Life expectancy/reliability of Protege

C

ChaoSki

Member
Our 2001 Protege LX 2.0 has 76k miles and has served us extremely well. It's been reliable and we are very happy with it.

Just wanted to get an idea how much more life this car has in it and other people's experiences.

I just got new Tires for her and I'm about to do Timing Belt/Waterpump etc change. I also have to replace front shocks as the car is becoming VERY bouncy and rough on the bumps (no biggie, maintenance item at this age/mileage). Other minor issue was I let the belts go too long (had them but didn't put them on) and they broke.....car started to overheat but turned it off in time etc...too much pressure for radiator/popped a hole.....so I ended up replacing that (self inflicted pain). I'm pretty sure radiator was at that age anyways.

Other item was minimal, Intake Boot....that's about it. I change oil myself every 5k and did Transmission fluid change about a year ago.

I'm thinking about putting tints on it and painting wheels black + putting in the 12" sub + amp.

So far, I have a small rust spot on the driver side rear wheel well (which I will be fixing soon). The infamous rust over the front wheel strut tower seems limited to the metal ring so far (no corrosion on the paint/surrounding area).

In general this car served us well and it seems like it should have many more years of reliable service (once I get the Timing belt done and change the shocks).
 
Last edited:
Mine just rolled over 240k and is running like a champ, just maintain it and keep an eye on potential developing problems and you will be fine.
 
Actually, I forgot about one area of concern. Exhaust.

Recently the Cat cover was rattling so I removed the upper cover. Noticed that just like my MPV, exhaust looks very rusty (bolts look horrible). Also, flex pipe looks like it's about to go.

I noticed that on my MPV I'm very limited on exhausts.

I would like to get something T304 Stainless steel when and if the exhaust goes. I don't really care about performance or sound, just long lasting. What are my options when I get to that point for Protege? Actually MPV as well.....
 
The 1.6L engines are tougher but a good maintenance and no abuse will get your 2.0L as reliable as the 1.6

The biggest thing to watch for on our cars is rust... Dam these cars rust fast.

Other than that, swaybar end links gets worn fast.

There's also the EGR valve that become defect and it affects your idle. Mazda released a new model a few years ago with a coolant pass. They seem more reliable.

Usually past the 200,000km the fuel pump plastic housing gets too dry, cracks and theres a fuel leak. Accessible by the trap under backseat.

If your A/C control is flickering, you need a new A/C control unit.

Sometimes oil pressure sensor leaks through... Just replace it.

Sometimes, the little screws that holds the little throttle plates of the VTCS and VICS just fall into your engine. You have to disassemble the intake manifold to check this. Just remove the screws and put them back with red locktite.
 
I would say change oil less than 5k maybe 3k, maybe your using synthetic, but the more oil changes the less contaminants being recirculated in the oil and burned, thus longer life... Better to do cheaper oil and more often changes than better oil and longer change intervals
-Also if your overheating, you said it was your radiator, but I would say a good thing would be to change thermostat and not worry of overheating due to stuck thermo. in the future, also maybe put some new plugs and wires, and maybe run a can of seafoam through it.
 
Last edited:
kosteniuks17 said:
I would say change oil less than 5k maybe 3k, maybe your using synthetic, but the more oil changes the less contaminants being recirculated in the oil and burned, thus longer life... Better to do cheaper oil and more often changes than better oil and longer change intervals
-Also if your overheating, you said it was your radiator, but I would say a good thing would be to change thermostat and not worry of overheating due to stuck thermo. in the future, also maybe put some new plugs and wires, and maybe run a can of seafoam through it.
Click to expand...

It started to overheat due to belt failure.

I will change the thermostat when I do the Timing belt. I already did new plugs (didn't do wires yet).
 
Friend of my wife's is finally cutting loose their Protege5 with over 200K on it. Still runs reliably, they just need something a little bigger and it's served it's purpose. That thing is a tank.
 
kosteniuks17 said:
I would say change oil less than 5k maybe 3k, maybe your using synthetic, but the more oil changes the less contaminants being recirculated in the oil and burned, thus longer life... Better to do cheaper oil and more often changes than better oil and longer change intervals
Click to expand...

^^ What he said,... One thing people don't seem to consider with engine oil is the corrosive acids that are created and stored in the oil.
Here in Canada, I can completely fill my car with new oil,... as much as I can stuff into the car,.. BUT used oil is another story,... we are limited to 4 gallons because it is considered toxic waste and special permits (hazmat) are required to transport more than that.

It's the used oil that is dangerous and can cause cancer with long term exposure.

I believe cheap oil changed every 3k miles is way better than expensive synthetic oil changed every 7.5k miles,... it flushes out the acids. (and is probably even less total cost).

Frequent oil changes reduce sludge buildup and even help wash it away. (the oil filter doesn't catch everything)

EDIT... That's why they stopped (for the most part) spraying used oil as an undercoating on cars,.. the acids eat away at the metal it is supposed to protect and is environmentally hazardous. (just think what it can do inside your engine)
 
Last edited:
Wow all of you with 200+k miles makes my 155k seem really low! haha Mine's had its fair share of problems, but I blame the negligent previous owner and the fact that it sat on a dealer lot through 2 snowy MN winters with no rustproofing.
 
I'm only at 135k miles. I'm hoping for lots more life,... (as long as my ass doesn't drop through my floorboards.)
 
Mine was horribly maintained, still made it to 185k

Drive it 3 weeks with a spun rod bearing before it finally let go
 
I just bought a 02 with 168kms,how do you know for sure if its the true mileage? Where is the mileage stored in this cars? in the ecu,and cluster?
 
246,300 km or 153,043 miles on mine so far.

Bought it used with 212k km, it needed a few things like front endlinks, timing belt/water pump, all fluids changed, rear wheel bearings, other than those things the motor itself has been pretty solid and burns no oil.
 
I'm working with 204k miles currently as of now. im serious man, keep it updated, check your fluids regularly... it'll last a very long time...ive seen these reach 300k
 
Mines at 255+ and it's running great... And I love how much more power I got once I installed my turbo keep us updated
 
I have maintained my 2002 meticulously since new. As I write this I'm waiting on a remanufactured motor to arrive so I can change the 140,000 mile original out. The rings are gone and I consume 1qt of oil every 200 miles. It has had synthetic oil all of it's life. I have no idea what went wrong. I have never had an engine crap out with such few miles on it.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

New Posts

2
    • Like
2024 CX-5 GS Ride Quality and Noise Levels
9 10 11
Replies
201
Views
11K
24CX-5GS-RW
2
N
CX-5 Cracked Engine
Replies
19
Views
500
Conrad 16.5
Conrad 16.5
ProteJester
    • Like
Mazda Protege 1.6L Build
Replies
16
Views
1K
Lazy2.5
L
M
Identifying Upstream Oxygen Sensor Location
Replies
4
Views
121
Moteje
M
P
Stuck in ACC mode?
Replies
2
Views
117
ADS-B
ADS-B
CTt3P5
    • Like
    • Love it!
ND MX-5: Jeff's 2016 ST GT Build
7 8 9
Replies
160
Views
34K
Antoine
Antoine
View more…

New Threads

Back