Protege High Mileage Club

270000 on my 2000 lx rallycross car

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Hi guys,

2005 Ford Lynx RS 2.0 FSDE (also known as Mazda Protege) owner here and its a love and hate relationship. Got the car last 2015 with 118,000 kms on it and spent a ton on replacing many parts but i love the feeling everytime i get to do these, i guess i really love my car. 146,000+ kms and mine eats up oil like crazy as well. I have just read the 59 page ( https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123700949-FS-DE-Oil-System/page59 ) about the FS DE's oil system but i have not seen from anyone's post who experienced a burnt oil smell from the aircon vents whenever i do spirited drivings. Any idea guys?

Thanks in advance!

Butch

my guess would be a slight oil leak which leaks more while pushing the car because of higher oil pressure. the oil must be in a place where it's getting burned under the hood somewhere and just sneaking into your vents. do you only smell it or smell it mostly while on fresh air?
 
probably there's a leak in the engine somewhere. but are there any aircon intakes within the engine bay? from what i understand the air conditioning system gets air within the cabin specially if the lever is placed to the recirculation part.
 
probably there's a leak in the engine somewhere. but are there any aircon intakes within the engine bay? from what i understand the air conditioning system gets air within the cabin specially if the lever is placed to the recirculation part.

you are correct about recirculated air. if set on fresh air, it takes the air from the vents you see right under your wipers
 
Hi 323,

Thanks for the reply so what could be the culprit? how can the smell of burnt oil goes through the aircon system? Thanks again.
 
low mileage club? 99 Protege ES converted to 2.0, barely out of the bottom category, but just finished a build: 110,572,
 
I've had my 2001 protege ES 2.0L for around 7 years now- it's at somewhere over 207,000 miles now. Engine is loosing a little more oil these days which I attribute to a very bad valve cover gasket and probably leaky cam seals. No notable engine maintenance needed to be done... still on the original head gasket and rings. We had the transmission fluid changed at around 140,000 or so- the transmission works the same now as it did then with the occasional random hard downshift if I dilly dally around 40mph.
...lots of rust though. One ball joint boot tore so we replaced the whole control arm... but then one of the arm bushings immediately developed a creek. The other ball joint boot is torn but not causing any issues.
Exhaust hangers rusted off leaving a small hole in the pipe where the weld was and eventually the sag caused a leak at the junction after the 2nd cat with the resonator.
...Did I mention It's rusty? The rear quarter panels have had a hole in them for a while where water could get in... I've noticed the carpet in my trunk was wet as a result but I couldn't figure out where the water was going after it got in the trunk. Turns out that problem solved itself- a hole rusted itself into existence in the wells on both sides of the car (around where the spare jack is) and the water just enters and exits the trunk through different rust holes now.
 
Bought my 2003 Mazda Protege over one year ago off of a wholesale dealer. I purchased the car for $1400 and it had 199,000 miles on it. Had a slight misfire at acceleration when I test drove it, but it was really a good looking car and was incredibly clean. I purchased the car, and today it has hit 218,000 miles. Routine maintenance has kept it going without a problem. Aside from the rusted subframe in the back, new rear struts, inside door handles, and an ignition coil were replaced over the last year and it is running great. AC works, all power locks and windows work. Its been an insanely reliable car. I cant believe how it had paid itself off just by using it as my work car. I took it on a road trip to the smoker nountains with 4 people and a trunk full of luggage about 3 months ago, it had no problems whatsoever. This thing is a champ. Had to join a forum to share my love for these reliable little cars.
 
1999 Protege dx. 1.6/auto. Gave it to my sister last August at 247k. She drives it every day. Currently at 256k miles. Idling a little funny sometimes, but otherwise runs fantastic.
 
02 protege5. 190500 miles. Runs like charm still. Today I drove through puddles and heavy rain and it is not running right. 1st issue I have ever had with the car. Anyone else have this issue before?
 
2001 Protege ES
271,240
Purchased it with 132,00 for $3,200
Haven't touched the clutch or internal engine parts.
 
1992 Protege DX original owner, never garaged in NC and carport only in AZ. 141.5K miles @ 2/19. Engine still strong and 30 mi/gal around town, from 32 new. Radio died in Tucson heat when car was 5 yrs old @ 50K miles. Have replaced exhaust extension a few times, rusting out because of short trips. CV joints and clutch @ 65K, CV again @ 125K. About to replace front shocks, and will need clutch job and AC work in a few months. Those will be the last $ I spend on it. For some reason I don't know when the timing belt was last done, my only concern. Hope it all holds together for another 10K driven around town.
 
1997 Mazda Protege LX Sand Mica (build date 9,,/96)1.5L 5spd manual transmission 135,000 miles.I inherited this car from my grandparents who bought it new in early 1997. It was garage kept until I got it 6 years ago. Except for discreet upgrades the car is exactly as it rolled off the ship in 1996. I have replaced cassette deck with Alpine CDE-HD149BT (excellent head unit) with a KTP445 4x45 watt amp ( for those not familiar with KTP445 it plugs into Alpine head units wiring plug connection ) and Infinity Reference door and 6x9 deck speakers. The paint shines like new, and the interior is perfect. I will be adding pictures shortly. I am 99% done installing DEI remote keyless entry system with electric trunk release, I just have to run wire through the moles connection in the drivers door.
 
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