extended warranty. Probably I should try to buy one now even if it will be quite expensive.

maltb · January 2002

"but the incident has shaken my belief in Mazda quality."

I've heard that it can happen on Hondas and Toyotas too. Amazing huh?

mazdafun · January 2002

...us what the dealer thinks went wrong with the transmission. Seems odd something mechanicl would break like that without warning. Wonder if it's more the computer or software running the show that's the cause, that's all.

mdaffron · January 2002

... that your '99 ES has an AUTOMATIC transmission?

Meade

chikoo · January 2002

did the tranny exhibit any peculiar symptoms....like slipping or jerking?

if not, it might be a computer gone bad.

riccliu · January 2002

Hi,guys:
I just bought a used 95 protege LX4D with 118000 miles and I have two questions about it.
1. The brake noise as discussed before.
2. A jerk happens during the acceleration to about 10-16 mph
I hope you can give me some advice to handle it since I know nothing about cars. Thanks

vocus · January 2002

I remember when I had my 1999 Protege DX, and it had this harsh shifting thing when passing. I took it to the dealer, and they said if there ever was a malfunction in the tranny computer, the "OD off" light would start flashing. My guess is the computer went in the transmission. And yes, it does happen sometimes.

As far as the extended warranty, you could probably get one from the dealer if you want that peace of mind. I don't think it's necessary, as I have had 2 3rd generation Proteges and only 3 warranty repairs on the both of them (the first with 38K, the second with 20K). Do what you want to though. Either way, you have alot of warranty left. Maybe you should wait to see if the car starts to develop problems before 50K. If it does, then get the warranty. That's what I would do if I were you.

ashutoshsm · January 2002

I have a 95 automatic DX, with (only) 72K miles on it. It has the same 1.5l 92HP (approx?) engine as you LX.

I'm not sure what brake noise you're talking about, but the 1-2 shift is not very smooth in this car with the automatic transmission. It has something to do with the engine mounts (rubber instead of hydraulic, or something like that). so long as you do feel the gear shift then, and not a power loss restricted when accelerating in one gear only, i wouldn't worry about it. You could have it looked at by a mchanic, for peace of mind, though! Also take a look at the transmission oil, and have it changed if needed. Hopefully (and probably) its nothing major!

If you don't mind my asking, how much did you pay, and wher are you located (general geographic location only!) What color is it?

All the best with (what I think is) a really reliable and nice car as a daily driver!

tomciviletti · January 2002

The pro is ovrall a very reliable car. I do have my doubts about the auto trans, though. While test driving in'99, I drove a pro es w/ auto trans. After about a mile, the trans started hesitating during shifts, slipping, and emitting a burning odor. This didn't change my mind on the pro, since I don't like auto trans anyway.

mpshute · January 2002

Chikoo, regarding your earlier posts (#602-604), I have a 99 ES 1.8L manual trans. with the resonance noise you spoke of around 2000 rpm. Wondering if you had any luck at the dealer. I had a damper kit installed on my exhaust system at the dealer (after researching TSB's) but apparently that wasn't the cause of the noise as I still have it!!! Love the car but this noise is killing me...

pradhan_tushar · January 2002

Yes.. it is an automatic transmission. There were no apparent symptoms of trouble apart from the O/D and Check Engine Light.

Acoording to teh dealer, its a valve inside the transmission that isnt working well. Since I am totally ignorant about it, I have to trust them :-)

chikoo · January 2002

yes. It did go away. although there is muffled engine noise which sounds like a tight growl and sound enjoyable unless I was looking for a lexus

riccliu · January 2002

Hi, ashutoshsm,thanks for your reply.I bought this white car in last December in MS,USA for $3,300. A little haste and a little expensive.
But for right now I like it.

curt3 · January 2002

Hi Kids,

I have got a 2000 Protege LX with A/C and manual shift. What kind of prices have you been seeing for the 60,000 mile service? I will have 57,000 miles in just a few days and I am looking to set a few bucks aside for the big day.

Also, what kind of prices have you seen for just the timing belt replacement; I am considering doing all the work except for the belt.

Thanks!

ashutoshsm · January 2002

Hey Curt,
amazing how many miles your car has on it.

My 95 turned 60K in mid-2000 and I got the 60K things done in Oct 2000, at around 62K

I don't know if prices will be very different - but most people - including he mazda dealer, quoted 225 to 275 for the timing belt replacement. The parts cost barely 40-70 but its the labour that makes up the bulk of that cost!

I don't remember the remaining details 9costs, quotes, actual prices etc.) so go ahead and get a few quotes before you decide where you get it done. I got everything done at the local Mazda dealership for around $600, and a 10% discount on top of that - they were running a special! And they gave me a car to use over the weekend to boot, while they did the 60K service. Of course, this was way back when i was in Utah (the people seemed nicer ;-)

I can hunt up the list of things that need to be done, if you don't already have those, but since i just moved east, my documents are deep inside boxes and files!

curt3 · January 2002

Hello Ashutoshsm, Thanks for the input. I do drive quite a bit. I bought the Protege new in December of 1999 and have enjoyed owning the car except for an obnoxious pinging (knocking) that has been in the car since 30,000 miles. I took it to the dealer numerous times to get it fixed under warranty but they seemed to think it was in my head.

I did not want to go through the hell of calling Mazda headquarters and the related nonsense since the Mazda dealer's sister lot that sells Nissans sold me a 1996 Nissan Truck that they had to buy back due to an emmission system problem that they thought was also in my head. Fortunately, at least with the Nissan, I had a technical service bulletin with the cure, only it was months after the dealership bought it back.

I like my Mazda way too much to get rid of it but I can only burn 87 octane with an octane booster or 93 octane which is actually quite expensive with the 30,000 miles I drive per year. With high octane fuel it runs like a gem. It runs fairly well with untreated 89 octane fuel when it is below 50 degrees outside--also a rare passing here in south Alabama.

Curt

unicorn2 · January 2002

I'm facing an air con problem where after running the air con for approximately 10 minutes, the floorboard (of front passenger seat) gets wet. This wetness is apparent as it soaks up the black rubber mat which I use.

Do any of you know of this problem ? I'm new to this forum and would appreciate any info on the cause of this as well as how to remedy it. Thanks !

BTW: I own a 1999 1.6 manual model with 25K miles

mazdafun · January 2002

Sounds like there is a clog in the drain hole. Your dealer can easily clear it, and should be covered under the warranty (if it's still covered, time-wise...my coverage will expire the end of this month).

Sometimes debris gets into the drain hole. This causes condensation (which normally drips out under your car)_to back up and drip into the footwell.

If you have a set of car ramps and chocks, you can lift your car and try to clear it out yourself. A pipecleaner (or something similar) should be all you need.

2young2retire · January 2002

My '93 Protege' developed a hesitation problem whenever leaving from a stop sign or red light. Took it to a local mechanic and after telling him the symptoms he knew what it was. The hose between the air cleaner and the intake manifold had a small split in the expansion joint. This split allowed air into the engine that was bypassing the mass air flow sensor, thus poor performance. He took off the hose, taped up the split and reinstalled the hose. No more problem, runs great now. Only charged me $5.00. There still are honest repairmen around.

ee73 · January 2002

I have not been following all the messages here real close for a while. Has anyone else had any problems with discs getting stuck in their CD Players? I had to take my 2001 Protege ES in for this when it was about 6 months old. The dealer said they couldn't do anything but replace the whole unit. Before they can do this, they have to pull the whole radio out and write down the serial number to order a replacement. This is service visit #1. Then when the replacement comes in a couple weeks later, you have to go by again to have the units swapped out. Plus, you have to wait for the old unit to be shipped out and taken apart by the supplier before the stuck CD can be rescued and sent back. Big pain.

Last weekend, the same thing happened to me again. I stopped by a different dealer, and he told me the same thing. So, I waited an hour for the dealer to get my radio out for the serial numbers. This time, you could hear the stuck CD was continually spinning inside the player. It didn't even stop when the car was turned off and the keys removed. The dealer told me the only way to stop it would be to pull the fuse - he said there was only one power plug for the whole unit. So, when I got home, I pulled the radio fuse - the CD kept spinning! Then, I randomly started pulling the other fuses and replacing them one at a time. Finally, when I pulled the Interior Lights fuse, the CD quit spinning. But, even better yet, when I re-inserted it, the unit powered back up and spit the stuck CD right out! So, if this ever happens to anyone, this would be an easy fix to try before taking it in.

I've only had one other major problem with the car - a couple weeks ago, my Driver's side power window would get hung up after going about halfway down. The repair sheet from the dealer said they replaced a regulator.

windowphobe6 · January 2002

I had this happen with one of my custom CDs in a 626; the player didn't much like the label I'd slapped on the disc. Solution: Insert a plastic ruler into the disc slot, near the center, push down slightly, and hit the eject button. Popped right out. If the Protegé player is similar, this might even work.

pjd58 · January 2002

thanks for the tip.

Pjd58

axjoke · January 2002

I have a 2000 Automatic protege and haven't been so impressed. I've had the stuck cd/replaced unit twice also. However, i admit these were my fault as i was using cds with labels on them.

On a more serious note though my car's tranny messed up today. During a 250 mile trip it constantly slipped out of 5th and 4th gear and revved the rpms up 6000 to 6500 rpms. This even was occuring while Cruise was turned on. Until today i've never had this problem. It seemed that if i turned off my car and started it up again that the slippage would cease for abotu 10 minutes and then start again. Any suggestions? Could it be low transmission fluid as i've never checked it "assumed dealer did during oil changes". Has anybody else had similar problems/suggestions?

One other problem i experianced at about the 17000 mile mark was a bad Injector Coil "so the dealer said". I had went on vacation for about 2 weeks and came back to a car with a flashing check engine light. Anybody had similar problems?

I'm curently at 23,000 and plan to trade it in before the 50,000 warrenty runs out, as i'm not such a believer in my particular car's reliability. Thanks in advance for any Tranny suggestions!..

sgfastlane1 · January 2002

I bought the 1999 Protege ES [5speed, ABS, moonroof, CDplayer] after reading the reviews and test driving the car, compared to the Civic and Golf. I still love the way the car handles [it is a bit noisy] and appreciate its roomy back seats and trunk. But, I dont think I would buy another Protege [I almost did].

When the car first arrived, it pulled irrationally. I brought it back twice and was told there was nothing wrong with the car. I finally went to another dealer, who removed some blocks that should have been removed by the dealer upon its arrival. Black mark for Grecco Mazda, Gold marks for Wayne Mazda.

Pretty much routine maintenance [brakes, tires], for the next 80,000 miles [save a non-functioning electronic door opener]. At 88,000 miles a ball joint went. As soon as the car came out of the shop, the catalytic converter died. That is very premature and only 8000 miles past the federal warranty expiration. Mazda refused to cover the cost of the part [I offered to pay labor]. Having replaced that item, now the 02 sensor has died as has the other ball joint. That's nearly $2000 over the past month and I am still under 100,000 miles [granted I have put 92,000 miles on in three years].

I miss the reliability of my Honda [CRX] and Toyota [Celica], where nothing went wrong until 120,000 miles when I had to replace a clutch. My wife is looking for a new car and I don't think we will try another Protege.

Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles