Loss of power & Oil Disappearing?

XAGEN

MEMBER
1994 MAZDA 626

I have a Mazda 626 1994 2.0l model (at least I believe its the 1994, how do you check what year your model is?)

Anyways I just got the car about 3 months ago with 197000km on the clock and already over 200k.

At first I was happy with the car but now I am starting to pick up all the small little nitty gritties that it has.

My major problem is that every 2 weeks I have to put in about 1l of oil. I tend to know this when I suddenly start hearing my tappets (a noticeable ticking sound). Top it up with oil and after a few km's no more noise.

I have looked for the two signs:
Smoke - none
Oil Leaks - none

This concerns me as I should not be going through so much oil. After discussions with a friend, he re-inforced my theory that my rings might be the problem. He suggested a simple test where I take off the oil cap while the engine is running and feel for air coming out of the engine. There is quite a bit of air coming out!

That leads me to the other problem. I have no power/acceleration going up hills or when I get to 3rd gear. In 5th gear I am barely able to maintain going up at 120km and once going downhill I suddenly can get to 180km easily (not that I do this all the time. Was just um fault finding *smile* )

So I am led to believe that I have some sort of compression loss resulting in no power. But dont actually know what is causing it. I wouldnt mind fixing it myself to save money but do not mind taking it through to a dealer to get sorted out. I would just like to actually know what is the most likely cause of the problem so that I can see if the dealer tries to screw me.

1 Reply

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

The symptoms you're describing in your 1993 Ford Probe could be caused by a few different issues. Given the information provided, here are some possible causes:

Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) Malfunction: The idle air control valve is responsible for controlling the engine's idle speed. If the IACV is dirty, clogged, or malfunctioning, it may not be able to maintain a stable idle when you slow down, leading to rough idling and stalling.

Vacuum Leak: A vacuum leak in the engine's intake system can disrupt the air-fuel mixture, affecting the engine's idle and causing it to stall when coming to a stop. Check for damaged or disconnected vacuum hoses.

Faulty Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF): The MAF sensor measures the amount of air entering the engine. If it is malfunctioning, the engine may not receive the correct amount of air, leading to stalling and poor performance.

Fuel Delivery Issues: Problems with the fuel system, such as a clogged fuel filter or a weak fuel pump, can cause fuel delivery issues that result in stalling when the engine is under load.

Ignition System Problems: Faulty spark plugs, ignition coils, or ignition module can cause misfires and stalling.

Engine Overheating: An overheating engine can cause stalling when coming to a stop due to the increased load on the engine.