After a good fifteen minutes of cooling off, the coolant settled and in fact drained the reservoir entirely I refilled it to the line and, again being in rural snowtopia with few options, decided to hit the road again. Popping the hood, I notice the coolant in the reservoir is bubbling to the top! Thinking the mechanic might have added more and overfilled it, I cursed him in absentia. Slowing down to 45 bought a few more minutes to find an exit, but eventually I had to pull over. Thinking that the mechanic had either waved a magic wand or I’d gotten extremely lucky, I hit the highway and did 65 for a good 20 minutes until the engine began to overheat again. ![]() The next morning, when it was time to depart (but again after an entire night of sitting in the cold), a 20 minute drive to breakfast was smooth as before. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it, and indeed when I drove it back to the hotel that morning the engine behaved normally, the check-engine light was off, and the interior heating was functioning properly. Things looked fine at first since the engine had sat cold while I was running errands, but pretty soon it was overheating again at speeds as low as 30mph.Īfter getting it towed to my destination, I took it to a garage the next morning. Bought some from Wal-mart, poured it in, and headed out. ![]() Being in the middle of nowhere, I jumped back in and proceeded to drive at about 35-40, which was warm on the engine but enough to get me to a small town.Īt this point I checked the coolant reservoir and it was empty. Nothing appears to be leaking, and the crackling sound is the only thing noticable. Before long the engine overheats and I pull over to the side of the road. Soon thereafter the check-engine light illuminates. ![]() With the hood up and an ear to the engine, it sounds like a piece of plastic fluttering in the wind, but with a faint electric “crackling” quality. From inside the car it sounds almost like an animal skittering around in the chassis - irregular, short and clipped. Not long thereafter I notice a rattling noise behind the dash. Instead, I found myself slowing down to stoplights and stop signs in small villages between 15-minute sprints.Īt some point, the interior heat stops - the air being pulled in from outside is not being warmed at all, no matter what settings I fiddle with. It must have erroneously assumed that the highway comprising basically the entire trip would be speed limit 55-65 the entire way. not using the interstates) would save time. I had a 4.5-5 hour trip ahead of me and Google Maps told me a more direct route (i.e. If you notice an oily surface in your coolant, immediately have your mechanic inspect your Protege5 for head gasket leakage.I drive a 2002 Mazda Protege and it’s been great to me until this past weekend. Taking off the coolant reservoir cap on a warm engine could cause the cap to up explosively and fluid to spray out of the reservoir. See our video on how to add engine coolant for tips on adding coolant to your Protege5.Īlways wear safety goggles when working on your Protege5. If you need to add anti-freeze, be sure to check your owners manual to determine the correct type of coolant to add - in Mazdas, it usually located in a section titled Fluid Capacities towards the end of your manual. ![]() The video above shows you where the coolant reservoir in your Protege5 is located and how to check the coolant / antifreeze level. Engine coolant / antifreeze circulates through your engine to keep it cool in the summer but won't freeze in the winter. In order to get an accurate reading, your 2.0 liter engine should be cool to the touch when you check it. Checking the engine coolant (also known as antifreeze) level in your 2002 Mazda Protege5 is pretty easy.
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