The idle speed is higher than normal, about 800-900 RPM. Whenever I stop for the traffic light, the engine will behave as if someone is pressing the gas pedal intermittently. It has new spark plug wires and coil.
View 8 Repliesabout a week ago, I noticed my stick shift sitting a little lower than normal, and now I have to actually engage clutch, then pull upward on the stick shift before I can shift gears without a problem, if I do not pull up, the car just won't shift.
View 9 RepliesI have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES (1.8L) with 120k+ miles and an automatic transmission. The car drives well at speed, but when sitting at stops it will shake a little, sometimes worse than others. Often the RPMs drop to below the lowest tick for a split second before recovering, very much like when driving a manual transmission and not pressing the clutch in enough. Even when the RPMs are steady at a stop, it shakes enough to rattle a couple of the plastic parts in the dashboard.
Recent history (some likely unrelated, but I'm no expert):New air hose (one from the air filter to the engine) in September. RPMs were falling at idle more often than they are now, there was a decent sized crack in the hose. RPMs stopped falling as often, but has idled roughly before and after.New radiator and thermostat in April (overheated on the interstate and cracked open).New spark plugs and wires last fall after one cylinder wasn't firing.For the last couple years every fall when it starts to get cold, the alternator belt squeaks and I tighten the bolt a little each morning until it stops (usually after 2 days, maybe 3 - the alternator itself is on a long bolt that adjusts the belt tension).Every 5k miles I have the oil changed with high mileage oil and tires rotated/balanced.
I took it to a garage a couple weekends ago after the check engine light had come on earlier in the week. I reset the computer and the light never came back on, so I lost the chance to have the code read, but there weren't any other symptoms beyond what I'm used to. The mechanics at the shop said they couldn't find anything specific causing the rough idle and suggested replacing some or all of the motor mounts, which are weak. They didn't seem confident that would fix the problem, and neither am I, as I don't see how weak motor mounts would explain the low RPMs as well as the shaking.
I 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.
1990 Mazda Protege with a 1.8L DOHC, manual 5-spd transmission, ~173K miles on it. On my way home the other day, the car ABRUPTLY started to run very rough - with what I would call repetitive and incessant stuttering when accelerating (though I am by no means technical with respect to cars). I shut the car down, hoped the problem would go away, but when I started it up later that day, the problem was still there - the car BOTH idles rough and doesn't accelerate very smoothy. When I come to a stop, the car feels as if it's going to stall but stays running. This afternoon, I took it out on the road for ~3 mile drive (up to ~ 50 mph) and the problem is the same - but I did also notice, when driving, that the car gave off a smell reminiscent of firecrackers - perhaps a sulfur-ish smell. I googled the issues I was having and I got a whole array of problems - ranging from simply bad spark plug wires (which have been replaced in the past 1.5 years) to a stuck EGR valve .
Here's some additional info on my car: -Was just in the shop 2wks ago for overheating - found the thermostat to be bad - they replaced it and I no longer have the overheating issue. While there, they also replaced the belts for the alternator and water pump (Which had been squealing for quite some time) -Spark plug wires and distributor cap were both replaced in the last 1.5 years -Last oil change was > 6 months (but less than 3000 miles) ago - all the fluid levels seem to be fine -Though I think it is unrelated, the car is also making a high pitched squeaking noise emanating from the R front of the car while driving - I suspect this is the suspension-related as the shop informed me that I have one front stablizer link broken while the other is loose (and when I push down on the R-front side of car while it is not running it yields a similar squeaking noise.
I have a 1999 Mazda Protege. As of last summer it started giving me problems with not wanting to start after I had driven it around town for a little while. (IE: to the grocery store, to the bank and then to my sister's house. It wouldn't give me the same problem if I just went to the grocery store and back home. It would start up fine and I'd be on my way. Only when I went somewhere and shut it off then repeated that a couple more times.) I took it to a mechanic who wholeheartedly believed it was the coil packs not allowing my car to function properly.
So we replaced those and everything seemed on the up and up. (Keep in mind that this was towards the end of summer and the temperature was dropping.) The car was perfect all throughout the fall and winter, but now that the temperature outside is starting to rise again it's beginning to do the same thing it did last summer. I don't want to take it to another mechanic that's going to have me dish out an extravagant amount of money again only for the problem to persist.
When I rev the engine it momentarily goes down to below normal idling speed (sometimes it completely shuts off)then goes up to normal idle. I have found that if I press the throttle too hard before it recovers it always shuts off.
View 1 RepliesI have 1999 Mazda Protege that has a transmission fluid leak. I took it to a transmission shop close by, and they said it is either the torque converter or the front pump. I also have oil in the coolant reservoir, which I was told they wouldn't be able to tell where the oil is coming from until the leak is fixed.
My question, is what could have caused either the torque converter or the front pump to leak? Wear and tear and old age? Or could it have been caused by something else?
I realize at some point I will just have to decide, but any input on whether it's a worthwhile fix? The shop quoted me $787 for the front pump, and said the torque converter would be a few hundred more. That's not taking into account the possible issue with the radiator from the oil in the coolant reservoir.
The car has approximately 160,000 miles on it. The catalytic converter will need to be fixed at some point in the future, the O/D light is flashing (though I'm not sure if it's related to my transmission problems at all), cruise control doesn't work, and the drivers side mirror is broken...
My 1999 Mazda Protegé has the hiccups ...every now and then it loses power for a fraction of a second. It lasts just long enough to feel it clearly, but it's gone before I can think about it. Very distinct sensation, but it certainly doesn't push me against the seat belt. It's been doing this for over a year (about 5-7,000 miles). No Check Engine Light has appeared at any time. The timing belt was replaced a few thousand miles back.
Yes, I've had it to a mechanic, a trusted local one. I even left it with him for several days. The car won't hiccup for him. I sometimes notice it around town, but I notice it more when driving on the highway (which has probably been over half my mileage in the past year), but I'm still disappointed that it won't do it for him. He suspects a spark plug wire -- he says it's probably only one cylinder based on my description -- but doesn't want to start replacing the wires if he can't diagnose it.
Recommendations? Should I just replace the wires and figure if that doesn't do it, it's part of the cost of diagnosis? (This much I should be able to do myself.) Should I try something else? Actually, as I think about it, he could have been encouraging me to replace the wires myself.
I have a 1999 Mazda Protege. In the mornings when I start my car, it revs in park, but the rpms go down when I put it into reverse and back out of my spot. When I put the car in drive, however, it will not go forward for at least 5 seconds (time has been increasing). I can press the gas and the engine will rev, but it takes a long time to actually get my little car moving forward. Is this a new transmission problem? I love this car and live in fear of having to replace it.
View 4 RepliesI bought a 99 Mazda Protege ES two years ago. About eight months ago, i noticed that my rear passenger tire seemed very low. Not flat, but very very low. I filled it back up to 32psi, as recommended in the owner's manual. Then in June, it seemed low again. I bought a pressure gauge, checked all my tires and filled up the one that was low (14psi). Throughout the summer and early fall, I would check my tires once a month and the rear passenger tire would always need air. Now it is the end of October and I've had to fill the tire up three times in the past month.
Obviously, I need a new tire. My question is: is there a viable way to fix a slow-leaking tire? Or do a need to buy a new one? Also, can I just buy one tire?
I've owned this car for a year and a half. A few weeks ago, my car stopped running while i was idling. It started back up without a problem. When I got home, I saw that the coolant reservoir was empty and i topped it off. last week, a faint white smoke came from the hood while i was driving. When I got home, I saw that the coolant reservoir was empty again, so i topped it off again. This morning, the faint white smoke appeared from under the hood again. The coolant reservoir was full and there were no visible signs of leaking anywhere.
View 2 RepliesI 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 RepliesWhenever I start my 99 passat a really loud vacuum noise is heard. along with the noise the engine idles higher than normal. when the noise goes away after a couple minutes it idles at the normal speed again... what the problem is?
View 3 RepliesI got this "Failed MAF" along w/this "circuit condition or idle speed is higher/lower than expected" codes when I hooked up my car, what does this mean????
View 3 RepliesSo I just bought a 2002 Elantra with 72k on the clock (legitimate) and I'm having issues where the car will start fine in the morning and idle normally, however, say I come back to go somewhere else about two hours later, when I start it the car will rev up to 3k and stay there for about 3 seconds and jump down to normal idle speed. What's the issue?
View 7 RepliesHave 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??
View 5 Replies2000 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.
it was over 100 degrees today in Lawrence, Kansas and on the way home from work, the air conditioner stopped making cool air. Hot air now comes out. This is a different problem that the poster before me seems to have. Mazda Protégé, 1996, 128,000 plus miles on it.
A reconditioned one was installed in 2006, compressor replaced in July, 2012.
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.
View 7 RepliesBasically, my car (2002 Mazda Protege) has been acting like my brakes are engaged. Not all the time, though - The first time I get out and drive it, it drives smooth as silk like always. But then after I put it in park and then get back in and head out (I'm a delivery driver, so this is constant), sometimes it feels like the brakes are constantly being pressed. No, the emergency brake is not on. Most of the time it's almost not even noticeable so, like an idiot, I put it off for the past week. But today, it was very, very, very bad. I was having to press the gas to the floor to get up to speed, and then it was constantly trying to slow down. My brakes were definitely getting burned up while it was doing this, but luckily it stopped.
It may be unrelated - I know I have an oil leak, but today I saw a very unusual spot where something leaked out in my driveway. I checked my oil, and it was where I expected it to be, but this was a relatively large stain which would be very unlike my current leak.