Questions and Answers

Protege Slipping Its Gears Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla: I have 1997 Mazda Protege LX with a manual transmission. It is a 1.5 liter with 65,000 miles. I have P/S, A/C, and cruise. My problem is my car slips out of fifth gear (especially on inclines). This has been a recent problem.

I don't know if this is related, but the transmission went out on the car when it had 3,000 miles on it. It was repaired (for free) because the guide plate had been incorrectly installed by the manufacturer (that's what the dealership said). The car runs perfectly in every other aspect and sometimes gets 40 miles to the gallon. Please advise as to what the problem can be.

Thanks,
Monica

A. I assume you mean by "slipping" that you are driving along in fifth gear and suddenly, without warning, it pops out of gear into neutral. If that is indeed the case, then the problem is internal to the transmission. It will need to be opened up, inspected and repaired.

Related to what the dealer did? I really don't think so.

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