'96 Protege 1.5L Z5 Auto
Hi guys, I have an odd problem with my Protege and I've asked around, my mechanics are stumped. We can't figure out what the problem is (short of going to a Mazda dealer, but that costs major $$$). I'll describe the issue in a timeline of events.
First occurance - (second day after I bought the car, lucky me) - no special weather conditions
Car starts but doesn't seem to idle. Give it gas to keep the engine alive. After a while it stayed running.
Later occurances - Only seemed to happen after a rainy day
Car starts, runs until I reach my first or second stop then struggles to maintain RPM, dies. After a few attempts at starting and keeping the engine alive, it stays alive.
A certain mechanic said MAF... I let myself get scared into replacing it and in the back of my mind I knew it didn't need to be replaced. $400 down the tube. A fuel system cleaning was also done at this time. But that eliminates that as a potential issue.
At this point I believe it is only an issue on cold start and only when it rains/after a rainy day but doesn't happen when the car is warmed up. I replaced the distributor cap and rotor.
Took to another mechanic, he can't find anything wrong. All his diagnostic tools report everything is running great. He said it is hard for him to diagnose it if it doesn't happen for him. He offered to let me leave my car overnight and he would test it in the morning. I haven't yet, but it is so random when the problem appears I don't think anything will come up. He did adjust my throttle plate, it was opened too much and it's idle RPM was way too high.
2nd to last occurance - normal day, no special conditions
It has been about a month since the last occurance.
Cold start, same symptoms. After a few attempts at starting and keeping the engine alive, it stays alive.
Since I believe it's only happens before the car is warmed up, I let it idle a bit to warm up before I go any where as a preventative measure. It's usually good able keeping a steady idle rpm with very tiny variation.
This evening - normal day, no special conditions
Didn't happen this morning, drove to work fine. When I was leaving from work I started, let it idle a bit. Drove to a different part of campus and let it idle while I ran inside quickly. Came back to a solid RPM and went on my way home. When I arrive, I sat in my drive way and filmed the very floaty idle that occurred. This is how it acts when it will stall out but it didn't this evening.
The video: http://youtu.be/-hIyQtzI_S0
(Please ignore my stellar commentary of what's going on)
I feel like the issue has to do with air intake or fuel.
Potential issues that may be part of this issue or something else entirely
Occasional rattle sound from underside of car. Usually accompanied by smelly exhaust. Something with the catalytic converter? It doesn't stay long though.
Here's a video of the noise: http://youtu.be/qElPRGOzR6M
A few months ago I had a check engine light for crankshaft position sensor. When it appeared, I had little acceleration. Went away after a few days.
Maybe the IAC has trouble with Florida weather, specifically humid air? Is that possible?
Perhaps regular maintenance can help rule out some potential issues? It's about time for the plugs, fuel filter, etc. to be changed and was planning on it soon.
I hope someone can help me out or give me an idea what to look for/suggest to a mechanic. This is getting annoying. I typically have my hand on the shifter to put it into neutral and give it gas to keep it alive.
Hi guys, I have an odd problem with my Protege and I've asked around, my mechanics are stumped. We can't figure out what the problem is (short of going to a Mazda dealer, but that costs major $$$). I'll describe the issue in a timeline of events.
First occurance - (second day after I bought the car, lucky me) - no special weather conditions
Car starts but doesn't seem to idle. Give it gas to keep the engine alive. After a while it stayed running.
Later occurances - Only seemed to happen after a rainy day
Car starts, runs until I reach my first or second stop then struggles to maintain RPM, dies. After a few attempts at starting and keeping the engine alive, it stays alive.
A certain mechanic said MAF... I let myself get scared into replacing it and in the back of my mind I knew it didn't need to be replaced. $400 down the tube. A fuel system cleaning was also done at this time. But that eliminates that as a potential issue.
At this point I believe it is only an issue on cold start and only when it rains/after a rainy day but doesn't happen when the car is warmed up. I replaced the distributor cap and rotor.
Took to another mechanic, he can't find anything wrong. All his diagnostic tools report everything is running great. He said it is hard for him to diagnose it if it doesn't happen for him. He offered to let me leave my car overnight and he would test it in the morning. I haven't yet, but it is so random when the problem appears I don't think anything will come up. He did adjust my throttle plate, it was opened too much and it's idle RPM was way too high.
2nd to last occurance - normal day, no special conditions
It has been about a month since the last occurance.
Cold start, same symptoms. After a few attempts at starting and keeping the engine alive, it stays alive.
Since I believe it's only happens before the car is warmed up, I let it idle a bit to warm up before I go any where as a preventative measure. It's usually good able keeping a steady idle rpm with very tiny variation.
This evening - normal day, no special conditions
Didn't happen this morning, drove to work fine. When I was leaving from work I started, let it idle a bit. Drove to a different part of campus and let it idle while I ran inside quickly. Came back to a solid RPM and went on my way home. When I arrive, I sat in my drive way and filmed the very floaty idle that occurred. This is how it acts when it will stall out but it didn't this evening.
The video: http://youtu.be/-hIyQtzI_S0
(Please ignore my stellar commentary of what's going on)
I feel like the issue has to do with air intake or fuel.
Potential issues that may be part of this issue or something else entirely
Occasional rattle sound from underside of car. Usually accompanied by smelly exhaust. Something with the catalytic converter? It doesn't stay long though.
Here's a video of the noise: http://youtu.be/qElPRGOzR6M
A few months ago I had a check engine light for crankshaft position sensor. When it appeared, I had little acceleration. Went away after a few days.
Maybe the IAC has trouble with Florida weather, specifically humid air? Is that possible?
Perhaps regular maintenance can help rule out some potential issues? It's about time for the plugs, fuel filter, etc. to be changed and was planning on it soon.
I hope someone can help me out or give me an idea what to look for/suggest to a mechanic. This is getting annoying. I typically have my hand on the shifter to put it into neutral and give it gas to keep it alive.
