Intermittent loss of power

[bighenry]

Hi Folks

I have a 2000 Mazda Premacy 1.8. Petrol

Recently I have been getting the following problems.

Sudden loss of power - a bit like dropping down a gear

with poor acceleration - I have to put it in 2nd gear to keep it going at times

It usually lasts for about a minute and then all of a sudden back to normal?

I have also noticed a bit of smoke from the exhaust the last few days when starting in the morning.

However last night on my way home it happened again and did not clear,
I arrived home with it running really rough and lifted the bonnet and sat in the car for a few minutes flipping the accelerator to see if it would clear up as it usually did,then smoke started coming from which seemed like from under the engine so I turned the car off for a few minutes.

I thought I would give it one last go so -

I lifted the bonnet
started the engine - still really rough idling to the point I thought it might stall, I flipped the accelerator a couple of times and heard a really loud ping
like something snapped or metal hitting metal and the car immediately went back to normal?

Any ideas anyone?

Yes I will take it in to the garage but I would like to know myself incase it is something I might be able to do to fix it.

Many thanks

 

[Robotazky]

With that kind of age, I'm curious if you have ever just cleaned the throttle body with a spray cleaner? Also, ever cleaned the mass air flow sensor (MAF)? Spark plugs changed? What kind of maintenance have you done in the last 50,000 miles?

I have fixed issues that sound like that for several people with a bottle of water remover that you pour in the gas tank. Has the fuel filter ever been changed?

 

[Silentnoise713]

Check suggestion above. Could also be a clogged catalytic converter or EGR valves/tubing. Do you see a check engine light?

 

[cabbie]

My car is doing exactly the same thing. Take your car to an autoparts store and ask them to scan your computer -- I'll bet you'll learn that the oxygen sensor has failed (O2 signal rich lock). Now all I have to do is find an online source for genuine Mazda parts so I can purchase a new O2 sensor for my self.

Good luck,

Cabbie