Check engine light is on

N

NScrilla

Member
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Mazda Protege 2000 1.6L
Hey guys,

I have a 2000 Mazda Protg. It has 1620,000 KM on it and runs mostly well. However the check engine light was intermittingly coming on and now it stays on all the time. Also if I give the car wide open throttle it will hesitate around 4000 RPM before continuing to climb. Also I think it seems to make low power on the very low end and it has to be revved a decent bit to get it from being stopped into first.

To me I think it is a failing sensor. But where to start? Is this a common problem with one of the sensors on these model of cars?

Thanks!
 
agr99 said:
Whats the code?
Click to expand...

I do not have a code reader to check. Perhaps its best to pick one up form Canadian tire and then take it back once i have the code??

Does this model of car have the light on he ECU that flashes to show the code or is there a proper reader for it?

Thanks
 
If the check engine light is on theres a code.im not familiar with Canada but I know in some places in the u.s autozone or other parts stores will read your codes for free.where I live they dont so I purchased a $60 code reader and it was worth the money so I knew maybe make the investment it should pay off if you plan on doing your own repairs
 
I would deffinately invest in a scan tool. it will save you time and money as opposed to having someone else scan your car. got my craftsman obdII scanner for less than 60$ at sears. I had similar problems in my 2003 sedan, low power at low rpms, CEL. So i bought a scanner which told me it was the upstream o2 sensor. i bought a New universal o2 sensor which fixed it and was about 60-80$ IIRC.
 
HA-Y-N said:
I would deffinately invest in a scan tool. it will save you time and money as opposed to having someone else scan your car. got my craftsman obdII scanner for less than 60$ at sears. I had similar problems in my 2003 sedan, low power at low rpms, CEL. So i bought a scanner which told me it was the upstream o2 sensor. i bought a New universal o2 sensor which fixed it and was about 60-80$ IIRC.
Click to expand...

Okay ill see if i can figure out the code and then post back.

Thanks
 
Every parts store in every other state, but ca, i think check codes for free.so swing by your local autoparts store ask if they do it for free than tell us what it is
 
Okay i got the code, only jiffy lube would do it for free.

The code is P0171. The guy told me this was a lean air/mixture ratio. He said it likly had something to do with the fuel system and it being blocked somewhere or having issues with some kind of fuel resistance.

A google search brought me this:

- Intake air leaks
- Faulty front heated oxygen sensor
- Ignition misfiring
- Faulty fuel injectors
- Exhaust gas leaks
- Incorrect fuel pressure
- Lack of fuel
- Faulty Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor
- Incorrect Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) hose connection

He wrote on my piece of paper:

(P0171)
system too lean bank 1
Not getting enough
fuel -
MAF sensor

He also reset the codes and i have yet to see it reappear.

From the auto experieince i have i think the MAF could be the culprit. Although i cant be sure, is there a way to test without buying a new one?

Where should i begin??

Thanks!
 
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Id look for air leaks in the intake first if its never been replaced,than exhaust leaks (easiest first)than go from there
 
After the code was reset the light came back on after approx 100 KM when i was on the highway cruising.

I checked the air intake out, there were some small cracks on the large bendy black hose that goes form the air filter to the intake but they didn't look like they went all the way through. I also inspected the vacuum lines and didn't see any that looked cracked. I have uploaded a picture of the air filter box which shows a broken clip that holds the box down tight. Could this be the issue? The other black clips works and the two metal clips on the other side also work properly. I also inspected the air filter and it looked pretty dirty. I blew it out with some compressed air and put it back in. Although i don't think a dirty air filter could cause this issue?

The exhaust is very quiet and from what i could feel there were no exhaust leaks.

Also the PCV system looked like it was hooked up properly and did not have any cracks.

I also think i am getting sightly worse gas mileage. I used to get 14KM to a liter, now i am getting 12.5 KM according to my calculations.

Thanks
 

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It may not be the O2 it could be a lot of things, a leak anywhere between the MAF sensor on the intake and primary O2 sensor in the exhaust manifold can throw that code. Most common reason on these cars is the accordion section of the intake tube tearing and leaking air, second most likely cause is a vacuum hose leaking. Less common on the N/A cars but something to check is the exhaust manifold for missing hardware or cracks. You can use soapy water in a spray bottle while the car is running to spray the vac lines and around the intake/throttle body to help find leaks. The MAF sensors do not fail very often and they are frequently replaced for no reason, a simple cleaning with some electric parts cleaner should be sufficient.
 
Okay so i sprayed water around the accordion part and the vacuum hoses and did not see any sort of air leaks. Prolly spent 15 mins on it in total. I wasn't able to check the exhaust but it does sounds quite and like there is no leak.

The code left for a bit and then it returned and has been there ever since.
 
The accordian section of the intake tube is likely split underneath. did you remove it when inspecting or just have a look. i work at a Mazda dealership, and own a protege that has had the exact same symptoms as you are describing from a tear in the intake boot. because "false air" is let into the engine behind the MAF sensor the PCM injects too little fuel into the engine and the o2 sensor picks up a lean condition and signals more fuel to be added. once the PCM is adding 15% more fuel than usual to combat the problem the engine light comes on. Proteges are notorious for tearing the front or rear engine mounts with age, which causes the engine to rock back and forth and tear the intake boot open. check the intake boot when removed from the intake and look to see if either the front engine mount (below the exhaust manifold attached to the transaxle subframe, and the rear engine mount which is between the intake manifold and the same transaxle subframe)
 
Excellent thank you, i was just about to order the sensor when i saw this. I will take the rubber acordian thing off tonight and take a good look for cracks. I will also check the engine mounts.
 
Another possibility: This lean code happened to my daughter's Protg, not too long ago and it turned out to be a cut vacuum tube near the upper middle of the firewall in the engine bay. I simply cut 1/2-inch or so of the tubing off, reinstalled the tubing, used my ScanGauge 2 to turn off the check engine light and everything wa good to go.
 
There was one pic i couldn't post of the engine mount due to it being over 2MB. But it looks as the first two pics do. There are not any cracks in it or anything like that.
 
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