11th Jul 2010, 16:02
I have a 2000 Mazda Protege 1.6. After being on for 20 minutes, it shuts off and does not start. It has to cool down before it starts up again. During the time it does not start, I have checked the coils and it does not have a spark. What exactly could it be? Please help.
9th Aug 2010, 21:13
Hi.I'm about to purchase a 2000 Mazda Protege ES for around $800. I had looked at this car about 2 1/2 months ago, and had a friend go with me. The car seemed to run well, but had my friend test drive it. When he took off from 1st to 2nd gear, it grinded a little.
Now I went to look at what I thought was a different Protege, but the same color; found out it was the same one, but just a different owner. This second owner said that he had bought the car to drive in the winter, but was now taking a new job and moving, and that was his reason for selling. I've gotten to thinking about this, and it doesn't seem right.
He said when he bought the car, he had to put new motor mounts in, and then put a new CV shaft on the driver's side. When I went to look at it the other day, and wanted to test drive it, I was told I couldn't because it was making noises (he did explain this in the ad he has on craigslist). I had a different friend with me this time, and we checked it out. What it would do, was with the car running, would put it into first gear (car is 5 speed), and would go in nice and smooth, but as soon as you let the clutch out, it would start making a little grinding noise. He said in the ad that maybe the CV shaft wasn't in all the way. My friend thinks it might be an easy fix, but I'm having my doubts now. Has anyone experienced this type of noise before? It almost sounds like whatever makes the CV shaft move is just spinning and not moving it at all.
Now I told the friend who went with me the first time I looked at it, and he said it sounds like it might need a transmission. My other friend who looked at it the other day said it could be the wrong CV shaft, which I guess could be possible, but somehow I doubt it.
I'm not sure what to do.I'm going to call around to the local junk yards and see if they have a transmission for it (it is the 1.8 DOHC I think). I'm wondering if there are more mechanically inclined people on here to tell me what they think this is.
I just spoke to my second buddy on the phone, and he said that there are two different CV shafts for that model, and the guy I might be buying it from had to order it, so my friend said it's possible that it is the wrong one. Now I trust my friends and all, but I'm just trying to get some other ideas as to what it could be.
Well thank you, and hope I hear something back
Andy (upstate NY)
10th Aug 2010, 14:07
Obviously you are tight on cash. So why would you take a chance and trust friends instead of taking it to a mechanic and having it inspected? You may be "penny wise" to trust your friends, but "dollar foolish" by passing over experts.
No one on the net can tell you what's wrong with that car. Someone will have to look at it.
22nd Aug 2010, 19:39
I am the original owner of a 2000 Mazda Protege ES. The car is currently coming up on 230,000 miles and has been trouble-free. The only item that have broken are three of the auto door locks. I will definitely consider another Mazda for my next purchase.
1st Oct 2010, 14:19
Try replacing your crank shaft position sensor. I have seen this exact behavior on other cars as well.
19th Oct 2010, 16:57
2nd owner of a 2000 Mazda Protege LX (ES) - it now has over 350000 kms and still running strong. Yes, the check engine light comes on, but it has been on for a long time, and at this mileage I'm not going to dump a lot of money into it. We have been very happy with the car. Brother in law is a Mazda mechanic, and says the Proteges are way better than the Mazda 3's, especially the Proteges with the 1.8 and 5 speed.
15th Feb 2011, 18:48
"It turned out to be an cracked air intake hose that looks like an accordion and goes from the air cleaner to the intake manifold."
That was it! I had error code 171 and 170 n my Protege 2000 1.8L and it was the accordion on the air intake that was cracked half of the circumference.
Thank you for the advice! I previously changed the O2 sensor and the spark plug + wires without effect.
28th Mar 2011, 18:39
I had code 0171 also with rough idle and performance (2002 Protege LX 2.0L). My Accordion hose turned out to be cracked as well. I fixed it up with some good old duct tape and now my car runs awesome again!
19th May 2011, 22:30
I have a 2000 Mazda Protege, and have had my engine light come on and off for several years now, since at least 2006! Someone said that theirs comes on in hot weather, and in looking at my records, that's exactly when mine has come on! I'm glad I didn't buy new catalytic converters in July 2009. The guy cleared the light and it has not come on again, not until the next heat wave, most likely (which are not frequent in Seattle). Plus, my mechanic says the catalytic converters really only have to do with emissions. My car just passed the state's emissions test, so it can't be too bad. It could affect gas mileage somewhat, but nothing major that I've noticed.
6th Jun 2014, 20:31
I have had the same problem, and have the same car. I have wasted $525 in mechanical work, and still the same problem. My last resort was taking it to a Mazda dealership and having it diagnosed for $90. I'll keep you posted on what it was. My last mechanical guess was the fuel pump.
13th Jul 2015, 04:21
I have a 96 Protege and I'm having a similar problem. It started with rough shifting when having to giddy up and go. Now I have a light flashing and it won't shift past 2nd. I don't have a poltergeist though. Have been trying to figure out what to take a chance on replacing; something electrical or transmission wise? So if you figure anything out, let me know and I will do the same. Thanks.
Chris.
18th Aug 2015, 09:25
I have a 2001 Mazda Protege. It wouldn't accelerate over 35 mph and the overdrive light started to flash. I had a transmission fluid flush, it didn't help. Now the overdrive sensor as well as the check engine light are on. Debating on having it put on a machine to see what's going on.
10th Jul 2010, 20:47
Acworth, Georgia - USA: jpatrickpierce@gmail.com.
Just bought a used 2000 Mazda Protege for my 16 year old daughter. Ran good for about 2 months, then the O/D light started flashing on / off. The transmission would not shift into 4th gear, so the car ran at 4,000 rpm when traveling 45 mph. I told her to deal with it until I could take time to look at it. Next came Poltergeist shifting in and out of 2nd and 3rd gears, giving us whiplash!
Next came the check engine light. Went to AutoZone to get codes pulled. Shift solenoid D stuck on (P0767). I had a good friend get information from AllData online repair to show me how to replace the "shift solenoid D". I bought the part from Whatever It Takes transmission parts in Smyrna (wittrans.com) for $125. I got a new filter and gasket with 4 quarts of new fluid from AutoZone $25.
Replaced it using the AllData information... still shifting sporadically and the fluid did smell burned a bit. Upon further inspection it looked like the transmission was rebuilt this February, 2010. I contacted the seller and got the transmission shops phone #. Called to find it was a low-grade shop (take it for what it is worth). I now have to decide if it is the computer or the transmission.
I have diagnostic checks I can run through, but it will take a full day to go through all of this. I don't trust Mazda or any other shop to be completely honest. I like these blog sites. I may buy a new pressure control valve depending on what I find when I do diagnostics. I can't drive the car over 30 mph, and even then it jerks when it shifts in and out of 2nd gear.
Any help is appreciated.