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Comments
I suppose it could have been the cold. I'm in Houston, TX (temperate winters), but the night I noticed the flickering, it was somewhere between 25-32 F and I had just scraped frost off the windows. I think I had the rear defroster on as well.
Is it something to worry about?
same whining noise that a few other people have described. I don't think it's just wind noise or some other minor problem, because the buzzing seems to be related to how I am pushing on the gas pedal. I hear it most around 60-70 mph. Anyone have any success with this? I took it to the shop but they said they didn't hear it. A friend of mine bought a 2000 AS and also heard some funny transmission noise and after she kept complaining they finally replaced her transmission and now she doesn't have any problems. It turned out that Mazda knew about this problem because after she gave them a lousy review, they sent her all this literature about the transmission noise problem which evidently affects a variety of Proteges. I'm not sure it's the same problem I'm having, which is why I haven't stormed into Mazda holding the info.
On an unrelated note, a long time ago someone mentioned a rattle in their dashboard. This may be totally different, but I had a similar problem, and all it was was a missing piece that was supposed to go on the back of the radio. Unfortunately, now there's a new rattle coming from the RHS of the dashboard that started after they fixed the first one.
Anyway, any ideas about the buzzing would be appreciated!
One reason I've been somewhat hesitant to take the car to the dealership to fix the shock problem is that the local dealership doesn't seem particularly trustworthy. They told me to not take the car to places like Jiffy Lube for oil changes because Jiffy Lube doesn't have oil filters which are appropriate for the Protege. According to the dealership, Protege oil filters somehow incorporate special safety valves which the Jiffy Lube filters lack, which can result in leakage. This seems like hogwash. Clearly, Jiffy Lube may not have the best service in the world or the most experienced mechanics, but a decent oil filter is a decent oil filter. Or am I wrong?
Any help on either issue would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The earlier Proteges used to have a static discharge button near the door lock for this reason. It has since been discontinued. If you hold the metal part of your key, and touch it to the door latch while you exit the car you won't get a shock.
Oil filters: I have used Fram (PH6607) filters on all three of the Proteges I have owned with ZERO negative effect. I don't believe that story from the dealer. How to know for sure? Buy a "Mazda" filter (usually made by AC Delco) and visually compare to Fram or other name brand. That should tell you there really is no difference. I personally won't go to the quick lube joints due to several bad experiences, and the fact that I'm not about to let some 16 yr old change the oil on my baby! (2000 ES Protege). If you are so inclined, a set of ramps and an oil change basin pay for themselves by the second oil change if you do it yourself!
Regards,
Pete
Its noting to worry about. the best the dealer can do is put a grounding wire on your car. but who wants a wire hanging down while driving?
and the line about filters is hogwash. You want the best? buy a Mobil1 filter or something like that. The dealer's filter is usually manufactured by an after market company anyhow. would you as a dealer want someone to buy your filter at $10 per, or go somewhere else and spend $2.50 on a filter?
Meade
On a similar, more humorous note, have any of you ever wondered if anyone's had that winter shock problem right when they touched the gas nozzle to their filler pipe? Ker-BLAM!!! HA HA HA HA!!!!!
Oh, guess what everyone, I made the big mistake of putting a LABELED CD in my CD player the other day, and ... GUESS WHAT. I've got to make an appointment with my service department to extract the damned thing. It won't eject.
My fault!!! Sadder but wiser!!! Anybody got a fix that doesn't involve the service department?
Meade
LOL
Pete
(The car and radio are still under warranty, so I'm gonna play dumb and just say there's a CD stuck in there.)
(Hey! Wouldn't you?)
Meade
good ol sharpie pen for me.
The Mazda oil filter has an anti-backflow valve. When you shut the engine down, the valve closes, and thus retains a slight amount of oil pressure in the system. Upon re-start, oil pressure is resumed more quickly (we're talking fractions of a second here), which is much kinder to the valve train of a overhead cam engine.
Mazda pioneered this technology in their high performance Miata engine (you'll *never* find a knowledgeable Miata enthusiast using an aftermarket filter). It has now become standard in many OEM applications, including Ford's V-10.
Saving 2 bucks on an aftermarket filter without an anti-backflow valve is false economy.
I'll stop by the dealer on the way home and get a filter to check. Results posted on Monday!
Regards and thanks,
Pete
You can get filters (or any Mazda part)at a substantial discount at trussvillemazda.com or mazdastuff.com. Both are very reputable.
I have 2 Miatas (one for summer driving, the other tricked up a bit for autocross competition), a 626 ES 6 cyl, and a Tribute ES(hmmm, bit of a Mazda buff), and I would ONLY use an OEM Mazda filter in each.
I haven't researched the Protege (getting ready to buy one for my daughter), but the Miata, and some other OHC engines, use a hydraulic lash adapter. A few tenths of a second running dry on startup doesn't help the cam, and that's why they use the backflow valve.
My Ford V-10 motorhome also uses the backflow valve in their filter, and STRONGLY cautions against using a filter without it.
BTW, I strongly agree with your advice re doing one's own oil changes. Easy, with a few tools, and you can take the oil to a parts store for disposition! One learns a great deal about one's car by climbing underneath occasionally, dontcha think?
Good luck,
Tom
Btw, I've been using AC Delco oil filters with anti-drainback valves for at least 20 years. They're nothing new.
You said:
"thereby ensuring a full lube system for the next startup"
Sound like pretty much the same effect to me. The purpose of my post was to dispute the assertion that anti-backflow valves were "hogwash."
"Btw, I've been using AC Delco oil filters with anti-drainback valves for at least 20 years. They're nothing new."
Good for you.
Well...I will say that I've always used the Fram filters, and I've never had a problem. I am guessing more so due to my overly regular maintenance schedule than anything else, but it remains true...I've never had a problem. I will be using the Mazda filter from now on, at least until Fram "catches up" and offers an IDENTICAL match, rather than a "pretty close" match.
Thanks Tsctom, for opening my eyes.
Regards,
Pete
"Mazda pioneered this technology in their high performance Miata engine". This is incorrect.
We are in agreement on one point, however. Oil pressure will be restored sooner if the lube system is full prior to engine startup. It is not my intention to be adversarial, but factual and accurate. "Factory vs aftermarket filters" topic covers anti-drainback valves in depth.
_____
My 95 Miata has HLA's, and, frankly, I'm not sure about the '01. It's still under a car cover, waiting till spring!
________
On the 2001 Protege, the 1.8 engine has been discontinued (I'm not familiar with this engine, was it a DOHC?), the DX and LX have the 1.6, and the LX 2.0 and ES have the 2 liter, detuned from the 626. Easy decision; $380 well spent on that option!
_____________
Does anyone know if the spec oil for the 2001 Protege is 5W20?
Redlines apparently haven't changed at all, despite the new lifters: 6500 rpm for most of the fours, 7000 rpm for the MX-5 Miata, 7000 rpm for the 2.5 V6, 6000 rpm for the Miller-cycle engine in the Millenia S (which I believe never had HLAs).
At 30,000 and 60,000 and 90,000 miles you need to have a professional perform the following service:
Manual Transmission-
Inspect, check and change the gear oil in Manual Transmission and Differential.
Automatic Transmission-
Drain Fluid, remove Oil pan, clean and inspect, refill with Fluid.
Respectfully;
Larry
Respectfully;
Larry
-Larry
Look at the sale charts.
Respectfully;
Protegextwo
Check out the '01 Honda Civic in its first year of production.
The first recall is out - for the PCM module. Radio problems?
No recall yet, probably Honda will treat it as TSB.
Please, get real. These cars are very high volume models
The suppliers get constantly squeezed by the OEM. Unfortunately they need some time to work the bugs out.
The Focus '01 model is recall free and selling very well, almost as well as the small car champion - the Civic.
And the recall issue is getting too old, sorry.
going to the NHTSA website and running recall search and TSB searches...
Mazda Protege
2000- 4 TSBs, 0 recalls
2001- 1 TSB, 0 Recalls.
1999 (last major body change)- 18 TSBs, 1 Recall
Honda Civic
2000- 20 TSBs, 0 Recalls
2001- 0 TSBs, 0 Recalls
Ford Focus
2000- 135 TSBs, 6 recalls
2001- 0 TSBs, 1 Recall.
even looking at the Chevy Cavalier
2000- 20 TSBs, 1 recall
2001- 1 TSB, 0 Recalls
1995 (last Major Body Change)- 64 TSBs, 3 Recalls
Your thinking is flawed. each of these cars listed has had much less incidences of TSBs and Recalls over the last yr and a half. Even looking into major body change years, the Focus has had 2x the amount of the next runner up, the Cavalier. The civic, giving you the BOTD, will have either 1 TSB or 1 Recall now. So a 2 yr old designed car has as many TSB/Recalls as a newly designed Civic.
135 TSBs and 6 recalls is too many.
Apparently though, this must not be too wide spread a problem since no one else is offering their experience with it.
From the "Honda Civic 3" board, post #164:
"I just received my first official "Motor Vehicle Product Update" from Honda today in
the mail for my less than 2 month old 2001 LX. It says that the PCM (Powertrain
control module) could be damaged by a surge in the electrical system. This was
my first Honda purchase and I am hoping that this is not sign of the months and
years of ownership to follow with this car."
The Focus, in its 2nd yr has a recall. The Civic in its first new major body change has either 1 TSB or 1 Recall. sad for the focus.
I'm thinking about getting a Mazda Protege, probably the 5 door hatchback which is suppose to come out this June as a 2002 model. In general how reliable are the Protege's? I'll be switching from a Toyota to the Mazda. Also how reliabe is the new 2.0L engine that they put into the Protege? I heard this engine came from the 626.
Leo
It happens mostly in stop and go traffic, when slowing to a stop and in mild weather and rarely happens on the highway and in cold weather.
The dealer has replaced the distributer, engine temp sensor, ignitor and ignition module.
This car needs to live on...please help.
Thanks
Maybe we need to start making up problems or referring to the ridiculous.
Like, I had to put some air in my tires the other day, is this covered by warranty?LOL
that no one has been able to solve. If you have advice about how to solve it, or if you know
where I can get good advice (via another web-posting or some other source), I'd really appreciate
hearing from you.
The pattern of stall-outs is seemingly indecipherable. It will stall on the highway or just going
around the block. It usually gives a hesitation or two, and the accelerator becomes useless for
10-60 seconds before it stalls completely. It's a standard transmission, and if necessary while
driving I can turn the car turn the car off as the stall threatens and then turn it back on–and it then runs fine again. Likewise, if it stalls out completely, I can turn off the car and then start it
immediately with no problem. The interval between stall-outs is usually at least a day and
sometimes weeks. Go figure.
This problem first occurred in about 1993. No one could solve it, but it disappeared. Then it
returned a few years after that. And now it's back again, off and on since the fall of 2000.
Here's a record of what my latest mechanic has tried:
–Tried to duplicate problem but couldn't.
–Completed tuneup: sparkplugs, cap, rotor, air filter, fuel filter, oil change.
–Checked for computer fault codes. Found code 17. This code refers to the oxygen sensor, the fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump, and the computer itself.
–Fuel-pressure test showed fuel pressure to be just a touch above normal (if it was lower than
normal it would have been a good chance that it was source of the stalling problem). This test
was done with the car hooked to a gas analyzer which registers the fuel/air ratio.
–Replaced oxygen sensor and fuel pressure regulator, and checked these new parts with the car hooked to the gas analyzer. The car was run for quite a while and monitored throughout the day but never stalled, nor did the fuel/air ratio change at anytime. Car stalled out several days later, and a few more times after that.
–With no facts to condemn the fuel pump or computer (which are the only items left that the fault code refers to), the mechanic feels there is not much else to do except replace the fuel pump and/or computer. But these items are not cheap and there is no guarantee that they will fix the problem.
Please help! Thanks.
--ny10