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    Hello

    Hi guys,

    After having lurked here for years, decided to make an account and say Hi.

    I have a 2001 Mazda Protege ES, 5 speed manual. 140.000 miles on it. I don't have pictures of the car, but it's a bone stock ES in Sea Breeze color. The only visual "upgrades" I ever did was to put slightly beefier looking Protege5 rims on it. I have the original 16" alloys still as well, which I use for my winter tires. The fog lights have yellow LED's in them, and I rewired them so they can be turned on with just the parking lights.

    Other than that all I've ever done is just maintenance.

    I live in Alaska, and the Protege is winterized, which means it has an oil pan heater, block heater, transmission heater and battery heater. In winter it can get down to -55F (-45c). The Protege's do not like the cold; even with the block heater it can take a while to start at those temperatures. The heater in the interior also doesn't really cut it at those temps anymore either. Other than that the car has been great.

    Reason I made an account here is to get some opinions on oil usage (like many others, my Protege burns quite a lot). I feel she's becoming a sinking ship, but curious to see how I can nurture this car along for as long as possible.

    #2
    Welcome, sorry to hear about the oil consumption issue. can you tell us a bit more? is it only on startup, can you visually see smoke?
    the 2l FS motors are notorious for having ****ty valve guide seals
    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

    Comment


      #3
      Hey there, thanks for the welcome!

      I actually started a new thread on the oil burning problem, it's right here:


      I figure I'd try and keep everything in it's own thread, so it doesn't go all over the place.
      I did find a quick picture of the car on my phone, so here it is in all it's stock glory:

      Protege.JPG
      protege 1.jpg

      She's been a good little car, though I'd be lying if I said she's never left me stranded. She has. Multiple times.

      One time she froze completely when the block heater failed, and it had to be towed to get thawed out:
      Protege 3.jpg

      A couple of years later the alternator seized up on a particularly cold night, which caused the belt to break, which in turn causes the waterpump to stop, which caused me to have to stop as well...
      Protege 2.jpg

      I had her towed a third time when during driving the low oil pressure light turned on suddenly. This was all caused by a faulty sensor, the pressure was fine, but I didn't know that at the time, which is why I had her towed. Again.

      That car and I have been through a lot, so there definitely is some emotional attachment there as well

      Unfortunately I can tell that life's been hard on her, and she is slowly starting to show her age. There is rust forming here and there, the engine is burning oil, the passenger door does not always lock/unlock properly, there's some rattles in the interior, the drivers' seat is starting to wear, the AC hasn't worked in almost 10 years, etc...

      But, it's still a lot of fun to putter around in!

      That big black bumper sticker said: "Real drivers use three pedals", but I've since taken that off and replaced it with a "Save the manuals!" sticker. The original bumper sticker caused too many young guys in big pickups to start riding my bumper. I guess they were compensating...
      Last edited by Ceristimo; 08-30-2017, 03:01 PM.

      Comment


        #4
        Welcome. Car still looks good, despite the age problems creeping up on it.
        1990 Protege 4WD
        GT-X BP26 swap [AT->MT]|Cup holder cut to fit|Synthetic gear oil|Synthetic brake fluid|Corksport SS brake/clutch lines|Mazdaspeed HV oil pump|GT-X front STB|Corksport type I rear STB|Matching full-size spare wheel|Homebrew Brass shifter bushing|Speed Source brass shifter cable bushings|EDM headlights/corners|FMIC|EDM cabin vents

        1 3 5
        ├┼┤
        2 4 R


        Seeking: Canadian 4WD seatbelts.

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks! In real life and from up close it doesn't look that good, though. Lots of little dings and scratches, but she's still pretty from 10 feet away.

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