Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

fishmonger · September 2005

I have a 1999 mazda protege that i purchased brand new.Recently when i drive for a distance 50 miles+ the passenger side carpet are soaked.It does not happen all the time but when it does it is a lot of water.The windshield has never been replaced.Im thinking it's something with the A/C.

If anyone has had this problem, and how to fix, it would be greatly appreciated

mdaffron · September 2005

mrpig,

It's pretty straightforward. Just pop the housing cover off (pry it up gently with a flat-bladed screwdriver), then twist the little bulb assembly out of the lens counter-clockwise. The bulb, if I remember correctly, is a press-in/pull-out type.

Meade

mdaffron · September 2005

Good Lord!
Good Lord!
Good Lord!
Good Lord!
Good Lord!

:sick:

Ya only gotta hit "post my message" once!

Anyway ... yes, it does have something to do with your air conditioning. The drain line from inside the car, which exits through the firewall to "drip" outside, has gotten clogged. Get under your dash on the passenger side, find the little tube, find where it connects up under the dash, pull it off and blow it out. Good as new.

Meade

mrpig · September 2005

Thanks abunch, that saved me at least 20 bucks of just going to the mechanic ^_^

fishmonger · September 2005

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Sorry about the repeated post's still a newbie to this.But thanks-a-bunch:)

gwestley · September 2005

Is there a manual online for a 1998 Mazda protege ES (1.8)?

Thanks, Greg

gwestley · September 2005

I have a 98 ES and have had acceleration problems and replaced every ignition component. The O/D light will flash on and off and the car will accelerate and decelerate. If I pull over it stops. I also have idle problems, and a popping sound in the front end. No mechanic can fix these yet.

autonomous · September 2005

http://protege5.ugly.net/

mdaffron · September 2005

That's for the '01. He's looking for a '98 manual. Depending on what he needs it for, the '01 manual may not be applicable.

Meade

autonomous · September 2005

Yes, I know, Meade, but I figured it's a good place to start. An alternative is the printed Haynes/Chilton manuals.

p.s. how's Ophelia affecting your neck of the woods?

mdaffron · September 2005

Man, I wish she'd leave. We haven't gotten much rain here (maybe a half an inch total -- we're about 100 miles inland), but it's been very cloudy, very warm and VERY HUMID the past few days. You can't see out of any of the windows in our house -- they're like sweaty soda bottles -- and walking outside is like walking into a sauna. Gotta love that tropical air.

My younger brother lives down in Chesapeake -- about five miles from the ocean -- and he's been battered by on-again off-again rain, wind and just basically miserable weather the past few days. But the storm hasn't come very close to Virginia -- mainly the Outer Banks of NC. She's pretty small and weak for a hurricane/tropical storm too -- it's her slow pace that's made her a mess because of all the rain she's dumped on NC.

What I don't want to see is another Isabel like in September '03. That monster was twice the size of Ophelia and came grinding ashore as a Cat 3, and took a track right across Central VA -- in fact the remains of the eyewall came right over my neighborhood. We were lucky; we were the only house on our block that didn't have at least one tree fall on it that night. We lost power for more than a week, and for the first time in my memory we also lost telephone and water service. Richmond was a mess. Despite the lack of tree damage, I will never forget the sound of the wind as Isabel moved through that night. We had gusts upward of 80 mph that shook the house and roared outside -- it made you feel really, really small and insignificant in the world, lemme tell ya! I've lived here basically all my life, and Isabel was the first hurricane in my 40-year memory that was still a hurricane that far inland.

To give this post some semblance of Protege-ness, I will say that I moved both of our Mazdas (at that time my Protege ES and my wife's Protege5) out into the street, away from potential limb damage, etc., during Isabel. It was interesting looking out the front windows at them during the height of the storm. The rain was pelting them sideways, and my car looked just like a test car in a wind tunnel -- I could see the rain going up the hood and windshield and swooping over the roof and down behind the car. And I've never seen bugs cleaned off a bumper so well without any scrubbing! If we have another Isabel, remind me to soap the car up before the rain starts.

:P

Meade

autonomous · September 2005

And I've never seen bugs cleaned off a bumper so well without any scrubbing! If we have another Isabel, remind me to soap the car up before the rain starts.

We can always count on you to find an angle. Good to hear you and yours are safe and sound.

p.s. believe it or not, some of that hot humid weather has crept all the way north into Canada; it's like an extended summer some days; that'll teach me to pack up the shorts too soon.

mdaffron · September 2005

We can always count on you to find an angle.

Thank you, my liege!

I was a newspaper reporter, you know. :shades:

Meade

meach7 · September 2005

I let my ex drive my car and damn if she didn't blow it up. Now the mechanic told her she would have to buy a new engine and they would put it in for 700 but i don't trust him. She said that it overheated then there was a loud pop and white smoke started coming out of the tailpipe. It tries to turn over but i don't know what is exactly wrong with it I was told it could be something to do with the head gasket by another person. it's a mazda 323 protege with the 5 spd manual transmission. :sick:

Mr_Shiftright · September 2005

that sentence was supposed to read: "it overheated and then I immediately shut off the car"....

too bad.....so what's $700---labor to install used engine or $700 for head gasket repair? $700 isn't going to buy you a new or used engine.

alcan · September 2005

"Now the mechanic told her she would have to buy a new engine and they would put it in for 700 but i don't trust him."

Did you consider getting a second opinion from other than the internet?

dowlearn · September 2005

hey bob- i have a 2000 mazda protege and the exact same thing is happening to my car and I would really appreiciate if you could help me by letting me know what it was that fixed your car.... thanks so much- kendra

pro2000 · October 2005

I own a 2000 Protege Lx with 56,000 KM.
Just lately when I start my car i here a whistling sound and when I step on
the gas i hear like a purring sound. Also there is some kinda smell. Just
totally baffled.

pro2000

autonomous · October 2005

A wild guess: check your belts.

pro2000 · October 2005

Just the other day my battery died on me. Bought a new battery. The noise it still there. But I think the alternator is shot. When I rev the engine I hear the sound and smell something from the alternator. How can this be possible with only 56,000 kms on my car? I thought an

alternator can last for like 7 years.
hmmmmmm....

mdaffron · October 2005

You certain it's the alternator that's smelling funky?

Sure, an alternator can last 7 years. They also can last 7 days. These are electromechanical parts. I've had them go more than 100,000 miles (in my Mazda pickup), and I've been through three in 100,000 miles (in my Hyundai Excel). Like an old chicken commercial used to say, Parts is Parts!

Meade

nyccarguy · October 2005

My wife has a 2000 Protege ES automatic that just hit the 69,000 mile mark today. I noticed a few things weren't right with her car.

At speeds of 70 mph+, the steering wheel starts to shimmy a little bit. Maybe there is a tire out of balance? The car tracks straight on the highway though.

When the car is stopped and in either R or D, I hear a squealing noise (it shakes too) coming from the front of the car.

Any ideas as to what is going on?

pete22 · October 2005

Don't know the problem. I have a 2000 protege with the same problem and am being it to the dealer in a week and 1/2. Let you know then. An electronic place I spoke to on the phone said it's probably the mechanism in one of the doors that controls the power doors (forgot the name he said), he said if only one goes bad it screws up the whole mechanism. Going to Mazda since they will tell me the problem for 45 dollars and apply it to the repair if I do it, the electric place wanted 70. I did call the parts department and was quoted 91 dollars for the part but I think the labor involves taking the door apart and is pricy. Will let you know.

autonomous · October 2005

Maybe there is a tire out of balance? The car tracks straight on the highway though.
Are your tires properly inflated? Any strange wear patterns on them?

When the car is stopped and in either R or D, I hear a squealing noise (it shakes too) coming from the front of the car.
If the squeal happens while you're in Park or Neutral then I suspect its something other than your wheels.

nyccarguy · October 2005

Tires are properly inflated. No strange wear aptterns that I can see.

The squeal happens when the car is in D or R. I don't think it has anything to do with the wheels either.

Thanks.

I'm going to take it in sometime this week.

brando8844 · October 2005

I have a 2002 Protege ES 2.0 auto, 72,000 miles. The problem is sometimes from a stop it will rev high and slowly gain speed, just driving down the road it sometimes acts like its running out of gas it will sputter and jerk and barely move and die, It seems to do it when it warms up, but sometimes it can drive for an hour and be fine. It died in the middle of a highway intersection, could have killed me! I took it to an import mechanic and he replaced the fuel pump, plugs, wires, air filter and cleaned the injectors (&wasted alot of money) and said he couldnt fix it. I am about to burn it and collect insurance and buy a $3 KIA! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! :mad:

alcan · October 2005

Manual or auto trans?

mdaffron · October 2005

His post says "auto."

I was going to suggest plug wires until I read that the previous mechanic covered that -- just make sure he really did change them, OK? That's what it sounds like to me.

Have you tried taking the car to a Mazda dealership's service department? If anyone knows the car, Mazda should!

Meade

alcan · October 2005

"sometimes from a stop it will rev high and slowly gain speed"

About the only thing I know of which will cause that is the auto trans slipping.

safesaxbdd · October 2005

I have a 98 Protege LX, 78,000 miles. When I go over certain bumps, there is a scary rattle coming from the exhaust pipe area or possibly the trunk area. I think it is a loose exhaust...could this be a common problem? Is there an easy fix?

autonomous · October 2005

An 8 year old car is bound to have a few rattles. Could it be a rusty harness/fastener? Anything visible hanging underneath around the exhaust area? Any of the piping sagging suspiciously? Have you installed a new muffler since you bought the car?

luv2zoomzoom · October 2005

Hi, my baby-01' Protege sedan LX 2.0, amonth ago (at the most) had a early 60,000 tune-up (@ 53,000), tires balanced, inflated, and rotated as well as the air conditioner system evac. The accelleration prob. I had did improve alot but there is still some hesatiation but no getting stuck and jerking. My air condtioner still has a smell (musty) to it; is this normal even though it was serviced? Also, I get alot of steering wheel shake even after the balancing, etc. I was told by Discount Tire that it was because my wheels (alloy 15 x 7) were heavy and that it could become uncentered and cause this. ??? My biggest concern is that my car eats gas very fast! Theres nothing leaking underneath. The ohter night the tank was filled up. Drove around (less than 25 miles) and it ate a quarter tank. The next day I drove a total of 73 miles all day and its now down to half a tank. I already spent alot of money for the above maintenance and I don't want to spend more trying to figure out what is going on. Is there a specific thing to ask to be checked when I take it back to the dealership? Thank you in advance!!

mazdafun · October 2005

Other things to check:

Mass Airflow Sensor, O2 sensors. Either system going out could adversely affect your fuel/air mixture, which probably accounts for your really bad mileage. That's assuming your fuel gauge is working properly. Fill up your tank again to confirm actual fuel consumption.

A stuck EGR valve can also cause poor fuel economy. So can worn rings or cracked cylinders. Do you detect increased consumption of motor oil?

Usually in the service manual, there is a troubleshooting chart, based upon symptoms.

The musty AC is more permanently fixed by removing the condensing chamber behind the dash and thoroughly cleaning it out. Check to make sure the drain line is open.

Bigger, heavier wheels are more sensitive to out-of-balance conditions. On some cars, the lugs are used to center the wheels. On Proteges, centering rings (usually plastic on alloy wheels, so they wear) are used. You might want to check the centering rings for wear (if they're even there). The mating surfaces on your hubs may be damaged, so inspect them too.

luv2zoomzoom · October 2005

As usual, thank you so much!! I'll have those things checked out.

94protege · October 2005

You mentioned it was the disk on the steering wheel, was this replaced too and why did they have to replaced the horn as well? Appreciate your reply.

mazdafun · October 2005

You'd notice rough, unsteady idle (almost stalling at times), decreased power output, hesitant acceleration (and rough too) and much, much lower MPG. At least those were the symptoms my Pro experienced when its MAS failed. It monitors incoming airflow. This data is used by the main computer to set fuel/air mix and idle speed.

Your problem with the slow shift from 2nd to 1st may have to do with a bad speed sensor on your AT or a bad torque converter. The sputter might be related to a failing MAS.

What's a gas tank heat shield doing under the engine compartment? Perhaps they meant the catalytic converter heat shield or the exhaust manifold heat shield. Either could shake loose (loose fastener) or crack, either of which will produce a metallic rattling noise. If you could, get your car onto ramps or on a lift and knock on these heat sheilds (and anything else you suspect so long as you don't damage it

) until you find some reasonable suspect(s).

djan · October 2005

I have a 2000 Mazda Protege DX that recently cuts off everytime I come to a stop or make a turn and have to stand on the brakes to stop. When it does run, it runs jerkily.

cheeshead6 · October 2005

On my '02 sedan, I noticed a few weeks ago that pushing the Overdrive Off button produced..nothing. No light on the dashboard as had been the case before.

Has anyone else developed this problem? Or have an informed opinion as to whether it's a tranny problem or just a glitch in the warning light?

mothershelper · October 2005

My mother in Minnesota has a Mazda protoge (c. 1991) with a horn problem characterized by the horn occasionally going off by itself when she's not in the car. I searched the 'net on this problem and found that sometimes it's an issue with the horn relay and other times it's an issue with the horn switch. One person, replying to a forum post where someone described a horn problem, said:

I'm hoping the problem is with the horn relay, which is cheap and easy to repair. If the problem is with the horn switch, as seems likely since you whacked the horn button to make it stop, don't let them talk you into an expensive repair. There are cheaper ways to deal with this. Check back here with more information.

Before her appointment tomorrow, my mom would like to know, what might those "cheaper ways" to deal with a horn switch problem be, please? I neglected to make note of the URL of the forum where I found that post, so I can't ask the person that posted that statement. So, I'm posting here hoping someone can help.

Thank you.

mdaffron · October 2005

Well, forget about the light. When the overdrive's off, does it stay out of overdrive?

Meade

miket1 · October 2005

Just wondering if you ever found a solution to your squealing belt problem because I have not? My problem began after a routine timing belt/water pump replacement and hasn't stopped since even though I have taken it back in 6 times with 4 new belts, 2 new alternators, 2 new water pumps, and many headaches. Thanks.

tdc1 · October 2005

I've had exactly the same problem. and it's begun just lately, with cold. See this, from Car Talk:

Dear Tom and Ray:

The temperature in my Minnesota town at 3 a.m. last night was minus 20 ... which was still not as cold as the letter of rejection I recently received from Harvard's Graduate School of Education. But I digress. At 3 a.m., I, along with others on my block, awoke to the blowing horn on my girlfriend's 1991 Mazda Protege. This is the third instance when the car's horn sounded at an odd hour of the night, and it doesn't stop until the car is warmed up and has been running for 20 minutes. After breaking my pen in a mad attempt to pry random fuses from the fuse box, I discovered that the horn fuse also powers the brake lights. So, removing the fuse is not a good option. What's the deal? -- Dave

Tom: I think it's your girlfriend's father, Dave. He's out there leaning on the horn.

Ray: There are two possibilities, and they both have to do with cold weather. Things shrink when they get cold, Dave. It's possible that during the coldest part of the coldest nights, your horn relay is closing on its own and making the horn blow.

Tom: The horn relay normally gets closed when you push the center pad on your steering wheel -- the relay then activates the horn under normal circumstances. But when relays get old, they can close by themselves. The relay is located under the dashboard, to the left of the steering wheel. So, the next time this happens, reach under there and start pulling out relays until the noise stops. Or, if you'd prefer, you can go buy a new horn relay for about $10 and pop it in there in advance.

Ray: If a new horn relay doesn't fix the problem, then it's probably the horn pad that's shrinking in the cold and completing the circuit. The horn pad on your steering wheel is separated from the contact ring by four little springs. Those springs might have worn out over the years, or it might just be so cold that the plastic horn pad itself is shrinking enough to make the contacts touch.

Tom: You can pop off that horn pad with a screwdriver, and you can probably find replacement parts at a junkyard. Just don't leave the car unattended, though, Dave. They might mistake it for "incoming."

Mr_Shiftright · October 2005

If this is an air-bag equipped car, I don't think prying off the horn pad with a screwdriver is a very good idea.

tdc1 · October 2005

Good point. That year Protege doesn't have an airbag in the steering wheel, though. At least my 1992 doesn't. And it turns out that, at least on the '92, the horn pad isn't pried off, but comes off easily by removing three screws from down underneath.

Also, for anyone who needs to do this repair, there are no springs to go bad, but instead a buffer of what looks to be 1/4" foam that simply collapses a bit over time. It's easy to repair; I did it today. It cost me less than a dollar to repair (assuming it is repaired!), and took maybe an hour.

a) Remove the three screws from behind (underneath) the horn pad housing.

b) Pull off the horn pad (triangular-shaped center with logo on it).

c) With the housing then exposed, you'll then see a triangular copper sheet. Remove the smaller screws that hold it in place. Carefully.

d) Lift out gently, just a couple of inches,. DO NOT try to remove it all the way yet.

e) You'll see a wire running from the copper plate to a connection in the base of the metal housing. Pull the pressure clip at the base end of the wire off its connection (take care to leave the connection to the copper plate intact).

At that point the plate and what it's joined to can be removed. You'll see that you have a sandwich made of the thin copper plate that sits directly under the horn pad, a sheet of foam about 1/4" think, and the thicker copper plate underneath that, everything held together with two little plastic rivets.

IF you can locate 1/4" foam, the repair is as simple as can be. The foam is not easy to find at crafts stores and the like. You may have to go to an electronics store and beg for leftover packaging material.

f) Pop out the plastic rivets that hold the sandwich together ( I did this by pushing with a plastic spoon, so as not to break the rivets).

g) Very gently remove the thin copper plate from the foam. They're attached to each other with spray adhesive that's meant to give way; but still... be careful.

h) Use the old foam buffer as a template/stencil for drawing outline of the same same holes in the new foam.

i) Cut out the holes in the new foam, and make sure they match the ones in the old foam. The electrical wire will need its hole, too.

j) Put the sandwich back together, rivets last. It's worth the little extra expense to use spray adhesive for the three parts; don't spray it on thick, and let it dry a couple of minutes before sandwiching everything together (too soon and they're stuck for life; you just need a tacky surface to preclude slipping, not a solid bond).

k) Reattach the electrical wire to the base with its clip.

l) Reassemble.

civiletti · October 2005

How about the air conditioning compressor?

danielleinbmor · October 2005

Hi Cheeshead6,
I had the same problem with my '02 protege. I bought it in July and then noticed the button didn't work. It didn't seem like a big deal, as the car was always in overdrive. However, the car was still under the manufacturer's warranty, so I took it in to be fixed. The dealership said that the overdrive switch was broken, so they replaced it. Light works fine now and I can turn the OD on and off. So, it is more of a glitch than a transmission problem.

neworlinsderek · October 2005

djan, i've been having the same problem with my 2000 Protege LX, 83K miles... for the last month or two, when a brake to a sudden stop, i stall or sputter to a near stall...

i "feel" like my gas mileage has been poorer in recent months as well, but i have no measurement of that being the case and i don't know if it's a related symptom.

trock2 · October 2005

When my car is cold it will start just fine, but when it warms up and i shut it off it wont start back up until it cools down. The engine will turn over, but it wont start up. It seems to flood. I replaced the fuel relay sensor. I tested the Electronic Fuel Injection, and it works fine. help please!!!

alcan · November 2005

How exactly did you test the electronic fuel injection?

gabe252 · November 2005

Hi,
I have a similar problem, noise when in R or D, not in P or N.
Did you get any diagnosys from the dealer ?
Thx,
Gabe

Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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