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Our '03 P5 does it after a drive on the Eway. No hissing, per se, but a bunch of metalic crackling and creaking. It goes away after a cool down period. When the car was new in '03, I crawled underneath and it was the exhaust system cooling down and contracting. The car only has 13K miles on...

My '92 Saturn SC coupe has over 150K miles on it. It has had a K&N filter in the air box since 10K miles. The engine oil and filter have been changed every 10K miles and the K&N filter has been cleaned every 10K miles. The engine uses less than a quart of oil in 10K miles. I don't think the...

The rotors are definately rusted on to the hub. You were close with the heat technique, but you need a propane or Mapp gas torch to really heat up the roter center so it will expand enough to break the rust bond. I normally pretreat the rust with Liquid Wrench or Blaster PB, by spraying the...

K&N Drop In Plus... A shop made CAI. I removed the stock intake "plumbing from the grill to the airbox. The resonator chamber that hangs down below the airbox was filled with foam sealant. I made an adapter for the airbox to attach a 2 1/2" diameter flex pipe that leads down into the...

There is a god. The various insurance appraisers and body shops have had their turns at the wreckage and the unanimous judgement is that the '97 can be fixed for about $3,300 US. It's going to take over 60 hours of labor plus parts, but no one is talking "total". Guess I have a couple more...

Well, it finally happened. Last night, I'm on my way home from work, sitting at a red light, and WHAM! My pristine '97 Civic EX (63K mi.) lurches forward. I look up to see the grill of a Toyota Highlander filling the rear window. I have fallen victim to a soccer mom with a cell phone and an SUV...

I agree with your statement. However, the fluid in the Honda trans was simply darkend some. It was not brown or smelled burnt. I've been down that path with older cars. The clutches are not slipping in this transaxle. It slams the shifts and you can see by the tach. that the clutches are...

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF in a P5. Danger Will Robinson! The last time I checked a bottle of Mobil 1 ATF, it was not Mercron5 rated. The owner's manual specifies Mercron5 for the Mazda P5 auto. I don't know if it will harm the transaxle. but it appearantly hosed my Honda Civic's trans. That's...

I think I may be in the market for a '06 Mazda3 5 door to replace my '97 Civic EX Coupe. I have heard the rumor of the 5 spd auto and was wondering what else may be in the wind. I grilled the local Mazda sales guy (the one I bought our '03 P5 from), but all he knew was that there would be new...

Has anyone replaced the factory ATF in a P5 automatic? I did this 3K miles ago on our '03 P5 with Amsoil ATF, and have not had any issues. The car only has 13K miles on it so far. However, I also did this in my '97 Civic nearly 30K miles ago with Mobil 1 and now the transaxle in the Honda...

Check the Switch The tip off here is your statement that the backup light switch was replaced. I'm not sure where it's located, but I'll bet that the new switch is not adjusted properly. This used to be a common problem when untrained folks would do transmission repairs and not adjust the...

Independant Garage I use an independant garage that specializes in imported cars for out of warranty work that I can not do myself. These guys should be a bit cheaper than the dealer, but you have to find a good, honest one. Once you do, it's like finding a good doctor. I think 4 hours is a bit...

I know of only two sources... for specialty parts like those. The dealer and the auto recycler (aka junk yard). My experience with imported car parts is that the yard will only be marginally cheaper than the dealer. Around here, the yards that have import parts watch the dealer part prices...

I am getting the ATF from 4 Wheel Drive Diversified in Maumee, OH. $8.78 per quart. I am plannig on doing a full replacement of the fluid. Jim

Well, after much research, I am going ahead with putting Amsoil ATF in the P5 when it hits 10K miles. Amsoil is the only full synthetic that will leave me with a warranty coverage. I had to order the eight quarts from the local stocking dealer as they didn't have that much on hand. I will...

Wheel Care Considerations Does she run the car through the car wash on a regular basis? These places can do a number on the wheel paint. Powder coating (could be expensive) and epoxy based paints will hold up well, but spray can paint might not. Prep of the old finish will be critical for...

Old Oil Consumption Experience I once owned an '86 Ford Aerostar Van (Biggest piece of junk man has ever made), with a 3.0 liter V6 engine. From day one, this engine consumed a quart of oil every 500 miles, even after break in. Dealer service said that was normal (yeah, right!) and refused to...

I have a 2003 P5 that is about to roll to 10K miles on the odo (momma doesn't drive much). I will be converting the engine oil and the transaxle ATF to full Synthetic at that time. The owner's manual and the shop manual that I have for this car do not specify a transaxle fluid change interval...

You aren't even close! 56 and a motor head since the early '60s. My baddest ride was a 240 hp '65 Yenko Stinger (2nd gen Corvair turned into an SCCA DP race car). Welcome to the neighborhood. Jim

Anything But Sunoco... My wife was putting 87 octane Sunoco in the P5 and had been complaining that it was hesitating and stumbling on acceleration sometimes. I checked the TSBs for Proteges and found that oxygenated gas can cause this. Sunoco pumps in my area have little signs on the side of...