Mazda Protegé

newcar31 · April 2001

I believe the California law has to do with consumer protection, not emissions as the timing belt isn't really a piece of emissions equipment. A California Mazda dealer will still recommend the belt to be replaced at 60,000.

fowler3 · April 2001

60,000 miles!! Wow, that would be ten years from now considering my annual driving. A lot more would need changing before then.

On another note: When I pulled into my garage tonight, returning from dinner out, a neighbor came from across the street to ask, How do you like your new Volvo? She saw the Protegé's big taillights and thought it was a more expensive car.

I backed it out so she could look it over. She was very impressed saying, I still think it is a luxurious car.

(She drives a 1997 Accord). She's right. I have owned three Accords and a '98 Odyssey and the 2001 Protegé is just as nice as those cars, better in many ways.

fowler3

fowler3 · April 2001

Some of you have talked about replacing the Bridgestone tires with other brands and sizes. To see what changes the 205's would make check out this tire calculator.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

fowler3

chikoo · April 2001

what is the layer of material placeed on the firewall and under the hood supposed to be doing?

heat insulation or sound insulation?

and what is that material made of?

moseby · April 2001

Traded in my '99 ES in for a '01 ES 2.0 last week. Both black with 5spd manual - no ABS or side impact. New shifter is much better than old one. I'd say even better than shifter in my 93 Civic Si. Gearing and available torque in '01 is just right. The '99 had plenty of zoom above 3000 rpm, and could spin its wheels from a standstill, but was a bit short on torque coming out of corners. '99 was a nice apex carver but '01 ES has even sharper steering response.
'01 soaks up bumps much better than '99. rear end of '99 was a bit difficult to control in panic stop without ABS. 4 wheel disc brakes on '01 correct that problem nicely, even without ABS. My '99 developed a bad case of door squeak and rattles. '01 is solid...so far. Additional insulation and Dunlop tires in '01 cut down but do not eliminate engine and road noise.

gitarzan · April 2001

I guess the material serves as an insulator for sound and heat, but I was told that if there is an engine fire, the connectors will melt and the stuff will drape over the engine hopefully retaining the fire.

I guess it's a fire insulator.

I don't know what it is made of.

fowler3 · April 2001

Will that be in and around VaTech?

I don't know anything about 93 Proteges having just bought my second Mazda car in the past 20 years. Do you know who the previous owner (owners)
was (were) and does he (they) have the service records? That would help if you could get that information.

Also, have a mechanic check the car over for you before buying it.

fowler3

fowler3 · April 2001

One other thing: Is the interior dirty, does it look abused, trashed? If so, you can be sure the engine and tranny got even worse treatment the past 75K.

fowler3

protegextwo · April 2001

Congrats on the "New" car. I think you are the 1st of the 99/00 owners to move up to the 2001 Protege. I hope you never receive 1st hand knowledge, nevertheless I believe the rear bumper on the 2001 is much better than the 1999. Enjoy, my friend.

Respectfully;
Larry

fritz1224 · April 2001

Has anyone noticed if their Pro is leaving a spot on floor. My 2k has twice left a grease spot with about 2 mos in between occurences. There is a bearing assembly that connects the joint shaft from the transaxle to the right drive shaft and I found the bracket that holds the bearing assembly to be wet from what appears to be grease. Maybe that bearing is packed with grease and the dust seals are leaking. I got appointment with dealer soon, but just wanted to know if anybody has had same thing. I wiped everything completely dry the first time I saw it, so more grease is getting there somehow.

vocus · April 2001

Excuse me, WHO was the first to move up to the 2001 version from the 1999??? Maybe in the same trim level, but I was the first 2001 Protege owner to move up from a 1999 (even though it was a DX).

I got another scratch on the hood (someone keyed it) and it's pretty bad, right above the Mazda symbol on the grille. You can see it from like 10 feet away. Guess I will have to call the dealer about touch-up paint today then.

fowler3 · April 2001

Sorry about your scratch, know that hurts you more than the car.

Go to an arts supply store and buy a small, pointed brush. Use that with touch-up paint instead of the applicator that comes with it. An artist's brush lets you apply small amounts thinly, building it up until it is level with the original paint. Try to fill the scratched area only, no overlapping.

Avoid trying to do it quickly and putting on too much.

fowler3

jstandefer · April 2001

The material found mounted to the underside of the hood is not a "fire blanket" as stated by so many salespeople. I'm surprised they're still using that. Everytime I went to any product knowledge training by GM, DaimlerChrysler, or Mazda, anyone that said it was a "fire blanket" got a big slap on the wrists!

It is strictly a noise insulator. If a fire occured and got hot enough to melt the plastic mounting tabs, I would be running from the car!

On another note... :-(
Has anyone else changed their spark plugs yet? I replaced my factory plugs with Bosch +4's about two months ago. I have to say that low-end torque has been reduced, top-end performance has increased, and the engine surges during constant throttle between 3,000 and 3,500 rpm. I'm ready to go back with whatever the manual calls for as direct replacement for the OEM plugs. Anyone else experience anything like this before? Also, my fuel economy has seriously diminished!!! Either something's wrong or maybe 38K miles is just too much for this engine!

maltb · April 2001

I wanted to see how far that one could go on. You really know how to spoil the party. Next you're going to tell us that the 10 yr dealer wax only lasts 6 months!

sd1228 · April 2001

I have Mazda Protege LX, 1995 model
And I was wondering if anybody has an idea
if and how I can clean cloth upholstery seats.

I remember that once I did steam cleaning at
local carwash but it was not at all useful.

(Also, is it possible to change the cloth ?
and how ?)
Thanks

jstandefer · April 2001

LOL @ maltb

Oh come on malt!!! Gee, what kind of dealers do you go to? I refuse to shop at one unless they offer 100yr dealer wax!!!! But only if they let me pay $1000 for it!!!

vocus · April 2001

No way! I had the 1999 DX (before my ES) and beat the hell out of it. Traded with 37.5K and it was fine, except for a little vibration (due to not changing the oil for 7500 miles at a pop).

Jerry, I had a tune-up (got it at Goodyear) and never had problems like that with my DX after it. Change those damn plugs out and get the OEM ones! You will have no more problems after that, I can almost guarantee it.

I was thinking about buying a second car (ran across a good deal) just to commute in. It's a 97 Cavalier with 94K and an oil leak for $750. At least it would give the ES a rest. Cannot decide what do to though.

jstandefer · April 2001

I'm just kidding!!! I know this engine has many, many, many thousands of miles and then some before it goes. I love my Protege, but perhaps I'm still a little bewildered that I traded in my much beloved RX-7 for the Pro... hmmm... I will have to replace the spark plugs, and soon! I just saw that gas prices have risen above the $2/gallon mark for 87 at many gas stations here. That's nearly 20 cents in less than a week!

jstandefer · April 2001

Racing Beat is an aftermarket performance tuner that provided the majority of the tuning for the soon-to-be-here MP3. Here's a short article by Racing Beat describing the process:

http://www.racingbeat.com/FRprotege.htm

They are considering Protege-specific performance parts, but they would like input on it before they venture into that market. At the end of the article is a contact link. LET THEM KNOW WE WANT IT!!!!!

maltb · April 2001

sd1228,
Save your money and grab a small scrub brush and put a little laundry soap and water in a bucket. Just scrub your seats down and use a shop vac to suck it dry. Park it in the garage overnight with the windows open and you should have great results. I have bought and sold many many cars and used this method on my own vehicles. It's amazing how well Tide works on your car's clothes.

Changing cloth? You can have a shop re-upholster with their own fabric or buy the OEM trim. Having an upholstery shop do it may be cheaper, but you'll never be able to match the OEM look.

nikecar · April 2001

I use 409 Carpet cleaner and it works great...

fowler3 · April 2001

with the upholstery attachment. Buy Hoover's upholstery shampoo. Go over it several times.
Let it dry and then see if it needs it again.

fowler3

fowler3 · April 2001

dirty? Moonroofs suck in tons of traffic dirt and pollution: car exhaust,jet airplane exhaust (black and oily), other grime. Wearing soiled clothes in your car adds to it. Smoking and dropping food.

fowler3

panamaltd2 · April 2001

I just changed the wheels cover son my pro LX to the previous generation's (97-98) 6-spoke wheel covers becuase they look a lot better. I was wonderign if anybody else has changed the wheels covers and I just want to make sure mine fit properly. Thanks so much, Sam

digidave · April 2001

reminds me of that joke:

Ever notice that people driving slower than you on the highway are idiots and those driving faster are maniacs?!

notminehers · April 2001

Time to save my pennies....was driving around this weekend in our new PRO and ventured down to the Port of Tacoma - we drove by the terminal where all the new cars are unloaded from Japan. There must have been hundreds of Proteges among all the others. Standing out like a sore thumb was a blue special edition and it looked great with the 17" alloys, huge fog lights and spoiler. Do you think my wife will still consider it "his and hers" PRO's if I hit the lottery and buy one?? One massive barbed wire chain link fence between me and a closer inspection. Did I also see a wagon?? Way off in the distance?? Bye all - Greg

jk111 · April 2001

yep, I switched my OEM plugs with regular Bosch platinum plugs (not +4.) and it is working pretty good. The problem is that, the plastic piece that connects to the spark plug keeps on poping up. I just checked today and found out that my 3rd cylinder spark plug was not connected to the spark plug wire at all! I had to push it down to re-connect it. The funny part was that.. I got 340 miles on one tank of gas when this happened, and I usually get only around 300 miles per tank.

protegextwo · April 2001

Paul;
I stand corrected, my bad! You were the first my friend. Sorry to here about the scratches.

-Larry

theparallax · April 2001

You probably saw a new Protege MP3. It's supposed to have 140hp and extra peformance add-ons. Here's a pic of one: http://www.geocities.com/negatize/media/2001protege/mp3_outside_mazda.jpg

Copy and paste that address into a new window to see it, because GeoCities doesn't seem allow people linking directly to their site from other sites...

vocus · April 2001

Thanks for the tip about the touch-up paint. I have to call the Mazda dealer today and see how to get the touch-up paint for my car.

maltb · April 2001

Yes, that probably was a P5 that you saw as well. Looks like the port got their first arrivals on Friday. Good eyes!

yetiracer · April 2001

Can you all check the owners manual for the recommended octane for these vehicles. I was checking out the secifications on the Mazda site, when I noticed it said "unleaded regular 91 RON"???

http://www.mazdausa.com/protege/specs/default.asp?vehicle=protege&zip=92009&did=41179&state=CA#5

vocus · April 2001

Both engines require regular 87 octane fuel. Otherwise, it wouldn't say "regular unleaded", it would say "premium unleaded". I checked out the 626 specs (because the V6 requires premium fuel). It says "87 RON regular unleaded" for the 4-cylinder and "91 RON premium unleaded" for the V6. Maybe it was just a misprint.

hkchan · April 2001

The "RON" number is not what's commonly perceived as the octane number here in the US. At the gas pumps, normally a sticker is displayed with the octane number and an explanation/formula. It's (R+M)/2. R=RON=Research Octane Number. M=MON=Motor Octane Number. To make the story short, 91 RON is 87 "here in the US", AKA "regular".

unmarkedcar · April 2001

Hey guys....I am currently using 89 octaine gas i my 2001 protege LX 2.0. With gas prices going higher and higher, I do not know if I should start to use 87. I do not know if I will get more engine knock (using lower octaine). Or if higher ocatine is acutually harming more than it is helping. I am getting 27mpg (hwy. will this improve with a lower grade of gas?

hkchan · April 2001

1. Why have been using 89 in the first place?
2. You won't know for sure if your engine will knock on 87 unless you try it. Chances are your won't because most don't.

vocus · April 2001

I have a 2001 ES 2.0 with 4100 miles. I use 89 octane about every 5th tank init, just to make sure the engine is cleaned out inside. But 87 works fine, with no knocking at all. Also, you shouldn't constantly use a higher octane than recommended, because I hear it causes carbon build-up on the internal parts of the engine. And that is not good for the car. Also, why pay extra for 89 when the car only requires 87? BTW, I usually average 24-26 mpg, no matter what kinda gas I use. Drive mostly highway, 70-80 mph.

nikecar · April 2001

well one thing I'm slightly peeved about is the highway mileage on Little Zoom Zoom.

twice we've gone to Miami. The first time we had 4 people plus bags. I filled up immediately before leaving and as soon as we got to our destination which has a gas station right off the interstate. Back and forth that 1st trip we got 26.5mpg compared to city driving of 24.5->26MPG here in town. At first I attributed it to the load we had, plus I didn't use Cruise and would gun the car up to 100 twice, and it was slightly windy.

Well we went back this weekend, just me and the misses this time and driving down there with Cruise on and averaging 75mph, we still got the same 26.5mpg. again it was slightly windy. Coming back I averaged ~80mph slightly windy and got 28MPG...

I would hope that I would get slightly more than 26.5 and 28mpg. I will see if the next time conditions aren't windy and see. I know I've heard of the ever popular "break-in period" but I've never noticed this little difference in any car I've owned....

vocus · April 2001

I used to actually get the same mileage with the 1.6 DX I had as I do with my 2.0 ES, almost. I have averaged a low of 23.5 mpg with the ES. The low on the DX was 20 mpg once, in 90 degree weather and in stop-and-go traffic. Highest with the DX once was 29.5 mpg, and that was completely highway. The ES, in the same work, gets like 27 mpg. Not too bad, considering all the power the 2.0 has that the 1.6 does not.

Also, is the 2.0 engine rated better by the EPA than the 1.8 was? Mine is rated at 25/30. Let me know.

protegenic · April 2001

The 1.8 with the manual transmission is rated at 26/30 I believe. Can't remember the spec's for the automatic. I usually get 28 mpg in the combo city/highway driving I usually put on a tank (probably more city than highway). It doesn't seem to vary much even with the AC on. I have taken a couple of long trips in the car and was able to get close to 31 mpg on every tank. I usually set the cruise on 75-78 mph.

I would really like it if the Pro's got a bit better mileage, which would probably lower the noise some too, but all in all, I am not too disappointed. It is a small price to pay for the fun factor the car delivers!

unmarkedcar · April 2001

87 octaine or 89 octaine gas.

maltb · April 2001

Never had a problem... The only times I use something different is when I decide to run advanced timing on an older vehicle.

Most new vehicles use a knock sensor to retard the timing when necessary.

ash15 · April 2001

a 99 Protege with ac, ps, pwr windows, power brakes,pwr door locks/remote keyless entry,tilt wheel, cruise, cd player, dual bags and rear spoiler....mileage is 35K....dealer insists 11,000 is lowest he'll go. Good deal ya think?

fowler3 · April 2001

what? When I walked out to my 01 Pro LX 2.0 after having lunch in a restaurant, parked on either side were two old cars -- a 1981 or 1982 Mazda 323 and a 1986 Honda Accord. Both pretty bad off, well-beaten, but still going. The new Pro stood out like a sore thumb and towered above both by quite a few inches. I had an 81 Mazda hatchback which was traded for a new 86 Accord. That scene told me what I would be driving had I kept either one and reminded me that I am fortunate to have the Pro. Take care of yours...you never know how long it may stay with you.

fowler3

fowler3 · April 2001

I always thought the EPA economy ratings were based on curb weight: which is the weight of the car and a half tank of gas and the driver.

To that you have to allow for your altitude, terraine, the temperature, wind, weather, and the amount of additional load. Plus the speed you normally drive.Any combination of these will produce mpgs below the EPA rating.

The DX and LX 1.6ltr are rated at 26mpg city - 33mpg highway with an AT. The LX 2.0 is rated at 25mpg-30mpg with AT.

Usually, moderate drivers can average above the EPA ratings. Your best fuel economy should be between 60mph and 64mph, above 65mph it will deminish rapidly because the car is pushing more air, theres a higher co-efficent of drag, and other factors. Wind resistance alone, at 70mph, is about 4X what it is at 60mph.

fowler3

fowler3 · April 2001

in some ways. It takes 4x as much horsepower to push a motorboat to 50mph as it does to push it to 35mph because of the water resistance and drag.

Fortunately, air is less resistant.

fowler3

hboyd · April 2001

Finally at 2500 miles, I'am actaully getting decent mileage from one tank ('01 ES AT). I could only go 310-320mi on the first several tanks (about 25 MPG); now I can go about 350 miles (12 gal.) before she hits near "E" (The fuel warning light... long lit...hehehe). Fuel mileage is up to 29 MPH on mixed... mostly stop/go freeway. The engine borings finally carved out nice!!!! My old '95 ES MT got the EXACT SAME mileage. I'AM happy

)))

I've got to stop squealing(!) those front tires from stop-light launches... Man does that torque really kick [non-permissible content removed] hard at about 3800-4200 RPM!!!??? I was always left behind at stoplights by bigger cars/SUVs... now I see them in my rearview. This car just doesn't want to sit still... at all... Okay.... good bye....

ZOOM..Zoom
MARTIN

nikecar · April 2001

Well I'm at over 4000 now and no shift yet...

mbs6 · April 2001

We have a '99 LX with about 33K miles. We are really happy with it, except we're worried that the engine is pinging when we accelerate.

If I accelerate slowly, there's no noise. However, if I accelerate more quickly the car makes a crackling noise, which I can immediately make go away by letting off the accelerator.

It sures sounds like pinging to me and I was sure of this until I took it to the dealer for my 30K maintainence. They listened to my concerns carefully and said they would check it. By reading their work-order afterward, it looks like they hooked it up to a computer and maybe took it for a road test. They claim that there is no pinging.

Still, I can't help but worry :-( as I'd like this car to last a long time and don't want to hurt it. Has anyone heard any noise like the one I describe? Does it sound like pinging?

gitarzan · April 2001

Pinging really sounds more like a rattling noise.

Higher octane gas should get rid of the pinging. Try a tank (I know that hurts at's prices today) and if it goes away you can assume it's pinging.

Have you tried running some fuel based cleaning stuff? Gumout, Marvel Mystery Oil, etc. can clean out the little bits of carbon that build up and cause pre ignition. The stuff isn't usually a quick fix, it took a awhile for the buildup to accumulate and it takes a awhile to dissolve it.

Mazda Protegé

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