CEL Flashing and then Steady On?!?!

[Kansei]

Yeah swap it to the #3 cylinder and see if the CEL code changes

 

[mike2225]

Yup I know and I was surprised when it read p0301 and not p0300...cause my cel flashes if I redline(6500-6600rpm) the car. Weird cause if I shift trough the gears at 6000rpm everything is good.

I'm at a loss.....New plugs, wires, coil packs and egr valve all replaced lately. Many more things to check but I have no more energy...atleast my car runs great!

Now I gotta worry about my catalytic melting!?

I actually hade the same issue, only getting a flashing light when i bring it up to redline.I took out a lot of timing between 6000-6500 at WOT and so far i havent gotten another CEL

 

[Jaysanooch]

I actually hade the same issue, only getting a flashing light when i bring it up to redline.I took out a lot of timing between 6000-6500 at WOT and so far i havent gotten another CEL

Really...how much timing did you pull? I got 11 degree's pulled between 5000-6500 already.

 

[mike2225]

Really...how much timing did you pull? I got 11 degree's pulled between 5000-6500 already.

I pulled as much as -16 degrees at redline. Im sure i could advance it a little more without getting a misfire but id rather be on the safe side

 

[Jaysanooch]

I pulled as much as -16 degrees at redline. Im sure i could advance it a little more without getting a misfire but id rather be on the safe side

Ok thanks...I'll try this and see. Just curious..what's your turbo set up, what ecu and what type of ems?

 

[mike2225]

Ok thanks...I'll try this and see. Just curious..what's your turbo set up, what ecu and what type of ems?

Its a TSI turbo kit which uses a gt25 turbo.I have the turbo upgrade and built motor from MPnick. Im running my original protege ES ecu with the mpi tuner controlling two extra injectors

 

[Protege__Owner]

What's the code?

Okay K-Lea and all fellow members. I've finally gotten my code scanner in the mail and hooked it up to my vehicle today. There are two codes that the scanner pulled.
First one being P0300-Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected and the second one P0302-Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected.
Where should I go from here now? I'm planning on changing out my plugs and wires. I've also read in other threads that this might be a coil problem? Any insight and info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kansei]

Start with a little diagnostics.. pull your spark plugs just to see what they look like. If they are totally normal, then switch the two coils and see if the cylinder 2 misfire becomes a cylinder 4 misfire. Inspect the plug wires to make sure they aren't dried or cracked, and to make sure the end that plugs into the coil doesn't have a damaged/broken connector (I've had this happen on two sets of aftermarket wires).

Plugs are cheap, so if after doing all that it is still an issue, grab some NGK ZFR5F-11 (if non-turbo) or ZFR6F-11 (if turbo and under 8ish psi). At Advance Auto Parts (and I'm sure most other places) it'll be under 9 dollars with tax for all four. They are just standard copper plugs, they work great in these cars though. Since cylinder 2 is right under the coil on the left, the spark plug wires probably aren't the culprit (at least for the P0302 code). If that coil was bad, you'd probably have a cylinder 2 and 3 misfire, as it fires both cylinders every time it goes off (wasted spark ignition system, yay).

 

[Robbyson]

Hi everyone, I just joined this group bout half an hour ago because I am at a loss about a similar problem with my 2003 Protoge 5. I just had my CEL come on yesterday on the way home from work and yes, it DID start blinking too.. A little about my car first, I bought it used with 27,000 on it and it now has just under 79,000. It is a 5 speed and I only run premium (Conoco/Phillips 66/Union 76 gas) in it. I change the oil every 3,000 miles religiously but do not drive it hard, I do drive somewhat aggressively but never redline it. Yesterday was the 4th time in the past 3 years that the car has done the same thing, but the latest 3 happened all within the past 18 months. First, the car will start running rough at idle and sometimes stall at a stoplight, it'll be running perfectly then sorta burp and stall if I don't jump on the throttle fast enough. The CEL light comes on (and I NEVER drive it more than a few miles before it goes to the shop) but sometimes will go back off, yesterday was the first time it started blinking, but I drove it probably only about 8 miles before it went into the shop). The same thing seems to be happening everytime, the #4 spark plug gap has completely closed shut as if it came in conact with something. The first time this happened about three years ago, the insulation actually had broken off. The last 3 times has been the same thing, bent tip on the #4 plug..... But each time this happens, nothing is found in the combustion chamber and the plugs get replaced (the 2nd to the last time, all the plug wires got replaced as well... I drive this car less than 10k a year so I have had this happen 3x in the past 15,000 miles now... The mechanic I take it to works predominately on Asian cars (being Asian himself) and he told me today that he's baffled and suggested that I talk to a Mazda specialist to see if this is a common problem with the Protoge's. I'm certain that I'll get better help here on a model specific webgroup so I'm asking for help from anyone that thinks they might know what's going on..
BTW, I'm certain that it has the correct plugs in it because that was something that was brought up that could be the problem and it was checked... They are not s*** plugs, I use good gas, I don't drive it like a slot car, nor do I bog the thing down to the point where carbon could be a problem, it has really low miles on it for the year model and I have been the owner and only driver of this car for coming up on 6
years now.....

Any suggestions????

 

[Robbyson]

A little more on the plugs issue

Just got off the phone with a service tech at John Hines Mazda here in San Diego and the said there "could be a correlation between my problem and the recall that I had not taken care of yet"... Here is the recall, does the combined knowledge of this group think there is a chance that this could be causing this repeated problem OR am I just having wind blown up my skirt by someone trying to sound like they know what they are talking about:

Mazda Motors has issued a recall to owners of its 2003 Protg. The issue involves screws used to mount the intake manifold shutter valve that may loosen due to engine vibration or normal actions of the valve. Signs that the screws have become undone include rough idling noise, a malfunction indicator or engine misfire.

 

[Robbyson]

Found this on another webgroup forum

"Mazdaservice has seen this a few times, I have seen this issue so many times that I have a cheat sheet for the parts needed to fix the problem. We have a lot of Protege's in our area. The problem is that a number of 03 Protege with the 2.0l engine only have a problem with the IMRC (Intake Manifold Runner Control) system. The problem is that the retaining screws that hold the IMRS butterfly valves in place tend to get loose and fall out and in some rare cases arethen drawn in thru the intake valves and bounce around inside the combustion chamber untill they are either ejected thru the exhaust system or they hit your spark plug tip and close the gap on the spark plug due to impact. At this point you have a rough idle and probably a check engine light on. The repair is to have an updated intake manifold AND fuel rail installed. Do not have the manifold replaced without rail as you will then have a fuel leak to deal with. I have never seen any damage to the rest of the engine due to this but make sure that they also do a compression and cylinder leakage test to confirm this. I have done this repair for at least 20 vehicles in my area and sounds like you are a prime candidate for this same issue. I have been compiling a list of vehicles that I have had with this issue by VIN #. If you will PM me the last 6 digits of your VIN for privacy reasons I would be more that happy to tell you if you are within the VIN range that I have observed. "

"Not all but quite a few. Only Protege with the 2.0l engine and none of the Speed cars as they have a different intake manifold then the others. Mazda released a Recall on what they consider to be the affected vehicles. Recall 3005C applies to 2003 Protege's build from March 3, 2003 through July 31, 2003. Last six digits of VIN between 181114 and 219674. This recall will have the dealer remove the manifold and inspect for any loose screws or plates. If none are found then all of the screws are replaced and retorqued. If any damage to the plates or screws are missing then the manifold is replaced with updated part. Fuel rail no longer needed with the updated manifold by the way and all vehicles get a compression test to ensure all is ok."

These two quotes were taken from http://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mazda-protege-23/spark-plug-getting-hit-979/

 

[dbMazda]

I know if it is P0301 = Cyl. No.1 misfire. That is bad! With me it was the crank shaft / bearing loose! I was driving on the highway when I heard a clank, clank... It just got worse!
I had a warranty good because it was the crank shaft being loose.

If it was Cyl. No.1 yes that might be the prob. Get a warranty now!