Lewis7789 2002 Protege5 build thread (tons of pics)

[fishdonotbounce]

I think gunmetal if you can do some other pieces in the same color. Either way I can't wait to see this thing get up and running!

 

[Lewis7789]

I like Kevin's wrinkle black VC but I would like to put some heavy coats on them so they won't chip. Can you do heavy coats with the wrinkle paint? Wrinkle black valve covers and fuel rail and gunmetal intake manifold I think would be cool beans.

That was your RTV, Kevin. I forgot, no worries.

This cat (member "bullshark") has a funky colour scheme going with his protege/KLZE build.

 

[justanothermp5]

you have to do heavy coats with wrinkle paint lol its ****** easy
all you do is prep the valve cover like normal, spray ONE heavy coat on the valve cover, make sure u get everything on the first coat...you cant recoat wrinkle
then what i did was stuck it in the oven at the lowest setting for like 20 mins...came out perfect, nice even wrinkles

 

[HKPRO5]

yea you have to use heavy coats to get the wrinkle effect. lol

Looking good so far!

 

[hat1018]

I vote crinkle black valve covers with the raised lettering polished aluminum. Such a nice offset for a silver car.

+1

 

[Lewis7789]

you have to do heavy coats with wrinkle paint lol its ****** easy
all you do is prep the valve cover like normal, spray ONE heavy coat on the valve cover, make sure u get everything on the first coat...you cant recoat wrinkle
then what i did was stuck it in the oven at the lowest setting for like 20 mins...came out perfect, nice even wrinkles

yea you have to use heavy coats to get the wrinkle effect. lol

Looking good so far!

So you can only do one coat with wrinkle spray paint? Or just the first coat has to be heavy?

I wrinkle painted my ADP a few months ago but I forgot what the directions said. I'll check tonight after work when I buy the paint, I know I saw some at Autozone when I picked up some engine primer.

 

[justanothermp5]

well...you cant recoat the wrinkle once its dry and already wrinkled, or the wrinkle will come out weird

you can do one coat, then wait like 5 mins and do another...the wrinkle paint dries super slow

 

[JKPgt96]

I agree on the crinkle black with a machine finish on the letters. I have personally seen one done like that and it looks phenomenal.

 

[JKPgt96]

Also looks to have KLDE cams in it...have you checked the pistons to see if they are indeed 10:1 pistons? Also what about the port shape on the heads?

 

[JKPgt96]

Well the company I bought the motor from has a 30 day warranty but has to be installed by an ASE certified tech and with 30 days of receiving the motor. So the worst case scenario the motor is trash then I'll just have to swap the FS-DE back in and get the KL-ZE repaired. But honestly, I'm not too worried about it. I've seen a lot of other KL-ZE's with light surface rust just like mine on ProbeTalk and all those cats said it's fine, no big deal. I also have to bare in mind this motor could be as old as 1993. Like I said, I'm an optimist.

And Phen, that's kinda the reason why I bought the motor from eBay too, because they wouldn't want to ship out bad motors and receive negative feedback whereas if I bought one direct they might sell me a more beat up motor.

I'm going to remove the intake manifold, the oil pan and the back valve cover tonight after work and put up more pics. I'm not expecting anything bad since the first head looks really clean. Just those nasty spark plugs scared me.

ps- Phen with the post count of 7,777

The rust will be fine, it will go away upon start up. No worries.

 

[Lewis7789]

The curve necks have the KL-101 cams, same as the USDM KL-DE, only the straight necks have the aggressive KL-31 cams. It's a JDM motor, I'm pretty much 100% positive.

mini-udate;
I got intake mani off and the fuel rail removed. I knife edged the mani and blew it out really well to get rid off the metal particles. I removed the vacuum lines and masked everything off really well. I cleaned up the TB (it will get hour-glassed after paint. I ran out of time and wanted to get as much painted before it got too cold out) and masked it off and ready for paint. I picked up some new valve cover gaskets at Autozone and put the oil pan back on with some black RTV. so both valve covers, throttle body and intake manifold are off and ready for primer then paint. I got the wrinkle black and the directions say 3 criss-crossed heavy coats, then bake it. And some silver for the IM. I'm doing the TB and VC's in wrinkle black and the IM in silver, should look pretty good.

I'm going to order the Outlaw spacers tomorrow so I can bolt up the IM and TB after paint. Then order the transmission in two weeks on the next payday.

 

[PrinceValorum]

It's gonna be so hard..

You're replacing the water pump and timing belt and everything else while it's out, right?

 

[Lewis7789]

Probably since these motors will bend valves if the timing belt breaks. But the timing belt scares me a little since Kevin never could get his 1.8l right. So with it looking like a low mileage car I might just start it and run it to break it in and see where I stand on what needs to be replaced and what I'm just throwing money at. Ya know? I don't want to change too much too the motor right away. I want to start it and run it for a little bit before going too mod crazy. Plus a timing belt can be done with the motor in the car still. I'm kinda on the fence about opening more of the motor up. I mostly just want to get it in the car and the wiring sorted and fire it up to make sure it at least fires up and runs well.

 

[THE Phen]

Disagree.

Sure you can do a timing belt in the car, but out of the car is soooooo much easier. I don't know what happened with Kevin's, but I know that the two times I've done the Honda's, I've never had an issue. We did the 1st B18C out of the car. Took 10 minutes. Did the first D16Y8 belt in the car... took 9 hours.

Engines that have sat without running for a longer period of time are more likely to break a belt too. Just my thoughts. Wait till i get home and I'll give you a hand with it. The key is making sure that the crank stays at top dead center, and all the cams are lined up properly as well. After putting the belt on, rotate the engine several times to make sure it ends up at TDC each time.

Have my dad come over. He'll give you a hand. Dude knows his s***.

 

[JKPgt96]

The curve necks have the KL-101 cams, same as the USDM KL-DE, only the straight necks have the aggressive KL-31 cams. It's a JDM motor, I'm pretty much 100% positive.

mini-udate;
I got intake mani off and the fuel rail removed. I knife edged the mani and blew it out really well to get rid off the metal particles. I removed the vacuum lines and masked everything off really well. I cleaned up the TB (it will get hour-glassed after paint. I ran out of time and wanted to get as much painted before it got too cold out) and masked it off and ready for paint. I picked up some new valve cover gaskets at Autozone and put the oil pan back on with some black RTV. so both valve covers, throttle body and intake manifold are off and ready for primer then paint. I got the wrinkle black and the directions say 3 criss-crossed heavy coats, then bake it. And some silver for the IM. I'm doing the TB and VC's in wrinkle black and the IM in silver, should look pretty good.

I'm going to order the Outlaw spacers tomorrow so I can bolt up the IM and TB after paint. Then order the transmission in two weeks on the next payday.

I asked what the stamping on the heads and what the pistons looked like because you might have just gotten a Millenia motor. That is the same as a curve neck 'ze'. In particular the '95 Millenia motors, because they actually have ZE heads also. Just looking at the manifold doesn't tell you anything, unless it is a straight neck...

Probably since these motors will bend valves if the timing belt breaks. But the timing belt scares me a little since Kevin never could get his 1.8l right. So with it looking like a low mileage car I might just start it and run it to break it in and see where I stand on what needs to be replaced and what I'm just throwing money at. Ya know? I don't want to change too much too the motor right away. I want to start it and run it for a little bit before going too mod crazy. Plus a timing belt can be done with the motor in the car still. I'm kinda on the fence about opening more of the motor up. I mostly just want to get it in the car and the wiring sorted and fire it up to make sure it at least fires up and runs well.

Timing belt is not terrible to do.
If that is not a 10:1 motor it is non-interference. And I am fairly certain the ZE is non-interference as well, since I jumped timing once on my 10:1 bottom end with no ill effects.

 

[PrinceValorum]

You gotta do timing while it's out of the car. As long as you're patient and pay attention, it won't be impossible to get the markings to line up. You gotta hold the cams with wrenches because the valves move them, that's what happened with Kevin's. There are ways to get it done.

Here's a guide, if you didn't find it on your own, plus we both have Haynes manuals for the car, we can get it done! I've got the factory service manual, too, haha!
http://home.comcast.net/~mmunoz70/z/leskatimingbelt.doc

 

[JKPgt96]

You do not have to hold the cams in place. They will stay in place and be correctly lined up. The rear will be very close to the point where it will snap around, but it won't. The front cam should snap right into alignment and will not need to be held in place either. The cam marks can easily be seen if the timing covers are not on. Otherwise, you will likely want to do it out of the car as mentioned, unless you trim the tops of the covers so that the marks on the valve covers/head are visible still.

I recommend timing the car with the crank one tooth out of alignment to the left. Then line up the cams, put the belt on. Get all the slack to the tensioner area (aside from what is needed for the upper idler install). Put in the upper idler, then turn the crank until it lines up. That will pull all of the slack out of the front side and to the tensioner area. Install tensioner. Pull pin out. Turn the motor over a couple times and make sure everything is aligned. I have done this a million times and it has always worked for me.

 

[justanothermp5]

Did the first D16Y8 belt in the car... took 9 hours.

really? i just did my first one today and it took about 3 hours to replace the belt, water pump, idler, and adjust the valves

but thats not the point, out of car timing belts are for sure a ton easier

 

[CheeseHelmet]

really? i just did my first one today and it took about 3 hours to replace the belt, water pump, idler, and adjust the valves

(squinty)

Took me like 3 days to change my timing belt n' water pump, maybe you're more experienced

 

[Lewis7789]

You guys are right, I should replace the timing belt while I have the motor out. I just didn't want to jack up the timing and teeth on the belt and all that. But I'll just follow the directions and take my time and triple check everything. While I am anxious to get the motor ready to run, I have to remind myself it's still not going in until spring anyway. heh-heh. I'm replacing the two accessory belts as well so might as well replace the timing belt and water pump too.

Thanks for all the first-hand knowledge, JK. It's one thing to read hearsay on the forums and it's another thing to actually hear from a cat who has actually done the job with his own hands. Thanks to all you guys for the info and advice.