The check engine light is blinking on my 98 Mazda Protege. I'd like to purchase one of those little hand held computers so that I can diagnose the problem myself. Should I leave it up to the professionals?
View 19 RepliesI drive a 1992 Mazda Protege. Recently had an oil change and put in new air filter. Recently the check engine light has been coming on. Sometimes it will run rough and sputter a bit when the light flips on and then runs normal after the light flips off, sometimes it seems to run fine when the light comes on, but the light does go off and the car runs fine after it has been running for a few minutes. Shortly before I had my air filter and oil changed I did have an incident at a stop light where the car died and did not restart for a full five minutes, at which point it sputtered for a bit and then got me home.
I took into the local mazda service center and dealer (they were the only ones who had the right kind of connector to pull the error of a car this old), and they said the only code coming up was a p69 which indicated a bad thermoswitch. I have already paid for it but the parts won't be in until Saturday. I have until then to cancel the repair and just pay restock and the original diagnostic fees. Should I go through with this repair, or do the symptoms described indicate something else?
I took our '99 Mazda Protege in for a clutch replacement. The mileage is over 150k. The car was returned with the air bag light blinking and the cruise control and horn deactivated. All were fine beforehand. The shop eventually admitted that they could have broken the clockspring during the repair. They are going to get back to me tomorrow with a quote for the repair and they told me they are going to "work with me" on the cost. I don't understand why I should pay for anything associated with the clock spring repair. Another mechanic told me they had to secure the steering during the clutch replacement and probably forgot to do it, furthermore they should cover 100% of the repair.
View 19 RepliesThe alternator belt recently broke off on my Mazda Protege and by the time I was able to drive it to my local Mazda dealer to have the belt replaced the engine was completely dead. I drove the car about 12 miles after the alternator belt broke. I noticed as I was driving to the dealer that my heater was not working; the fan was working but it would only blow cold air. I know that the alternator belt also controls the water pump, so I tried to keep my engine rpm's below 2000 while driving to avoid overheating the engine. On the way to the dealer the temperature gauge on the dashboard increased to about halfway between cold (C) and (H), which is where it usually sits after the engine warms up.
The belt was replaced, but I have noticed that ever since then the temperature gauge always sits at "C" and the engine never warms up. The heater continues to not produce any warm air. In addition, I have felt the engine with my hand after driving for about 20 minutes, and although it feels warm, it is not nearly as hot as it should be. I suspect that the engine cooling system is continually working for some reason, instead of allowing the engine to warm to its optimal operating temperature and then maintaining the temperature at that level. Because this coincided with my alternator belt breaking, I suspect that the root of the problem is either electrical in nature or associated with the water pump somehow. However, I don't know enough about cars to figure it all out.
Today I went to the gas station and after I gased up and turned the car on my car started idling rough, almost to the point of cutting out. I started out on the road and my check engine light started blinking. After some time it stopped and just stayed on. The whole front end shakes pretty bad when at idle. The car has trouble accelerating till roughly 35-40 mph then seems to ride ok. I'm not very car knowledgeable, but I do take care of my car. I know I need to replace some of my hoses and spark plugs soon, but am worried that it may be more serious.
What I would like to know is: 1. What could possibly cause these issues and 2.
2003 Mazda Protege
I'm in the process of changing the coolant on my 98 Mazda Protege LX. I have the radiator drained and rinsed out. Now I want to get the rest of the coolant out. Where the engine block drain plug is on this car? My Haynes manual shows a picture of the location but It's of a different model.
View 12 RepliesI have a 1998 Mazda Protege LX 1.5 L 4 Cylinder and i have been having some starting issues, and stalling at stop lights.
To be clear i have replaced/cleaned, Injectors, Spark Plugs, Spark Plug Wires, Distributor Cap, Distributor Coil, Air Filter, Cleaned MAF, Cleaned the EGR Valve,
My car won't start in the morning, just gives cranks but if I press gas pedal it starts and have to keep it until engine gets hot enough. then it works till the car cools down again, and repeat the problem in the morning when I have to go to work. When the car is warm it starts fine but has idle issues regardless of temperature. As usual when the engine is cold or cool, it won't start.
Visited 2 different mechanic shops and the problem still exist, I don't know how and what they did it, it only worked for couple of months and the engine noise was bit high, I believe he just increased the idle, When i am at stop lights it has a rough idle and tries to die, When it idles it idles rough, Every once in a while I get a CEL Cylinder Misfire on cylinder 4. I'm confused on want to do , Don't know what else to do and its getting tiring, The car also feels like a lack of power.
I just posted on here a few weeks ago about a flashing engine light possibly caused by low compression getting worse. And it was determined that a used engine would be the way to go because the rings were so bad. Since then I did some research and found that low compression can also be caused by coked rings. I did have a wet compression test done that pointed to the rings as the culprit. But is it possible that the low compression is not bad rings but coked rings instead and that something like Auto-RX might might be worth a try? Is there any way to test for coked rings or are the results from the wet compression test enough proof that the rings are bad without a doubt?
View 19 RepliesI've managed to remove 95% of my driver's side drive shaft but can't for the life of me remove the spline from the transmission. I cut the boot so all there is is the cup with the spline plugged into the gear box. I've pried and pried with a screwdriver and drove a chisel with a hammer in between the cup (not sure the proper term for it) and it wouldn't budge. I'm going to try and track down a puller that will work on this car but that might take days or weeks. I have to work tomorrow night so my question: Will it do any harm to the transmission or be unsafe to drive with only one drive shaft?
View 19 RepliesI have a 2003 Mazda Protege. I had the check engine light come on and took it to my local repair shop. They diagnosed it as a bad oxygen sensor. They replaced it, but a week later, the light came back on. So, I decided to take it to the dreaded dealership and pay for their "expertise". They informed me that the light was a result of a intake hose with a hole in it. They also told me that the vehicle's oil pan was rusty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle did not leak oil. After a week of driving, I noticed spots of oil on my driveway. I checked the oil and it was low, so I decided to have it towed back to the dealership to have it checked out. I assumed it was the oil pan that had not been installed properly.
Today, the service tech informed me that my engine was blown and needed to be replaced. He told me that this cam warped and didn't leak before because the pressure was being release through the rusty oil pan. This sounds absurd to me. It seems to me that what has happened is their responsibility. What could have caused this? A co-worker suggested that more than likely the mechanic could have made a mistake and started the engine without motor oil either after the oil pan was replaced or after the vehicle sat overnight and the oil drained out. Does this seem more logical? If the dealership is at fault, but will not fix it, what can I do?
I have a 2002 Mazda Protege with 74K miles. For the last month the battery light has been flashing on and off, more on lately. When I first noticed the battery light flash on, I took the car to my mechanic and he couldn't find anything wrong with it. Soon after my car wouldn't start after I had it parked for about 10 minutes. It wouldn't hold a jump, so I had it towed to a nearby auto mechanic and had the battery changed. Since the battery change the battery light has still been flashing on and off. Yesterday, after my car had been parked for about 1.5 hours, it wouldn't start again. It made a click-click-click sound but would not start. My car was able to hold a jump this time and I drove it to my mechanic. Once again he was unable to find anything wrong with the car. What might be wrong with my car?
View 2 Replies'99 Mazda 323 Protege. Manual, fuel-injected, 4cyl.
Engine code: CE04D16
So just recently started having troubles with the car. It ran fine then all of a sudden I lost what felt like 15-25% power, and the engine felt like it was shaking a little.
When revving, then engine would shudder. Idle rev went from just over 1000 to around 500. there was very little pickup when increasing speed. I can only assume it is losing a cylinder. But since it is fuel injected, people have been saying check the leads, (from where to where?), the distributor, spark plugs etc etc. Now for the last couple days it has been jumping backwards and forwards, from regular to slow.
What is the problem, can I fix this myself, or do I need to take it to a mechanic?
About two weeks ago I noticed the engine idle start to hesitate but ONLY while idling. I was sort of leaning towards the distributor cap or rotor but that didn't add up because in the past when either of these would go out the car would just die without any warning whatsoever. So I just kept driving it and then tonight when I started the engine it was hesitating a lot more than it had been and also hesitating during acceleration but would smooth out after I would reach and maintain 40mph. The CEL also started flashing on and off. I went ahead and replaced all the spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor with no improvement. Tomorrow I plan to replace the plug wires. The code it's sending is P0302 (misfire cylinder 2). If the plug wire doesn't do the trick and I can't find any leaks on the intake I'm going to try to figure out how to inspect the ignition coil (well, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out since I have two different shop manuals for this car.)
Another possibility for P0302 is low engine compression but I seriously doubt that's the problem because last time I checked the compression all 4 cylinders had above average compression. I doubt the plug wire is going to fix it since the wires only have about 20k miles on them and I don't think I have any leaks on the intake so where else I should look? Oh yeah, just remembered. I also put a stethoscope (actually a screwdriver) against the fuel injector for cylinder number 2 and it was clicking away just like the other 3 injectors so I guess the injector isn't the problem unless it can be faulty and still make the clicking noise. So should I check the injector with a meter or is the clicking enough evidence that it's working fine?
1996 Mazda Protege has 125,000 miles. Checkup this spring noted that the engine oil sensor was leaking, but did not note if a problem. I check the oil monthly with no problems with the oil going down. Many posts about engine oil pressure fixes, but none about leaking issues. What happens if I ignore the problem?
View 5 RepliesI have a 96 Mazda Protege DX. 1.5L engine, now with 161,000 miles. 5 speed manual transmission. I had it for 7 years. Originally bought it for $1900 with 121,000 miles.
This has been a problem for about 5 years. When I am at a red light or idling and I step on the brake, my idle gets rough and my engine feels like it is about to turn off. The idle does not bounce up and down. It just goes down to 400-500rpm from the normal 800-950rpm range.
Again, this only happens when I step on the brake while the car is not moving. It does not seem to happen when I coast in neutral and hit the brake to slow down. I raised the idle a bit, but it still does it. I could not find any vacuum leak around the brake booster and I know the brake booster works because I pumped my brakes while the car was off, and when I turn the car on, the brakes soften up.
Also, my brakes feel weak. I usually hit the brakes nearly to the floor board to stop the car. New pads, rotors are good. Brake fluid is at right level. Mechanics say nothing is wrong with my brakes.
Secondly, my belts screech at every start up. Lasts anywhere from 3-20 seconds. This has been happening for the entire 7 years I have owned the car. Mechanics replaced the serpentine belts twice in that time. Replaced a pulley and A/C compressor. I tried using WD40 but it doesn't effect it. Mechanics tell me that the belt tension is correct and they do not know why it still screeches.
1996 Mazda Protégé, 129,000 miles...
A week ago, generator light went on very dimly when starting and driving a very short distance, then it went dark to normal. Just wondering what would cause this problem, if it is even a problem.
Replaced in 2010...
I drive a 2002 Mazda Protege and it's been great to me until this past weekend. I had a 4.5-5 hour trip ahead of me and Google Maps told me a more direct route (i.e. not using the interstates) would save time. It must have erroneously assumed that the highway comprising basically the entire trip would be speed limit 55-65 the entire way. Instead, I found myself slowing down to stoplights and stop signs in small villages between 15-minute sprints. At some point, the interior heat stops - the air being pulled in from outside is not being warmed at all, no matter what settings I fiddle with. Not long thereafter I notice a rattling noise behind the dash. From inside the car it sounds almost like an animal skittering around in the chassis - irregular, short and clipped. With the hood up and an ear to the engine, it sounds like a piece of plastic fluttering in the wind, but with a faint electric "crackling" quality. Soon thereafter the check-engine light illuminates.
Before long the engine overheats and I pull over to the side of the road. Nothing appears to be leaking, and the crackling sound is the only thing noticable. Being in the middle of nowhere, I jumped back in and proceeded to drive at about 35-40, which was warm on the engine but enough to get me to a small town. At this point I checked the coolant reservoir and it was empty. Bought some from Wal-mart, poured it in, and headed out. Things looked fine at first since the engine had sat cold while I was running errands, but pretty soon it was overheating again at speeds as low as 30mph. After getting it towed to my destination, I took it to a garage the next morning. They couldn't find anything wrong with it, and indeed when I drove it back to the hotel that morning the engine behaved normally, the check-engine light was off, and the interior heating was functioning properly.
The next morning, when it was time to depart (but again after an entire night of sitting in the cold), a 20 minute drive to breakfast was smooth as before. Thinking that the mechanic had either waved a magic wand or I'd gotten extremely lucky, I hit the highway and did 65 for a good 20 minutes until the engine began to overheat again. Slowing down to 45 bought a few more minutes to find an exit, but eventually I had to pull over. Popping the hood, I notice the coolant in the reservoir is bubbling to the top! Thinking the mechanic might have added more and overfilled it, I cursed him in absentia. After a good fifteen minutes of cooling off, the coolant settled and in fact drained the reservoir entirely; I refilled it to the line and, again being in rural snowtopia with few options, decided to hit the road again. Not wanting to tempt fate, I stuck to 55mph and the car ran fine for an hour and a half (with the interior heat blasting, per a friend's advice). I stopped once to check the coolant and all was as it should have been - just below the line I'd filled it to earlier. Closer to a city, I decided to experiment again and took the speed up to 60mph.
This was great for 20-30 minutes but eventually the engine began overheating ever-so-slowly and I had to pull over, let it cool off, and replace another full reservoir's worth of coolant that had disappeared before I kept going. I drove the rest of the way home going no faster than 55mph and stopping on occasion to check the coolant. It overheated once even while doing 55mph, but a 15 minute break + coolant refill bought it the rest of the trip. In summary: Although not 100% correlated, going faster than 55mph seems to trigger the engine overheating, at which point the rattling noise appears and the coolant begins to bubble its way back up the reservoir (like it's boiling?!). I'm not sure how the coolant is disappearing because I'm unable to find any leak, nor is there any extra exhaust that would suggest it's burning.
Why does the check engine light come on for no reason in my 1999 mazda protege 1.6 ....
View 9 RepliesAfter idling for a while the check engine light has come on and stays on. I have a 2005 Mazda RX8. the car has 44000 miles on it,
View 1 RepliesI changed my plugs a few days ago on my 96' Taurus GL 3.0LI checked under my hood to check the recommended gap size and it said .42 to .46.. I went with .46. after putting them in i started the car up just fine, but later in the day i noticed when I came to a stop at a red light my car would sputter and my check engine light would start blinking. When I'd accelerate and drive it again everything would clear up and the light would stop blinking. I didn't change the wires, just the plugs in case you were wondering but I am unsure of how much that would influence my problem. Today after work i had a little trouble starting my car. After a few tries it started and my exhaust smelt rich in gasoline. Did i gap them too much? Should i get new plugs again and regap them? should i buy new wires also?Is my ignition coil going bad?
View 19 RepliesIt's a 2010 vw jetta. Check engine light is blinking and the epc light is on the car is not paid off yet have no.
View 19 Replies