We have a Mazda Protege 5 - 2002 model. It has always been a great, reliable car. No problems. Aside from routine maintenance it has never been in the shop! The other day my husband was driving on a highway and the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air, then soon after it began to feel as though he was losing power. He pulled over and we had it towed to a mechanic (who we trust and have patronized for years and through many cars!) He told us the engine and radiator were completely burned up. There were no warning signs. Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Mazda Protege 5 engine problems?
- Thread starter Mazdahak
- Start date
I've seen many of them come into the shop that I work at. Non of them needed anything outside of regular maintenance (except for three of them that needed the A/C recharged. Those are great vehicles. Like Mazda Tech said, yours was either poorly maintained or you just had bad luck. Get a second opinion too. I had a horrible noise coming from the left front of a Protege I used to own. I went to four mechanics and two tranny shops. First the mechanics all told me that the noise my car was making was my transmission going bad. Of course none of the estimates were under $1,000. I then went to two different transmission shops and both of them said that the noise was my speedometer cable. Turned out to be the speedometer cable. $110 later, I was good to go. What I'm trying to say is get a second or third opinion before taking the next step. Take it to a Mazda specialist. Cars are similar but no car is the same.
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+1 for not looking at the temp gauge
but ive had mine for over 7 years now all 194,400+ plus and never had any problems.
did you haev the timing belt and water pump changed?
but ive had mine for over 7 years now all 194,400+ plus and never had any problems.
did you haev the timing belt and water pump changed?
hmmm...I had the same issue. Driving down the expressway, car started to smoke inside and temperature gauge went off the chart. When i pulled off to the side, I noticed a puncture hole near the radiator cap. This was either due to Jiffy lube or the rust just ate through the radiator from the inside out. I was able to save my engine by being close to the off-ramp to my dealer...drove in and they swapped out my radiator and thermostat. So it does happen, do you do your regular maintenance with the dealer or some third party. My curiosity is if your radiator went out, the coolant would have gotten all over the engine and steam or smoke would be everywhere? I would get a second opinion on if the engine has any damage, but your radiator and thermostate are shot for sure.
