kmaalfiisa

you dont change the oil yourself?

or the filter?

MazdaTX

Nope.

Hope that doesn't disqualify me from posting?!?.

topfile

MazdaTX..

Those are some serious miles!

You indicated engine seals replaced.. when?
Tell us about the front axles? How did you
notice the problem with the axle?

You said...
"plus normal maintenance, of course."
did that include timing belts?

Sorry for so many questions, but 265K...
I want to get there too.

Best Regards

kmaalfiisa

naw naw naw na na na no.. first i have no say in that... and second why would i judge someone on posting?

i would be kicked off this sight quick fast and in a hurry

MazdaTX

Engine seals replaced at about 120,000.

Front axles -- this was due to bad cv joints (the tell tale click click when you turn). Apparently, the replacement part comes axle and all -- for about $20 more than it was going to cost for the joints alone. You know, potholes and stuff -- wear and tear -- I guess. Also, the wheel bearings -- maybe once, maybe twice. Only on the front, though. (This was recommended once or twice when I had the cv joints (axles) fixed)

Oh yes...am religious about the timing belts -- every 60,000 miles. Next one's due at 300K -- knock on wood.

Oil changes, of course, about every 4000 miles. Went as long as 6K a couple of times. First change was at 1500K -- for $40 dollars in 1991 at a Shell station in Bellaire, CA. No, I'm not rich. I was a "servant" in the neighborhood at the time. I'm just reflecting a bit....forgive the tangent.

Oh yes...by the way....purchased in CA, so the emissions system was for CA at the time. Don't know what difference that makes. I should note that I have not been able to pass the NOx portion of the current TX emissions test. Had to get a waiver last year. ($600 at a "certified emissions facility" buys you the right to seek a waiver -- I view it as a tax -- going not to the state, but to individuals in cahoots with the state -- individuals who follow the rules to get the business - not ncecessarily knocking them -- for sometimes we know not what we do.

I've had changed the transmission fluid maybe 4 times. Tranny has never missed a beat. Twice they put in the ATX stuff, and twice they put in the manual stuff (70- something?)

I've had the front axles replaced twiced. They relubed at the ventral connection each time.

I've never had the rear (differential?) lubrication changed. Should I?

I promised a woman that I would get to 300K. I hope that I can at least keep that promise.

I've changed the plugs twice -- once at about 80,000. And once at about 250,000 miles. NGK copper all the way. I also had the cap, rotor, and ingition wires replaced with the plugs at 250K.

I think that's about it. The car was assembed on a Wednesday.

After replacing the distributor, it runs very well. I had been burning about a quart of oil every one thousand miles for the past 6 months or so. I'm anxious to see if that improves.

Gas mileage has always been about 30 in mixed freeway, street driving. It suddenly dropped to 26 on the last tank before I had the distributor replaced. The also told me that the spark plugs were "sooty" -- these plugs are about 7 months old. I'm hoping that the "soot" will burn off now that the distributor problem has been corrected. BTW it was a remanufactured distributor that was $400. Ouch.

I've never replaced the O2 sensor. Never replaced any piece of the exhaust, except the cat converter (how many times did I say? 3? -- and I still fail NOx!!!! )

I'm still not sure if I would get a new engine or just buy another car. In these uncertain times, I just hate to have a car payment. But again, the 3 is soooo tempting. I mean, I don't need a new steering wheel. Don't need new seats. Nor a new body. Chassis is sound. No rust.

$3000 (for new engine if I ever have to) or $17000? Especially if you can pay $3000 cash. I just can't do $17K in one shot. Tough call.

But you know, I'm not a mechanic, but my understanding is that the new model cars are manufactured with such sophisticated design tolerances that they may last for a half million miles if you take care of them. In that sense, it's a great world, isn't it? (if you can ignore other aspects of the world!)

Anyway, that's about all I can think of.

Oh....and valve cover gaskets. I had those replaced twice. And headlamps -- twice...each side.

Changed the brakes myself at 85K. Had them changed at 180K. They're probably due again here soon.

Fuel injection is original.

Someone on this or another thread mentioned the front speaker cones had worn out. Mine too. I haven't replaced them. The rear ones are OK, though. And the radio and cassette work fine -- lights and all.

Did I mention the rear defroster switch? I have to push it several times on occasion to get the light to come on. That's a real pain.

I left the original gas cap at a gas station at about 60K. I have used a replacement purchased at O'Reilly ever since. Still seals fine.

OK - can't think of anything else. I think I'm waaaaay too attached to this car.

Gen1GT

1993 Protege GT w/170,000km(106,000miles). GTs only came in DOHC 5-speed. Other than performance parts, I've replaced(or needs replacing)
-power window mechanism
-parking brake cable
-gas tank
-theromoswitch for rad fan
-alternator(my fault for powerwashing it)
-valve cover gasket(much cam adjusting)

1990 Protege GT w/286,000km(160,000miles)
-wheels and tires(already had a spare set of winters on Escort GT wheels)
-power window switch
-corner light(broken)
-midpipe

I've only had this car for 3000km though

Proto93

Hey MazdaTX! You're the first I've seen post anything on the distributor oil leak that had the same problem I'm having. I was beginning to think it was just my car. You had to go the replacement route, eh? I was hoping for a lot cheaper fix. Great miles! I've got 164k+ and looking to get that many myself. Thanks for the hope!

wmurph71

I have a '91 Protege / 323 with a 5 Speed 1.8L. The odometer is just under 218,000 miles. Bought the car used in 1994 with about 32,000 miles. Have replaced one timing belt, one radiator and one water pump along with one set of rear struts. Clutch has never been removed, shifts like new. Engine runs great. Alternator, Distributer, A/C, Starter and fans are all origional. Had that slight annoyance with sealt belt beeping, but I think I have fixed that. Had to replace motor and track assembly on driver's side seat belt. That worked out OK, MAzda and the local dealer split the cost with me. Not bad since I bought the car from a different dealer 3,000 miles away and the warranty had long since expired. This car does not owe me anything, and I'll stick with Mazda for years to come.

Proto93

How did you get Mazda to cover it? I've got a '94 that beeps witht he seat belt light all the time as well. Is it a recall of some sort??? It's pretty annoying?

wmurph71

Hello Proto93. There was actually some recall work to do on the automatic restraint system, but that did not fix any of the problems I was having. What had happened was the seat belt belt would only go about halfway forward when I opened the driver's side door. I could still get in and out, but it was a pain. The service advisor at Foothills Mazda here in Spokane told me about the recall work that needed to be done, but he said that he doubted that it would fix the problem. he was right. But then he took it upon himself to contact Mazda about the track and motor assembly in the doorframe. That was bad and causing the seatbelt to stop halfway down the track. Mazda offered to pay for half the work, which was great because the motor and track was somewhere $700-$750. I was amazed. Here was a car with with almost 200,000 miles that I had bought from a different dealer on the East Coast before moving out here. The service guy told me that sometimes Mazda did things like that as a goodwill gesture, and of course the public relations value. It sure worked.

As for that beeping from the seat belt, that never did stop until recently. I talked it over with my sevice guy, and his guess was that because the sensor has basically been in the same position for almost 15 years it has developed a "sweet spot" where it has worn out. To replace the seat belt units was going tp be about $400. I got to tinkkering with it one day and figured that if the sensor had gotten a sweet spot then I just needed to get it to sit in a different spot. I took a thin napkin, folded it in quarters lengthwise, and pulled the seat belt out as far as it would go. Then I allowed the seat belt to rewind with the napkin winding up inside the reciever with it. This put the sensor in a different spot. The seat belt still works and the beeping has pretty much come to an end. What I need to do is find a thin piece of flexable rubber or plastic because the paper will not last forever. Anyway, let me know if this works for you too. I hope I was able to help.

WJM

Proto93

Thanks WJM! I'll give it a go. Can't hurt and sure makes sense to me!

Jackelope

'92 pro dx - auto - ~185,000
CV joints around 130,000m (?)
Radiator around 160,000 (something knocked a huge hole in it)
Needs valve seals changed (or something) smokes some.

mannydingo

Owned 2 94 Protege DX's. Both worked beautifully except for that "trembling" thing that even the dealer could not cure and that there's a good thread on called "Bad Vibes". Here's the link to it: http://www.protegeclub.com/showthrea...ight=bad+vibes

I don't own either car anymore because both were crashed. The second one was sold to me really cheap for the time($500) because the engine was smoking. I was going to put my good engine from the first crashed Protege in it. By the time I drove the car half an hour home, the smoke was totally gone and never came back--even after an oil & filter change. Someone must have played a dirty trick on the previous owner but didn't get to damage the engine. It was crashed, also, before I could kill it in usage.

OldProt

1990 SOHC SE 5spd, 230,000 miles shows manufacture date of 12/89, bought as a demo in 1990.

Have replaced:
Radiator x3
half shafts when the CV boots were lost x2
rear sealed bearings (both sides) @ 222,000
Distributor oil seal (glad to see other folks on that one)
Completely swapped out the AC at 195000 (summer of 2003 was hot in Dallas)
Primary cooling fan
Plugs a couple of times- right now running Bosch single Plats but I think they're in there for good as I didn't clean the threads very well and now they turn and....stop.
Rear struts at 228,000 miles.
Timing belt every 60K.
Alternator at 158,000.
Brake shoes & pads as needed of course.
Oil change w/Mobil 1 20w-50 starting at 44,000 miles. Filter every 5,000 and complete change at 10K.
Muffler and pipe at 200,000
New plug wires every 30k or so...car begins to stumble at low engine rpm.

EVerything thing else is original, including engine, clutch and tranny.

monster_protege

92 lx 1.8 L DOHC 117000
alternater
cv axle
radator
i also need struts but dont have the money yet