Sue Mazda?

[Proto22]

I had the same problem with mine. (2003 Protege 5) I started to notice vibrations coming from my engine while idiling at a stop light. I have about 30,230 miles to be exact. I took it in to the dealer and this is what they found:
1) Cylinder four fouled plug damaged from intake. Verified screws on butterfly came off.
2) Shutter valves in manifold screws came off of cylinder #4.

This is what they did to fix it:
1) Replace intake manifold and fuel rail with updated parts.

It took my dealer three days to get my car fixed including ordering the parts. But they were nice enough to get me a loaner car. The repair was covered by my warranty, so i didn't have to pay for anything. I really had no idea this was a common problem, I thought I was just the unlucky one.

 

[msubullyfan]

Make sure you add your name to the VTCS screw issue list...

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116317

I had the same problem with mine. (2003 Protege 5) I started to notice vibrations coming from my engine while idiling at a stop light. I have about 30,230 miles to be exact. I took it in to the dealer and this is what they found:
1) Cylinder four fouled plug damaged from intake. Verified screws on butterfly came off.
2) Shutter valves in manifold screws came off of cylinder #4.

This is what they did to fix it:
1) Replace intake manifold and fuel rail with updated parts.

It took my dealer three days to get my car fixed including ordering the parts. But they were nice enough to get me a loaner car. The repair was covered by my warranty, so i didn't have to pay for anything. I really had no idea this was a common problem, I thought I was just the unlucky one.

 

[tttP5]

Make sure you add your name to the VTCS screw issue list...

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116317

holy crap that is a big list! if theres already so many on this forum there could be many more ppl out there with this problem that just don't know about it cause it sounds like the car is still driveable unless the screw lodges into the spark plug.

i hope i don't get the problem because mine is about to run out of warranty in about 3 months or so.

 

[brittania81k]

sounds like knocking from cheap fuel

That's what has been suggested by some of those who have heard the noise. I definately do not think it is the VTCS thing, based on others' descriptions of what there car sounded like and other behaviors. No one has said that it ONLY happened at certain rpm's and ONLY when the car was MOVING. It does NOT do it at idle or when reving the car in park or neutral. I asked the dealer about it (since they could not duplicate the problem last time it was in, but it will be back) and bad gas or something loose was the suggested answer. They found nothing loose, so I'm just guessing the gas around here is crap. I've tried different brands and different grades, and sometimes it still happens. (dunno)

 

[msubullyfan]

Those of us who have had the screws come loose can tell you guys/gals...

If you *think* you have the problem but aren't sure, chances are you don't have it. That noise is unmistakable.

 

[t3ase]

after reading more on this issue, this may be what happened to the msp. i'm slightly out of warranty though, so once i tear it all down i'll be able to know for sure.

thanks to all for the info.

 

[vyse12012]

I dont know what to do .... my p5 was made at the Hofu power plant and I'm noticing a suspect sound when I'm driving at around 90km/h (that's around 53mph I think)



it sound like something is vibrating under the hood ... and it's not a plastic sound neither a rattle ... because if it was a rattle .. I would get it at every speed right ? When I drive at 60mph +, I don't get any vibrating or rattling from the engine .. WTF ?


First I thought it was maybe some heat shield ..but no ... could this be one of my screw that is loosing ? Should I need to check my header and everything to see if the screws are well tight ?




I have a 2003 p5 with 63 000km


THanks guys

 

[DiS]

I dont know what to do .... my p5 was made at the Hofu power plant and I'm noticing a suspect sound when I'm driving at around 90km/h (that's around 53mph I think)



it sound like something is vibrating under the hood ... and it's not a plastic sound neither a rattle ... because if it was a rattle .. I would get it at every speed right ? When I drive at 60mph +, I don't get any vibrating or rattling from the engine .. WTF ?


First I thought it was maybe some heat shield ..but no ... could this be one of my screw that is loosing ? Should I need to check my header and everything to see if the screws are well tight ?




I have a 2003 p5 with 63 000km


THanks guys

seems like you have something else. Might be a heatshield or something....

if it would be a loose ViSC screw, clunk would be constant and RPM dependant BUT it would always be there unless it clunks around for a bit and spits out throuth one of the exhaust valves and into the exhaust, which is even worse because thats how my exhaust cam-shaft got ****** up.

 

[vyse12012]

seems like you have something else. Might be a heatshield or something....

if it would be a loose ViSC screw, clunk would be constant and RPM dependant BUT it would always be there unless it clunks around for a bit and spits out throuth one of the exhaust valves and into the exhaust, which is even worse because thats how my exhaust cam-shaft got ****** up.

ok then ... but why the rattle is only happening at ~55mph ? isn't a bit weirdo ?

 

[DiS]

ok then ... but why the rattle is only happening at ~55mph ? isn't a bit weirdo ?

is it only happening in one gear only? like in 5th? (assuming you have manual trans) did u try switching to lower gear at that speed? is it still making the rattle noise at that point?

if you have auto try switching to lower gear also, if you tried that, is there any difference?

 

[vyse12012]

sometimes I hear the noise and sometimes theres nothing ...


I get it at gear 4th and 5th .. but only at like 55 mph (at gear 3, the motor is making too much noise, so I dont hear it

 

[LapisBlueProteg]

Oh, you'll know it if you get it. You'll hear a sound like a machine gun from under the hood (the screw rattling around in the cylinder and the piston beating it to death).

Within about 20 sec., the piston will very likely knock the screw into the spark plug and close the gap off completely, which will make the car miss badly and the car will throw a CEL.

Then, the rattling will likely stop because the screw will find its way out one of the exit valves. However, the misfiring will continue.

Mazda's recommended repair to the service dept. is to replace the intake manifold assembly with everything attached to it (VTCS, VICS) along with the fuel injectors and rails.

Although about 15-20 or so people have reported this on the forums, I don't think it's that common a problem.

same thing happened to me with 2100 miles left on warranty! screw got sucked in and i heard it. car stalled then restarted it to only hear the noise then car to miss fire like a mofo! all under warranty!

 

[Mazdamia]

I finally got my car back. The final price was $419.76. That price was just the labor and miscellaneous charges. Mazda gave me the new manifold and fuel rail at no charge.

It is gonna suck when everyone else that is out of warranty has this happen. It sure sucked for me.

 

[DiS]

I finally got my car back. The final price was $419.76. That price was just the labor and miscellaneous charges. Mazda gave me the new manifold and fuel rail at no charge.

It is gonna suck when everyone else that is out of warranty has this happen. It sure sucked for me.

im very glad that you have this s*** taken care of bro. This is complete horse s*** and they should make a recall on this matter. We need to make a pettition on this matter.

 

[323CiP5]

im very glad that you have this s*** taken care of bro. This is complete horse s*** and they should make a recall on this matter. We need to make a pettition on this matter.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116317

i think this might be a good start, maybe we can forward to mazda once we get enough people???(dunno)

 

[Mazdamia]

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116317

i think this might be a good start, maybe we can forward to mazda once we get enough people???(dunno)

Even Better:

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116589

 

[msubullyfan]

Even Better:

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116589

NHTSA couldn't care less about a screw rattling around in an engine. They only investigate serious safety concerns. A car misfiring and leaving somebody on the side of the road isn't going to make the grade.

 

[Mazdamia]

NHTSA couldn't care less about a screw rattling around in an engine. They only investigate serious safety concerns. A car misfiring and leaving somebody on the side of the road isn't going to make the grade.

While I am confused as to why you are defending Mazda in what is a serious defect in manufacturing, I will humor you with some reading materials about previous judgements on very similar issues:

http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=37&did=855

Check out the first paragraph. The judges, lawyers, and jurors(read "public") know what a safety defect is.

 

[msubullyfan]

This ain't a defense of Mazda, it's a statement of what NHTSA is going after with recalls. I don't have any friends at Mazda -- hell, I don't even own the P5 anymore.

I'm fully aware that "safety" is open to interpretation, and I've read that same letter before. However, I don't see NHTSA going after Mazda on this issue unless someone can prove the statistical population is significant enough to warrant it. We've had quite a few people on the forums talk about it, but in 2 weeks, only 13 people have signed up under the list thread (and one of them doesn't really have the problem).

We'll see... it would suit me fine if they declare a recall... Heaven knows it's stranded too many people on the road (me included!).

 

[garukun]

Hey Yall,

Looks like my screws came loose too. I was told the #4 shutter or something was damaged. I have to replace the intake manifold and they still have to open her up and find where the screw went. They're askin $1900 for parts and labor. My P5 is at John Hine Mazda in San Diego. The lady I spoke too told me Mazda seems aware of this problem...quite common and Mazda may do a recall or pay for some of the cost of repair. Unfortunately I just past warranty - 53k miles. Damn. Let's hope Mazda does a recall.