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Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • barich1barich1 Member Posts: 143
    You might check your coolant temperature sensor. If it has failed and thinks the engine is cold at all times then it would inject way too much fuel for warm starts (which would cause flooding).
  • sinfullsinfull Member Posts: 2
    My switch on the dash board has broken and i cant seem to located the vent under the hood. can someone please tell me where the vent is located so i could shut it. winter is coming need to keep the cold air out.

    Thanks
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    If you're talking about the flap that controls the flow of outside air into the cabin, it's located inside the manifold behind your dash. You'll have to take your dash apart to get to it.

    A possible work-around is to block off the inlet ports, which should be under the grill between the hood and the windshield.
  • sinfullsinfull Member Posts: 2
    Thanks alot for ur help it help alot
  • concettapconcettap Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Protege LX w/ 170,000 miles on it... I've been very happy w/ the car, except when I lost the rear main at 65,000 but I had extended warrenty so it wasn't all that bad... However... about a year ago it blew a plug... The hubby (not a mechanic) tapped and drilled a sleeve into it and it worked.

    About a month ago... I stopped at a stop sign, and when I went to take off... it sounded loud.. like muffler loud. It's not loud in nuetral, reverse, or when the clutch is in. You can rev the motor and it's just as quiet as any new car out there. It's only loud when you are in a driving forward gear. The hubby checked the muffler and all that stuff twice.. no holes or anythin.

    A week later... The car started spitting and sputtering... idleing hard, hard. Did a tune up on it... it run beautiful (but loud) for a week. then it started spitting again... brought it to Auto Zone.. (those guys are GREAT!) tested the car... got message that the o2 sensor and gas flowage thing... changed one of the o2 sensors.. drove nice (but loud) for another week. Spitting again....?

    Other than...bring it to a mazda dealer(lost my job) any suggestions? :cry:
  • 7magic7magic Member Posts: 9
    Hi,
    I wish I had some information for you. I have the same problem with a 92 protoge. Fuel pump does not run when the key is turned on. If i jump it it runs fine. Now I am also not getting a spark. I replaced the igniter, no luck. Returned the igniter and bought a distributor, fuel pump still would not run , car fired, stalled and again no spark. Returned the distributor. I also can get the pump to run through the diag. port under the hood. Pump also runs after cranking and key is turned off. Read in code book that if one of the sensors is shorted it can shut down the ecm without blowing a fuse or setting a code. I am hoping since your post was in june that you found the problem. This is driving me nuts. Please respond either way. Thank you.

    Magic
  • 7magic7magic Member Posts: 9
    Ok, heres the scoop. I have a 93 protoge. Recently it would not start. I did not hear the fuel pump run when the key was on. Checked the pump it runs fine. Also jumped it from the diagnostic connector under the hood. Also not getting spark. replaced plugs and igniter and nothing returned igniter and bought a distributor, still no fuel pump, engine cranked started and stalled no spark again. returned distributor. Fuel pump runs for a split second after cranking and key is turned off. Read that if one of the sensors is shorted it can shut down the ecm and not blow a fuse or set a code. That is my next plan of attack is to check every sensor. I have read these symptoms on other posts, but have not found a reply. If you have anything please post or email me directly Mgcmn@optonline.net Thank you

    Magic
  • paulg1paulg1 Member Posts: 1
    I am starting to have the same problem with my car, What did you find out

    All help would be greatly appreciated
    thanks
    :sick:
  • 7magic7magic Member Posts: 9
    I haven't found the problem yet, but will post when I do.
    Greg
  • miket1miket1 Member Posts: 6
    An air conditioning compressor might be my next focus, but am dreading the expense. Any idea of the cost for this? Can it be tested before fixing/replacing? Or could I bypass the compressor pulley and just run my power steering with a shorter belt? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
  • rblassrblass Member Posts: 1
    on the front disk brakes there are two metal collars with expandable rubber boots on each end that the bolt go through which hold the caliper on. the top one, on each side of the car, can easily be slid in and out so that i can relube it. however the bottom one on both sides of the car do not move more than just a little bit in and out. what is the secret to get the lower collars to move. have already soaked then in PB blaster.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    If this is the setup:
    http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d801452e7.gif
    there's probably corrosion in the bores of the calipers pinching the rubber bushings inward on the slide pins. Remove the calipers, work the bushings out, clean out any corrosion in the bores, coat the bores with silicone grease, then reassemble. Should be good to go.
  • civiletticiviletti Member Posts: 86
    I'm not looking at the pro engine now, but if eliminating the a/c compressor does not eliminate the tensioning mechanism of the belt, a shorter one circumventing the a/c should work. As far as a test, you might try removing the belt and turning the a/c pulley by hand to gauge resistance or spinning it with a motor [drill?] to detect any improper noise.
  • lifeisrich1lifeisrich1 Member Posts: 9
    When my '91 Protege LX has sat a day or so, it will just die after going three or four miles. It will not start although the engine turns over as normal and dash lights are normal. I've pushed and pulled every wire I think around the engine.
    Wait five minutes and it starts and then runs fine. And I can stop and start it without problem. Only when it sits for a day or so will I have the same problem.
    Today it died. To experiment a little, I squirted some starter fluid into the air cleaner and it ran for a few seconds and stopped. I did that three times. Then after 5 minutes or so it ran fine. This means it is a fuel problem?
    A helpful mechanic said with something like this he did not know how to figure it out. He said perhaps it could be the igniter or main relay. He said just start replacing things.
    The distributer costs three or four hundred with maybe another hundred to install. I don't want to incur that expense it unless it is bad.
    Can anyone help with this? Thanks in advance,
    Rich
    Huntington Beach, CA
  • lifeisrich1lifeisrich1 Member Posts: 9
    The Protege died again and I tried the starter fluid again and this time it did not work. The engine did not run for a few seconds after getting a shot of starter fluid. Tried and failed at this three times. So this time it appeared to be a spark problem and not a fuel problem.
    So darndest thing - the problem can be either a fuel problem or a spark problem I guess.
    Again, thanks for any help you can provide.

    Rich
    Huntington Beach, CA
  • 7magic7magic Member Posts: 9
    Hi Rich,

    I would like to say that i have found the problem, but no luck yet. I have tried replacing the igniter and the distributor. neither worked, luckily i was able to return them both. Distributor was $180and igniter was $100 @ autozone. I was able to return them because they were not the right ones Hint. I am not getting a spark or power to the fuel pump either. If you can jump out the diagnostic box under the hood and the fuel pump should run. As soon as find the problem I will post. I know it will be a simple solution, but I will be darned if i can find it. Scan tool says that any one of the sensors if shorted will shut down the ecm without generating a code or a blown fuse. That is my next step. Check each sensor. Good luck

    Greg
  • 7magic7magic Member Posts: 9
    Hi,

    You seem like you may have some imformation that i could use. I am working on a 92 protoge for a friend that has no spark and no fuel. I replaced the igniter, nothing so returned igniter and got a distributor car started ,stalled, and again no spark, luckily i was able to return the distributor. I changed plugs, they were totaly shot, i figure wires are pretty bad to, but whats with the fuel. the pump runs if i jump it from the diagnostic box. I am sure it will be an easy fix, but have been unable to locate. Have you had this problem? Thanks for reading

    Greg
  • 11b33t11b33t Member Posts: 51
    Anyone ever need to lube the tracks for their seat belts? My 91 Pro has the passive restraint system and being in the desert for 7+ years may have aged the lube in the tracks. OK operation when its warm but cold weather makes the belts move like pond water! Any tips on a good lube/grease?
  • audprogeaudproge Member Posts: 6
    Miss fire on my 2001 Protege LX 2.0 I have had a month of trouble with the CEL coming on and a miss fire on two of the cylinders. Have had the fuel system cleaned by two different mechanics. Also have had a ignition coil changes and also a catalytic converter replaced. Have tried diffent kinds and brands of gas, plugs look OK and plug wires look OK. any help on this one??
  • juerjuer Member Posts: 2
    I first started having fan blower problems 2 summers ago. The fan would stop working for a bit than jump back on. The A/C worked fine as exhibited by the fact that the car would cool down when I was driving at fast speeds. Last winter the fan popped back on and worked until last summer. Again, all this summer the fan would pop on and off. The fan would die and remain dead for longer periods of time than the previous summer. Now that winter has started the fan has died again. It very rarely pops back on. I have found this to be worse than a fan not working in the summer! Heat is a bit more essential than AC! Similar to the summer situation, the heater itself seems to works fine. If I am going fast on the highway, heat pushes its way through. I would greatly appreciate any advice you could offer about the origin of this problem.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Have you tried a Mazda garage? Did you have a scan done?
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Any help on this one?

    Yep. Change your plug wires.

    Meade
  • tiz7070tiz7070 Member Posts: 3
    I just started having the same problem in my 2001 protege. The fan will work in the 4 postion but not the 1,2,or 3. I'm not sure if it is electrical with the acutal fan or the switch itself. If you find out any info please let me know. Thanks, Tiz7070
  • hweaver99hweaver99 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 99 protege and during some bad weather I slid into a 3ft stone wall only going about 5mph. :blush: The car is fine except for a cracked front drivers lens and a crack in the bumper. The weird thing is that my windshield wipers quit working. I checked the fuses and that's not it. I also checked and there is nothing blocking the wiper arms. Does anyone have any suggestions. I would greatly appreciate them. Thanks
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Did you try them for more than a few seconds? There's a protection feature built into the wiper circuit in case of overload (e.g. if they're frozen to the windshield when you turn them on, etc.). I got to experience it on my 2000 Protege unintentionally last winter. Once you try them and they don't work due to the protection feature, it will be about a minute -- maybe two -- before they resume operating normally. (And you can't just leave the wiper switch in the "on" position and wait for them to start back up -- they have to be switched off, wait a few minutes, and switched back on again.)

    Just a suggestion in case you tried to get them to work for only a few seconds. If this isn't the case, I have no idea what's up with your wipers.

    Meade
  • audprogeaudproge Member Posts: 6
    Yes...it is there now they are at a loss as what to do as the engine computer says multi fire missfire. It does not act up on a regular basis so they are driving it every morning to see if it does it. Is the scan you mention the read out of the engine computer?
  • audprogeaudproge Member Posts: 6
    Done that...they called it an ignition coil and charged $130 but i double checked that the plug wires were included and they said yes.
    Thanks
  • bluem6ibluem6i Member Posts: 77
    I had a problem with the A/C cutting in and out on speed # 2 with my 2002 LX. The dealer replaced the fan module under warranty in the spring and I haven't had any problems since. They said there was a service bulletin on it. I did have to go back to have the cable adjusted because it wasn't getting as cold as before.
  • juerjuer Member Posts: 2
    My problem is a bit different, as I either have NO fan our a fan that works on all four settings. However, in my blog searches for answers to my problems, I often came across descriptions similar to yours. According to multiple sites, your problem is with the blower resistor. On one site, a person with a 2001 took their car to the Mazda dealer and they replaced it parts and labor for $60. I would go in with this knowledge and not let them take you for much money.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    computer says multi fire missfire. It does not act up on a regular basis so they are driving it every morning to see if it does it. Is the scan you mention the read out of the engine computer?
    Yes. It sounds like a multiple cylinder misfire (P0300). Not being a mechanic I can only surmise the problem is happening in several cylinders and your mechanic is trying to detect which of the four cylinders are affected. What are its symptoms (sluggishness, strange noises, etc.)? Did it start happening recently?
  • tiz7070tiz7070 Member Posts: 3
    Juer,
    Thank you for your response. After I did some research I contacted my nearest dealer in Burlington VT. I spoke with a service manager and the parts manager. They did confess it was pretty common problem. I ordered A relay and a resistor for 35$ it is located behind the glove box.
    I sure hope this works. It was -4 this morning. Having the fan speed on 4 is a bit loud ....but I guess its better than no fan. Anyway I'll try and get some info from the dealer when I pick up the parts.
  • audprogeaudproge Member Posts: 6
    We are pretty sure it is 1 and 4. The car gets sluggish and you can feel the missfire kick in, then the CEL Blinks during the episode, then missing stops and the CEl stays lit. As usual as soon as the car gets close to the dealership all is well with the engine. He has tried to drive it in the morings and cannot replicate the problem. Mechanic is getting less interested in trying to fix as they can not bill for a problem they cant find. I do believe it is the same cylinders missing so most probably rule out fuel system troubles ie dirty fuel or bad line type of problem. New wires to cylinders so not sure what direction to go as electrical should be OK
  • tiz7070tiz7070 Member Posts: 3
  • lifeisrich1lifeisrich1 Member Posts: 9
    Hi Greg-
    Have you had any luck with the sensor idea? This would work well with my situation - my Protege stalls after about 10 minutes when started from cold every time - a sensor would pick up block heat in consistent fashion, time after time. Let me know if you've had any luck with sensors. I'm thinking I'll just unplug one sensor at a time when my Protege dies - when I find the bad one, the car should run, right? Thanks again,
    Rich Locasso
    Huntington Beach, CA
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I recently traded in my 2000 Protege ES for a 2005 Mazda3. I still hang out here, though, and answer questions when I can. My 2000 Protege was my third Protege (the first two were 1992s), and I put 91,100 miles on it before trading it for the 3.

    To get to the point ...

    About a year after I bought my Protege, Mazda issued a recall for the ignition coil. It covered 1999 and 2000 Proteges. No one ever found out why the coil was replaced -- the new one looked just like the old one too.

    Has your dealer checked your VIN to see whether the recall applied to your car, and if so, whether it was performed? I would "assume" -- since you say you've been doing your diagnostic work at a Mazda dealership -- that this has been done, but hey -- you never know, eh?

    Just a thought.

    Meade
  • bocatripbocatrip Member Posts: 194
    I have an 02 Protege with 59,000 miles. I have replaced all 4 tires 17,000 miles ago with BF Goodrich Traction T/A Vs and after 17,000 miles the rear tires are both worn completely down on the inside treads. I had the car aligned right after the purchase of these tires. I now ordered two more and just wanted to know if anyone else has had any issues with the rear tires wearing unevenly., These tires are expensive ($100+ each) and I am not wanting to repeat this next year. Any help would be appreciated. Also, I know the recommended replacement for timing belt is 60,000 miles. Have any of you replaced it at a later date or had any failure prior to 60,000 miles?
  • civiletticiviletti Member Posts: 86
    Were the rear wheels aligned? Usually only the fronts are done.

    My "99es hasn't hit 60k yet. I will probably wait until ~80k to change the belt unless there is some other need to get into the engine.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    02 Protege with 59,000 miles. I have replaced all 4 tires ... with BF Goodrich Traction T/A Vs and after 17,000 miles the rear tires are both worn completely down on the inside treads. I had the car aligned right after the purchase of these tires. I now ordered two more

    More questions for you:
    Were your previous tires wearing in a similar way?
    Were the tires rotated during the 17K period?
    What range of tire pressure (psi) did you use?
    Did the dealer or someone else do the alignment?
    Did you speak to the people who did the alignment?
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    The only 2 possible reasons for rear inner tread wear are either excessive negative camber or excessive toe out. I'd like to see the printout of rear alignment settings.
  • amauryamaury Member Posts: 3
    Hi, I have a 96 protege es. I recently replaced the accessory belts because the alternator/wp belt snapped while I was driving home on the highway (luckily I live off the highway).
    Upon replacing them I noticed they still squeeled - a lot. So I rechecked the tension and all the bolts and they were to specs (both belts). I looked up the info on the autozone website, which said for new belts - 8-9mm is what they should deflect for new belts.
    So driving home from work tonight, I noticed the lights got dimmer, then the tach/speedo stopped workinig, abs light popped on for no apparent reason while hitting the brakes, and the airbag light flashed on/off every now + then. From experience, the car seemed to be running off the battery and only the battery - which meant the alternator wasn't putting any juice. I'm assuming its the belt again, since the car was also starting to overheat slightly (alternator/waterpump belt).
    Now, I'm going to get another set of belts from Mazda (I used belts from advanced auto, which looked kinda shady when I got them, but I had to put them on the car when its 20 or so degrees outside). If anyone could recommend a better way of doing the belts (I don't have a factory svc manual for the car). Like whats the proper tension, as mazda recommends.
    The other thing that bugs me about the car, is that it didn't flash a Charging system light on the cluster whereas last time it did??
    Also, the car randomly throws a Check Engine Light for something in the TCC Circuit, car drives fine, but that thing keeps flashing every once in a while after I clear it.

    Well, anyways - sorry for the long post. I had a long day and this just added to it. Thanks.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Remove the belts then spin the alternator and all accessory pulleys by hand to check for any bind or excessive resistance to rotation. Almost sounds like an alternator bearing is starting to give up the ghost.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 16,373
    my wife has an '00 Protege ES with 70K miles. while the engine is still "cold," the car makes a grinding noise whenever you push the gas down at low speeds. It even does it when the car is in park if I rev the engine a bit. What could this be?

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • amauryamaury Member Posts: 3
    UPDATE:
    Last night the car wouldn't even crank over, this morning she fired right up. Then after shutting it down a few minutes later, wouldn't fire up at all.
    Looked at the battery and it was - to put it nicely - pretty old. Swapped the new battery in, car fired up no problem. Belt squeeling stopped, drove it around and the car was perfectly fine.
    Untill, on the way to work, noticed it started to overheat - only on the highway (@ constant speed, low rpms). When driving locally (off the exit), car cooled down(??). Going out on lunch, car drove fine - didn't overheat or nothing - odd. Leaving to go home, started the car and let it run for about 20min before leaving - fine, fired right up, didn't overheat, no belt squeels, no odd noises (could hardly tell it was on).
    Got on the highway going back home, started to overheat again (this time hitting the 3/4 mark and a lil higher), lights began to dim - but the car didn't do the christmas tree thing it did last night. Got home, car started to cool down off the exit (the heat it put out didn't change at all vs. when it didn't overheat), drove it home - car ran fine. Parked it, shut it off then tried to fire it up - again - battery seemed drained.
    Possible alternator AND waterpump faliure??? Seems odd, the belts are still on and are as tight as they should be, alternator pulley and waterpump pulleys were turning when I checked it this morning (after the battery swap). If the alternator seized up wouldn't it burn or rip the belt after running for a few minutes? Atleast I would've smelled something odd. I know when the car is running with almost no charge, dead battery - wierd electrical problems occur (flashing dash lights, tach + speedo die out) - would it be possible that the temp signal gets messed with (or am I being too optomistic?). I dunno, this car has some wierd problems.

    CLIFF NOTES:
    -Replaced battery this morning, car drove 100% pefect.
    -Car operated normal when driving on local roads.
    -Upon entering the highway, car oveheats(??) and alternator seems to fail to charge the battery(??).
    -Exiting the highway and driving locally (low speed + stop+go traffic) - car cools down(??) and runs normally.
    -Getting back home, the car wouldn't fire up (battery drained) - this after putting in a new battery the same day.

    I'm going to try and fire the car up tommorow, and disconnect the + terminal on the battery and see if it dies out, if it does - then I'll check the alternator. As far as the overheating issue on the highway, then cooling off when I slow down (which doesn't make sense to me). Thats another issue I would like to look at (since the wp is ran off the same belt).
  • amauryamaury Member Posts: 3
    Ok, tested with the voltmeter this morning:
    Jumped to start, checked voltage @ normal idle.
    -Battery Connected: low 13v, sometimes 13.5
    -Battery + Disconnected (alternator): 13.5v varies up to 13.8v
    -Battery Only: 12.5v @ the battery

    Running ONLY off the alterenator, car idles + runs. Upon putting any electrical load, the car stalls out. Hitting the brakes was enough to almost stall it. Headlights on, forget it - car stalled instantly. This is all by running off the alternator (battery disconnected). I'm going to look into another alterenator (more $$$ spent on this thing :lemon: ) unless there's an external voltage regulator (which I doubt :cry: ).
  • 998broadway998broadway Member Posts: 2
    Hello! I would like to replace the wimpy horn on my 2002 Protege. I know it's behind the front grill but couldn't discover how to remove the grill without almost breaking it. Do someone have a step-by-step procedure for replacing the horn?? Thank You.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    step-by-step procedure for replacing the horn?
    Check the instructions online at http://protege5.ugly.net/
  • 998broadway998broadway Member Posts: 2
    Thanks autonomous!! That's exactly what I was looking for!
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    The rears on my Protege are noticeably cambered in. I suppose it's to make fast turns more stable, but it can lead to more wear on the insides of the treads.

    However, I rotate my tires every time I do an oil change (at 5,000 miles), so it's not been a problem for me. I did notice faster wear when I had the tires at 34psi. Dropping that back to 32psi took care of that.

    You can adjust the camber to be more neutral, at the expense of some handling prowess. But if longer tire wear is your goal, then that will help. So will staying close the 32psi inflation pressure.
  • classicbuffclassicbuff Member Posts: 18
    My '02 with 76k is doing the exact same thing. Did it turn out to be the EGR Valve? Did you fix it yourself, and if you did, how difficult was it?
    Thanks!
  • marsalinasmarsalinas Member Posts: 2
    have you got an answer? I am having the same problem
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