Ok, so my P5 has had this issue for a while and I've been chasing it for months, but I haven't seemed to solve anything and if anything it's just getting worse.. My car will idle fairly well, its a little rough, not too bad though. Accelerating feels like I have a ton of bricks tied to the back bumper sometimes, and on the highway it will randomly struggle to maintain speed and feels like there is a parachute holding it back. When it does that, I can mat the throttle and it will downshift but not accelerate at all. Then, suddenly it will seem to have tons of power and accelerates super super well. I have put new coil packs on, it has no cats but the CEL isn't on and the only codes I had when it was on were for the O2 sensor before I fixed that issue, so what demon spawn has possessed my car and how do I fix it??
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Car won't accelerate for anything... HELP
- Thread starter Willis2k
- Start date
- :
- Mazda, Protege5 2002
and you have checked all the basic? no holes in the exhaust, spark plugs, intake tube, air filter clogged?, spark plug wires. all fluids?
Yeah, the exhaust on the car has only been on there since December, new plugs, and the problem has existed since before I put this air filter on the car. The only thing I haven't checked is a hole in the intake which doesn't make much sense because it's an aluminum intake tube but I'll check that to see if that's where the issue is.
no Check engine light? hm, could be an issue in the throttle body or the throttle position sensor, but without that light that may not be place to start looking. how old are the plugs, and what material are they (copper, platinum ect.)? have you checked your transmission fluid? is it light colored almost clear/red or dark red or brown? if its dark you may need new fluid but check with a shop first as sometimes new fluid in an automatic that hasnt had it done regularly will exacerbate the issue. if your doing fluid, dont get a flush just drain and fill with a new transmission filter. it maybe an internal transmission issue. maybe an egr system issue as well.
without a check engine light its a little harder to diagnose and you may need professional help if you do not wanna just start throwing parts at it. paying for a diagnosis is better than buying tons of unnecessary parts.
without a check engine light its a little harder to diagnose and you may need professional help if you do not wanna just start throwing parts at it. paying for a diagnosis is better than buying tons of unnecessary parts.
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
- :
- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
Do the revs climb like the trans is slipping or do the revs drop like an ignition failure?
Are any of your calipers sticking? It's happened to me twice with this car. Calipers will gradually start sticking, gas mileage/power drop, and then I start to smell them. Both times it took me about 1,000 miles before I realized what was going on. Like I said, it's gradual, not an overnight thing.
Gas mileage and power from this car have always been all over the map, but the only time I've found a definitive answer is when the calipers are sticking.
This doesn't explain why you suddenly have power sometimes, but it's worth checking out. Go out for a drive with minimal braking and then check to see if the calipers/wheels are warm.
Gas mileage and power from this car have always been all over the map, but the only time I've found a definitive answer is when the calipers are sticking.
This doesn't explain why you suddenly have power sometimes, but it's worth checking out. Go out for a drive with minimal braking and then check to see if the calipers/wheels are warm.
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Have you checked for something in the gas tank getting sucked periodically
into the fuel pump intake? Had this happen with another car and it was tough
to find it because the problem was intermittent. Drained the tank and cured it.
However, this may be a shot in the dark.
into the fuel pump intake? Had this happen with another car and it was tough
to find it because the problem was intermittent. Drained the tank and cured it.
However, this may be a shot in the dark.
You removed both catalytic converters and both O2 sensors are in place. Is that right?Ok, so my P5 has had this issue for a while and I've been chasing it for months, but I haven't seemed to solve anything and if anything it's just getting worse.. My car will idle fairly well, its a little rough, not too bad though. Accelerating feels like I have a ton of bricks tied to the back bumper sometimes, and on the highway it will randomly struggle to maintain speed and feels like there is a parachute holding it back. When it does that, I can mat the throttle and it will downshift but not accelerate at all. Then, suddenly it will seem to have tons of power and accelerates super super well. I have put new coil packs on, it has no cats but the CEL isn't on and the only codes I had when it was on were for the O2 sensor before I fixed that issue, so what demon spawn has possessed my car and how do I fix it??
Wow, thanks for all the thoughts guys. I'll do my best to answer them all..
There was a CEL from when I had an O2 sensor go out, I replaced the sensor and reset the ECU a few days ago. I've driven enough to have the light come back on if it was going to and it hasn't. The plugs are the NGK plugs that the car comes with in Japan (cross referenced to a Honda F23A1 Accord here). I have had these in and out of the car 3 times with the factory NGK plugs in also to see if the plugs made a difference but they didn't. These plugs may have 3 months of use on them. I did however check the color of the plugs and they definitely look like the car is leaning out. I haven't checked the color of the transmission fluid or the level, but the car bogs down instead of an RPM spike like the transmission slipping would cause. As for the calipers.. I actually just replaced my pads over the weekend and had one sticking then (left front) but fixed that as soon as I got home. I had thought maybe it was the brakes sticking before, but I didn't have any extra brake dust and had none of that hot brakes smell going on. On the intake.. I'm thinking that may be the problem. I checked yesterday and found a hole in the tube up by my master cylinder. That could explain it feeling like it has no power and the color on the plugs. I've suspected the fuel filter may be clogged but haven't had a chance to pull the filter and pump out of the tank to see if that's true. As for the removing both cats.. I did remove them because the stock exhaust was junk and it was $220 cheaper from Corksport to not have the cat on their exhaust. I've done the spark plug non fouler trick to the one on my header and that seems to alleviate the CEL from not having cats on the car. Through all this, I'm sure the hole in the intake is a big part of the issue and after I get my tax return back I'm getting another intake to replace this one as well as some motor mounts since 2 of mine are ruined.
There was a CEL from when I had an O2 sensor go out, I replaced the sensor and reset the ECU a few days ago. I've driven enough to have the light come back on if it was going to and it hasn't. The plugs are the NGK plugs that the car comes with in Japan (cross referenced to a Honda F23A1 Accord here). I have had these in and out of the car 3 times with the factory NGK plugs in also to see if the plugs made a difference but they didn't. These plugs may have 3 months of use on them. I did however check the color of the plugs and they definitely look like the car is leaning out. I haven't checked the color of the transmission fluid or the level, but the car bogs down instead of an RPM spike like the transmission slipping would cause. As for the calipers.. I actually just replaced my pads over the weekend and had one sticking then (left front) but fixed that as soon as I got home. I had thought maybe it was the brakes sticking before, but I didn't have any extra brake dust and had none of that hot brakes smell going on. On the intake.. I'm thinking that may be the problem. I checked yesterday and found a hole in the tube up by my master cylinder. That could explain it feeling like it has no power and the color on the plugs. I've suspected the fuel filter may be clogged but haven't had a chance to pull the filter and pump out of the tank to see if that's true. As for the removing both cats.. I did remove them because the stock exhaust was junk and it was $220 cheaper from Corksport to not have the cat on their exhaust. I've done the spark plug non fouler trick to the one on my header and that seems to alleviate the CEL from not having cats on the car. Through all this, I'm sure the hole in the intake is a big part of the issue and after I get my tax return back I'm getting another intake to replace this one as well as some motor mounts since 2 of mine are ruined.
yeah, that hole is most likely your cause, but still check your tranny fluid. its just a great idea on automatics to regularly keep up with color and level of that fluid. remember check when warm and driven after its been through all gears(this allows for most accurate check) make sure your on level ground as well. i know your intake is after market but for some reason intake boot holes on these cars are common, my factory one had a tear and caused similar issues. but mine is a stick shift so no noticeable transmission slip feeling
Yeah, my stock intake was nearly torn in half when I bought the car. I'm not sure why these things are so hard on intakes. I'll definitely check the trans fluid later tonight when I get home from work. As for the non fouler, I have that on the upstream sensor. I wasn't sure if it needed the same thing downstream or not.
i believe both require non foulers when no cat is present. and yeah i wonder too, the only thing i can think of is the strut bar that runs right over it gets hot and heats the rubber so continued heating and cooling cause it to break. mine ripped right near where it goes by the strut bar.
I'll get some more non foulers for the downstream too then. Lol I think that's probably a good guess on the intake issues. Mine was torn on the bottom side where it goes under the strut bar and actually fell apart in my hands when I took it off to replace it. The next one I get is going to be aluminum for sure.
I'll get some more non foulers for the downstream too then. Lol I think that's probably a good guess on the intake issues. Mine was torn on the bottom side where it goes under the strut bar and actually fell apart in my hands when I took it off to replace it. The next one I get is going to be aluminum for sure.
probably a good idea, i check my rubber stock style one for cracks every oil change now that i have had one go bad, and was bad for awhile.
I didn't even think a factory intake would rot out like that until I went to Seafoam my car and when I poured it into the intake it immediately ran out the bottom of the tube. haha I see an eBay purchase in my near future. First I need to get the engine mounts though so I don't bang the aluminium against my master cylinder from my engine sagging so low and shaking.
Um.. You have a nonfouler on your primary O2 sensor? Your primary O2 sits before your primary cat just after the exhaust manifold. You only want a nonfouler on your secondary O2 that normally would sit after the secondary cat, about half way down your exhaust.
If you have a nonfouler on your primary O2 without using a wideband or something else for AFR, your car will not work properly unless it is in open loop, such as when it is warming up.
In short, take the nonfouler off of your primary O2 and put it on your secondary O2.
If you have a nonfouler on your primary O2 without using a wideband or something else for AFR, your car will not work properly unless it is in open loop, such as when it is warming up.
In short, take the nonfouler off of your primary O2 and put it on your secondary O2.
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