New (to me) 2002 Protege LX

[revhigh]

Hi All,

Just bought a 2002 Protege LX for my daughter who just started driving. Well, she actually bought it with money she's been saving. It's in good shape, one owner, clean carfax, and it looks like all the fluids have just been changed. Oil, brake, coolant, and trans oil looks clean and clear. The car has 112K on it, and to be honest, runs like a new car. Everything works fine, all the lights, switches, AC, heat work as they should. Suspension seems nice and tight. It has 4 brand new tires and goes for an alignment tommorrow, not sure it needs it, but with new tires I'd rather be SURE.

My question is ... are there any trouble spots on the 02 Protege's that bear watching with this kind of mileage ? I've read about the front cats, but when do they typically go bad ? I know the timing belt was changed at 60K (not sure why so early), but the servicing dealer confirmed that by the car's VIN. It seems that Mazda recommends different timing belt intervals for different states in the country. Any ideas on this ? The car was bought and used in MD and I'm in PA.

Thanks

REVHIGH

[JCell]

welcome, i couple of issues that may arise of the top of my head


idle problem caused by egr
thermostat getting stuck
VTCS screws going through engine


is it a stick or auto? btw the timing belt replacing is normal

[revhigh]

welcome, i couple of issues that may arise of the top of my head


idle problem caused by egr
thermostat getting stuck
VTCS screws going through engine


is it a stick or auto? btw the timing belt replacing is normal

Thanks JCell! Idles OK for now. I hope the tstat sticks OPEN if it does LOL. What's VTCS? Car is auto.

REV

[DaveB]

First off, Welcome and congrats on the 2002 Protege LX. Sounds like you found a good buy. The only thing else I could think of is you might also check with the servicing dealer and see if when they changed the timing belt see if they also changed the water pump.

[JCell]

vtcs is a system used for emission purposes, when the car is cold, the "butterflies" inside the intake manifold tumble and create turbulence, which helps warm the precat quicker, once the car is warm, the "butterflies" stay open so not to interfere with engine function

they r held on by tiny screws, they can come loose and go through the engine, either simply going through the engine, destroying the spark plug, or creating much bigger problems. I myself have suffered from this, luckily it was covered by the original warranty.

DJ Dub just had this happen to his car, ill look for a pic

[Thefriar]

Thanks JCell! Idles OK for now. I hope the tstat sticks OPEN if it does LOL. What's VTCS? Car is auto.

REV

Variable Tumble Control System

helps with low end driveablity but the screws can come out

[JCell]

its a very well known, and unfortunately common problem, check with your dealership to se if u still qualify for the TSB for this

here is DJ Dub's story, basically the car was still running ok but would destroy spark plugs constantly

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4903172&postcount=53

[revhigh]

What can be done to prevent the vtsc issue ??? Anything ??

REV

[JCell]

i wouldnt recommend u go and try this yourself, mazda finally knows this issue and "was" willing to fix it free of charge, i say was because mine came off almost 4 years ago, and mazda replaced quiet a bit, but i dont know 100% if they still do it

if they wont then we can guide you to how to's to remove the intake manifold and tighten them to german specs:)

[revhigh]

Thanks JC, I will contact Mazda and see what they say. Those pics are very scary.

REV

[323]

wasnt the screw issue only for a batch of 2003 proteges form a certain plant?

[JCell]

no problem, if they give ya a hard time let them know that there is/was a TSB and you just wanna make sure it doesnt happen to you

dont take this issue as a sign that you bought a bad car, the protege is a VERY good starting car, VERY safe (a couple of people have rolled them and walked out without a scratch, H frame FTW!), many members have much higher mileage and have zero problems, and its a fun, good looking car to boot.

[JCell]

wasnt the screw issue only for a batch of 2003 proteges form a certain plant?

that's what mazda said, but there have been a couple of 2002's affected as well

[323]

ahh. was unaware of that. long live the 2001s lol

[revhigh]

I called the servicing Mazda dealer, and mentioned the TSB on the VTCS screws and he said that my car was not in the affected group. He also confirmed that the timing belt WAS replaced at 60K, but that the water pump and tensioner were NOT replaced when that was done due to it not being high enough mileage yet. He said that at 120K, he WOULD recommend that the pump and tensioner be replaced, due to mileage. I've done a little research and think I remember that the recommended interval for the timing belt where I live was either 90K or 105K miles. Seeing that I trust experts on a forum like this moreso than a service writer, I'll ask here ... what IS the recommended realistic interval for changing timing belts on 02 Proteges ??

Thanks

REV

[Speedkid]

Welcome to the forums.

[JCell]

I called the servicing Mazda dealer, and mentioned the TSB on the VTCS screws and he said that my car was not in the affected group. He also confirmed that the timing belt WAS replaced at 60K, but that the water pump and tensioner were NOT replaced when that was done due to it not being high enough mileage yet. He said that at 120K, he WOULD recommend that the pump and tensioner be replaced, due to mileage. I've done a little research and think I remember that the recommended interval for the timing belt where I live was either 90K or 105K miles. Seeing that I trust experts on a forum like this moreso than a service writer, I'll ask here ... what IS the recommended realistic interval for changing timing belts on 02 Proteges ??

Thanks

REV


i would stick to 60-80k, a friend of mine drove his to 120k miles with no issues, but why risk it?

the problem is that the belt could stretch and cause strain on the motor, but still run relatively ok

the part is cheap and its not impossible to DIY

[el_Don]

105k miles is in the manual for a timing belt replacement.

[revhigh]

105k miles is in the manual for a timing belt replacement.

That's what I thought, but it seems to vary by state, believe it or not. I think I'll let it go to about 150K, since it was already done at 60K, or sooner if a water pump issue develops. 60K seems awfully early for such an expensive repair, which I've been quoted at about $800.

I'm sure I could do it myself, but it does seem like a fair amount of work. It's always easier the second time around.

Thanks for the welcome all !!!

Hoping my daughter's little Protege will be a reliable and safe car for her.

REV

[lilpoindexter]

My car is a 1.6l 99 which is probably not the same thing as what you have but....I changed the original timing belt / water pump/ tensioner on my car at 105k miles...they all looked beautiful....like they could easily go another 105k miles...