abnormal car idle?

[ToNeZ90]

ok so i have been noticing that for the past month my cars idling has dropped from 700rpm t o 400rpm and now it bounces up to 500rpm every now and then. lights are dimming a bit more than usual when idling too.

can anyone give me at least a guess at what is might be? and if both problems are from the same source?

Thanks

EDIT: that problem is with the clutch engaged and disengaged.

 

[slavrenz]

Check your alternator output. It seems to me that there was a thread somewhere a while back where a faulty alternator was causing some weird idle issues.

 

[Pauljp]

could be a dirty EGR valve.
There is a good How-To fix that problem.
Won't cost much to do it either, just cleaning fluid.

 

[ToNeZ90]

my friend works at an autoparts so i'll swing by when he is working. and i never really checked the EGR valve when i bought the car at 81k and its at 84k now. i'll try the EGR and then i'll test the alternator.

and i found the how-to for the EGR so i'll try this week before college starts up

 

[ToNeZ90]

alright just to make sure, i got the brakleen from the autoparts store and my friend also told me for lubricant to use this lube called Counterman's choice Anti-Seize lubricant.

Sounds ok?

 

[slavrenz]

alright just to make sure, i got the brakleen from the autoparts store and my friend also told me for lubricant to use this lube called Counterman's choice Anti-Seize lubricant.

Sounds ok?

I dunno - if it were me, I wouldn't put antiseize in my EGR valve. Just use a couple of drops of some liquid lubricant and it should be fine.

 

[ToNeZ90]

I dunno - if it were me, I wouldn't put antiseize in my EGR valve. Just use a couple of drops of some liquid lubricant and it should be fine.

what kind do u think would be best? its my first mechanical job besides the intake lol (had help with that too)

 

[blatantsilence]

re.

im having the same rough idle situation.. car has actually stalled out completely once coming off a green light..

this did also happen to me a few years ago, took it to the dealer and i believe they cleaned or swapped out the egr valve.. going to fix this how-to and give it a shot..

on the alternator topic, mine is a yr old. never noticed abnormal idle before it went out..

 

[slavrenz]

what kind do u think would be best? its my first mechanical job besides the intake lol (had help with that too)

I suppose some WD-40 would work. You don't want to put anything in there that's not liquid, as it could gum up the valve again. And anything that you put in there liquid is probably going to dry up in short order from the hot temps. So basically, you just want something that's gonna last for the initial start up while the valve starts working again.

 

[ToNeZ90]

alright i did the whole cleaning...took a while but i got it done and i did use wd40 and its been runnin great for the past 2 days. back up to 800rpm and responds better

 

[slavrenz]

alright i did the whole cleaning...took a while but i got it done and i did use wd40 and its been runnin great for the past 2 days. back up to 800rpm and responds better

Nice. If it gets clogged again, you might want to look at getting the Canadian Egr valve. It's available on RockAuto.com for $118, and it won't gum up like the U.S. versions.

 

[ToNeZ90]

hmm... i'll look into it now so i am ready next time. this car gets driven hard every day.

 

[slavrenz]

Here's the link
http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/prt,154,EGV1124

It's not listed for the '03 P5, but it's the same as the 01-03 sedan EGR valve. In short, it'll work just fine.

 

[tuck4]

I am new to this forum but wanted to give some insight that I found out only yesterday. I recently purchased a Protege5 for my teenage girls after I couldn't keep them away from my 2009 mazda 3, when I bought the p5 I was aware of the egr valve being an issue, after reading on this forum, but also read somewhere there may be a recall/warranty. Sure enough, after 2 months of ownership and with 78,000 Kms on the car the egr valve started acting up. I went yesterday to the dealership to have it looked at and the diagnostic test confirmed the problem and they said after all was done(valve, labor, diagnostic test and taxes) it would be around $4-$500 bucks. I asked about this secret warranty and to my surprise the guy came out to tell me it was true(at least in Canada), they will replace it for up to 8 years and unlimited km's. The price of the diagnostic test seemed pretty cheap as I skipped out with a bill under $100 and a new (and in their words "improved") egr valve.
Hope this helps somebody as I would like to thank whomever mentioned this warranty somewhere before on this forum, I can't find it now but am appreciative. Warranty code on my bill is XXC047RX 6X 90.