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Sedans Mazda Protege Mazda Protege Maintenance and Repair
3584 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 9:50 AM
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I need some advice in regards to an issue I'm having with my 2003 Protege 5. It started a month ago when my car started having problems accelerating. I would hit the gas but the car would just crawl. If I pumped the pedal, it would eventually accelerate. Once the car was moving, I had no more problems. The check engine light came on and I took it to a mechanic. The reading from the computer was a random misfire, and further inspection of the vehicle revealed that my coil pack boots deteriorated and allowed excessive moisture in which shorted the spark plug wires. My engine would not accelerate because the plugs were misfiring. They put new plugs, plug wires, and boots in. Engine light off, car ran fine This past week I started having this problem again. And today it got much worse. The car hangs on accelerating...in both forward and reverse. The engine, in both drive, idle and even more so when breaking, starts rumbling and I hear the sound of something slipping very faintly. The transmission (which was what I thought it originally was) shifts gears just fine. Again, once the car is moving it stays in motion. No stalling, no rumbling. But it is getting harder and harder to accelerate. And when I try my engine sputters and sounds like its going to stall. The engine light came on and when I pressed the gas to try and get it moving, the engine light flashed about 5 times and went solid again. I popped the hood once I made it home to see if I could find anything making a weird noise and found nothing (I have had this car for over 5 years and know what it sounds and feels like). When I killed the engine I heard a whooshing sound (similar to wind through a cracked window) coming from the air filter and vaccum hoses. I restarted the car, and killed it several more times and heard this noise every time. Now, I have never noticed this noise before so I don't know if this is normal or not, but I know it can be the sign of a cracked hose or something with the air in take. But I'm no mechanic. The car starts just fine and seems to run in idle ok, but once I try to drive it the problems start. Sorry this is so long but just to summarize: little to no acceleration unless I really work the pedal Car runs perfectly fine once it gets going rumbling in the engine ad very rough vibrations once I slow down and go back to idle or just have my foot on the brake while in any gear whooshing sound when I kill the engine for several seconds transmission shifts just fine. No grinding or clanking noises when shifting. new spark plugs, wires, and coil pack booots installed a month ago car has 97,500 miles (approx) If anyone could give me some ideas of what might be wrong it would be appreciated. Im "cartarded" and am really trying to learn more about cars, maintenance, and how to diagnose problems. Thanks!
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Replying to: NJStylee (Jan 04, 2009 4:16 pm) All the stuff you are talking about is good stuff to do. We had all that and more done. At the end the car was really sucking gas - do you have the problem - and running rough. If yours is doing the same have the fuel injectors checked as this was the final solution to our problem. One bum injector and possibley three more. Mechanics also asked if we had been using cheap gas as that will gum up an injector. Have you been using cheap gas? Five months later and the car is running like a young hot rod after the repair. Good luck and let me know.
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I read in this forum about another situation where a Mazda was running hot but there wasn't a post where it was mentioned exactly what had caused the problem or how to fully resolve it, so I am asking for help in that regard. PROBLEM: The guage on my car will go to H (all the way up) UNLESS I am running my heater all the way on 4. The mechanic says I have no radiator issues, fan issues, or gasket issues. He says "the thermometer might be sticking". Does that sound right? If it was "sticking", wouldn't it stay "stuck" instead of moving up only when the car is moving? I am worried that I am somehow damaging my car by continuing to drive it while that needle is on H. QUESTIONS: If anyone else has this problem and have continued to drive on H, has it damaged your car? If it actually "stuck" how can I get it fixed so it works properly? The mechanic didn't offer any options there. Thank you, CH
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Replying to: cindyhale (Jan 09, 2009 6:31 am) Curious. Didn't the mechanic suggest a new thermostat? You may want to take it to another garage for a second opinion. |
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Replying to: spetz (Jan 02, 2009 9:38 am)
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Replying to: cindyhale (Jan 09, 2009 6:31 am) You're right to be concerned about driving when the temperature is H. Don't do it! Have the thermostat replaced, it should not be expensive. A new thermostat is <$20, some coolant will need to be replaced, and <1 hour labor. |
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Replying to: downtube (Jan 11, 2009 1:37 am)
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Replying to: spetz (Jan 11, 2009 9:43 am) I recall the problem was with improper sealing around the heater blower, and the repair was fairly involved. |
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Replying to: bdkay (Jan 04, 2009 6:50 pm) I took your advice and did a band aid fix by filling the tank and putting fuel injector cleaner in. The car, once warmed up, ran fine but engine light still on. But no acceleration problems. Took it to the same mechanic and they could not figure it out. The code on the computer gave a random misfire at 0 mph (engine light went off while attempting to accelerate). He said that in order to figure it out without going in and tearing everything apart, they would need to see the engine cold and advised dropping it off and leaving it sit overnight at the shop to be reviewed in the morning. He said they got nothing telling them it was an o2 sensor or lean fuel mixture. But couldnt be certain unless they ran it cold and tried to duplicate the problem. they cleared the codes, engine light off, car ran fine for a week. i allow my car to fully warm up before going anywhere, especially with the cold nights and mornings we have had here in NJ. A week goes by and car starts acting up again...but not nearly as bad. one time since, the car was in idle warming up and i felt it shake periodically, very gently but noticably, for a few seconds and then stop. i will get an occasional hang in acceleration, but by gently working the gas, the car seems to overcome it and resumes normal acceleration. and it occurs less than half the time i drive. however, its very interesting to note that i seem to have the problem more often and worse when its wet or very moist out. for example last saturday it snowed very lightly and my car was out in it for 3 hours since i reached my destination that evening. started fine, but a few miles up the road it started hanging on acceleration again. i got home and didnt drive again that night. next day car worked fine. and for the past few days, again, a few minor periodic hangs in acceleration. however the engine has not been violently shaking when slowing down and going back to idle like it did last time. and the engine light has not come back on. as far as bad gas is concerned, i dont know what you mean. nor would i know the difference. i usually get gas at the lukoil up the street. however for about 3 years strait at my old residence, i would always stop and get wawa gas as it was the cheapest around and on my way home from work. im not sure if my fuel economy is struggling. its hard to tell since my commute to work and back is less than 4 miles round trip. and i havent been driving the car that much in fear of having a problem and being far from home. im actually still on the same tank of gas that the injector cleaner was mixed into.
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Replying to: NJStylee (Jan 13, 2009 11:42 am) I wonder if condensation is affecting your spark plugs as the car warms up. the engine has not been violently shaking when slowing down and going back to idle like it did last time. and the engine light has not come back on. My 2002Protege 5 had a serious shaking problem when the EGR valve failed. The EGR issue is a common problem of Proteges, according to my mechanic. |
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