Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Common problems?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Common problems?

    Hello, I'm in the process of purchasing a 97 protege and already noticed some minor problems with it such as the rough idle. When i bring the car to get checked is there anything specific i should be looking for on this generation of protege?

    #2
    Check for low compression in all cylinders.
    Other than that, the car is pretty reliable.

    Comment


      #3
      Clogged up EGR valve and hoses is another very common problem.
      "Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."

      Comment


        #4
        being slow is another major problem lol j/k, the low compression and the egr valves clogging up / hoses clogging up are pretty much the only things that happen to our gen protege's. othet then those few things they are really great cars

        Comment


          #5
          the clogged up egr valve is a result of the compression problem...

          the cylinder thats low on compression ends up running richer than usual, and when the rich exhaust gas passes thru the egr system it ends up clogging everything up

          if there was no compression problem, there would also be no egr problem

          Comment


            #6
            thanks for the help.... so what should the regular compression be when i check? and if it does have that problem does that mean the car needs a head rebuild?

            Comment


              #7
              Ideally the compression should be around 170 psi. I believe that 160 psi is also good.

              The FSM specifies that the maximum compression should be 195 psi and minimum should be 146 psi (@ 300 rpm). Maximum difference between cylinders is 28 psi.

              Comment


                #8
                an interesting point triblade mentioned. for those who do not want to go the BP route and would still want to keep their proteges with the Z5. what kind of work to the engine are we talking about here to get the compressions right again? pistion rings and just valve seats?

                1996 1.5L Mazda Protege DX MTX
                Mods:
                DX converted to an LX (F & R seats and All Power), 2" Exhaust from the Catback, EuroReverse Glow Gauges, JDM Clear Side Markers, 17" MB Motoring Rims, K&N air filter 33-2134, All Clear Lenses, Front Strut Bar, MS Sideskirts, JDM Taillights, JDM Turbo Diesel Hood Scoop, OEM Door Visors, and Ducktail.
                http://www.cardomain.com/id/beetle_orange

                Comment


                  #9
                  the lower half of the Z5 engine does not have any recurring problems, if someone is burning oil due to bad piston rings, its most likely either their own fault for poor maintenence, or its a very old engine

                  the low compression problem is due to weak valve springs resulting in burnt valves...
                  in order to keep the Z5 operating normally, you would have to remove the head and have a valve job done (seats regrinded and might as well change the seals while you're in there) as well as all the springs replaced

                  replacing them with oem springs will most likely allow the problem to happen again over time... if one could find slightly stiffer aftermarket springs, that might solve the problem

                  going too stiff will increase cam wear so you have to be careful here

                  other than that, if you're doing the work yourself and using genuine mazda parts, you're looking at around $550.00 USD (give or take $100.00... depending on how good of a shopper you are)

                  if you pay someone to do it, add roughly 8 hours of labour into it

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I checked the car again today but only quickly so i didn't get a chance to do a compression test. But i noticed that when doing a quick stop and go the accel is very slugish. Does this model have transmission problems or just needs a reg tune up. By the way it's a 97 SE

                    Comment


                      #11
                      this model does not have transmission problems

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X