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Comments
Any funny smells or unexplained fogging of the windows with the heater or defroster on?
Any performance issues with the engine (roughness, running hotter than normal, etc.)?
How old is your car again? How many miles?
Sorry for all the questions. I'll be listening to Car Talk for your call to Tom and Ray. ;-)
How much coolant did I add?
Well, at the risk of ridicule, when there was a trace of coolant left in the reservoir, I added enough to bring the level to the top of the letters that say "LOW."
After a couple of days it went back down to slightly below the letters, I brought it back up, and now it's below the letters again. (Maybe a difference of an inch or two?)
Temperature: Temp gauge is normal (slightly below nine o'clock).
Engine: Slightly sluggish in spots (AT), although it's been damp here, I haven't had the spark plugs or wires checked, etc.
Smells/fogging: none
But check for:
sweet-smelling exhaust
cloudy (milky) oil (bad...must get fixed ASAP)
droplets of coolant where you parked
any greenish fluid pooling in your engine bay
whitish "puffy" deposits on your radiator (or anywhere else in the cooling system)
I haven't noticed coolant under the car or anywhere in the engine bay. I don't think there's anything on the radiator, but I'll check again.
Check the oil?!? Are you mad?!?
Sigh. Cars are too complicated.
I was hoping you'd say you either found pools of coolant on the ground indicating a coolant line or radiator leak, or smelled it from the vents indicating a heater core leak. Most of the other major alternatives aren't pretty, but it doesn't sound like you have any drivability problems that typically go with a blown head gasket, cracked head, etc. See any bluish smoke coming out the tail pipe?
Take Chowchi's advice and open the oil filler cap, checking the underside for a pale chocolate pudding (you'll know you have it if it's there). After feeding it to the cat, get your Protege down to the shop for a new head gasket.
Darren...took delivery on 01/13/01, so yes, I'm still under warranty.
No blue or white exhaust.
My original question still stands, gentlemen:
Should I try adding that sealer/sealant stuff to the radiator?
Mike: No, you.
Should I try adding that sealer/sealant stuff to the radiator?
NO
Disclaimer:I love indoor cats though. I've had mine for 6 years now and she's only been in the dryer once.
Amazing
I'm shocked nobody jumped on the fogging windows comment. You folks are loosing your touch.
Darren: "fogging windows".....ha ha ha ha ha ha.......
Umm gee, we need to talk later.
Darren ... Our warranties are 50,000 miles, not 36,000. I'm surprised no one corrected you before now.
Meade
Keep up.
Anyway ... Why are you worrying about it? The car's under warranty. I'll echo others here. Take the freakin' thing in and let THEM worry about it!
Meade
P.S. Go ahead and ship the contents of your next litter-box change to Maltbarley. I'll do the same. Actually maybe I'll make a personal visit and leave them in a flaming bag on his porch.
My 1992 LX had the same 3 year, 50,000-mile warranty. The fact that it's 50,000 miles made me a Mazda owner in the first place, beating Toyota and Honda who offer only 3/36K.
You bought a car and you don't know how long the warranty lasts? My message to you, O One Who Tells Others to Keep Up, is to read the manual. (The warranty manual in this case ... it's the thinner one in your owner's folder ... unless of course the car wash water damage has rendered it unreadable.)
Meade
P.S. I guess you must've really been wondering why Larry and I, as well as a few others, were counting down to 50,000 miles so painstakingly ...
And then dug around and found the thinner warranty brochure, and there it was, in black and white, 36 months/50K.
Also checked that oil filler cap thingy (after again consulting the manual--the big one this time), and didn't see any light brown icky stuff, so I guess my head gasket is okay for the time being.
Thanks again for all your replies, folks...I'll let you know what happens.
I understand not everyone will find it funny, but as long as it works for a couple of peeps, I'm ok with that.
My Protege is doing great. Really needs a wash to get all that salt/grime off though. As long as it stays nice this weekend, I'll be doing a total spring cleaning of him; wash, clay bar, wax, vacuum interior, etc.
Malt, you going to Irvine this weekend?
It's been raining here in MD since Monday and will be raining until Saturday, according to the weather. I am going to install my new wheels this weekend, but I won't be able to wash the car.
If Meade equates his feline friend to his flesh and blood, I'd say it's time for some meds.
And Paul doesn't speak for me. Would you let him speak for YOU?
What time zone are you living in???
Meade
Mark.
Let's just keep to the cars, okay? Poisoning/killing animals is not an issue that we need to get into whether we are joking or not.
Thanks.
I'm thinking of signing up for Sunday too. Think they'd let me go twice?
CR also mis-stated that the 6's V6 is supplied by Ford, while only the engine block is (the rest is all-new, designed by Mazda).
Man, my Pro loves this spring weather. Not too hot, not too cold. And now that they've closed the overpass I usually take to work, I've discovered another back road with a fun s-curve on a hill. I usually dust whoever's on my tail through that (of course, they just stomp on their accelerator on the straightaway afterwards and catch up).
I see Meineke's running a $29.95/axle lifetime brake deal right now. Hmmm.
And to answer the inevitable question before it's asked, my choices are:
(1) Yokohama AVID T4s or V4s from TireRack
(2) BFG Touring VR4s from Costco (what Larry's got)
While I have more confidence in the Yokos, I might just go the Costco route because of their excellent service and no hassles if I have any problems. Plus they're three miles away and not three states away.
But I am certain of one thing ... once I get those new tires installed, I'm getting a by-gosh four-wheel alignment at the best alignment shop I can find!
Meade
Here's a thought though: Why not just try to get inspected with the brakes, and take them over a weekend and get them replaced if you have to? If you fail inspection, do you have to pay the second time for it? These are the kind of things that make me glad MD only does emissions (and every 2 years at that) and no yearly inspection. I kinda wish sometimes they would do inspections, unless I was in a situation like that.
The PRO's doing great.
Getting the 2.0 TSB done this Friday. Went in last Friday after getting a call from my dealer saying the part's in and they started giving me the run around how they have to check the car first, if it REALLY needs it (adding that maybe I'll have to call Mazda Canada to get it approved), and the like.
So after expressing my dissapointment and anger at how this issue is being handled (jn a polite manner of course), they promptly agreed that yes, my car NEEDS the TSB to be done and that it would be their pleasure to do it then.
So after waiting 1 hr for them to make up their mind if they were going to fix it or not, I booked tomorow 7.30AM.
Will keep you posted. Hopefully it won't be an issue.
BTW, just passed 56.000kms this week. Smooth as ever. Still a blast to drive.
Dinu
Keep us posted.
Really? Are you saying that because the Protege's calipers usually need replacement at Meade's mileage, or that the Meineke guys are going to be full of crap?