Hello All,
I am a very recent Mazda convert (one week and counting), and so far so great.
I just bought a 2001 Mazda Familia (also known as the Protege, as if you don't already know) sedan with the VVT engine and Tiptronic gearbox (which I'm a bit nervous about using manually just yet).
Two small concerns:
This is my first Variable Valve Timing equipped vehicle, so tell me...is it normal when accelerating from off the line, for the vehicle to "lag" for a couple seconds before it changes to second gear? Seems to me that it pulls hard in first gear, then kinda holds back (with the engine revs still high) before it changes...normal or no?
Also, and this concerns me moreso: I find that after driving for a while and the engine warms up, when idling I'm getting a strange dull but audible noise coming from the engine..like a soft "klunk klunk" every two or three seconds. It's not loud, raspy or screechy, but concerning nonetheless...any clues? Seems to be coming from the left side of the engine where the timing belts would be, and it speeds up when I rev the engine slightly...the car only has 17,000 on it, couldn't be engine wear already....??
Engine is quiet as a church mouse when cold. Thoughts? Thanks...

 

welcome to the forum,and good luck with your car.