Looking for a tune up!

[jorda]

Alright, ive had my MP3 for about a year and a half now and im very happy with it. Im the second owner of it and ive got a couple of questions about the car and was wondering if i could get some insight. I dont have a lot of auto experience, but i love learning how to do stuff myself.

Problems:heat b
1. Air conditioner only blows cold while at level one. When i turn it up, the light for the ac goes off and it slowly starts to heat back up again.

2. Car was riding rough so i replaced the tie rod ends and it seemed to fix the clunk in the front, but there is still a slight noise, especially if i hit a speed bump with only one tire. it comes from more of the middle of the car and not the ends. I took it to my long time mechanic and asked if it was the rods themselves and he said no and that everything was fine. However i think that there is still something thats making a noise that it shouldnt.

3. The previous owner took out the stock system and put in a polk audio system, however the majority of the time, i only get sound from the back half of the car. Ive checked all the connections to the amplifier and they are all solid. Any leads?

4. Does anyone know how to raise the car up a bit? Ive seen a lot of posts about lowering the car but i want to raise the back end up about an inch and a half.

5. Are there any computer add ons that would change the tuning of the car to where i could get a little more acceleration out of it? Im not really looking for that much more power, just a better off the line time.

As for right now, that is all. Any help would be greatly appreciated yall.

 

[tweety2300]

1. Go to the protege5 section and look at the top of the page for the fan fixes.

2. Replace sway bar bushings and end links. Use the black bushings from energy suspension as they're infused with graphite and self lunricating. They still need to have grease on them when installed.

3. You may have to pull the stereo out and check the connections on the harness's where they connect. It could be there or the head unit is going bad

4. You can use stock protege springs which will raise it up a little less than an inch. Can I ask why you want to raise it?

5. No, mp3 tune is the best tune available for the protgs. You can do some bolt ons like intake or header which would help a little bit

 

[jorda]

ill check out the section. Ive already replaced the rear sway bar bushings however they dont fit quite right so i will look into the ones you suggested. i havent gotten around replacing the control links due to lack of having good money and good weather at the same time. I will check it out. The previous owner took out the stock module and put in a dvd player with monitor, its a little lose so it could be it. I want to raise the rear up just a bit to give it a nose down slanted look. I would rather do that than lower the nose since i prefer that extra little bit of ground clearance. so the only tune ups possible are through mechanical upgrades. I thought so but just wanted to make sure. Thanks!

 

[cphillips23]

If all you want is better acceleration, a light weight fly wheel will help with that.

 

[jorda]

A light weight fly wheel where? Could you be more specific?

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

The flywheel attaches to the crank and is part of the clutch system.

it stores momentum and gives the car ease of driving.

It is the part of the car that helps you not stall when you let the clutch out too quickly and it also aids maintain a constant speed.

there are hundreds of good explanations on the Internet.

A couple of reasons it is a good overall modification.

Rotating Mass Reduced. The engine needs to store less energy in a lighter flywheel which means more can be put to the wheels.

Sprung Weight. Taking 40 Lbs from the flywheel is also taking 40Lbs from the weight of the car.

It is however something to do with a clutch change, it is normally an expensive job.