misfire?

[dannyxcarr]

think it may be my coil packs, but i'm not positive. rough idle, and at cruising speeds it surges... suggestions? and where can i get parts? and maybe an idea on pricing?

 

[dannyxcarr]

so i found the source of my misfire... piston head closed the gap on my sparkplug. after a bit or reading, i found a similar issue talked about in a different forum. something about the main bearings on the crank shaft going out could cause too much travel and allow the piston head to come too far up the cylinder. anybody had a similar issue, or know of any other possible cause? any help here would be GREATLY appreciated! i can't really afford to rebuild OR replace the motor.

 

[jdmdikk]

i read something similar to your problem and i will be placing new spark plugs on my p5 tomorrow to see if that helps with my problems..i also heard that there was a recall for the egr's going bad but i will call my local mazda dealer 2morrow to find out.

 

[flash75]

I don't think it's possible the piston head can hit the spark plug due to worn bearings. Have you checked the plugs to see if the gaps are closed? There is a variable tumble control system in the intake manifold. It has plates for each runner, sometimes the retaining plate screws come out and get sucked into the combustion chamber bending the spark plug side electrode. The intake manifold will have to be removed to check.

Some 2003 P5's had a TSB for that problem so it's something you may want to check.
You can look up the TSB here.
http://www.protegefaq.net/

Clifton

 

[dannyxcarr]

i read something similar to your problem and i will be placing new spark plugs on my p5 tomorrow to see if that helps with my problems..i also heard that there was a recall for the egr's going bad but i will call my local mazda dealer 2morrow to find out.

i haven't heard anything about the egr recall, but i was aware of the recall clifton is talking about... hope to hell that isn't the problem, but if it is at least i won't have to pay for it.

I don't think it's possible the piston head can hit the spark plug due to worn bearings. Have you checked the plugs to see if the gaps are closed? There is a variable tumble control system in the intake manifold. It has plates for each runner, sometimes the retaining plate screws come out and get sucked into the combustion chamber bending the spark plug side electrode. The intake manifold will have to be removed to check.

Some 2003 P5's had a TSB for that problem so it's something you may want to check.
You can look up the TSB here.
http://www.protegefaq.net/

Clifton

i have no idea what the cause was for the piston head hitting the spark plug , that's kind of why i posted. to see if anybody could give me any ideas for a cause. i pulled all of my plugs, and it was only the one plug (don't know if its the 1 or the 4 cylinder... its the far end on the driver's side) that was completely closed (no gap at all). there is a scar on the plug, and when i took a flashlight and looked into the cylinder you could see a clean spot on the piston head the perfect shape and size of the part of the plug that it hit. my only thought is if the plugs were removed and re-installed repeatedly and over tightened that the crush washer on the plug got too flattened didn't allow the clearance needed. i replaced all 4 plugs, and so far so good, but it has only been 24 hours.

 

[mrcarson2]

I literally had the same exact thing happen to me last month. It was the #4cyl (drivers side). I had just had the plugs replaced the week before. After I changed the plugs (mechanic that I took it to that replaced them used cheap ass autolite plugs) with NGK platinum, the car has been running fine for the past month without issue. The CEL shut itself off after a couple of days. I read on this forum in the past that the intake manifold screws could come loose and fall into the piston well and that is what would hit the spark plugs. I also come to find out that there is some kind of recall for it but I have not called a dealership yet. Change the plugs and you should be ok. PS. My car is an 03 with around 85k on it.

 

[P-Funk!]

Check the length of the plugs (compare with others - one maybe longer than spec (or wrong heat range).

 

[BlkWidow]

I have the same code for misfire, but the car runs smooth. I will get some new plugs today and see if that helps, I have already changed my coilpacks and wires.

 

[dannyxcarr]

a friend of mine also talked to some engine guys that he works with. they're thought was that if the engine was run without enough oil that the rod bearings could be wearing and allowing too much travel. that then triggered a memory. if i remember correctly i read something about the 2.0 having an oil starvation problem when cornering at above average speed. not sure if that could be a cause or not. since my last post though i have changed out all my plugs and driven it... not much, but my misfire code is gone, and i haven't experienced the same issue. in all fairness though, its been parked most of the winter because my tires are shot and i can't afford to put new ones on.

 

[P-Funk!]

So - was the plug too long? (longer than the others?) Look for the simple solution first.

Then dig deeper in to piston travel issues.

 

[dannyxcarr]

So - was the plug too long? (longer than the others?) Look for the simple solution first.

Then dig deeper in to piston travel issues.

old plugs were the same length as the new ones. we looked at that right away.

 

[BlkWidow]

I changed my plugs, wires and coils and I still have the same problem. Would a dead oxygen sensor cause misfire?

 

[BlkZoomZoom]

Not typically. If your rod bearings were worn enough to allow the piston to hit the valve (I don't think it is possible on a fs), you would not be worrying about a misfire, you would be wondering what the hellacious noise was.

Dump a bottle of water over where your fuel injectors are while the engine is running, see if it makes a slurping type noise. Do you know what cylinder is misfiring?

 

[BlkWidow]

Do you know what cylinder is misfiring?

Here are the codes that I have for the car, I changed plugs, wires and coils.
P0131 O2 Sensor Circuit Low Voltage (Bank 1 Sensor 1)
P0140 O2 Sensor Circuit No Activity Detected (Bank 1 Sensor 2)
P0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected

 

[P-Funk!]

^thread jack!

 

[BlkWidow]

^thread jack!

I hope your not talking about me, I have been looking for answers. So by adding other questions to the thread will help the next guy looking, instead of the couple quick answers in a 20 page search.

 

[c4racer]

I literally had the same exact thing happen to me last month. It was the #4cyl (drivers side). I had just had the plugs replaced the week before. After I changed the plugs (mechanic that I took it to that replaced them used cheap ass autolite plugs) with NGK platinum, the car has been running fine for the past month without issue. The CEL shut itself off after a couple of days. I read on this forum in the past that the intake manifold screws could come loose and fall into the piston well and that is what would hit the spark plugs. I also come to find out that there is some kind of recall for it but I have not called a dealership yet. Change the plugs and you should be ok. PS. My car is an 03 with around 85k on it.

OK - this is too strange. I had the same issue happen to me on a replacement sub 40K Japan take-out motor. Same cylinder - #4. The plug was clearly hammered shut. The rest are all OK. I am using the proper NGK plug - BKR5E that I have been running in the old motor since the first plug change at 30K. Meaning I went thru 3 plug changes on the original motor up to 120K miles and never had a problem.

There is a TSB from December of 2005 that says this:
Mazda Motor Corporation has decided that certain 2003 model year Mazda Proteg vehicles
produced from March 3, 2003 through July 31, 2003 may fail to conform to California and
federal emission standards. If you are a recipient of this notice, your vehicle is included in
this campaign.

What is the problem?
On certain 2003 Proteg vehicles, the tightening torque of the screws used for mounting the
intake manifold shutter valve may have been lower than the specification. Engine vibration, air
pulsation and normal action of the valve may cause the mounting screws to loosen or fall out.
This may cause rough idling, noise and/or Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination to engine
misfiring adversely affecting the exhaust emissions.

=====

My car was built on August 3rd, 3 days outside of this range, but surely they could have had left over engines or intake manifolds built within that range knowing how most factory works.

So does anybody know if the screws from the shutter valve typically fall into cylinder #4? If that is the case, seems likely that is the problem for me. Which means there are some screws rattling around in there, right?

If I print out this notice and take it to the dealer, are they going to fix it for free on my 120K mile car?