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Comments
You both may be right: the battery and alternator may be fine but there is another problem. Did the dealership do a diagnostic test? Do you have another dealership or a trusted garage close by that can look at the car for a second opinion?
I had the same problem with my 1997 Protege DX 90k+ mi. Somehow the front brakes got damaged when I was driving over a rough bump on dowbtown Chicago (bad roads). The breaks started making screeching sounds and machanics later told me that pad slipped off (?) and it was metal on metal making sounds. I went to Firestone and had front brakes and rotors replaced for $360, tax included. Rotors cost about $200, rests is labor and pads.
I think you defintely must fix this problem and from the sound of it you could be up for the same reapirs as myself.
Good luck.
all of the sudden yesterday my 1997 Protege DX with 96K mi won't start. I have a new battery and light are on but the starter won't turn. I saw many other posts with the same probem but could not find a solution to it. Any ideas?
My clutch is really worn out but dealership mechanic told me over the phone that it does not matter for this problem.
Should I take the car to dealership or some independent mechanic?
Thank you.
'95 Protege LX, 5spd., 181K miles and still going strong.
Since your car has a clutch, have you tried to start it by rolling and popping the clutch???
If all of the above seems Greek to you, seek help.
I have a similar situation with bubbles coming up in the overflow for the coolant. What did yo ufind on your situation?
Thanks
RogerG
Many thanks for suggestions...
Meade
There is a crack line about 3 inches long on the tail light cover on the left side. I never realized this, but the mechanic pointed this out as a safety issue during state safety inspection. Looks like I have to get a new tail light lens, but would this be really a safety problem?
A quick question - how hard is it to replace starter motor on 97 Protege? I helped a friend to change starter motor on 92 Camry and that was piece of cake.
Meade
Thanks
The muffler appears to be well-made and was sized exactly like the Mazda original. The only differences are the new muffler has a small 1/8" diameter weep hole punched on the engine facing vertical face (I called thinking it was a defect) and the flange on the Bosal is a much thicker piece of metal with no welded-on nuts. This presented the only problem putting it on. Because of the thickness, the bolts would not fit like they do on the Mazda without some modification. So I had to first force off the nuts from the bolts using rust remover, a bench vise, a trusty vise grip, and a ratchet and socket. They finally popped and unscrewed. Taking the nuts off allowed the full length of the two-sided bolts to be used which was then sufficient for both the springs and the thicker flange. The Bosal web site did not show new bolts as a part, so if you do this be prepared to reuse the bolts or get new ones and also buy two new serrated flange nuts.
I purchased a new soft metal gasket for the muffler but did not use it. This gasket material molds and bonds to the male section of the pipe and was still in good shape. If I ever have to replace the pipes in front of the muffler I can make use of it. A little spray lubricant helped to get the metal support rods out of the still good rubber hangers. And finally, my trusty yellow metal ramps gave me plenty of room to do the work. Give this a try in you need a new muffler and enjoy working on your car.
Next up for my Protege is to have a glass shop replace my very pitted windshield. Call me nuts, but I think I'll keep this car another 10 years.
Any ideas would be MUCH appreciated. Any cheap ideas would be MUCHER appreciated.
I don't know what you're talking about with the timing belt workup bit, but the check engine light on means the engine control computer has detected a signal out of range in one of it's monitored circuits, and the light flashing means the computer has detected a fault which if left will probably damage the catalytic converter. Suggest you start by having the stored diagnostic trouble codes retrieved and go from there.
As far as carbon, the only place you will see it is inside the old valve and on the port(s) coming from the intake manifold. Ideally, you are supposed to clean out these ports when installing a new EGR valve. I did the best I could with just an old toothbrush and either some carb cleaner or rubbing alcohol. As I recall, there was a sharp bend in the port, and I remember not being able to clean very far in. To thoroughly clean these ports would reqiure removing the intake manifold completely, a real pain. Anyway, the old EGR valve was very carboned up and after installing the new valve the pinging went away. So I feel the new part worked and corrected the pinging problem.
Finally, some on this board have had success with a chemical cleaning of the ports and valve done by a repair shop with the proper equipment. This probably only works well for newer cars with minimal carbon buildup.
So had the computer remembered the old gap at startup and this caused the rough start or just the drained battery? One thing I realize about the Protege is that it seems to have an undersized charging system compared to other vehicles.
I subsequently disconnected the battery terminal and reset the computer and also drove the car for awhile to fully charge the battery and everything is running good again.
Also, Does anyone know where I could get a diagram that details where all the fluids chambers are located in my car? I know where the washer fluid and power steering fluid goes, but I really need to locate where the coolant, brake fluid, and transmission fluid go. Also where do I find the chamber that houses the Freon?
If there is no diagram available, can someone instruct me where all these fluid chambers are located.
Thank you,
gia
I have a 2002 P5 with 40k miles on the clock. Anyone feel that the P5 auto tranny is too quick to shift? I am finding my self constantly hitting the gas in order to downshift to accelerate. I have been using the "Autostick" more and more to combat the annoyance. Just wondering if Mazda would be able to remap the computer in order to alleviate this. I am thinking with all the unneccessary shifts will cause premature wear on the tranny. Any advice?? Thanks all
Good luck,
Meade
Josh
Car runs fine except for that loud ticking sound when I accelerate. If it is the bearing, then is it easy to replace? Thanks, I hope someone can help :confuse:
May I ask why you're running the defroster with the windows down?
If your windows are that foggy that you need to run the defroster for an hour, try doing something that will make your windows defog a LOT quicker -- shut your windows and turn the a/c on while the defrost is on. Bingo, clear windows.
Meade
Meade
So you might call us Mazda fanatics.
Meade
97 Mazda Protege LX. Ran it a little too long after last oil change and the oil got really low. Car shut itself down on the highway a few weeks ago. Now it won't start at all. Turns over, sounds great, but it won't ignite. Borrowed a friend's OBD reader (Autoxray ez-5000) and it reports no codes, it doesn't even know the Check Engine light is on.
I know next to nothing about cars but this is my chance to learn. Unfortunately money is tight and even a tow to a garage is more than I want to spend until I have a better idea of where the problem might lie. Friends who know cars aren't even really sure. Could anyone offer some advice on what to look at please? Thank you.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Does the car leak oil? Oil shouldn't get "low" between oil changes; if anything it will get thin and dirty. How did the car "shut itself down"? Did the engine just quit? Or was there smoke? Hesitation? Noises? Are you connecting the shutting down with the low oil ... if so, was the oil just low, or completely out of the car? Need more INFO!
If you don't know anything about cars, and your "friends who know cars" have looked under your hood and can't diagnose it, it's a little optimistic to think someone will be able to diagnose it here, sight unseen. I would have the car towed to a reputable mechanic and get an estimate. Otherwise, you may waste that tight money on a bunch of "whacks at it" from educated guesses here before the cause is finally stumbled upon. Have someone professional weed out the real problem.
Meade
P.S. You must know something about cars to know where to hook up an OBD reader and check codes!
Your wife must have hit a very wide pothole, a curb or some other hazard in the road to make both front struts leak. As far as the gasket goes, I have no idea. Evidence:
I just traded my 2000 Protege ES on a 2005 Mazda3. My 2000 Protege had 91,100 miles on it when I traded it. I only had one "problem" with the car; at 85,000 miles and some change, I had to replace a strut bushing (not the strut, mind you, but a rubber bushing under it). I paid the deductible on my extended warranty ($50) for it; it would've been about $170 for the job. That's the only problem I ever had with the car since buying it new in May 2000, and I attribute that problem to personal abuse -- there's an off-ramp near my house that is just a little more fun when I push the car hard into it ...
The only time I've ever had a leaking strut was after I lost control of a car in the snow and hopped a curb at about 20 mph. The abrupt jolt to the strut compressed it too fast and made the seal pop out, causing the leak. Of course, the impact that caused it also bent the wheel the strut was attached to. In most cases, struts don't just start leaking on their own. Something has to cause it. I'd be even more suspect since it's both of them. My suspicions are leaning toward a little event that wife never told hubby about.
A couple of people who still hang around here from time to time have had experiences similar to mine. Larry (protegextwo) owned two 2000 Protege ES's, one for himself and one for his wife. He had about 70K miles on them when he traded them for two Pontiac Vibes about a year ago. (We've become good friends and now get together at each other's homes for cookouts, even though he's in PA and I'm in VA). Larry had a transmission problem early on, well within his original warranty, that was covered under warranty. Otherwise, no problems with two of them in 70,000 miles. I'm pretty good friends with several other third-generation Protege owners; the consensus here is that they're very reliable cars.
I think several other lurkers who own 1999 and 2000 Protege ES's (same engine) might come in here and tell you the same thing. I've never heard of one strut -- much less two -- going on these cars in only 66K miles, and the engines on these cars are fairly bulletproof. I've been posting here for five years and I've never heard of a dried-out, leaking gasket on a third-generation Protege. Sorry to hear about your problems, but to answer your question, no, these are not common problems with these cars.
Meade
Meade
Is there any help online regarding the same?
also... it has a turbo gauge and controller.. but there not hooked up... how do i do that...
How many miles on the car? Is it a manual? If so, does it sound like your clutch or transmission are acting up?