2000 Protege, assistance needed...

[ProtegeMark]

Hey guys, unfortunately i'm having some issues with a 2000 protege, 5 speed manual i bought not too long ago.

I was getting on the interstate and my CEL started flashing, acceleration not great, jerky movements. Call a tech friend of mine, he says i probably have a cylinder misfiring. I go and get the codes read and this is what they say:

P0106-MAP sensor signal out of range.

P0303-Cylinder 3 misfire condition detected.

P0401-Insufficient Flow detected.

P1170- Heated oxygen sensor-Bank 1 sensor 1, no change detected.


Okay. So, other than this misfiring, i love the car and have zero issues. Mostly I feel that the first three codes are what I should be focusing on.

The first two codes mention as probable causes, large vacuum leak and vacuum leak affecting one cylinder, respectively. So i'm thinking maybe it's a vacuum leak somewhere?

I really have almost no experience with cars, and have no idea where to begin with this problem. The research i've done so far leads me to believe there could be a myriad of different things causing this issue :/ I don't have a lot of money, been going through a lot of hardships, and I drive 16 miles to work ever day, so I really need to get this fixed, and do it myself if at all possible.

As possible causes, the third coded lists several issues with the EGR valve(don't know what that is). either blocked egr valve, faulty egr, egr boost sensor malfunction, or erg boost sensor solenoid valve malfunction.

Also, it seems fine on the interstate, it's when i'm accelerating and getting the speed up, I feel jerkiness and a lack of acceleration.

That's all the essential information I have at the moment. Any help would be ever so greatly appreciated. I will be checking often so if you have any pertinent questions, ask away.

-Mark

 

[concept]

A bad EGR valve can cause a massive vacuum leak. There is a fairly simple test for checking the RGR plunger, at least there is for my 89 MX6. It involves placing a finger on the plunger diaphragm while revving the engine. If the plunger is working properly, the diaphragm will move in and out. Do a search for a youtube video. You should find something like this.

 

[MaxPower]

Air, fuel, spark.

Air: Start by checking the air intake accordion tube... you should remove it from the car and look for cracks. I'm willing to bet this is it. Also, the vacuum tubes coming off the air intake and throttle body need to be inspected thoroughly to make sure they are not cracked. But it sounds like if it's an air leak, it's a massive one.

Fuel: This you can address later.

Spark: When were the spark plugs last changed? Wires? Coils?

 

[MaxPower]

To test the EGR hypothesis, just unplug it (you have to remove the air intake to unplug the EGR, so you can do both at the same time). Unless the EGR's permanently stuck open, it will become/stay closed. Then you can see if the problem goes away.

 

[french02chris]

I had the problem of loss of acceleration and loss of power when going uphills...
Here is what i did, and now the car runs like new
I bought a bottle of CRC MAF cleaner, and i cleaned my MAF ( i sprayed everywhere, even the connection)
I also bought a bottle of Redline SL-1 and used the whole bottle in 1/2 a tank...
I also cleaned the throttle

First i thought that my EGR valve was dirty, but turned out that my Mazda Protege does NOT have one ( 1999 mazda protege 1.6 engine...they don't have one)

I knew that it was not my spark plugs or coils as they were new, and the problem was still going on.

Anyways, right after i cleaned the MAF, the engine was working like new!!!!

hopes this help

 

[mazpro00]

my 2000 protege 1.6l has a egr valve