After being ripped off one too many times on scheduled maintenance work done to my vehicle, I have now decided to do a lot of the basic maintenance work myself, as I have done with all my previously owned vehicles...

I am familiar with chainging oil/oil fiters, air filters, spark plugs, etc.

This being said, can anyone recommend the best way for someone of basic experience to change a "Fuel" filter, Engine coils or sensors for a 1999 Mazda Protege LX (4-cylinder; 1.6 Liter Engine)???

The more basic the explanation, the better, as I might not be able to follow a lot of the technical jargon...

Thanks for any assitance anyone was able to offer or suggest...

A. J.

 

why do you need to change the ignition coil? Another member can chime in for sure but on the 3rd gen proteges we have coil packs and not coils. I'm not 100% sure about yours though. You don't need to replace it until it goes bad (usually about 100k miles or more).

I don't know much about the 1.6L engine so your best bet is look at a service manual or post this in the "Mazda Service Info" section for more immediate help.

 

well the fuel filter is underneath the car.........under the trunk area down the fuel line...from the tank...it looks kinda like a pop can with one line going in and one going out

 

Roddimus Prime, thanks for the quick reply... I just had an "engine coil #3" (that's what it said on the bill) replaced on my 99 mazda protege... I don't know the ins and outs of coils, as I am new to this, but my car needed to have it replaced. My car was practically undrivable due to loss of power, then completely drained? The mechanic said it should not have needed replacing so early, but??? I would like to know how to replace it or others myself should they need premature replacing as this one did...

import_tuner19, thanks for your input as well... I understand where it is located from reading previous posts, but would like to know the best, straight forward way to replace one...

I just would like to know these things for my own knowledge so I do not need to be so dependent on mechanics, unless it's something major... In the area where I live, they are not very reputable or honest, so I would rather "do for myself" in areas that I can...

 

well if its ford design you are gonna need a special removal tool to release the clips on both ends of the filter....after that it is cake...you just plug the new one in and play......and for the running i am a mechanic....we arent ALL out to screw people over.....i am an honest mechanic myself

 

Thanks, import_tuner19, for the added information... not to sound silly, but when replacing this fuel filter, how is the fuel stopped from draining, or is it not flowing unless the car is on?

Also, for the record, I didn't mean to sound like ALL mechanics were dishonest, as that was in no way my intention... People do business in different ways, some good, some bad... My experience, as of late, has unfortunately been with the bad, but I don't hold that against anyone but my own better judgement...

Thanks again!!!
A. J.

PS: I have been reading a lot of posts here which makes me wonder, despite what it said on my bill invoice, could the "engine coil #3" mentioned perhaps instead be referring to a "cylinder" that was perhaps replaced? Again, I have no clue, so forgive my lack of certainty. I'M WILLING and TRYING TO LEARN

 

well fuel will run out....as long as you wait a little bit like an hour or 2 after shutting the car off, before you do this..................that way the fuel pressure bleeds off......otherwise you will get a huge gas shower.........make sure the arrow on the filter points toward the engine........the filter flows a certian way....always make sure of that

 

Hey ajpomales, do you have a lift? Because if you don't, you will be soaked in fuel when you pop those lines. Also, one way to relieve a little but not all of the pressure is to remove the fuse for the fuel pump and turn the car on until it dies. Then do it a couple more times until it won't run. Fuel will still spray, but not as much.

 

Thanks, mgs_freak, for that added information... It all adds up and helps a great deal!

Thanks again :-)

 

Just wondering, I called my Mazda Dealer looking for a new fuel filter for a 1.6 2001 protege and he told me that its sort of in or right beside the fuel tank but that my model does "not have a genuine fuel filter". What the heck??
Was there a big change from the design of the pre 2001 models to 2001? I can't believe that it does not have a real fuel filter. The guy on the phone said about something being in the gas tank itself.

 

hey ajpomales, sorry to hear about your dealings with mechanics. i too have been played by a so-called "trusted" mechanic and man i'm just glad i didn't let him change a couple of sensors that need changing. that's why i try to find out as much as i can and do as much as i can but i still need the tools. hopefully i'll get to that soon.

and import_tuner19, i'm not sayin' that all mechanics are bad. i understand where you're comin' from and i have found another trusted mechanic, or until he does something fishy and i stop goin' by him.

 

Hey, amrit, thanks for the post... Still tryingto get through it onthis end...

Just out of curiosity, what "sensors" are your speaking of, with regards to your comments? I am still trying to determine the cause for my mazda's very low performance as of late. it all seemed to happened when my vehicle just died on the road a few months back. My AAMCO mechanic originally said it was a bad "cylinder" that needed to be replaced, but on the service receipt the part replaced was said to be, and I quote, 1 N-Engine Coil #3 ???

My car drives now, but there is practically ZERO power in 1st gear, and 2nd is slowly following along the same footsteps??? the car had been a dream previous to this. As of this month, I have replaced spark plugs, belts, air filter, oil, oil filter, was going to replace the fuel filter, but this model appears to be devoid of one, with the exception to a fuel screen...

Anyhow, I am reaching, so any comments that might be able to help are welcome

 

well the sensors that i had to change out were the crank shaft sensor and the cam sensor. now i'm not sure if this may apply to you depending on where you're from because when i posted the question on these sensors i got a reply of "these things rarely go bad and don't need changing". however i found out that in my country, Trinidad, they do and need to be replaced. i also had to change out my coil packs as well.

 

amrit, I live in Orlando, Florida. I was told, practically verbatim, the same thing that was told to you, by my Aamco mechanic

he said: "these things rarely go bad and don't need changing, and that the other 3 should be good for yet another while"

though I am still not sure if we are talking about the same part??? My receipt says: 1 N-Engine Coil #3 was replaced for $249.00???

 

Have you called Cory Fairbanks to see if the vehicle falls under the coil recall?