You have saved this page | See all saved pages
Mazda Protegé
24043 messages, Last post on Jun 10, 2012 at 12:01 AM
You are in the Mazda Protege Forum.What is this discussion about? Mazda Protege, Sedan
#19487 of 24043 disgruntled4 by newcar31
Jan 13, 2003 (4:34 pm)
Unfortunately, I think your problem is "normal". I have a 2001 ES 2.0L and it does the same thing. It's not hard to start, but it has the same engine "rattle" although I don't know if I'd call it a rattle."When I got there, they said they couldn't fix it, and Mazda Corp. said it was the sound made when some valve stays closed when the engine is cold to help the vortexing of fuel/air mixture and increase performance."
This is true. I've researched the heck out of it on other Protege forums, and unfortunately that is the way 2.0L Proteges are. Mazda says it doesn't harm the engine. I don't know if it does or not but I don't like the sound. It DOES go away though when it gets warm. I think it is some sort of bandaid ECU programming to get the 10 year old 2.0L ULEV compliant because the old 2.0Ls in the MX6/Probe/626 didn't do this. I've never brought my car into the dealer for this because I read it's normal. If you have a 2003 and it does it, then it's obvious that Mazda does not have a fix.
#19488 of 24043 Tim by dinu01
Jan 13, 2003 (5:36 pm)
Thanx! and Hi! back to you.School is going great: really good marks this year (I'm kinda surprised myself how good they are) and I will finish by April 2004, so in Sept 2004 Ontario's education system is going down the drain - if it hasn't already by then
The PRO is doing well (50.000kms), but I will need to do a brake job on it pretty soon.
And yes, still doing collections at TM. I'm actually atwork until 9Pm tonite - like ALL Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays...
How's the WRX and PRO?
Cheers!
Dinu
#19489 of 24043 Engine rattle.. by theparallax
Jan 13, 2003 (8:18 pm)
...is a very well known characteristic of the FS-DE 2.0 engine. It has something to do w/ the VTCS intake manifold keeping some of its runner shut when it's cold to keep the emissions requirement better. Protegeclub.com has several threads documenting this problem.#19490 of 24043 First of all, it's VICS (Variable Intake Control System). by mdaffron
Jan 14, 2003 (6:55 am)
Second, all 1.8 owners rejoice! My engine is footloose and fancy-free from the moment it starts up in 16-degree weather until the time I pull into my parking space at work 24 miles later! 49,100 miles this morning -- the clock is ticking.Dale -- Two years, huh? Is it time for another "interior wash"?
To the person who posted about the manual tranny being stiff when first starting out in the morning -- completely normal in the Protege's, as well as most other, manual trannies. Mine also doesn't like to downshift for the first couple of minutes, and wants you to come to a complete and dead stop before going into first. It's cold. Give it a minute to warm up before zooming through the gears! By the time I get a mile down the road, all's loose and fine. And this only happens when it gets fairly cold for our area -- say, below 30 degrees. This morning it was dark and 19 degrees at 6:20 when I left for work -- and Zoomster clearly wanted me to shift slowly until he woke up.
Meade
#19491 of 24043 Anyone with a 2000 5-speed ... by mdaffron
Jan 14, 2003 (6:59 am)
How long did your first set of brakes last? I'm at 49,100 miles today, and I have yet to hear any wear indicators. I guess it's time to pull off a wheel and have a good look. While I do allow the car to slow down in the gear I'm in, I don't "engine brake" by going through the gears to a stop. (I figure new brake pads are cheaper than a new clutch, eh?) But I thought a manual-tranny car would go through brakes faster since, at least for the last few mph of braking, the tranny's in neutral and the brakes alone are having to stop the car -- unlike an automatic. So far, out of eight cars I've owned, I think this is the longest I've ever gone on a set of front pads. May 24, by the way, will be three years I've owned the car.Meade
#19492 of 24043 that's a long time by meinrad
Jan 14, 2003 (7:02 am)
I'd love it if mine lasted that long. I don't think I've made it past 30k in any car I've owned. I do subscribe to the brake pads cheaper than clutch theory so maybe I'm a little hard on the brakes. I dunno. I just drive slow on the driveway anyway.#19493 of 24043 BTW ... by mdaffron
Jan 14, 2003 (7:34 am)
Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?Why is a package delivered on a ship called cargo, but a package delivered in a car called a shipment?
Meade
#19495 of 24043 You must take it easy braking. by mazdafun
Jan 14, 2003 (8:24 am)
I've still got what appears to be 40% remaining on my front pads at about 33,000 miles. I'll probably replace them when they look to be at about 20% remaining. The rotor surfaces, while not machined-smooth, look smooth enough I won't have them machined down. Hmm. I don't even know at what wear level the indicators start screeching.I'll pay the service department to work on my rear drums. They're enough of a hassle for me to have it done by someone else, although I'm going to inspect the work really closely....
That's the biggest advantage to me of rear disc brakes: they're more easily serviced than drums. Easier to check on the amount remaining too.
#19496 of 24043 well... by newcar31
Jan 14, 2003 (8:26 am)
I broke down and e-mailed MazdaUSA regarding the engine "rattle". I'm sick of waiting for a fix. We'll see what they say. Here's the e-mail:"Hello,
I've been following numereous Protege internet forums and I have read about a "problem" that I seem to have with my 2001 Protege ES 2.0L. Apparantley, there is a programming issue that has to do with coolant temperature and some plates opening and closing. When cold, my car sounds noticably different than when warm. I understand most cars sound different when cold, but this sound is unusual and I have never heard anything like it with my previous vehicles. People are calling it an engine "rattle". You can also notice a slight power surge above a certain RPM when it's cold. It feels like an A/C compressor kicking on and off, but it isn't. Apparantly, Mazda was working on a programming "fix" for this, but I have heard of 2003 owners with the same problem. I suspect Mazda isn't working on a fix because if they "fixed" it, the car would no longer be ULEV compliant. Is Mazda working on a fix, or do 2.0L Protege owners have to put up with an engine that sounds like a coffee grinder until it's warm? Thanks"
To POST a message, please
Sign In.
Advertisement
Most Popular in Forums
Search Forums
Enter Keyword(s):
Learn More, Do More
Edmunds Community
Advertisement