VICS solenoid broken, what does that mean?

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CheeseHelmet

Member
I just got a OBDII scanner yesterday and I hooked it up to my PR5; it had one DTC code: P0660. The service manual says "VICS solenoid valve circuit malfunction".

I checked out the solenoid this morning and sure enough there's no continuity across it. The DTC doesn't cause the MIL to turn on so I assume it's not that serious but if something's broken I'd like to fix it :)

So, how important is that solenoid? From what I've read, VICS is the system that manages those butterfly valves in the air intake, so does that mean that they're permanently open/closed without that solenoid?

Perhaps someone could clarify how the VICS system works in conjunction with the VTCS system, I can't really tell the difference between the two...
 
VICS is the good butterflys in the intake that route the air a shorter or longer route to motor depending on rpm to maximize torque. They kick in & change airflow after 5000k. VTCS are the set right at the head that just cause turbulence for cold start emmissions for less than 30 seconds upon startup. These are useless in anything but a frigid environment & are usually removed for better flow & less clattering noise by those in warm climates. VICS are the ones that lose the screws in the motor (certain 2003 VIN range) that are the cause of the recall for the intake.

Get rid of VTCS & replace the VICS solenoid.
 
Last edited:
Just ordered the solenoid from mazda, the part number is FS05-18-741 and it cost $72. Hopefully they'll have it by the end of the week.
 
If your car is manual you could get my MP3 flash which doesn't use VTCS and move that solenoid to the VICS.
 
SpicyorangeMSP said:
If your car is manual you could get my MP3 flash which doesn't use VTCS and move that solenoid to the VICS.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer but I'd rather keep everything as stock as possible. Plus $72 for a solenoid isn't that bad (they wanted $120 for a single-DIN-stereo plastic insert).
 
the real MSP/MP3 radio pocket and support bar for 20 bucks? That's a deal, I paid more than that for the harness, too.
 
hornsfan10609 said:
the real MSP/MP3 radio pocket and support bar for 20 bucks? That's a deal, I paid more than that for the harness, too.
Click to expand...

I doubt it's the "real" one, but it listed Protege5 as a supported car on the back. It also fits perfectly and looks good so I'm not complaining :)

We are quite off-topic...
 
hornsfan10609 said:
It's your thread, say whatever you want.
Click to expand...

That is true, but I like to think that sometime in the future someone might find this thread and want to get information of it relating to the topic but instead they'll have to waste time sifting through a bunch of off-topic stuff.

Maybe I'm just crazy.
 
Considering I have attempted to use the search function on this board several times to no avail, I don't think anyone that needs to read this thread could easily find it anyway, but yeah, i'm done thread jacking.
 
Interesting thread. I have some issues on high RPM's with my MSP. I think I should try to change this solenoid on my car, thanks!
 
I got an MP3 ECU and switched to the PG intake mani and I'm still getting a P0660 manifiold tuning control circuit open bank 1a, but it doesn't light up the mil still shows on code reader though.


SpicyorangeMSP said:
If your car is manual you could get my MP3 flash which doesn't use VTCS and move that solenoid to the VICS.
Click to expand...
 
CheeseHelmet said:
That is true, but I like to think that sometime in the future someone might find this thread and want to get information of it relating to the topic but instead they'll have to waste time sifting through a bunch of off-topic stuff.

Maybe I'm just crazy.
Click to expand...

funny thing about that is..... lol

btw thanks for supplying part number, needed to get mine replaced the other day. They charged me 88 bucks though :/
 
hornsfan10609 said:
Considering I have attempted to use the search function on this board several times to no avail, I don't think anyone that needs to read this thread could easily find it anyway, but yeah, i'm done thread jacking.
Click to expand...

Funny thing about that is... I Googled the code, and it directed me here. Not to mention I got a part number out of it. Success!
 
Hi CheeseHelmet! Thanks for the reply on my long post from Sept. 25th or so.

I see a part number reference above...but I want to make sure I'm on the right track here with all this VICS and VTCS business! :)

I couldn't find the part number for a 2002 Mazda Protege5 2.0 L VICS or the VTCS anywhere online. It seems that doing keyword searches even on a Mazda dealer site comes up empty. Perhaps there are variations in the abbreviations/acronyms?

Can you help me? Did you replace both the VICS and the VTCS?

You previously stated:
"P0660 is really simple to fix, your VICS solenoid is broken and needs to be replaced. It's about $70 from Mazda."

Where can I find instructions on how to do these two jobs? This seems to be a void in the forum, too...

Sorry to bombard you with a bunch of questions but I need to resolve this issue and if I can do it myself (as mentioned, I'm not experienced), it would be ideal.

I replaced the upstream O2, by the way. It looked awful so it wasn't a bad thing to get that over with. I will be taking an OBDII reading again tomorrow to see if the P0300 and P0660 come back up.

Thank you kindly for your time yet again!

Sincerely,
NM
 
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