Mazda Protege5 Maintenance and Repair

maltb

The protege diffs have been known for a little whine...very faint and nothing the radio can't fix.

protege_fan

Why does this whine occur? I'm pretty sure I hear it...that is, when the radio is off

dsm6

Reminds me of a high school friend who fixed his oil leak with his radio. What a dope. Eventually his engine seized. I guess he should have used a metric radio.

maltb

PF, don't you think that if layperson like me knew that some engineer in Japan would know? hehehe

In a generic sense, I'm sure it's gear mesh. However, a couple production changes later, it's still there and pretty hard to notice.

iamz

I think the vibration situation has improved but is not completely fixed. It is so slight now that I'll let it go until I'm ready to put my winter wheels/tires on.

If I can still feel it with the different wheels on, then I'll know it's related to the rotors and not the wheels/tires.

subyaudidude

and they said that overtightening of the lug nuts can cause warped rotors, and that just losing the lugnuts may not be enough. IOW - you might need to get new rotors.

iamz

The only odd thing about all this is that no one but me has ever removed and replaced wheels on my car, and I ALWAYS use the torque wrench. Its a bar and needle wrench, so it can never get out of calibration. Hmmmmm....?

subyaudidude

That is odd. Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck, though.

silver_bullet

Bar and needle wrenches can lose accuracy over time, and definitely become less accurate if they are mishandled. On top of that, they aren't that accurate to begin with unless you are talking about calibrated, lab quality wrenches - not the ones from Sears. Ford is notorious for junk brake rotors on many of their cars. I could never get more than 9K miles out of the ones on my ZX3 before they'd warp. Maybe Ford quality is finding its way to the P5? Fit some higher quality aftermarket rotors (from EBC or Brembo) and your problems will most likely be solved.

iamz

Don't be scaring me now dude. Ford quality having leeched it's way into my P5 is not a nice thought.

After market rotors is not a bad idea though. What would good quality rotors run for our cars?

dsm6

Hey, just be happy you bought now istead of waiting a couple of years when the Pro (to become the 3) and Focus will be based on the same platform.

mdaffron

I felt the same way you did until I was talking to a personal mechanic/Mazda enthusiast friend at my dealership last Thursday. I was lamenting the same thing out loud when he said not to be so sure yet. Seems he's heard Mazda and Ford are now considering using the Mazda-built platform for the new Protege/Focus, or at least using all Mazda design & parts and having Ford build it. He and I agreed that it'd be much better that way -- instead of having Mazda design only and using Ford parts. Look at the Tribute/Escape -- YIKES!

Meade

dsm6

But we are all too aware of how the Focus and Escape/Tribute, as just two (fairly relevant) examples, do in terms of build quality, reliability, and recall rate.

protege_fan

So sad...my parents wanted one for a long time....then they saw all the recalls and other problems.

They ended up w/ a CR-V instead.

I think they would have bought a Mazda just b/c their '90 MPV held up so well. Good work Ford

maltb

not about the Trib, but about the Protege speculation.

mdaffron

Has a 2001 Tribute. It has stalled on him once. It's at the shop today having the computer replaced or whatever they're doing as dictated in the TSB about stalling. We'll see if that fixes it.

BTW, my mechanic friend also told me that the new Tributes (mid-year 2002) have had the stalling problem fixed. Again, we also shall see.

Meade

mdaffron

Have you ever found out what the difference is between the OEM ignition coil and the recall replacement I just got on my 2000 ES? Isn't a coil a fairly simple component -- basically a transformer? What'd they change in it?

Meade

bluong1

the coil is technically a big inductance, not a transformer.

Bruno

mdaffron

Is physically comparable to a transformer -- a large coil of wire. So how is the new coil of wire different from the old one? Larger-gauge wire? More shielding from the hot exhaust manifold? Better sealing from the wet?

Meade

maltb

What is the diff between a transformer and an inducer? Just a matter of what poles are energized.

Meade, I'm not sure what changed. Maybe they went from 10w-40 to 5w-30 for the oil filling.

bluong1

what kind of ferrite is in the core? How is the quality of the copper? More EM shielding of the external waves? etc, ... A complex device indeed, even if it's a large coil of wire.

bluong1

A transformer converts the voltage, a big inducer (inductor, inductance, whatever) produces a very large voltage when the current is shutdown. Transformer usually have 2 coils (well they can be physically use the same wires) and at least three connectors, an inducer has one coil and two connectors.

mdaffron

I'm a ham radio operator, Extra Class. I had to pass a pretty thorough electrical theory test to get my top-level license. But as far as PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS are concerned -- i.e. what materials are in 'em -- they both consist of big coils of wire, some type of core, and some connectors in a box. Now let's get beyond the electrical properties and try to figure out what physical characteristics have been changed, OK bluong? Thanks.

Meade

maltb

I understand how they work...both are based on inductance.

BTW, don't forget that that the coil wire is a conductor too so the ignition coil has three conductors as well.

ashutoshsm

Take it to Posse, or the main discussion (since it involves a TSB/recall)

The underlying logic here being that the post count on the problems board is indicative of the number of real problems with the car (yeah, yeah - extrapolated from the fraction of Pro owners that frequent the Edmunds website, yadda yadda)

(Don't reply here :-)

mro

hello,
i've had my P5 for only two weeks now, and i think there is something wrong with the AC. I'm hoping there is, anyway. I'm driving around in 95 degree heat, and i have the AC on full blast and all the way to the cold side of the dial. The air is a bit cooler than when i turn off the AC by pushing the button, but it is no where near as cold as any other vehicle i've driven. this seems a bit ridiculous to me. has anyone experienced this problem? my dealership is an hour away so i'd like to get some feedback before heading up there.
thanks.

protege_fan

Are you on "face-only" setting or "face and feet" setting for the AC? Lots of people have said how the face and feet setting isn't very good b/c they feel that about 80% of the air is coming out of the floor vents, not the face vents.

mro

protege_fan,
it is a little better when it is on 'face only.' however, even on that setting, the car never reaches a comfortable temperature inside. the fan blows air on my face, and that keeps me from sweating too badly, but the car never reaches a comfortable temp. On previous cars, after a few minutes of full blast AC, i've been able to dial down the fan to 1 or 2 and be cool and comfortable. is this just the way the P5 is, or could there be something wrong with mine?

vilainefemme

Also make sure that you've got it on 'recirculate' so that you're not always trying hard to cool new air. I tend to forget to switch that over if I'm not paying attention.

I don't like that the A/C button is so dimmly lit that you're not sure if it's on. Especially if you're wearing sunglasses.

Jessica

iamz

I've been driving in mid 90 degree temps with high humidity most of the summer and have had no problem staying cool. When the car is really hot inside, I start the AC in the recirculate mode, face/dash vents only and the fan set to 4. Once the car gets comfortable I'll turn the recirculate to fresh and the fan speed down.

Sporin

iamz  Aug 05, 2002 (10:11 pm)

I've been driving in mid 90 degree temps with high humidity most of the summer and have had no problem staying cool. When the car is really hot inside, I start the AC in the recirculate mode, face/dash vents only and the fan set to 4. Once the car gets comfortable I'll turn the recirculate to fresh and the fan speed down.

Exactly my same experience.

shrique

Anyone noticed if their sunroof is leaking? When it's closed I can reach back with my fingers into the well where the sunshade goea and in a carwash or in heavy rain I can feel water coming in.

maltb

Every car I've seen leaks a little in the sunroof but that's why there are drains in each corner. Nothing to worry about until it enters the cabin.

mdaffron

You're supposed to start out with the a/c in fresh mode, bringing in exterior air that's COOLER than the air inside the car. If you start off in recirculate mode, you cut off the outside air and make your air conditioner try to cool the air presently inside the car, which probably is hovering around 120 degrees fahrenheit.

Start off with your lever in the fresh mode and the windows cracked so the hot interior air that's being displaced by the a/c air has someplace to go. Once the car cools down a little, THEN switch over to recirculate -- that'll keep the cooler air recirculating back through the system to get even cooler. By keeping your system in fresh, the poor a/c is continually bringing in outside air (at what? 90 degrees or more?) and having to try to cool it to a comfortable temperature. Keeping it in recirc long-term means you're eventually cooling already-cooled air -- which is much easier to do and puts a LOT less stress on the system.

Maybe this will help put things in perspective -- from an auto help site I visit once in a while:

"As most of you know, you can choose air from two different places using your A/C controls. "Recirculate" or "maximum" air means the air from inside the car is drawn up through a vent near the passengers feet and run back over the ice cold evaporator core. "Outside" air is brought in from the vent just under the wipers just in front of your windshield.

"Recirculating the air inside the car is exactly how your home A/C works. It draws the cool air in and cools it more and through attrition, you get the temperature you asked for.

"When you choose outside air, you MUST drop a window a tad or your A/C will not work very well. It would be like pushing air into a closed car. You must give it a place to vent."

Pay special attention to the first few paragraphs in this link (by an a/c specialist) below:

http://home.modemss.brisnet.org.au/~leonp/ma/tips.htm

Meade

shrique

I didn't notice a thing until I got sprayed one day at a "touchless" car wash. (GRIN)

maltb

""When you choose outside air, you MUST drop a window a tad or your A/C will not work very well. It would be like pushing air into a closed car. You must give it a place to vent."

That is not true. Every car is vented for this very reason. In your Protege, the vent is on the trunk side at floor level.

maltb

I have horrible experiences with touchless washes. They blast *some* of the dirt off and leave a dirty film. Aside from that, they just spray very high pressure water around which can get ANYWHERE.

mdaffron

It still helps. To prove my point, set your a/c on, your lever to fresh and your fan speed to high. Note the speed of the air coming through your vents. Then open a window. Note how the speed increases.

Meade

maltb

it does make it easier to blow out, but it's not necessary. the vents are in the very back of that car so that the heat flows out evenly. With the front windows down, the cool air goes out the window. With the rear windows down and driving you get too much buffeting negating having them down.

iamz

I ain't gonna sit in 120 degree temps sweating like a horse while I wait for the fresh air vent to exchange the air in the cab. There are perfectly good windows available to do the same job faster (I'd guess a minute or less). I didn't mention the window thing cause I thought everyone did this.....guess not.

mdaffron

I think I said that.

My point was about the proper use of the recirc/fresh air lever.

Meade

Sporin

Who gets into a car— that has been sitting in thesun all day—and is hot like an oven inside—and DOESN'T open the windows to vent that heat???

mdaffron

My point was when you get in the car on a hot day, start off in fresh mode -- THEN switch to recirculate for the remainder of your drive!

OK?!?!?!

Meade

subyaudidude

If it's hot enough, I'll get in the car, open all the windows, turn on theengine and the AC, and then get OUT of the car and wait for it to cool down!

mdaffron

I prefer driving to 7-Eleven, buying 15 20-lb. bags of ice, and ...

;-)

iamz

I'm still saying it's more efficient to get rid of the heat through the windows and that it really won't help/matter (if you have your windows open) to set the vents to fresh.

Also, switching to recirculate after the car has cooled down doesn't make that much sense. All your doing is rebreathing stale air over and over again.

I prefer fresh air, so switching out of recirculate to fresh once the car has cooled down seems like a better idea. Maybe I'm just weird though.

mdaffron

... with your windows down will help force the hot air out of the car windows.

Do what you want, but your system will cool better in recirculate once the hot air is out and your windows are back up. And the air's only stale if you make it that way by smoking or whatever. Frankly, here in Virginia with our summer ozone alert days, I'd rather breathe the cool air in the car than the unhealthy stuff outside.

Hey, I didn't invent a/c -- I just use it as prescribed. Do what you want, it ain't my car!

Meade

esto

I have to agree with those that have felt their AC is weak. Re-circ or fresh, it's just plain underwhelming.

Erik

mdaffron

(We're having a heat wave; it's been in the mid- to upper 90s nearly every day since mid-June, and hit 100 half a dozen times) the a/c in my 2000 ES (41,000 miles) and my wife's 2002 Protege5 (9,000 miles) have kept us cool and comfortable. Maybe you guys need to visit your service dept.

I have noticed that the air is cooler in speed position 3 instead of the highest (4) -- which upholds the theory that the longer the air stays in the condenser, the cooler it gets. The fastest setting blows the air through the system too quickly to cool it down as efficiently as in position 3. Give it a try.

(Hey, I'm no expert, but these are Proteges 3 and 4 for us since 1991 -- so while I'm not speaking from technical expertise, I am speaking from experience.)

Meade

onboost91

I just got my Protege5 serviced to correct a problem with the driver side power window. Apparently there is some sort of styrofoam insulation that gets out of place and interferes with the window going up and down. In my case the problem was intermittent. Sometimes it went down all the way, sometimes it went down a bit and then would go off track. It was obviously covered by the warranty.

The Service Manager says its a pretty common occurance in the early Protege5's (I got mine mid may 2001) so be on the look out for it.

-Finn