Need some help please with Protege 5

[lazydalejrfan]

My wifes car has the engine light on and the engine cuts off when at a red light. I have noticed that it hesitates sometimes when i press the gas. It runs fine at a higher rpm though. We just replaced spark plugs on it. Does anyone have a clue as to what this could be?(bang)

 

[CheeseHelmet]

My wifes car has the engine light on and the engine cuts off when at a red light. I have noticed that it hesitates sometimes when i press the gas. It runs fine at a higher rpm though. We just replaced spark plugs on it. Does anyone have a clue as to what this could be?(bang)

First thing to do would be to get the check engine code number (some car parts stores will scan your car for free).

Regarding the stalling/hesitation, this is a common problem with the P5. It could be any number of things, dirty EGR, cracked air intake, coilpacks, wires. The code that's causing the check engine light might help us narrow it down.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

She had the code scanned and all the guy from Auto Zone told her it was the downstream O2 sensor.

 

[CheeseHelmet]

She had the code scanned and all the guy from Auto Zone told her it was the downstream O2 sensor.

Ah, that's unrelated. First thing I'd recommend is clean the EGR valve (not so easy, but there are instructions floating around on how to do it).

 

[MaxPower]

Not sure what caused the Autozone employee to state it was the O2 sensor. You should get the actual codes and post them or search for them here.

CheeseHelmet posted all the common causes of low rpm hesitation/stalling. I would start with this:
1. Check air inlet tube from air box to throttle body (the accordion tube). This commonly develops cracks.
2. Clean or replace the EGR valve.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

Do you know if the EGR is located in the same place as a regular Protege because I found a thread with that on there?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Do you know if the EGR is located in the same place as a regular Protege because I found a thread with that on there?

Yep, exactly the same. Wear gloves if you have the fat hands...

 

[lazydalejrfan]

LOL thanks for your help. Hopefully some Brake-Kleen will work. A new one sure is pricey.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

Ok now I have ran the EGR through a machine wash and it is still having the idling problem. Any ideas on what i should check next? Maybe wires?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Ok now I have ran the EGR through a machine wash and it is still having the idling problem. Any ideas on what i should check next? Maybe wires?

Wires and coilpacks would be next on my list. Although since you're not getting any misfire codes (P030x) it might not be the real problem...

Before you go spending money on coilpacks and wires you can try cleaning the IAC (idle air control) valve. I can't find a howto at the moment but it's pretty straightforward (see the service manual for it's location and disassembly instructions). A flaky IAC would explain the rough idle without misfiring.

Also, did you take off the air intake accordion tube (the one between the MAF and the throttle body) and throughly inspect it for cracks? I had an intermittent rough idle till I taped mine up.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

Could it possibly be the fuel injectors needing cleaned?

 

[njaremka]

without the actual code, you'll just be throwing money to the wind.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

I will run by Auto Zone this afternoon to get code then.

 

[njaremka]

I will run by Auto Zone this afternoon to get code then.

get the actual code, not their interpretation of what the code means. also, make sure they check to see if there is more than one. if it was ONLY the rear o2 sensor, you would not have any of the problems you say you have.

 

[MaxPower]

I agree you should get that code checked. And the next logical (and cheapest) thing to do is check the air intake tube for cracks.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

Got the codes checked. P0171 and the before mentioned O2 sensor. Vacuum leak? How do I check?

 

[beh]

Clean your MAF sensor and as was posted, check the accordion tube for cracks. Check the tube first, actually, since cleaning the MAF is somewhat risky.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

I think I found the problem. The accordion tube for the intake has a huge hole in it. Taped it up with some duct tape. Anyone know of a good place to get a metal one to replace it with?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

I think I found the problem. The accordion tube for the intake has a huge hole in it. Taped it up with some duct tape. Anyone know of a good place to get a metal one to replace it with?

You can get a new rubber tube from Mazda for less than $50 or if you really want metal tubes you could get an SRI or CAI kit. The disadvantge with the latter is that you'll hear more engine noise. If you tape it well it shouldn't be a problem though, I've been running for a couple months now with vinyl tape on mine.

 

[lazydalejrfan]

What is the exact name of the tube because i cant find just the tube any where.