Have the vehicle as listed in the titles. I've done a good job with maintaining the car along the lines of the manual, but there are a few points I'm confused on as to whether maintainance on some things is necessary ("not broken don't fix it, etc.")

1) Never did the fuel filter - think it's by the fuel tank. How necessary is this?
2) Never did the transmission fluid - have a manual. Do I need to do this or just wait until I do the clutch?
3) Did the coolant at 45K, but is it critical to do it again?
4) Did the spark plugs at 30K, 60K and now 110K. How necessarily is it to do the wire (as they look complicated)?
5) Manual says not to cross-rotate tires for asymmetical tire pattern. Do you follow this?

Thanks for your help in keeping this Mazda running another 50K+ miles!

 

Ok, let's take them in order
1. Fuel filter-YES, it should be done every 50,000 miles, more if you use crappy gas. Yes, it is in the tank. YES! it is a major pain in the *** to do it yourself. You have to access throught he service hatch under the rear seat. I always recommend that anything inolving the fuel system be done by a properly trained technician, as you can end up burning your car down if it is done wrong.
2. Transmission Fluid-Not as critical as on an ATX, but it will definitely help the life of your gears, remember, just because you have a stick, doesn't mean that the gears don't need to be lubed well.

3. Coolant. Look at the overflow bottle. The coolant should look more green than black. If it is getting dark, replace it. Go to a shop that can deep flush it.

4. Wires-Your car has coil packs, which have small coils in them. They tend to go without any warning. You should keep 2 in your car tool kit. Then know how to replace them on the road. Because they will go at the worst time.

Below is a link to a complete shop manual for your car. Go to each section and copy it to your hard drive. This book is $150 if you were to purchase it. The info in those PDF's will save you thousands over the life of the car.

http://protege5.ugly.net/#ac

ZOOM ZOOM

 

Ok, good advice. It was strange in my owner's manual, as there were three service schedules. The only schedule to list a fuel filter replacement, and yes at 50K, was the "chile" schedule. Odd....

Regardless, I'll make it a priority to get that done. The coolant also looks fine, but I'll keep a close eye on the color - that's a good rule to follow.

I'll have to read up on how to do the transmission fluid in this vehicle. Can't be that hard! (Famous last words....) Dealer also made a suggestion to purge and replace the clutch hydraulic fluid. Anyone ever do that or any necessity to do that at intervals?

I'll get some wires as well. Anyone recommend a good set? I usually go for middle range parts - not the cheap crap but not the high-end performance stuff either.

Thanks for all your help!

 

1. in a 2002 pro5, the fuel filter is in the gas tank, so the only way to change it is to replace the fuel pump.
2. a manual tranny doesn't have fluid, so you cannot change it.
3. coolant flushes are cheap and if you do them regularly, they can extend the life of the radiator.
4. plugs and wires should be changed regularly but the coils should be changed when there is a problem. coils won't necessarily leave you stranded but a wire could cook under the hood and a plug could fall apart in the cylinder.
5. you can cross-rotate if you do not have directional tires.