Probe Problems and Issues

The problems and issues covered here refer to commonly encountered problems and solutions with the various Probe models.

Whenever possible links are provided to other sites to avoid duplicating content.

Shop Manuals: The number for Helm publications is 800-782-4356 or check out their website at www.helminc.com. Manuals can be ordered on-line.

Second Generation

93+ GT (2.5 liter V6)

Most common points of failure:

Julian Bradbury has an excellent site with information on Mazda 626/ MX-6/ Ford Probe maintenance and repair: ErgonITe - Probe/626/MX6 FAQ . The page on Problems and Maintenance Areas is especially useful, with diagrams, and information on replacement parts, workarounds.

Rear Caliper Seizes

If you've had any problems with the rear parking brakes seizing or not releasing properly, you can fill out a complaint form at http://www-nsa.nhtsa.dot.gov/voq_form.shtml, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's) Vehicle Owner's Questionaire.

13 responses

Ford Probe Seized Parking Brake Survey (1996)

Valve cover gaskets leak

29Mar99: Well, I got the Gasket R&R done, it actually wasn't that hard so I'd consider it a DIYable item if you have even minimal knowledge about engine work. As long as you can keep all of the vacuum hoses and lines in the back of the manifold straight it shouldn't be a problem. Count on spending a few hours on it though, it's time consuming. I ended up paying $75.69 for the same job that my friend paid close to $250 for at a shop. You can't beat that, it's worth a few hours of your life. Here's the breakdown on gasket prices from Roebuck Mazda: Valve cover Gaskets, R&L, $18.57 each, Throttle body gasket $6.76 and Intake Manifold gaskets, 2 of them $9.52 each. That makes a grand total of $62.94 and since I was saving so much on labor, I figured what the heck and had em 2nd day air mailed for $12.75.

I've added an install how to on my site: http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/speedway/9159/joel.html Once I get the pics up, it should be pretty helpful for anyone trying replace their gaskets. Oh and the car runs great again, no more oil in the spark plug wells which led to bad acceleration.

Brake warning light comes on

This may happen under braking. The most common cause is the brake fluid level being a little low- the sensor is very sensitive. Topping up the fluid should solve this problem.

Poor Window Seal

Some owners have had terrible problems with this. Because of the frameless door windows, I think they are prone to getting tweaked if you lean on the window, close the door by pushing on the window, etc.. I try be careful with it and my window seal is fine.

Paint crazing, chipping, swirl marks

There were a lot of complaints about how easy the paint chipped, especially the bumper and hood. Mine was repainted under warranty and seems better than before.

A more serious problem is the tendency for the paint to get little lines in it, crazing. It varies from car to car, but seems worse on the front of most of the Probes I've seen.

My car is black, so the swirl marks are a big problem. I've tried a bunch of things, and I've heard Zymol works well. I also have used a product from P&S in San Rafael that works well and is easy to rub off.

Rear hatch struts fail

The part numbers for the rear hatch struts from NAPA are BK819-5608 and BK819-5609. They're $27.82 each. Although there are two different part numbers, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the two. These part numbers are for 93-94, with no part number listed for a 1995 and above. But after calling the factory, the part numbers are the same for later years.

Creaking sunroof

From the TSB: It consists of isolating the frame of the sunroof from the roof of the car with some foam. And it was very effective.

The TSB number is 95-25-1

Clutch slips

Many 2nd gen PGT owners report periodic slipping clutches even at low mileage (<20K). Total failure may _not_ be imminent. Labor for a replacement clutch is 4-4.5 hours at a Mazda dealer.

I've had mine totally give out while doing 1/8 mile drags. Probably partly my fault.

Bad Cat

Car had a terrible accelaration problem. It was slow, I could smell some fuel wafting in, and the catalytic converter was only clearing the ground by a couple of inches. I pulled out the plugs and replaced them. They were all gone,, the front three being almost entirely black. Then I replaced the catalytic converter yesterday. Cost was $140.70 for a new direct-fit cat and installation, (Ford-$540 for cat, Mazda-$580 for cat). The muffler guy said that the cat had heated up and this caused the cat to sink down, since there is not a hangar there for the cat or middle pipe, he says that is how you know when the cat has gone bad. I just know that with the knew one on there it is not hanging down anymore. I had replaced the wires with some extras that I got with the car that my brother said should still have a few thousand miles on them. Apparently he was wrong. This was a major cause of my poor acceleration as after I replaced them with some brand new ones tonight I could tell a major difference, it goes about twice as fast. Oct98

October 1998

Bay Area Probe Owners Club Website

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