I will try and keep this as short as possible because it is a long story. 
I'll give you all the facts so you are well informed. If you are bored at work, at home, or waiting for that bus, have a read. Or a drink! 
-I got a 1994 SE, bought it in 2004 with 64,400kms, granny owned.
-Mom got a 1995 S (not a second gen, just overstock branded as a '95, its just a base DX), bought it in 2003 with 68,000kms, granny owned.
-My car currently: 131k. Her car currently: 168k. Both automatic. Same 1.8L SOHC.
Moms car: Always being more realible than mine, her car has always ran better and gotten better fuel econ, and always has just a bit more "pep" under hard throttle. I can squawk her tires no problem. She gets her oil changes done every 5000kms and usually goes over being too busy/forgetful. She doesn't do much else than that other than reg service. She drives it a bit more lightly than I do, and she easily gets 500-550kms a tank, sometimes 600 if going back and forth to Toronto alot.
My car: Lemon, basically. I have replaced soooo many parts compared to the minimal stuff she's replaced ($3000 in repairs in 2008 alone). Both cars were low k and in excellent shape when bought, and yet I have had to replace MANY things. My worst foe - the distributor - I'm, including the factory one, on number four in five years. Her's - still on the factory one at 15 years old. I had decent power/econ when I first had the Pro - I could get 500kms a tank easy city/highway, most I got was 720kms on a trip back/forth to Parry Sound in 2005. But starting in winter 2007 I was getting an awful 300kms to a tank, and in warmer weather only 430-440kms a tank with alot of highway. I have crammed up to 47L of fuel into the tank, I think its larger than the factory one that rotted out and had to be replaced in 2005. I have always done my oil changes every 3000-3500k with high mileage oil, and I've used tons of additives in both oil and fuel. I baby this motor, which currently doesn't burn a drop or turn it black. When the valve cover was off during timing belt replacement, **** was clean. I drive my car a bit harder than my mom, but even so, it still has bad economy and under heavy throttle, its awful! Lots of gas is being fed, but its so boggy sometimes I have to shift it into lower gears myself. Couple this with the a/c on and a passenger and trunk full of cargo on a humid day, and you are going nowhere fast! I can barley squawk my tires uphill in a rainstorm.
I used to drive alot of highway before I got my current job, now I only drive 20kms a day back/forth. And when I got a second car, the Protege did alot of sitting for the summer of 2007. Mind you to offest that, I took alot of trips to London and Toronto with it, however it wasn't quite the same afterwards. I did everything I could think of in January 2008 to get better econ/more power:
-NGK plugs (already got new wires in 2005).
-NAPA Gold fuel filter to replace the original, it was very corroded.
-Ran three tanks of 94 octane during this time.
-Cut down time on my cold idle starts.
-Fresh oil.
-Lucas Fuel Injector cleaner.
-Tire pressures were fine, air filter was a couple months old.
-13 inch steelies/tires, alignment was fine.
Even after all this was done while it got slighty better, it was still ****ty. I had a mechanic jump the ODBI, and counted the CEL to a code of 17, which is "o2 sensor has detected a rich or lean condition". My guess was the sensor was not causing enough havoc to trigger the CEL. I had a buddy try and get the o2 sensor off - bitch would not come off. Torched the **** out of it until it was red hot, each time it barley moved. I gave up not wanting to replace the entire manfold if it threaded, and also seeing my heat shield bolts were f'ed too I'd know that would never come off without a fight. The CEL has barley ever been triggered in my five years of ownership - two days after the failed o2 sensor removal, as I left work it came on for about five seconds, then went off. It only did it one other time before back in October 2007, and it only lasted a couple seconds.
I had the timing belt done in May of 2008; afterwards it felt even worse than before, plus come winter the RPMs were dropping too soon after extreme cold starts, causing the engine to sputter until it got warm enough. Not wanting to argue with my mechanic who stated he set the timing right, I had someone else check it and they re-adjusted it earlier this year, but I still wonder if its off.
I did a whole bunch of stuff earlier this year (oil, air, PCV valve, additives, cleaned the throttle body, newer tires, flex pipe), again only a small change. Now to throw a large monkey wrench into all of this mess - for every e-test I have gotten on this car, I have managed to pass with lower numbers as the car got older and higher in k. It don't add up!
I have a test from the previous owner from 2003 when the car had maybe 50,000kms, and the numbers were passible but not "as clean running". My current test from this year with 125,000kms on the clock - it barley registered! If its so "tuned" and passing e-tests without an issue, than why is the accleration crap and fuel econ crap?
And yes, I know its an automatic, I couldn't drive stick back then. I know the error of my ways. The 5 speed '91 323 LX I'm trying to sell with the same 1.8L with 70,000 more k than my motor - this thing rips like ****! It begs to be revved high as it moves so effortlessly, it squawks in second gear, lots of life. Its not even tuned up, long overdue on an oil change and air filter, and the fourth cyl spark plug wire is arching and causing it to bounce and make noise...and it still runs better/has more power than my car.
If you've read this far, thanks for your time! I'm hoping other 1st gen owners can help me out. From all what I've done to try and make it run better, here are the only things (I can see) that are left:
-Filler neck has been leaking for a long time but I am lazy to get it replaced as it only smells like gas when extremely full. But would this cause lack of fuel pressure? Therefore lack of power?
-Fuel injectors need professional cleaning?
-I am more than likely due for plugs again but I know that won't be the full cure. (recommendations?)
-I have a recent exhuast leak but believe me, it was still bad before this.
-Cat converter is clogged? But if it was, could I have passed my e-test?
-MAF is old, could it be ****ed?
-I bet if I tripped the ODB again I'd still get "code 17". Does that mean the o2 sensor itself is bad, or something else is making the car run too rich? But again, if I had a bad o2 sensor and the car was running rich, could I have passed my e-test?
-Lastly, could it not even be the motor at all, and is the transmission? These autos in these cars were always bad for rough shifting, moreso between first and second. Are these Escort trannies? My moms - always smooth shifting, never an issue, matches the motor fine. (Did they ever change the transmissions used for 1st gen models branded as '95s?) Mine - cost me $1700 in repeairs in 2008 at 117kms to replace the torque converter and a whole bunch of seals and gaskets that were ****ed. I was having issues in late 2007 with the "Hold" button not working correctly, or at all, and issues between 30-45km/h where the car would keep "bucking" if between 2-3000 RPM.
The overall cause - granny didn't drive the car enough over ten years to keep things lubed, so stuff dried out. Another factor - in winter 2005 I had unknownly driven the car very low on tranny fuild for a while - it had gained a leak which ended up costing me $330. I often wonder if I did enternal damage to the tranny. But if I did, it should have been repaired in 2008 in my $1700 bill. As of 2009 it still up/downshifts kinda rough between 1st and 2nd, but its always been that way. Moms car - never any issues.
tl;dr - both family owned Proteges bought with low k, same motor, auto. One more babied but more abused, one "forgotten and overdue on oil changes" but driven lighty. One with tranny issues, one without. One that has had too many parts to list replaced, one working on almost all of its originals. One with currently lower k, one with 37,000kms more. One gets horrible fuel ecomony/accleration/power, the other represents what an old auto Protege should be getting in fuel ecomony/accleration/power.
Again, thanks for your time in reading this. Sometimes I wonder if my Protege was made at 4pm right before the long weekend.
I'll give you all the facts so you are well informed. If you are bored at work, at home, or waiting for that bus, have a read. Or a drink! -I got a 1994 SE, bought it in 2004 with 64,400kms, granny owned.
-Mom got a 1995 S (not a second gen, just overstock branded as a '95, its just a base DX), bought it in 2003 with 68,000kms, granny owned.
-My car currently: 131k. Her car currently: 168k. Both automatic. Same 1.8L SOHC.
Moms car: Always being more realible than mine, her car has always ran better and gotten better fuel econ, and always has just a bit more "pep" under hard throttle. I can squawk her tires no problem. She gets her oil changes done every 5000kms and usually goes over being too busy/forgetful. She doesn't do much else than that other than reg service. She drives it a bit more lightly than I do, and she easily gets 500-550kms a tank, sometimes 600 if going back and forth to Toronto alot.
My car: Lemon, basically. I have replaced soooo many parts compared to the minimal stuff she's replaced ($3000 in repairs in 2008 alone). Both cars were low k and in excellent shape when bought, and yet I have had to replace MANY things. My worst foe - the distributor - I'm, including the factory one, on number four in five years. Her's - still on the factory one at 15 years old. I had decent power/econ when I first had the Pro - I could get 500kms a tank easy city/highway, most I got was 720kms on a trip back/forth to Parry Sound in 2005. But starting in winter 2007 I was getting an awful 300kms to a tank, and in warmer weather only 430-440kms a tank with alot of highway. I have crammed up to 47L of fuel into the tank, I think its larger than the factory one that rotted out and had to be replaced in 2005. I have always done my oil changes every 3000-3500k with high mileage oil, and I've used tons of additives in both oil and fuel. I baby this motor, which currently doesn't burn a drop or turn it black. When the valve cover was off during timing belt replacement, **** was clean. I drive my car a bit harder than my mom, but even so, it still has bad economy and under heavy throttle, its awful! Lots of gas is being fed, but its so boggy sometimes I have to shift it into lower gears myself. Couple this with the a/c on and a passenger and trunk full of cargo on a humid day, and you are going nowhere fast! I can barley squawk my tires uphill in a rainstorm.
I used to drive alot of highway before I got my current job, now I only drive 20kms a day back/forth. And when I got a second car, the Protege did alot of sitting for the summer of 2007. Mind you to offest that, I took alot of trips to London and Toronto with it, however it wasn't quite the same afterwards. I did everything I could think of in January 2008 to get better econ/more power:
-NGK plugs (already got new wires in 2005).
-NAPA Gold fuel filter to replace the original, it was very corroded.
-Ran three tanks of 94 octane during this time.
-Cut down time on my cold idle starts.
-Fresh oil.
-Lucas Fuel Injector cleaner.
-Tire pressures were fine, air filter was a couple months old.
-13 inch steelies/tires, alignment was fine.
Even after all this was done while it got slighty better, it was still ****ty. I had a mechanic jump the ODBI, and counted the CEL to a code of 17, which is "o2 sensor has detected a rich or lean condition". My guess was the sensor was not causing enough havoc to trigger the CEL. I had a buddy try and get the o2 sensor off - bitch would not come off. Torched the **** out of it until it was red hot, each time it barley moved. I gave up not wanting to replace the entire manfold if it threaded, and also seeing my heat shield bolts were f'ed too I'd know that would never come off without a fight. The CEL has barley ever been triggered in my five years of ownership - two days after the failed o2 sensor removal, as I left work it came on for about five seconds, then went off. It only did it one other time before back in October 2007, and it only lasted a couple seconds.
I had the timing belt done in May of 2008; afterwards it felt even worse than before, plus come winter the RPMs were dropping too soon after extreme cold starts, causing the engine to sputter until it got warm enough. Not wanting to argue with my mechanic who stated he set the timing right, I had someone else check it and they re-adjusted it earlier this year, but I still wonder if its off.
I did a whole bunch of stuff earlier this year (oil, air, PCV valve, additives, cleaned the throttle body, newer tires, flex pipe), again only a small change. Now to throw a large monkey wrench into all of this mess - for every e-test I have gotten on this car, I have managed to pass with lower numbers as the car got older and higher in k. It don't add up!
I have a test from the previous owner from 2003 when the car had maybe 50,000kms, and the numbers were passible but not "as clean running". My current test from this year with 125,000kms on the clock - it barley registered! If its so "tuned" and passing e-tests without an issue, than why is the accleration crap and fuel econ crap?And yes, I know its an automatic, I couldn't drive stick back then. I know the error of my ways. The 5 speed '91 323 LX I'm trying to sell with the same 1.8L with 70,000 more k than my motor - this thing rips like ****! It begs to be revved high as it moves so effortlessly, it squawks in second gear, lots of life. Its not even tuned up, long overdue on an oil change and air filter, and the fourth cyl spark plug wire is arching and causing it to bounce and make noise...and it still runs better/has more power than my car.
If you've read this far, thanks for your time! I'm hoping other 1st gen owners can help me out. From all what I've done to try and make it run better, here are the only things (I can see) that are left:
-Filler neck has been leaking for a long time but I am lazy to get it replaced as it only smells like gas when extremely full. But would this cause lack of fuel pressure? Therefore lack of power?
-Fuel injectors need professional cleaning?
-I am more than likely due for plugs again but I know that won't be the full cure. (recommendations?)
-I have a recent exhuast leak but believe me, it was still bad before this.
-Cat converter is clogged? But if it was, could I have passed my e-test?
-MAF is old, could it be ****ed?
-I bet if I tripped the ODB again I'd still get "code 17". Does that mean the o2 sensor itself is bad, or something else is making the car run too rich? But again, if I had a bad o2 sensor and the car was running rich, could I have passed my e-test?
-Lastly, could it not even be the motor at all, and is the transmission? These autos in these cars were always bad for rough shifting, moreso between first and second. Are these Escort trannies? My moms - always smooth shifting, never an issue, matches the motor fine. (Did they ever change the transmissions used for 1st gen models branded as '95s?) Mine - cost me $1700 in repeairs in 2008 at 117kms to replace the torque converter and a whole bunch of seals and gaskets that were ****ed. I was having issues in late 2007 with the "Hold" button not working correctly, or at all, and issues between 30-45km/h where the car would keep "bucking" if between 2-3000 RPM.
The overall cause - granny didn't drive the car enough over ten years to keep things lubed, so stuff dried out. Another factor - in winter 2005 I had unknownly driven the car very low on tranny fuild for a while - it had gained a leak which ended up costing me $330. I often wonder if I did enternal damage to the tranny. But if I did, it should have been repaired in 2008 in my $1700 bill. As of 2009 it still up/downshifts kinda rough between 1st and 2nd, but its always been that way. Moms car - never any issues.
tl;dr - both family owned Proteges bought with low k, same motor, auto. One more babied but more abused, one "forgotten and overdue on oil changes" but driven lighty. One with tranny issues, one without. One that has had too many parts to list replaced, one working on almost all of its originals. One with currently lower k, one with 37,000kms more. One gets horrible fuel ecomony/accleration/power, the other represents what an old auto Protege should be getting in fuel ecomony/accleration/power.
Again, thanks for your time in reading this. Sometimes I wonder if my Protege was made at 4pm right before the long weekend.
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