Some small issues on my P5, help?

S

stevenjr93

:
03 Mazda Protege5
Hey guys, so I've got a 03 P5, 5 sp, 2.0L. In the last week I've noticed two things

1) Oil was very low, clearly being burned but I have not noticed any smoking, even on start-up. Replaced my pcv valve and changed my oil, but it didn't do anything. Also threw in some seafoam, why not. Any idea why I'm losing so much oil? I'm not sure about the rate of which im losing, but enough that it's on my mind. Just odd that I don't see any smoke at all?

2) Also noticed a bit of a rough idle yesterday. At a stop light, fully warmed up and the RPM's drop from 750 to under 500, shake for a second, then go back up. Repeated a few times, then went away. Also when commuting on the highway, sometimes when Im going a steady 120 KM/hr the car seems to "blip" and decelerate or hiccup. Initially thought it could be a misfire, and was going to just replace my coils and wires/spark plugs but wouldn't that throw a code? No CEL.

Any help would be great, some preliminary searches didn't show much/confused me even more haha.
 
1) check for leaks by parking your car over cardboard.

2) have you unplugged the battery recently? If so, it'll be fine. Otherwise it might be an EGR problem because there's no CEL.


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1) I park in the same spot everyday, no oil leaks anywhere!

2) I haven't unplugged the battery recently, no. Should I just clean the EGR, rather than replacing it? Is there any way to rule out the coils/plugs?
 
Idk about the oil then. I haven't had any EGR problems, but there's a ton of threads you can google. The engine will throw a code if it misfires. You can remove the plugs to see if they're burned or if you lost oil in the plug holes. Does your valve cover gasket look clean? How many miles are on your plugs?


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So then it hasn't misfired, no codes at all.

The gasket looks clean oil wise, but it does look pretty old and crappy. I've never pulled the valve cover, it's pretty much just pull and replace the gasket, then put it back on and re-torque right?

No idea on the plugs, bought it about 6 months ago. Probably will replace those this weekend regardless.
 
Gotcha. Found the How-to, so I'll follow that when I get everything to change it; definitely can't hurt!
 
How high do you run your rpm's? I burn oil too and have to check it frequently but I think it's just mazda, I only had Hondas and didn't have any issues but I got my mazda and it uses quite a bit of oil.
Also gas, don't use cheap gas, put seafoam into your gas and get 89 octane. See if that helps.
 
Maybe the oil is getting into the intake from the valve cover? I'd still expect to see smoke from that.

Just curious, why do you recommend 89?


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Higher octane helps it run a bit smoother because it's a mixture of premium. I bought a Honda and it was running rough and not idling right, seafoamed it and put in 89 and it started running better and then switched it to full synthetic oil and it was back to normal. Just higher octane helps a car perform much better, burns cleaner. Why do you think the mp3 uses 91 octane? Better fuel mapping. I switched to 91 in my p5 and I'm getting 15-20 miles more a tank.
 
I shift at 3k, usually topping out while cruising at a steady 3.5k, max 4k. I don't drive hard at all. I did put seafoam in my gas and oil this time around, but never thought to try higher octane fuel. This car was designed for regular though no?

Using higher octane fuel would be a waste if the compression isnt there to make use of it would it not?

I'll check around my valve gasket more thoroughly today. But I figure a leak would be fairly obvious.
 
Are you putting in a quart a month or more? And it is designed for regular, but it's not that much more. Like I said I'm getting up to 20 miles more a tank.
I to burn oil and have to check it quite often, like I said it could just be mazdas design.
Might need to change your fuel filter if your still having idle issues after you seafoam and cleaned the egr.
I cleaned mine and make sure to put a few drops of oil in it once cleaned. It helped my idle.
 
I don't think it's burning that much, but I could be wrong. I'll start keeping a mental note how much I add every week or so when I check. I'll definitely try throwing in some higher octane, see what happens. I did the math and its only a few bucks more/ fillup like you said; seems more at the pump haha.

I'm cleaning the EGR on friday, so we'll see what happens.

In regards to the valve cover gasket; I went in to grab a few things to my local auto parts store and they quoted me 88$ for the gasket. Seems way to high no? I'm seeing them online, albeit the states, for around 20-30$.
 
Your valve seals could be out. It's a common problem on these cars. I have nearly 170k miles on my engine and it burns quite a bit of oil, not sure exactly how much but I also drive pretty hard. Id suggest shifting at 2500 the car isn't as happy as it is at 3 but it'll give you better mileage. Also, if your idle is still crap you might need to outright replace the EGR, I did because my idle was really bad, it helped a lot. Get parts from Rockauto.com they have good quality OEM grade for way less money. Also check the IAC. I still have to do it myself but if that's dirty then it'd help to clean it. You could also clean your MAF sensor.

I honestly wouldn't worry about the oil consumption unless it's really bad, buy a 5 qt jug and use the leftovers to fill up between changes, it's what I do. Also full synthetic or even synthetic blend helps a lot with these motors as they get older. Hit me up if you need help with anything. My P5 has and still is putting me through the ringer so I can probably help with a few questions you might have.
 
Cleaned my egr valve, definitely had alot of buildup in there so well see if that helps. Got plugs and wires in the way for good measure.

I use full synthetic and top it off, doesn't seem to bad right now but the car does have 220k.. Hopefully valves are fine for now.

Also seafoamed it, through the pcv line and what I think is the brake booster line... Big hose next to the master cylinder, goes into the round protrusion in the firewall and into the intake? Didn't seem to smoke much from that one, but did from the pcv.
 
Look at the spark plugs for signs of burning the oil (whitish residue on the electrode). What weight oil are you using? Maybe try a bit heavier weight oil. The spec for this engine is 10w30, anything thinner is going to burn quicker.

Also I don't recall you saying exactly how much oil you're burning. Most manufacturers spec is that between 0.7-1 qt per 1000 miles is considered "normal". While many cars don't burn near that much, the manufacturer spec can give you a better idea of where you really stand. It's not uncommon though, even for brand new cars to burn a quart or more of oil between oil changes, especially if you follow the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual of 7500 mile oil change intervals. At 7500 miles, i would be surprised if you HAVEN'T lost oil. This may explain why you don't see smoke.

Also what kind of driving do you do? Highway or city? If mostly Highway, at higher RPM may burn such a slight bit, plus the wind/speed you won't see smoke unless you're burning a LOT of oil. And if it's highway use that does it, much more likely to be worn rings.

Easiest way to check for valve seals is first thing in the morning, after it's sat all night. Have someone else start the car and watch the tailpipe for a puff of smoke during the first start, it may only blow one puff and be done. Or sitting at a stop light idling for an extended period of time, and then when you go may blow a puff of smoke then as well. This is because when the vehicle sits, some oil settles in the bottom of the head. Healthy valve seals will prevent it from leaking past the valve stems and seeping into the combustion chamber. When they get old and dry out, they will leak while it sits. But because the oil doesn't really "settle" like that when the engine is running, you will usually not notice smoke after the first start, unless they're really worn.

At 220k, either is a possibility. But you need to do an oil consumption test to be sure. Change the oil, and put in the full 3.5 qts exactly (without filter change). Drive 1k miles, drain the oil and measure how much you have left to determine how much you're really losing.


as for the stumble while you're driving, does it do it with the air conditioner turned off? First thing that comes to my mind is it may just be something simple like the compressor clutch engaging. This engine isn't exactly a powerhouse, and the clutch engaging as you're cruising down the road can be interpreted as a "hiccup".
 
Also, if rings are your issue, adding a quart of Lucas at your next oil change may help. Certainly not a guarantee, but that stuff is super thick and for slightly worn parts, may slow or stop it completely. If there's something more major going on, then it probably won't do much, but for $10 certainly doesn't hurt to try.
 
So I haven't done an oil consumption test since I haven't changed my oil, but it hasn't been super bad. Just a tiny top-up every two weeks or so. I won't worry about that too much right now.

Ended up throwing a code while driving, and had to replace my ignition coils. Did that as well as my wires, and plugs and it's running much better now, no coughing or codes! Hurray!

Two questions though:

1) About to swap out a new OEM motor mounts, since my passenger side is all busted up. Can't seem to find any how-to's on here; I don't want to put any unnecessary strain on the engine, nor not be able to actually get my new one in! Can someone point me in the right direction for a post, or just how to go about doing the swap properly?

2) Twice now after I've parked, someones noticed and told me I've got a large puddle under my car. Went to inspect it and its just regular, cold water. I'm thinking it must be from AC or something? I think both times its happened I had been running the AC since it was hot out; just want to make sure i don't have a larger issue, or an issue at all on my hands.
 
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