Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

cahollan · September 2002

My '00 ES makes a weird grrattle noise occasionally when lightly accelerating out in 1st gear, or when coming out of a rolling start in 2nd...the tach seems to be in the 2000-2500 range (it can happen anywhere in that range) and I feel vibration in the shifter when it does this...

Has anyone else had this problem? My dealer says he hasn't heard of this complaint. Any ideas on what it might be (please don't say transmission or engine problems)

--Chris

alcan · September 2002

No. There has to be a complete loop from the battery positive terminal, through the circuit, and back to the battery negative terminal for current to flow (don't want to get into conventional vs electron theory here). With the negative cable disconnected the loop is open.

irishalchemist · September 2002

Cahollan,

In my 626 I had a similar thing happening in the same rpm range. It was the heat shield that covers a pipe right between the exhaust manifold and the cat-converter. I went to Home-Depot, bought a couple of 1 and 1/2 inch worm clamps, and voile, noise gone. If you have access to welding equipment, I'd suggest you do it that way. A couple of welding points will take care of it.

G.

abedoya · September 2002

I almost ran out of gas (5 miles running on empty with red light on) and after filling up my tank, my 96 Protege 1.5 began idling erraticaly and stumbling on acceleration between 0 and 3,000 rpm. It runs OK above that point. The mechanic told me that I ruined my fuel pump by running on empty (pump was making 40 psi at idle and he said it should be make 55 psi). I changed the fuel pump and filter but the problem continues. He tested the cylinders by disconnecting the injectors and the second cylinder from the driver's side is not working at idle. Compression and spark plugs are OK.

Can it be just bad gas? The station was running out of gas that day. Is that the kind of failure from bad gas? What else could it be?

Thanks!

jrdwyer · September 2002

I have a '95 LX 5 spd 1.5 liter that sometimes idles erratically when the car is stopped (although it has never died). I considered that it might be the fuel pump, but have not repalced it yet and probably won't. I have changed the fuel filters on schedule. The electrical system seems to operate fine. I did repalce the distributor cap and rotor and this solved a rainy day quirk of hesitation during acceleration, but did nothing to the irregular idle. But since this problem happens infrequently and the car runs great otherwise, I just attribute it to bad gasoline (cheapest 87 octane) and ignore it. 150,000 miles and still running strong!

alcan · September 2002

Try cleaning the throttle body and back side of the throttle plate with air intake cleaner and an old toothbrush. Also check the air ntake ducting between the air flow meter and throttle body for any splits or cracks that would allow unmetered air to enter the engine.

dsm6 · September 2002

When's the last time you changed the spark plugs?

jrdwyer · September 2002

Thanks for the tip about cleaning the throttle body and plate. I'll try this and see if it eliminates the idle problem.

As far as the spark plugs, I change them every 60,000 and use good plugs. I have also noticed that when I remove the old plugs the condition is fine but the gap is near the wider end of the tolerances. Then when I put in the new plugs, I set the gap to the narrow end of tolerances assuming that it will increase over time. This seems to cause some engine pinging. So do I need to just reset the computer when changing plugs or does an engine with 150,000 miles run better at the wider limit of spark plug gap tolerances?

sarhjinian · September 2002

I have a 2002 Protegé5 with a manual transmission (its a little over a year and half old, with ~24000km on it) that's developed a balky reverse gear as of late. I'd like to pick the brains of those more knowledgeable, so...

Attempts to shift into reverse occasionally don't work -- the shifter makes it only part-way into the gate and cannot be moved further. If I let the clutch up it grinds.

If I shift back into neutral, let the clutch up and then put it [the clutch] back I can complete the shift but it seems a little bit rough.

The shifter seems to make a creaking/grinding noise (very slight -- only audible at low RPMs or when the engine's off) that show-floor models don't make.

If the car had done this from day one I wouldn't be concerned, but its just started doing it now. The dealer couldn't duplicate the problem and the service manager says its "normal because reverse isn't a synchronized gear". I'd be more inclined to believe him if this behaviour had been consistent since I got the car, rather than being a recent development.

Anyone have any ideas on this? Suggestions? Is this normal behaviour (its my first non-beater and my first standard) or should I be concerned?

Any advice/comments would be appreciated. Other than this, the car's been wonderful -- a really nice experience.

protege_fan · September 2002

I've heard of people having trouble with the reverse gear in the Pro/P5.

I think I read it somewhere over at www.protegeclub.com/forum

Can't help much more than that...sorry

boggse · September 2002

All manual shift vehicles I have owned have behaved in a somewhat similar manner, but only occasionally when first started. My understanding was it was just a lubrication/synchronization thing that happened. The mechanic you spoke with would tend to support that theory. (Someone please correct me if this is wrong.) If it happens when the car is warm and you are experiencing the grinding noise, I would definitely keep any eye on it. I would also ask the dealer to check it out every so often, say every time you get your oil changed. That way he has a record of your complaints and so do you. If it ever turns out to be a real problem, even after the warranty has expired, you can probably still get Mazda to fix it for free since you had been complaining for so long. The most it would probably take is a call to Mazda corporate and maybe a call to a consumer advocacy group. If you have the evidence in writing, they would have to take care of your problem.

newcar31 · September 2002

it's normal. I know you didn't want to hear that, but it's true. My Integra, Subaru, 626, and Prelude all did this. Try shifting into first, then into reverse. I don't know what this does, but it seems to work for me.

dsm6 · September 2002

That's why you need to be at a dead stop to shift into reverse, and that is why sometimes the gears don't quite mesh, so you have to put in neutral, then try again (as outlined in your owner's manual). I have this happen from time to time. Could be you "lucked out" for the first several shifts into reverse before you had to make more than one attempt. How many miles on the car?

As for the creaking/grinding noise - I'd have to hear it to know if it is normal - some creaking is, grinding though maybe not so.

dinu01 · September 2002

said it best: you MUST have the car FULLY STOPPED before engaging reverse, or it won't go in gear and you will hear nasty noises.

Dinu

maltb · September 2002

If your clutch adjustment is not correct, reverse is the first to notice it. The clutch must be fully disengaged to shift smoothly to reverse.

stealthscotty · September 2002

Greetings All! New to the group, certainly looks interesting.

Just purchase a preowned '02 P5 in Vivid Yellow. Had more than usual chips in the paint on the front that I attributed to hazardous conditions frequented by previous owner. Unfortunately, with greater than my usual care, I am seeing more and more chips in the paint and I've only been driving it for 10 days! Has anyone seen or heard of problems with the paint on a P5 being overly fragile or lacking adhesion? This would be a tough warranty claim, but seems to lack ANY durability. Thoughts?

libraryuser · September 2002

I'm new to this group, and I hope my question hasn't already been discussed to death. I can't find a way to search the older posts.

Anyway, I have a new (2000 miles) Protege LX. A few weeks ago, the right front door developed a slight rattle. It sounded vaguely like the door wasn't closed properly, but that clearly wasn't the problem. Then today I noticed that the right front window was making a sort of rubbing sound while being closed. Do you think the two noises are related? Is either or both a common problem?

I will soon be taking the car in for its first oil change/service, and I would like to have some ideas in mind when I tell them about the door and window, especially if they tell me to ignore them. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would greatly appreciate hearing about it.

Thank you.

gandalf17 · September 2002

The occasional inability to engage the reverse gear is normal with every manual transmission that I've ever driven. By doing the following when it won't go into gear, you should eliminate the problem. First, keep the clutch depressed and put the shifter back in neutral. Make sure the hand brake is still on, let the clutch up and then depress once again. With the clutch now depressed, place the shifter into first gear. Keep the clutch depressed and then place the shifter into reverse. Should work every time....

I have had the same "creaking" that you experience with your shifter. Your gear shifter uses Teflon bushings and these have likely worn through due too, ahem, vigorous, frequent shifting. You also likely require a lubrication of the shift housing. If the car is still in warranty then the dealer should have no issue with a lubrication and installing new gear bushings. The bushings are something like $14.00 CDN if my aged memory serves me correctly.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.
Tim

gandalf17 · September 2002

Some folks with the 99 and 2000 model years had the same squeaking/rubbing noise you are referring too. Although my wife and I have not had the same problem with our 2000 ES, I believe the dealer will fix this for you if the car is in warranty. I believe the dealers install a barrier compound, of foam or some other compound.....that stops the rubbing/squeaking/rattling noise you are hearing. I also believe a few ingenious owners performed the work themselves and they may also reply to help you out.

See you,
Tim

mazdafun · September 2002

You can scan earlier posts on the Protege accessories & modifications board or check one of the other Protege discussion boards like Protegetech.com or Protege5online.com etc.

It takes about 15 minutes to pop off the door trim panel, if you know how to do it.

sarhjinian · September 2002

Thanks to everyone who responded to my "recalcitrant reverse gear" question. I was worried because it hadn't started happening until the car hit ~24000km (~12000 miles). If its normal, I'll just keep an eye on it in case it gets worse.

Mucht thanks to Tim's for his suggestion about the shifter's bushings. I'll ask the dealer about these at the next service check.

irishalchemist · October 2002

Hi all,

Finally did it this weekend, and I looked at the instrument panel/dashboard dimmer switch, and the rear window defogger switch, both of which were pooched. The rear window defogger is definetly toast, as pieces flew out as I took it - It had no bulb inside, etc. It was easy to test that everything else worked because I used a piece of wire to 'turn on' the defogger, and that's fine. Now, the instrument panel/dasboard dimmer is a more convoluted piece, with a voltage regulator PCB on it. I checked and two of the transistors on it seem to be 'post pactory', as you can see poodles of solder flux near the legs. I think I can figure out what all the components do (I used to work in an electronics workshop), but it may be overkill to try to fix that piece.

All this ranting for a very simple question. How much money am I looking at, and where can I get these things (the dealer, I know, will charge me a yon of dough for 1 dollar of materials...)? Any good used part store over the web that actually sends you what they sell you?

Thanks,

G.

beachnut · October 2002

Heys guys, I'm seriously considering purchasing a '92 DX as a commuter. The seller wants around $1800, but it has AC problems and the clearcoat is coming off on the roof/hood. The car has 87K miles, one owner, auto, ps, pb. I don't believe the timing belt has been replaced yet. Anyway, I'm looking for any and all comments on potential issues to look for other than the ones I've already mentioned. Thanks!

mazdafun · October 2002

I'd recommend against this purchase because of the AC and paint issues at this price. Timing belt should have been replaced at least once. Figuring for AC and timing belt change, it'd cost you at least about $300 to have someone else fix these (just a timing belt change, at which point you may as well put in a new valve cover gasket, and assuming AC only needs a recharge of refrigerant).

irishalchemist · October 2002

Hi,

Called the dealer yesterday for prices on the dimmer and rear window defogger switches - They want 80 for the one, and 45 for the other! Ouch! In any case, I digged around and realized that the dimmer works by 'floating' the ground that the instrument panel/dashboard lights see. They are always connected to +12v when headlights are on, but the ground is made to 'float' by the little dimmer. Meaning, you can jumper the whole thing to ground (actually, two pins), and you get the dashboard ilumination back, at the level I always had it in all my cars (full power). I am now seriosly considering just leaving the jumpoer on and putting a little plastic cover over the hole.

As for the rear window defogger, a big on-off switch will do fine. G.

mdaffron · October 2002

Grab your toolbox and go get those switches yourself!

Beachnut ... Wow, that car has been abused. Stay away from it. I was the owner of a '92 LX I bought new, and when I sold it with 83,000 miles on it, it was still running and looking new. Don't accept any car that has been abused like that. And btw, the timing belt should've been replaced at 60,000 miles. Failure by the original owner to replace it nearly 30,000 miles after the fact (halfway toward replacing the SECOND one) should be a dead giveaway right there as to how the vehicle was treated.

Meade
Owner, 2000 ES (45,000 mi.) & 2002 P5 (10,000 mi.)

altair4 · October 2002

This car has all the signs of not being well maintained at all. If the current onere didn't do the timing belt at 60k, what else didn't he do? I'd skip on this one, unless the seller has maintenance records for everything else.

My '91 LX has 160k and will probably be donated to the Kidney Foundation before it gets it's third timing belt. The clearcoat is getting thin on front fender tops, but it still looks pretty good. The other thing to check is look at the seams on the door edges, especially the bottom and hinge sides. Mine is definitely showing rust and splitting at these sites. Engine is getting a death rattle on cold mornings, too, but it still pulls strong, once warmed up.

Gotta say, though, we definitely got our money's worth out of this car! Good luck on the hunt.

beachnut · October 2002

Well, based upon your comments here, and some from another forum, I ditched looking at the '92 Pro. Today I found a '94 LX that was in excellent shape. The paint was original (black) and looked great for being in Florida. The seller (original owner) had taken really good care of the car and it showed. He changed the timing belt twice (car has 152K miles), the clutch, and all four struts. It had newer Conti's mounted on MX3 alloys. This car was his pet! The only thing wrong was that the AC compressor was bad. I got a firm quote from my mechanic for $615. That included a comp, dryer, and labor. It's extremely hard to find a car of that age or miles that isn't in need of AC work. FL is really brutal on AC and we use it 80%-90% of the year. I picked the car up for $1300. Thanks again! Hopefully you won't see my smiling face in here too much

dinu01 · October 2002

Join us in the PRO sedan board for a chat about PROs.

Dinu

chicagopro · October 2002

Good to see you again.

Even better now that you own a Protege!

--Dale

mazdafun · October 2002

irishalchemist · October 2002

Hi,

Thanks for the advice on junk-yards. As the former owner of a GLC when I was a student, yeah, I vaguely remember junk-yards. I think everything I replaced in that car was obtained 'pre-owned' from junk-yards. But my problem is I don't have all day to go from one junk-yard after another looking for parts - That's why I wanted to know if someone already knew about used parts 'stores'. In any case, I did a 'nicer' jumpering of the switch, and now even the light on the dimmer shines - No cables dangling off the dashboard.

When I picked up the car a month ago it had bad rotors/pads/shoes. I replaced them a week after, and now that is fine. However, I have started noticing a 'clunk' coming from the front end every once one in a while. At first I thought it was a caliper sleeve not sliding properly, so I took the boots apart, the sleeve out, cleaned the caliper, and greased the sleeve. This, for a while, or at least in my head, seemed to work. Now, I realized that the noise comes when I brake while turning. It's not your typical CV-joit noise (rack-rack-rack), but more of a 'thlunk', and it does it once and that's it. I also feel it on the brake pedal. My fear is that I my powers of persuasion when taking the old rotor out (i.e., I banged the s**t out of it), screwed up the wheel bearing or some other suspension component. Or it could be the CV-joint, but no noise when turning and accelerating.

Car is a 96 DX. Any ideas welcome. G.

altair4 · October 2002

I don't think that's a bad price for the a/c stuff either. Does the LX in 94 have the DOHC engine? I think it's one of the best engines I've ever driven. Best o' luck!

beachnut · October 2002

Hello again! I didn't realize I was in such great company!

I haven't been posting much here at the E-Ranch since "the episode" over at Area 51, but my memory's starting to wear thin now. Time to jump back into the fray ... take care!

beachnut · October 2002

Yes, it has the DOHC. I found out about this engine quite innocently through the mechanic who'll be repairing my AC. He asked me if it had DOHC or SOHC because the compressors were different. Wow ... that motor's got some spirit, eh?! I was a little embarrassed last night when I test drove it - I let out the clutch and sent gravel a flyin' in front of the guy's house!

beachnut · October 2002

I forgot to post this before - the driver's power window has an issue with rolling back up. It goes down fine, but you have to pull up on the glass to make it roll back up. While doing so, it makes a clicking noise like the gear isn't making good contact. The seller said it's probably just off track. Any ideas? I hope it's not too involved of a repair ....

mazdafun · October 2002

Take off the door trim panel and you can get to the window mechanism.

Not sure of how to do that in the '94, but it's pretty easy in the 99 models (first one took me 45 minutes, the second one about 5). Your mechanic probably knows how.

irishalchemist · October 2002

Hi,

Well, my caliper problems continue. As I mentioned in #1281, I thought the 'clunk' could be associated with turning+braking at the same time. Apparently it was a coincidence. It clunks in straight lines as well, but it's very erratic, and it does it every once in a while. So, I'm now more convinced that the sleeve is still sticking. Is there something special about the sleeve and its housing in the caliper, or is it just a machined 'tube' sliding through a 'tunnel' in the caliper? In other words, are there bearings or other movable parts that help the sliding of the sleeve?

TIA for any advice/words of wisdom, G.

altair4 · October 2002

I like the DOHC engine...but mine's tied to an automatic transmission. I like the way it just seems like it will accelerate forever, once it gets into the power band.

Frankly, when I bought the car new, I thought it would be temperamental, being a high revving engine. But it's proven to be very tough and durable.

I think you'll like it.

maltb · October 2002

There is a service bulletin that Mazda put out on the 89-98 protege calipers. You replace the caliper sleeves with a modified one. The part number is BRY5-33-26Z (services one caliper). The drawback is that the kit costs $55. Chances are that if you buy reman calipers on the aftermarket, they will have this modified sleeve.

irishalchemist · October 2002

I looked at the description on the TSB (400299), and the summary says 'Popping noise from front calipers on light-braking', or something to that effect, so you are probably correct and I need re-designed caliper sleeves. I wonder, would Beck-Arnley after-market sleeves have this modification? The caliper hardware kit with the sleeve and boots is $23 bucks in NAPA (compared to $55 from Mazda...).

Thanks again,

G.

beachnut · October 2002

Well, my mechanic looked at it and said it needs a new regulator (?) and that you can only get this part from Mazda. The motor seems to be OK, but he said the newer design is only sold as a motor/regulator combo (can't get one w/o the other) and it's $260 - plus labor makes the repair $365! Ack! I'm thinking about trying to get the part from a junkyard, but I've never tried this type of repair before ... has anyone else done this on their own?

gibber · October 2002

I have a 1999 ES, and the passenger's side wheel brake squeaks and screeches upon application. When turning left it sounds like there is a high pitched scraping-often without applying brakes. Replaced the pads, turned the rotors without effect. No problem with the driver's side at all. What are the possible causes?

chikoo · October 2002

>>>When turning left it sounds like there is a high pitched scraping-often without applying brakes<<<

culprit:
power steering??
wheel bearing??

mily · October 2002

Hello, I have a 99 Protege LX with 1.6 liter, I can hear the engine knocking when I go uphill, the dealer change the mass sensor and still is knocking, 93 gas improved somewhat, Do anybody has same problem or help? Thanks

gibber · October 2002

The pitch changes when applying brakes so I think it is related-although could a wheel bearing do this?

kaiserhead · November 2002

I have the same problem with my 2000 SE 1.6L. The knocking / pinging started around 30,000 miles and only shows up with I use 87 octane fuel. The dealer looked at it but didn't come up with an explanation. In the meantime, I use 89 octance fuel and it seems to go away. Knocking and pinging under heavy load seems to be a problem with the 1.6L engine, however, no one really knows if its creating a long term problem.

bearcat1998 · November 2002

Hi,

I have a '00 Pro ES with ~68K miles.
I've recently noticed that my Pro will shake/vibrate like it's not getting any gas. The engine light will start flashing and then remain on. If I drive it for a while, the vibrating stops and I can drive it fine, but the engine light stays on. I took it to a service station where they convinced me to have a "Induction Service"--deposit/fuel injector cleaning done on it. They also fished the computer code out and found that it was misfiring, but they couldn't reproduce the failure. They also wanted me to replace the spark plugs and wires which I did not have done since the plugs were just replaced. The work that they did did not fix the problem.
The next thing I plan to do is replace the wires myself, but if that doesn't fix it, does anyone have any ideas what else I can do to try to fix it? I remember this same thing happening when I used to have a 323 and I think the wires were bad. Anyway, if new wires does fix it, how can I get the engine light to shut off?

Another thing I'm noticing is that sometimes the brakes make a groaning/creaking noise (like an old floorboard) when coming to a stop. I just had the brakes replaced at Midas (discount brake shop) and they said the rotors would need replaced in a year. Could it be the rotors need replaced now? Or maybe it's brake dust? Any ideas on that problem would be appreciated as well.

thanks,

maltb · November 2002

did you have the Coil Recall performed on your car? Sounds like it could be that.

"Induction Service" that's what you get for stopping at a gas station instead of a trusted mechanic/dealer.

chikoo · November 2002

u need to have the ingnition coil replaced---check recalls for 00 Pro ES. Mine behaved very much the same. Changed coils and Voila.....everythign is fine.

Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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