1998 Mazda Protege LX Sedan 4 cyl. auto. coolant backing up to resevoir & running out. temp. guage does not go above center line exept once up a steep hill a few days ago, only 3/4 way, then back down. guage staying the same includes driving 15 mi. from town to home with some smaller hills. Seems to perform fine. I believe this may have been symptoming in the early spring when it was cooler, as fan would come on when it was colder out, yet antifreeze levels were not effected nor did they change. have replaced the thermostate, water pump, all seals are good, belts are good or new, oil changed regularly and has always been clear. Mechanic says no symptom of head gasket problems. it does demonstrat a lag when first started in the morning - idle drops drastically then picks up. otherwise no other apparent problems. Almost like a ground short ------but probably wrong as i don't really know.

check the window braker and fuse

What does the fuze box actually look like? i found a diagram which you can see if it looks similar and if it is then it may just be for your car.

Mazda 1998 Protege Fusebox Diagram

The cooling system has an air pocket in it. The best solution is to have someone with a vacuum coolant system,and drain and replace the coolant. The only other way,is to jack up the front of the vehicle,and take off the radiator cap,and run it with the heater on full blast. Wait till the thermostat opens,(when coolant level drops)...then top it off while its still running.If you buy ,or have a friend who has a tool called an "Air Lift",..it will make this MUCH easier,and cleaner to fix.

1--BLEND DOOR NOT SEALING PROPERLY
2--FRONT CONDENSOR PLUGGED UP WITH DEBRIE
3--FRONT CONDENSOR NOT TRANSFERING HEAT (SPRAY WITH GARDEN HOSE WHILE ---RUNING SYSTEM IF IT WORKS BETTER CONDENSOR MAY HAVE TO GET CHANGED
4--WRONG CHARGED WEIGHT IN SYSTEM
5--COMPRESSOR CYCLE TIME NOT CORRECT
6--IF COOLANT CABLE VALVE ON SYSTEM MAY NOT BE CLOSING CORECTLY
---TRY PINCHING OFF THE COOLANT LINES TO HEATER CORE

make sure you have plenty of coolant in the system, there is a fan switch controlled by coolant temp that turns the fan on and off. If you dont have enough coolant it will never turn on. If its full, you may have a bad fan switch.

Possible cause ;
1. Water pump
2. Thermostat
3. Bad head gasket.
4. Low coolant level.
Try to replace thermostat first , this way you illuminate thermostat and coolant level , you'll have to ad coolant after replacement and purge system.

Hi there,

Firstly - DO NOT run engine, when guage reads hot, as this will cause costly damage to head gasket & alloy engine head.

The fact that guage takes 1min to read HOT, would confirm the guage IS working properly.

So, other components which are likely to cause hot readings (in this order) are:

- lack of coolant (or leakage somewhere): is there sufficient green coolant at the correct level? Top up mixture to correct level. Repair any leaks.

- collapsed radiator hose: when engine is cold, start engine, then quickly watch both upper & lower radiator hoses to see if either begins to flex inwards (collapse). Replace if either hose is collapsed.

- bad/incorrect thermostat rating : when replacing thermostats, you must ensure it is of the SAME temp rating (they all differ).

- Incorrect Temp sensor rating: the ratings of this sensor must be within manufacturer's spec's.

- bad waterpump: the engine relies on the waterpump to distribute the coolant throughout the entire system. If waterpump is faulty, coolant will not flow quick enough, causing overheating.

If you still believe all of the above components are OK, then have your cooling system "pressure tested". This test should be done, before looking further at other electrical components.

Cheers,

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This sounds like a possible blown head gasket. When this occurs, oil and coolant mix. Symptoms of this is white smoke coming from the exhaust and a frothy milkshake appearance on your oil dipstick. If these are not the case, you may have picked up some sludge and rust from the radiator. In this case, a flush is in order.

Check your radiator cap...the rubber seal maybe bad...and as for your guage...check the coolant temp switch or sensor...One controls the fan, and the other controls the guage..

Make: MAZDA
Model: PROTEGE - LX
Year: 1996
Engine: L4 - 1.5L - FI - - GAS

Champion / Traditional spark plug / Part Number RC12MC-4 / OE GAP .044"

Note: w/SOHC (Original Equipment Manufacturer and/or Original Equipment Equivalent)

More details in Champion Spark Plug

I hope help you (remember rated this help). Good luck.