Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

oskwi · July 2005

I, too, had the same problem with my '01 ES. The "silence" has only happened once and when I re-started the engine after running an errand, the radio worked fine...odd I thought, but I haven't had any problems since. The problem also occurred when I inserted a CD while the car was stationary.

Good luck with your job search.

autonomous · July 2005

The same problem happened two years ago and the dealer changed the whole system. ... Do I have other options; fixing, other brands etc?

You may want to check chapter 9 in the service manual protege5.ugly.net; there's a lot of diagnostic information in the OBD section (09-02B). Also, I would call the dealer and explain the situation to them.

dzechel · July 2005

The solution to your problem is probably the MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR. Mazda Proteges made in certain years up to the year 2000 have had a recall on this part (they sent out a letter to me a couple of years ago which I filed away and forgot about until recently). Why do I think it is this? I had the exact same symptoms (plus had a check engine light indicating something to do with the O2 sensor) and was changing out O2 sensors, spark plugs ...basically wasting my money and time. I then gave up and took it to my Mazda dealer who found the problem right away. They fixed it for free because Mazda added a 7 year/100 000KM extended warranty on the mass air flow sensor. If you don't know where this sensor is, it is the little black module sitting on top of the hose leading to your air filter.

dzechel · July 2005

The solution to your problem is probably the MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR. Mazda Proteges made in certain years up to the year 2000 have had a recall on this part (they sent out a letter to me a couple of years ago which I filed away and forgot about until recently). Why do I think it is this? I had the exact same symptoms (plus had a check engine light indicating something to do with the O2 sensor) and was changing out O2 sensors, spark plugs ...basically wasting my money and time. I then gave up and took it to my Mazda dealer who found the problem right away. They fixed it for free because Mazda added a 7 year/100 000KM extended warranty on the mass air flow sensor. If you don't know where this sensor is, it is the little black module sitting on top of the hose leading to your air filter.

phil_tr8 · July 2005

Hi, I am interrested in buying a Protege 5 and I'd like to know where I should look for possible problem: brakes, engine, trans. air, electrical ? . What are the usual or not so usual problems with this car? Should I get a 2002 or 2003?
Thanks, Phil

lizz · July 2005

My 2000 Protege with 32,000 KM just had the radiator replaced due to a leak on the bottom tank (made of plastic now apparantly). The Mazda dealership didn't offer any compensation & Mazda Canada was the same - out of warranty - out of luck. I would have expected that a radiator wouldn't need to be replaced at this stage in the game. The car is active despite the low mileage (city & highway). Does anyone know the average operating life of a 2000 Protege radiator?(e.g. # miles or # years = rad should be replaced). Anyone else had to replace the rad under similar circumstances & get compensated? Tips welcome!

compensate · July 2005

Sounds like the water pump might be the issue with the info you described (whining sound is likely worn water pump bearings).

If the 95 Protege is like our 99 Protege, the water pump is a SERIOUS replacement job, since it lives under the timing belt. I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself as you may mess up your timing and cause engine damage.

compensate · July 2005

That link for the 2002 Protege Repir Manual is great!

Is there such a link for the 1999 Protege anywhere? If not, will this 2002 manual be applicable to our 1999 Protege for the most part?

And what is the difference between the "FS" and "ZM" vehicles? There are different sections for each of the types (of engines?)?

Thanks!

mdaffron · July 2005

Phil, you might want to try the Protege5 discussion.

Meade

autonomous · July 2005

Five years does seem premature to me for a radiator to rust out; the radiator on my previous car (Toyota Corolla) lasted 10 years and was inexpensive to replace. Perhaps I was lucky and 10 years is exceptional. It would be surprising if your dealer covered an item beyond the stated warranty period. How much did the repair cost you?

With 32K km (roughly 20K miles) your 2000 Protege does not appear to be driven frequently. Does that mean that it sits most of the time in a garage or that you simply drive a few kilometres per day? Did you follow the prescribed coolant replacement schedule? I have not seen the radiator on this vintage of Protege, but I would be surprised if it was made of plastic; perhaps this is a reference to the fan or maybe some housing holding the radiator. Is your car showing signs of rust in other places?

As one mechanic once opined, "one of the worst things you can do to a car is not drive it."

mdaffron · July 2005

And the plastic radiator in my 2000 ES was still going along right plastically when I got rid of the car at 91,100 miles.

There's a lot of factuality in that comment about not driving a car being one of the worst things you can do to it. Things need to run, and run often, for seals, engine and transmission parts, and other stuff to be lubricated. Otherwise you've got a rust- and corrosion-prone hunk of steel, rubber and plastic sitting in your driveway.

Meade

chicagopro · July 2005

The radiator in my 2000 Protege ES was replaced under warranty at ~25,000 miles (I noticed I had been losing coolant).

The dealership had no good explanation as to why it was leaking, and so far that's been the only non-wear or accident-induced repair the car has needed....currently at ~46K.

Good luck, lizz!

zoom zoom king · July 2005

I have a 99 lx pro and lately ive felt like it was takin more power to accelerate thought it was missing but no sign of that i need some help could it be weak plugs

airlifter1 · July 2005

I have an '01 Pro ES with ABS. Yesterday I replaced the front rotors and brake pads. Other than it was a real PIA to get the old rotors off (gear puller, hammer, much swearing) the overall results are great. However, there is now a knocking/thumping sound when I apply the brakes. I have heard that new brakes may need time to "seat" themselves. Is this what I'm experiencing or do I need to be more concerned?

autonomous · July 2005

You may want to check chapter 4 on Brakes in the online service manual for the Protege at http://protege5.ugly.net/

mycar70 · July 2005

Hello everyone,

I have a 1992 Mazda Protege SE that I bought 1 month ago, two days ago when I started my car down the road it was pulling back as if it wanted to stop untill I changed from D to 2nd( it is an automatic) it stopped.

But when I parked it at my destination and decided I wanted park it well, it would not start. I left it there till after 2 hours came back and tried to start the engine again and it was working, next day same thing. Now this morning I start it, took it off and then started again now it won't start and since this morning it has not started at all.

Would that be only the engine or maby not enough oil,even though a few days ago a gas attendant checked for me and the oil was at a good level.

The only lights that came on when I start is on the Right side all the usually lights comes on, like: BELTS,BRAKE,BATTERY, OIL ; the Left side has a picture that says CHECK
.
This is my first car that my husband bought for me and I do not know much about under hood but I'm ready to learn everything, so that in the future I know what too look for.

Please help!

autonomous · July 2005

This is my first car ... and I do not know much about under hood but I'm ready to learn everything, so that in the future I know what too look for.

Well in that case you have a great tool, the online service manual for the Protege at http://protege5.ugly.net/

When the car was purchased did your husband have it checked by a mechanic you trust? You may want to do this in order to ensure everything is in working order before you get any more surprises.

gew95001 · July 2005

An update.

It turns out that it was not the water pump at all. There were actually two problems. First, the upper radiator hose had been replaced by somebody for the previous owner and they had not pushed it all the way on - it was leaking coolant. Easily fixed. That did not explain the ringing or whirring sounds though.

I discovered what these were the hard way. As I was driving down the highway I suddenly heard a belt squealing. I pulled off to the breakdown lane and the engine quit, but not before some smoke had issued from under the hood. The lower belt (for the AC) was almost off, and had been the source of the squealing. The auto shop told me that the AC compressor had seized, and that it would be a $1050 repair. I told them not to do it. Without the belt the car will run fine, but I don't have power steering, and in the '95 Protege that means you'd better have some good upper body strength to turn the wheel at low speeds.

I've done a little research comparing the auto body shop's quote to costs of parts and found that there were big differences. They told me that a replacement compressor (without the clutch, for which they would charge me separately) would be $595. They did not specify if that was new or remanufactured. They did say (after I told them not to do the repair) that the only other option was a used compressor off an old Protege, which they were not sure they could find. A remanufactured compressor (with the clutch) costs $248 (for a factory model) or $395 (for one made by another company). That's a big difference from the $595, especially when you take into account the clutch.

I'm going to try to find out how reasonable their quote is (it just doesn't sound right) before I do anything.

jrdwyer · July 2005

I had a new A/C compressor and cluth installed in 2002 for $516.95, which included tax, recharge, and all fees. The compressor/clutch was $360.00 from Mazda. They told me that they could not get a new clutch by itself, hence I got the new compressor with new clutch. I had the work done at a reputable tire/brake/cooling shop. Labor came to $111.95. Works fine. Hope this helps.

'95 Protege LX, 5 spd., 185K miles

mazdafun · July 2005

Check plugs and plug wires first. New plug wires should have an impedance of only 2 k-ohms. Mine were reading around 6kohms when I replaced them at around 60k miles, and I didn't notice any loss of power.

Check plug gaps (check your manual...I don't recall the proper gap range), and the connections between them and your wires.

Check your air filter. A dirty filter will noticeable drop your power.

After that, I'd take it to a shop. Faults in the fuel system, emission controls, exhaust and other systems could cause loss of power. A good shop manual will offer a trouble-shooting table that you can reference by symptom.

mazdafun · July 2005

I'd take it to a shop. Those lights come on for a few seconds every time you start your car. They stay on if the engine doesn't run and the ignition is in the "on" or "run" position.

It could be as simple as a dead battery, or it could not. That's the first thing I'd check (and have the charging system checked at the same time). Old batteries, even if they seem to provide enough voltage when checked with a multimeter, often can't provide enough current, which can lead to loss of power, then non-starts. Between discharges, they recover a little, so that may explain why you were able to start once after letting it rest a couple of hours. Hopefully, that's all it is, as it would be a simple and inexpensive solution.

See if someone can scan your car's computer for any error codes. Some auto parts stores offer code reading as a free service. A shop may charge you for 0.5-1 hour of labor to do the same thing. Any logged codes may give the mechanic a place to start looking, but they also need to know any symptoms you can report.

gbowles · July 2005

Hello All. I have a 1995 Protoge with 150K. Its a fantastic car and I've had it for a year. I've put just over 10k on it and have loved every minute. However, at this point, its running / idleing very rough. Did it suddenly the other day. Very hot here in Indiana. I've read through all the forums dealing with the 1.5L DOHC. Its seems that this could be the EGR valve, the O2 sensors or the MAF/MAS. Could someone help me narrow this down? Are there specific / suttle differences between the failure of the 3 different items above?

Put new plugs / wires / cap / rotor on the car about 5K ago. Rechecked that. Looks great.

The car will start and idle somewhat rought, only slightly rough at idle. If you drive it REALLY, REALLY easy, it won't jump and jerk too much, however, anything more than very slight throttle and it feels like wet plug wires! Its REALLY bad. Not as bad when you first start, much worse after the engine is warmed up.

Also, I can get it rolling and at a certain speed / throttle it will surge.

I reset the computer (disconnected battery cable) then reconnected thinking Check Engine light would come back on. It did not.

The car has never used any oil or smoked so I'm betting against the EGR valve.

Anybody have any experience with this? Also, if the Check Engine light comes back on, how do I read the codes without an analyzer?

jrdwyer · July 2005

I'll second the hot weather. I'm down in Evansville, IN.

As far as trouble codes with the check engine light, you will need a code reader for the '95 as it is OBD2. Auto Zone stores will do this for free. They will also print out the possible causes for the code light and try to sell you a part that may or may not fix the problem. It is one place to start the troubleshooting. Another option is ALLDATA on the internet. For $15 you get everything Mazda has reported to its dealers concerning TSB's and the fixes for them. Also, the Haynes manual is pretty good for some of the repair procedures for this car. You can either buy it for $15 of find it at many libraries. And you have probably seen the link to the Protege5 shop manual.

As far as you specific idle problems, I can't say for sure. On my '95, I replaced the O2 sensors at around 100K. This was in response to a check engine light. I replaced my EGR valve at around 150K. This was in response to pinging upon acceleration. Just recently I replaced the neutral switch that was bad and caused a low/eratic idle and the check engine light to come on. I have not had a surging problem. I currently have a bit of a shudder problem in higher gears at lower end RPM's caused by my clutch finally wearing out. Is your car a manual or auto? ALLDATA shows many more issues with the auto than the 5 spd.

Manuals will specify the tolerances for many of these sensors so you can check them with a multi-meter before spending any money replacing them. The secondary O2 sensor is particularly expensive. Also, the EGR valve gets caked with carbon deposits over time and it's easier to replace with a new one than clean it out.

mazdafun · July 2005

Cleaning it out can be a pain as little its of carbon still fling around and jam it after a cleaning. I've had to bring my car back 3 times for bits of carbon jamming the EGR valve after the cleaning.

A new one would've only cost about $100 more. In retrospect, I think I would've replaced it. Even though they didn't charge for the subsequent cleanings, and drove me back and forth to work, it was still a hassle.

duda0010 · August 2005

I am having the exact same problem with my 94 protege dx. Have youe figured this out yet?

jonl1 · August 2005

1995 Mazda Protege. Standard transmission. When getting going in the morning the car lurches violently forward and backward in first gear. I immediately shift to second gear and not nearly as bad if nothing at all. Once I get going the lurching stops. After about 5 minutes of driving, no more lurching at all. This is fun for my two year old in the back seat but I know better! Any advice?

idontknow · August 2005

i put in 10w-40 oil tonight and now my car shakes and goes put put put and the check engine light is on. what is wrong and am i going to have to drain it and stuff?? ahhhh i dont know what to do. young kids like me shouldnt have cars

ha

mdaffron · August 2005

How many miles are on the car? Could it be clutch time?

Meade

jonl1 · August 2005

115,000 miles. Possible. The problem is isolated to first start up of the day. If you think it might be a clutch, how much do those run for this car? Thanks in advance.

angela9 · August 2005

Todd.. what was the final analysis to this problem.. my 99 protoge with 28k on it is having the EXACT same symptoms.. Please reply A.S.A.P.. my email is in my profile.. thanks

mazdafun · August 2005

The oil change should not have resulted in those changes in your Protege, unless the level is really off (way too low or way too high). I'd check to see if any vacuum hoses may have come loose (one that fed into the EGR valve body came loose on mine and it caused very rough idle and a loss of power...I clamped it on with a nylon cable tie). I'd also check the air intake and make sure everything is screwed together. I'd also check the spark plug wires to make sure they're well-connected and haven't broken down (check impedance....I think anything under 6000 ohms is OK....new ones measure around 2000 ohms).

gregori · August 2005

In an earlier post, jrdwyer makes reference to a link to the Protege5 Shop Manual, but I haven't been able to locate it. Just got my Protege5 last night, and would like to get all the info I need to keep it in top shape. TIA for your help...

alternator · August 2005

Go to http://protege5.ugly.net/

Scroll down page and download each file, starting with 00-00, 01-02a, etc.

After all 87 files are on your hard drive, open the 00 INDEX file to find where a subject of interest can be found

And, best of all, it's free

gregori · August 2005

Great - thanks a bunch...

joeyc · August 2005

Hey I just got a 1992 DX auto and it just started flashing the hold light. Could some one please tell me what the hold light means and if i should keep driving the car. thanks a million

JoeyC

alicia3 · August 2005

I am having problems getting my 97 Mazda Protege to pass the Vehicle Emissions Testing. At first, my check engine light was on, and it read my catalyst emissions were high (or something like that) I took it to a mechanic and they told me they could not find anything wrong. So now, my check engine light is off, but the VET says they cannot get a reading from my OBD because my computer is not communicating. Is this a serious problem. I have been back and forth and here and there trying to figure out what is wrong - My car runs absolutely perfect!! We have tuned it up, changed the oil, checked the idle, everything is okay, but my computer is not communicating - Could it be a fuse? :confuse:

autonomous · August 2005

I believe I read somewhere on this forum that one can go to an Autozone or Pepboys shop and ask them to check your OBD for free. I'd call ahead to see if that's true where you live. Failing that, I would consider calling a Mazda dealer; you would think that a Mazda mechanic would know the answer.

alicia3 · August 2005

Yes it is true of Auto Zone because when my computer did work my engine light was on - but now that my computer isnt communicating, even auto zone cannot tell me because it will not bring it up on their machine. I hope I do not have to replace the computer, I would buy a new car before I do that, which is something I would rather not do! Just trying to get some clues here!

mazdafun · August 2005

It's on automatic transmission equipped Proteges that offer the "Hold" function. It's meant to keep the transmission engaged in the gear it's currently in when you activate the "Hold" function (with some restrictions).

If the light is switching itself on intermittently, it could be a bad connection that's causing it to activate. You don't notice the transmission delaying shifting into different gears, do you?

jamesgbarry · August 2005

Look on the shaft of your gear shift lever. There is a button labeled "hold".
You have accidentally punched this button. The purpose of "hold" is to prevent the automatic transmission from shifting into the highest gear. You might want to use this feature if you are coasting down a long decline to use engine braking to save brake wear.

jamesgbarry · August 2005

It could be that your catalytic converter has been damaged by something such as too much unburned fuel got into it. If it is not working right you may be failing the emissions test even though your car runs fine.

jamesgbarry · August 2005

There's a couple of other components in the iginition system you need to check: Coil, igniter, and distributor. I am not sure whether you have a separate igniter. At some point they moved it to the pcm.

fishytaco · August 2005

My 2002 Protege (78k miles) sat for a little over a week while I went out of town. Got back, started up the car and the idle was very rough with the check engine light on. I get it checked out and the code points to the EGR valve.
Would the valve just need a cleaning? If so, what cleaner is good for this? From reading the forums, the procedure to clean the valve does not sound too difficult.
Has anyone had to replace this valve on the 02 Protege? If so, how much did this cost and did you have to go to the dealer for replacement?
By the way, a big thanks to alternator for providing a 2002 Protege Workshop Manual. This will defiantly come in handy!
Thanks everyone and I look forward to your responses.

cobbster · August 2005

I have a 1992 Mazda Protege and I just had the transmission rebuilt for the second time at 238,000 miles. For the most part it works great other than the fact that it shifts hard or clunks out of 2nd gear. Once out of 2nd gear everything is fine. Our mechanic is baffled. He rebuilt the transmission at 80,000 miles and we never had any problems. Any suggestions as to what may be causing this.

Thank you,
Cobbster

cbrb4 · August 2005

I have the same problem- frozen AC on 95 Protege with a broken belt. What size(lenth in inches) belt did you use? thanks for your help.

unckbobby · August 2005

I have a 98 Protege LX w/ 118K miles. I let my sister take the vehicle off to college, and she has brought it back with some problems. While Idling, the car will begin to vibrate, and then seem as if it is lurching foward. It only happens while in gear, and stops if I place it in park or neutral. Any clues?

autonomous · August 2005

I just had the transmission rebuilt for the second time at 238,000 miles ... rebuilt the transmission at 80,000 miles

A transmission expert was commenting on an autoshow this evening that the "transmission on the average modern car is engineered to last about 150,000 miles". It sounds like your rebuilt transmission worked up to spec.

mazdrvr · August 2005

Hi, I have a 2001 LX 2.0 w/ 52,400 mi. on it. Several months ago,every once in a while while driving and slightly accelerating, I can feel the car get "stuck" then all of a sudden it'll rev up and jerk. Now, along w/ that, it seems that I have to accelerate more for it to go, especially going up inclines (even slight ones) but also regular roads too. Even if i'm stepping on the gas, the engine will not be not reving any extra and, the car is accelerates so slowly to get up to the speed I want (like trying to get up to 45 mi. from a stoplight) and I will have the pedal to the floor. *(By the way, i'm not a speed demon and flooring it everytime I drive!) What can be causing this?

autonomous · August 2005

There could be a few things, but if I had to guess it may be your throttle body being clogged up ... one way to find out is by having a diagnostic test done.

woddy · August 2005

I just bought a used 2002 Protege5. Its beautiful and I love it, but it has developed a worrisome problem: The shifter is a bit stiff. As I drive, it gets progressively more and more difficult to shift from any gear into another. At first, I thought it just had a "tight" gearbox - more of a "characteristic" than a "problem". But after driving around town for a while, the gearbox gets so stiff that it is clear to me that something is wrong. Any thoughts?

Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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