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i have a 1999 mazda protege 68k just stopped running this week turns over has weak to no spark replaced wires and plugs. ordered and tried new ignition coils still didnt work. wondering if it could be the timing belt and if the best way to check timing belt was to remove valve cover. had check engine codes pulled they said ignition or misfire wondered if that could be caused by timing belt any info would be great
I get a little vibration through the steering wheel column of my '99LX (AT-equipped). It's definitely related to the transmission as it's a lot less when I put it into neutral or park. It was really bad after they serviced the AT on my '89 323LX (adjusted bands to resolve a hard 1->2 shift). Not sure where it'd be, but I suspect the torque converter, or the alignment between the transmission and the torque converter.
The car: ’93 Mazda Protégé, 5 spd, 1.8l sohc w/ 91K+
The Problem: Car stalls under the following conditions only
1. AC must be on
2. Air temp must be above 70
3. Car is at normal temp (after 10 min. of driving)
4. Throttle is quickly closed at RPM >2500
5. Clutch pedal is completely depressed
6. Car is in gear
This happens while driving when approaching as stop sign for example. I step on the clutch while simultaneously releasing the gas pedal. The rpms drop quickly to zero. The car will start instantly by letting up on the clutch or using the starter.
This NEVER happens if the AC is off, or the air temp is 70 or less, or the car is still warming-up, or the engine speed to begin w/ is less than 2500 rpm or if I slide the shifter into neutral.
The process can be simulated in the driveway as follows:
With the car warmed up, AC on, clutch pedal on the floor, tranny in any drive gear if I rev the engine above 2500 RPM and quickly let up on the gas the car will immediately die or drop down to about 200 rpm and sputter back to about 750.
With the car in NEUTRAL and clutch in any position the rpm will quickly drop to 1100 plateau and then drop slowly to 750. The whole process while in neutral is as smooth as glass.
The computer gets input from a neutral switch on the tranny. When in neutral, this switch is closed. If I unplug the switch and tape a jumper onto the end of the wire I have no problem and the car drives fine.
On this car the throttle position switch only tells the computer two throttle positions, wide open or fully closed. If I unplug the TPS, my problem goes away. The switch is adjusted correctly and functions fine. I checked with feeler gauges and ohmmeter.
The dashpot seems to function fine and I extended the rod all the way, but that did not help. It does appear to slow the throttle closing.
The engine does get a slight boost when the AC is switched on. It goes from about 700 to 750 per the tach in the dash.
I checked the plugs, the timing and the fuel pressure. The air flow meter checked out ok too.
While checking the timing I noticed that the idle is set as low as it can go but is as per spec. The air bypass screw is turned in all the way.
The idle control valve has a mechanical feature that closes slightly as the coolant flows through and warms up. With the electrical connector unplugged and starting from a cold engine the idle may drop from 1200 to 1100 rpm once the engine is at operating temperature. When I plug in the electrical connector the idle drops back to 700 rpm. I wonder if the mechanical portion is not closing enough. Such a small drop (100 rpm) seems hardly worth having.
Why does the car die in the above conditions?
Why does unplugging the TPS or jumpering the neutral swith so the computer thinks the car is always in neutral or never has a closed throttle help?
Thanks for helping.
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Any thoughts or suggestions as to what it might be would be helpful as well as advise as to what we can do to avoid this again.
Thanks
Meade
1.8L & 2.0L - metal shaft with plastic handle
NGKs are already pre-gapped, and come individually boxed with a cardboard tube to protect the spark end. Champions come packed in blister cards and you have to sometimes adjust the gap as the bent terminal may have been knocked out of position. You can check the gap with any plug gauge (costs about 1-2 bucks). The one with separate wires is better than the one with a continuous outer ridge, but it costs more as it's more involved to manufacture.
any ideas?????
Meade
Thanks
I got my hands on a cylinder pressure tester which I screwed into the spark plug sockets and each one filled to good pressure after turning the engine over a couple times and held the pressure without leaking. I checked my oil and it did not look milky or weird in anyway. Coolant is green and doesn't seem to have oil in it but hard to tell.
Anyway... after about a month of this I went out there to check the water pump again seemingly the one thing i'm not sure is working right. So opened the hood took off the cap and filled it to the top. Started the car and the coolant erupted like a volcano when it started up (normal?). Needing to watch the fluid I topped it off again bubbled down, filled bubbled down, filled again till it stayed full... but It kept bubbling pretty big bubbles every few seconds but fluid did not go down. After watching this for a while waiting for the thermostat to open... i got pretty suspicious of the bubbles coming out of the radiator cap, so I got my nose down there to sniff the popping bubbles and low and behold it smelled like exhaust .
Which gets me thinking about the head gaskets again... but how can this be happening if the cylinders are keeping pressure and not leaking? It seams like the hot exhaust in the cooling system is causing the coolant temp to rise as well as causing there to be far too much pressure in the coolant system forcing the fluid out into the overflow tank and out even before the engine has begun to overheat. Is there a way exhaust could be getting into the coolant system other than from a cracked head or gasket??
Just looking for some confirmation before I go tear into that project and do something foolish. This has been the first time I have ever worked on my own car and I'm learning a lot... but working on my heads scares me. Its not something I want to try unless I'm sure its the cause. I've already replaced so many parts that aren't the problem that I feel like an idiot.
Also, check the distributor, or whatever they may be using in place of a mechanical distributor (I'm not sure what is used in gen3 Proteges).
Also, semi-metallic pads are more resistant to overheating than purely organic pads. They can make more noise, cost more and wear down your rotors faster. But they last longer (at the expense of additional rotor wear) and conduct heat away faster. Because they are less prone to overheating and overheat at higher temperatures than organic pads, they don't "fade" as quickly.
Regarding the hissing engine: do you smell the exhaust or is the exhaust note louder? If not, I doubt a leak in your exhaust system. I'm more likely to believe a vacuum hose has developed a leak. Check you hoses for cracks or holes. Also check to make sure their ends are properly seated and sealed. Vacuum pressure varies with engine speed, so it will also increase with increased RPMs.
About the clutch: you probably need new clutch plates. Your neighbor needs to practice driving a manual on some other vehicle. Seriously, you got a lot of miles out of that clutch, if it's the original!
One other possibility might be a vaccum leak at the PCV valve. This is easy to check as it is right on top of the valve cover. With a good engine, the PCV valve dosen't generally get clogged enough to blow the hoses or seals, but with older engines it is possible.
I learned an important lesson from my first vehicle, a 1982 Mazda B2000 pickup; when the clutch starts to go it will give you advance warning. For several months the transmission was making a slightly higher frequency while driving. I just ignored it (like an idiot) and it finally failed on me and left me stranded on the highway in Canada. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too bad for January and the shop did a good job with the repair without gouging me. Funny though, I did not notice the typical slipping (higher RPM's with no response) that generally goes with a failing clutch. Just total failure all at once. I am now paying attention to my Protege' clutch as I am up over 180K miles on the original and probably on borrowed time. I do find that full synthetic oil works better than regular perto oil in the tranny in the wintertime with much smoother and easier shifts.
Few months ago, I suddenly noticed that the car engine was running rough at idle speed and check engine light started flashing. So I drove it to mechanic, (it drove fine at higher speeds). The mechanic used diagnostic meter but could not find the fault. So reset the check engine light. He told me to change spark plugs, wires and change the oil, filter. I did all those.
I drove for another 300 - 400 miles and agian same thing happended. I again took it to the same mechanic. He still could not find the fault. So reset the light.
I drove again 300 - 400 miles.
Now again same thing happened. During the flashing of check engine light engine hesitates. But then check engine light stayed on and was not flashing. The engine does not hesitate. and car runs fine.
BTW -- When your CEL illuminates, a code is stored in your car's computer. The fact that the mechanic you visited could not retrieve this code speaks for his competence, or lack thereof. I would not take my car to that mechanic in the future.
Meade
I own a 2000 Protege ES. The car had a recall for its ignition coil back in 2002. Mine was replaced free of charge under the recall campaign. If you call your Mazda dealer and give the service department your car's VIN, they can check to see if your car has had the recall performed.
Meade
Any other ideas?
I am having the exact same problem. No warning tone if the lights are left on.........Dash lights not working.......... Turning signal, reverse lights and brake lights work but not the tail parking lights. My front lights work fine. Also I cannot figure out how to check the parking lights to see if the bulb is blown. I can get to the brake lights and the reverse lights but not the regular lights.
any suggestions?
Meade