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Yes, it can be serious, and no, you shouldn't wait to repair it. In my case, they decided that the radiator was leaking, and replaced it under warranty.
Good luck!
Ignition breaking down as engine heats up. suggest the following parts in this order:
1. coil
2. distributor assembly
3. computer
The onboard computer will not communicate with the diagnostic scanners.
Is it still repairable?
Thank you.
REPLACE YOUR PLUG WIRES.
I will nearly guarantee that is your problem. The plug wires on Protege engines go down inside the head about four or five inches to where they connect to the spark plug caps. The "tunnel" they're in gets very hot during engine operation and the wires break down over time. My first '92 didn't last 30,000 miles since I totaled it, but on my second '92, one day at about 35,000 miles, I started the car to find it missing terribly and puttering like crazy -- it was even hard to drive. I limped to the dealership with ominous dollar signs floating through my head, and the service writer put a new set of wires on it while I stood there and watched. Problem solved. With my current Protege, a 2000 ES, I started noticing a drop in gas mileage at about 30,000 miles, so I replaced the wires. It came right back up again. I recommend replacing the wires every 30,000 miles. They're only about $70 for a set from Mazda, or about $50 from NAPA. You can do it yourself in about five minutes -- just unplug and remove the old ones, and plug in and route the new ones, making sure you do each new one as each old one is removed -- there's an order to it and you have to connect coil 1 to plug 1 and so forth. The wires are also different lengths.
My 2000 has 70,000 miles on it right now, and I'm taking the car in (late) for its 60,000-mile service on Friday. I am having them install a new set of plug wires while it's there.
For those of you who have Proteges with more than 30,000 miles on them and you're still on your first set of plug wires, replace them. I guarantee you'll notice a big difference. The car will run like new again.
Meade
Dinu
I'm just going with Mazda's now because they're convenient to my schedule this Friday. Hmmm, I'd better ask them how much they're gonna charge me for installation. If they're gonna tack on $30 for this little plug-'n-play, I'll tell them to leave the wires on my back seat and I'll plug the danged things in Saturday.
Meade
And if you want proof that the old ones are ready for replacement, unplug them from the plugs and look at the last two or three inches of wire before the plug connector. The ones on my '92 had actually shorted through the insulation and had been arcing to the wall of the tunnel they're in in the aluminum head. Little burned holes were plainly visible in the insulation.
Not the best performance when half your spark is shorting to ground! And yes, wet weather seemed to compound this little problem. In fact, I've noticed in the last few months while driving in cold, rainy weather on the interstate, my Protege will sometimes miss -- just once -- so hard that it feels like I've been tapped on the rear by another vehicle. Yep, definitely time for new wires -- and plugs too!
I think I've changed my mind about letting my dealer have anything to do with the plug wires. NAPA has a set of Belden premium plug wires for my 1.8-liter Protege for $40.99. I am very familiar with Belden as they make high-end cable for radio communications (my hobby), so I trust that name highly. By comparison, I just got off the phone with my dealership's parts department (while writing this paragraph, in fact), and Mazda's wires for my 1.8-liter engine are $75.65 -- nearly TWICE the price!
Looks like I'll be zoom-zooming over to my NAPA store this weekend!
Meade
This, by the way, from a Miata enthusiast elsewhere on the net:
"After searching locally for NGK plug wires without success, I purchased NAPA Belden Premium wires because of satisfaction with NAPA products in the past. The NAPA wires appear to be of top quality. The spark plug boots are almost identical to the Mazda original equipment wires in appearance. My Miata now runs noticeably smoother and only time will tell as to the life of these wires, but they have a lifetime warranty, which is more than I can say for the Mazda wires. I`m satisfied with the NAPA Belden wires and would recommend them as an alternative to the more costly wires I have seen advertised."
Interesting that the owner of the well-respected (and accredited) Miata site from whence that message was posted said the following:
"After all, it's common knowledge that the factory ignition wires are probably the weakest part in the entire car."
So please ... 'splain to me why OEM wires are so wonderful? I'm all ears.
Meade
A/C is only adequate, worried about how it will do during the summer down here in Florida, going to check it out as well, maybe it needs re charging. I have had many Mazdas before; MX3, 626, and never had this problem.
Also the inside plastic panel that covers the left front pillar seems to be loose.
I hope this issues will be addressed by the dealer or Mazda, would hate to think I bought a Lemon.
Aside from this issues I am very happy with my new car.
Meade
I don't make money on the parts at my job, and if I thought aftermarket parts would make my repairs better, I would certainly use them.
Also meade, if your post was directed at me, and I think it was, don't misquote me. I never said factory wires are better than belden's or whoever- I just know factory wires work properly, so it's a good idea to use them......
The wires did look nice. Too bad for Belden and my wallet!
Meade
Also Pep Boys has Rhino Ramps on sale. Both models are $10 off -- the ones I got were the 12,000-pound ones, normally $29.95, on sale for $19.95. I bought them after reading how much some of you like yours -- and I'm impressed. First plastic ramps I've ever owned, but man are they lighter than my old steel ones, they did NOT contact the air dam when trying to put the car up on them, they have very tall back stops so you won't drive off the front of them, and -- perhaps most importantly -- they did NOT sink into my asphalt driveway under weight like my old steel ones did!
Meade
Meade
Looks like I'm stopping by BG to get my new wires and NAPA to return the Beldens on my way home today.
Still no apology -- I ain't payin' no stinkin' $75 for OEM wires that aren't as good as aftermarkets that cost half as much!
http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/cars_trucks_suvs/wiresets.a- - - sp
Meade
Hmmm?
NGK and Mazda sell plug wires made out of other manufacturers' wire. Now, I know Belden. I've been using their RG-8, -213 and -8X communications cable for years. They're highly regarded in the communications industry as top producers of high-quality wire products.
Who knows what Mazda and NGK use in their wires -- lowest bidder probably? Would you rather use a product that was designed by the manufacturer with its own components, or a product that's been cobbled together using parts from various manufacturers at the lowest possible price? Come on, be honest.
Meade
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Nothing wrong with wanting quality wires, when OEM wires are either of
1. questionable quality
2. Excessive price
That you found NGKs elsewhere for half the price debunks the whole "buy-OEM-only" mantra that anyone associated with Mazda (or any other dealership) service always spews. Read my lips - no more price-gouging!
I do agree, however, that you definitely do not want to put on non-stick-like fitment plug wires that lack the right boots/endcaps.
That said, I installed dealership-puchased NGKs myself, on my old Pro, and loved the difference/improvement. I would have bought them from NAPA, but a nice 20% discount at the dealership (car club) made it not worth my while to drive elsewhere. The plugs cost around the same everywhere.
Now, can we cease this unnecessary back-and-forth and wait on the actual installation and (expected) rave reiews?
Is it possible to explain that? Is it gas mileage, acceleration? I really wouldn't know what to expect with different wires. To me, if they work, they work. When they get old they don't work so you need new ones.
I'm getting very close to my 30k service but wouldn't even know if I needed new wires or not. The car goes like it's supposed to for all I know.
dan
I returned the Beldens yesterday on my way home from work, and picked up the set of NGKs. They're resistor-type wires, which ought to help with the VHF transceiver I have in the car (ham radio hobby). They are designed to be OEM replacements, they have the molded boots for the top of the valve cover, and they're even tagged by cylinder number for the Protege.
PLUS -- They're in a lovely shade of brilliant BLUE!!!
Rotarykid -- I guess you got too absorbed in the "debate." In my very first post about plug wires -- post 1992 -- I gave all the details about my car.
Meade
Go figure! Maybe my original coil pack should've been a Belden product.
BTW, I asked and asked back then what was changed in that coil pack -- but never got an answer. Since you're the resident mechanic, do you happen to know what they changed in -- or what was wrong with -- the OEM coil pack? Mine never gave me any trouble; I had the car in for its 30K-mile service and when I got it back, I had a new coil pack and a decal under my hood!
Meade
As for what was corrected with the internals of the coil pack- I am not sure. Did you happen to need a warm-up converter shortly after replacing the coil? 9 out of 10 proteges with the bad coils had damaged converters as a result. Usually code p0421 would appear soon after.
By the way, you've just reached my car-detail knowledge limit. What the heck is a warmup converter?
Meade
Ray, the starts were smoother, and cold idle was quieter. This last part may be a placebo effect - but it seemed to rev quicker and smoother. Not having a tach made it harder to tell for sure
Mileage improved noticeably (1-2) and did not correspond to (was indep. of) weather or gas formulation changes. I did also change plugs at the same time, used OEM only.
You 5-speed 3rd-gen owners should be aware of the "quirk" where the Protege hesitates slightly when taking off in first sometimes? Well, upon this latest plug change, it seems to have disappeared or, at least, greatly diminished. Wondering if Mazda's using different plugs or a different gap now? I dunno. Maybe just the new plugs with their associated clean spark are diminishing this, but I've noticed in the last few days that the car is much smoother taking off in first.
Can't wait to see what the wires do ... and wow Ashu, looks like I've made the find, huh? I know the wires are NGK ZX52s, with an NGK stock number of 8198. As for the blue color, the following link DOES NOT show the exact wires, but shows a set of NGKs that illustrate the color:
http://store5.yimg.com/I/machv_1783_54563172
Meade
Meade
If I'm reading you correctly, Mazda uses a DIFFERENT wire than what was installed at the factory as a replacement, right? (My stock wires are black.) If they're using a different wire, I wonder why?
Beating this subject to death,
Meade
Meade
2. Please e-mail me! A few of us have been trying to contact you for weeks! You can e-mail me at mdaffron@the-rma.org.
Meade
I have had customers with no check engine light or driveability issues which had the coils replaced and then had a bad cat soon after. meades car may have had a coil that never failed.
Like I said, I never got a CEL or noticed any driveability concerns. I went in for an oil change and got a coil change too!
Meade
Now for the important stuff.
The car runs NOTICEABLY smoother now. From cold start to running down my 25-mph neighborhood street to having a morning "test" run on the interstate at 80, the engine is smoother and quieter. I cannot wait to do my MPG measurement Friday! I feel this $41 is the best $41 I've spent on the car in a long time.
BTW, I could see some discoloration on the plug end of the No. 1 OEM wire. Its black insulation was brown -- undoubtedly from the heat down there next to the plug. I looked up inside the boot and saw that the connector at the end of the wire was pretty well blackened, so it's a pretty good bet that the connection wasn't the best it could be and I was losing some performance as a result.
As is common with me, I saved the old wires. It was just about pitch dark when I finished the little job, and I want to really take a good look at the old wires before I toss them in the trash can.
More later ...
Meade