Mazda - Protege :: 2002 Engine Overheating / Rattling Noise Behind The Dash


Feb 1, 2011

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.

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Mazda - Protege :: 2002 - Grinding Noise At 3200 Rpm In Every Gear

I have a 2002 Mazda Protege5 and recently it will make a grinding noise at 3,200 rpm (in every gear). It sounds like you touched the side of a rotating drill on a piece of metal or something like that. The mechanic said it was my clutch but my clutch isn't showing any of the tail tail signs of it needing to be replaced and frankly I don't trust the guy. Will replacing the clutch fix this noise? Could it be something completely unrelated to my clutch?

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Mazda - Protege :: 2002 - Mystery Noise Sounds Like A Creaking Or Bumping In Front End

I drive a 2002 Protege5 with about 125K miles. The suspension (struts and mounts) and brakes have been recently replaced and, with the arising of the Mystery Noise, checked by a mechanic as of last week. The noise sounds like a creaking or bumping in the front end of the vehicle, and comes primarily when slowing to a stop, when the brakes are applied or not. The pace slows as you stop. And it is not always predictable: the mechanic could not recreate the noise, but my wife and I hear it all the time.

I'm just speculating, but should we be looking at the bearings, axles, CV joints... or is this going to get even more expensive? What should I ask the mechanic to look at on this thing?

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Mazda :: Protege ES 1.8L - Rattling And Knocking Front End

2000 Mazda Protege ES 1.8L

What's a good way to find whats the cause of all the rattling and knocking in the front end of my car when going over uneven terrain? It seems that noise appears only if one of the wheels is lifted up a little bit. I am attaching a picture describing the "motion" here:

Steering wheel doesn't shake when driving at high speeds and is fairly stiff, but it does pull to the right a bit, maybe because I didn't perform a front end alignment (I know this is not good) after I had most of the stuff in the suspension of the replaced; all 4 struts + boots + mounting blocks, ball joints, control arms...

Now the only part, I didn't replace was the sway bar link on the passenger side and it's being knocking for 3 years. The one on the driver side was replaced at the time the struts were replaced but I didn't have enough money to pay for the other one.

Another mechanic told me when I was quoting that sway bar links aren't really necessary as a safety feature, and a google search showed me that there are people that just take the sway bar off the car, so I left it there and just tried to live with the noise. now I am noticing the driver side is knocking as well, and I am wondering if it has to do with because I didn't replace the one in the passenger side?

I just want to rule out the possibility of another component being the cause of the noise because I am prioritizing safety over ride comfort in my attempts to save some money.

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Mazda :: 2002 Protege 5 - Hesitation At 3k Rpm

Have 2002 mazda protege 5 . During acceleration at 3000 rpm the engine hesitates. Computer said o2 sensor, replaced it but that wasn't it. Drilled out both catalytic, that wasn't it. Found hole in mass air flow tube, figured that is it. I haven't replaced that yet, however I used gorilla tape thinking it would be a temporary fix but that didn't work. I know I need to replace that tube, but think that it may now be a fuel pump issue??

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Mazda - Protege :: 2002 - Won't Accelerate Properly?

I own a automatic 2002 Mazda Protege with about 167,000 miles on it. The other day I was at a stop light and when I accelerated it felt like the car was taking longer than normal to get into gear. I am scared that it may be a transmission problem.

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Mazda - Protege :: 2002 - Battery Light Flashing On?

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?

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Tires - Dart :: 2002 Mazda Protege Pulls To The Right Drastically?

I have a 2002 Mazda Protege DX. I recently had a flat on the front passenger side. The tire was worn and the shop replaced both front tires, rotated them to the back and the ones that were in the rear to the front. So the new tires are on the rear and the the old tires are in the front. When we got the car back it started pulling pretty drastically to the right and on the highway has a tendency to dart (it was not like this when we brought it in). We took it back and they said that it was due to uneven ware on the front and bad bushings. Is this true? And, why would it be fine one evening and start to pull so drastically the next day?

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Mazda - Protege :: 2002 - Recently Started Losing Power Periodically / Misfires

I have a 2002 Mazda Protege' which recently started losing power periodically. At the same time, the check engine light would blink and then stay solid. The dealer diagnosed a random engine misfire and replaced the spark plugs, wires, and coil packs. It cost $500.00. After 3000 miles, the problem has returned worse than before. This weekend it lost and regained power repeatedly in short spans of time, and lurched back and forth as it happened. The check engine light returned as well.

My first question: what do you think this is? My neighbor suspects a clogged fuel filter or fuel regulator.My second question: what, if anything, does the dealer owe me financially?

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Mazda - Protege :: Loud Tire Noise Between 20 And 40 Mph

I read here that some tire noise can be caused by bad belts. How do you know if the tire belt is bad? My tires get loud between 20 and 40 mph. Mechanic says the tires are OK but to replace them to get rid of the noise.

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Mazda - Protege :: 2003 - CEL Came On Again / Engine Without Motor Oil?

I 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?

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Mazda - Protege :: Power Loss And Engine Shaking A Little

'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?

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Mazda - Protege :: Misfire / Engine Hesitate But Only When Idling

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?

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Mazda - Protege - LX :: 1998 - Engine Will Not Warm Up With Driving?

The 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.

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Mazda - Protege :: 1996 - Engine Oil Sensor Leaking

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?

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Mazda - Protege :: 2000 - Wheezing Kind Of Noise When Accelerating

My car just started making a wheezing kind of noise when accelerating. Reminds me of wind being forced through a small hole, or the sound of a balloon being aired up.

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Mazda - Protege :: 1998 - Check Engine Light Is Blinking

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?

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Mazda - Protege :: 1998 - Engine Block Drain Plug Location?

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.

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Mazda - Protege :: Flashing Engine Light Possibly Caused By Low Compression

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?

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Mazda - Protege :: 2001 - Stuck Gas Pedal / Making Noise When Pushed Harder

Lately, when first starting my car and after it’s been sitting for a while the gas pedal seems to be stuck.

When I push on it slightly it doesn’t move; but if I push a little harder it will make a noise and become free and movable. No further problems until it sits for a while or the next morning. Then the same stuck pedal. Exert a little pressure and it frees up.

I tried squirting WD40 on the linkage but it does no good. What could cause it to bind up? 2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 ....

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Mazda - Protege :: 1992 - Check Engine Light Coming On - Rough And Sputter

I 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?

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