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- MSP 1145
with those spark plugs I'm surprised your car even ran
Slow NA Pro5 build
- Thread starter STudMUffin97
- Start date
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
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- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Oof man, I can hear the "fartbox" just through you words X^D
When I had an exhaust leak, I was too embarrased to drive around. That rasp just wasn't something I was in to. However, if you've ever watched Best Motoring or Hot Version, you'll find that those highly-tuned Civics sound like beehives. I guess at the end of the day, it's about the overall performance of the vehicle, and not the sound
Well hey, glad you were able to perform a tune-up, and good thing your control arm isn't as boogered as you thought it was.
Good luck with those other parts!
When I had an exhaust leak, I was too embarrased to drive around. That rasp just wasn't something I was in to. However, if you've ever watched Best Motoring or Hot Version, you'll find that those highly-tuned Civics sound like beehives. I guess at the end of the day, it's about the overall performance of the vehicle, and not the sound
Well hey, glad you were able to perform a tune-up, and good thing your control arm isn't as boogered as you thought it was.
Good luck with those other parts!
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- Mazda protege5
It's really sad how 4 bangers sound, I got a resonator to try to dampen down the rice lol, might have a shop weld it in if my coworker doesnt feel up for it. Honestly I dont know how my car stays running, its maintanance is almost non existant until 2 years ago. I've driven it almost everyday for 5 years and then weekly for another 2 (not including the 6 months after a certain guardrail incident XD) I also got all my wheels rebalance and they found a flat spot in the front driver side tire. So new fronts on and I now have 2 spares at 50% and one at like uh 20%..? Its pretty low. Ordered new calipers from powerstop for the front and some "rebuilt" rears, I swear if these ones are bad I'm gunna lose it haha. Shocks feel really rough up front now that everything else is settled and not twacked out, just gunna run it for now until I get a chance to get some king springs (aye). Might have a small leak in the exhaust somewhere, I suspect a vband or the front header flange. I trust my buddies welds, I dont trust the "God knows how old" donut gasket and the rear vband which has a buttload of pressure on it because I messed up the front hangers and they sat too low. I ended up putting too much pressure on the rear hangers to keep it up off the subframe but now it might be coming back to haunt me. Happens mostly at 3500to3700rpms and inconsistently throughout the revs above that. Sounds very similar to brake pads lightly dragging and because it only happens at partial throttle or 3500rpm I know it's the exhaust. Still tons of work to do but suspension is slowly getting there. OH! Almost forgot to put this in, I absolutely LOVE awr's trailing links. Those along with putting back in the rear swaybar makes the rear end so tight. It gets a little rough sometimes but my oh my is it a world of difference. Contrary to how squishy and soft the rear felt without a sway bar and stock links, it's now super tight and the biggest difference........ lack of understeer. After a couple weeks of no rear sway bar I kinda got used to the feeling but now even when I throw the car into a turn it doesnt instantly slide. The front feels much more planted and no more massive roll in the rear. Love it, it just feels right you know?
Check them be before you install them.
Remove the little bolt and make sure you have the adjuster screws underneath.
Make sure the adjuster screw moves the piston in and out.
There's a stop at the bottom but don't blow out your piston at the top I don't know if it goes that far.
It depends on how they're rebuilt.
They might just throw in a new piston and seals and not check this stuff.
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- Mazda protege5
Well lots of stuff in the works, new front calipers, reman rears (working, checked out the screws before hand this time), braided Goodrich brakelines, parking brake cables front and drivers side (already have a new one on the passenger side), resonator and new hangars (gotta reposition the muffler), gunna try some raybestos semi metallic pads, and some red lug nuts. So lots of stuff to install just gotta find the time, the baby room is currently taking most of my time (priorities lol) I want to paint my rear calipers red to match the fronts so I got some high heat red caliper paint and high heat primer. I wanna paint the wheels black until I can get some method 502's and have them resprayed bronze. Lately I've realized that the "classic" rice look really appeals to me and I've decided to embrace it. I'm going for yellow paint with bronze wheels and red bits here n there like calipers, intake, strut bars etc honestly the car is half there already. Lastly yeller finally popped some codes without warning, every other time a code came up there was a reason for it that I usually caused. This time 3 codes out of nowhere and man when it rains it pours, p0455 Evap system leak, p0660 intake mani tuning valve control, and lastly this one scares me a bit, never seen this before p1250 manufacturer control...... did some research and have a good idea of where to start. I cleared them for now, we'll see it it'll last till tax return
The P1250 is the fuel pressure regulator control solenoid valve.
I threw the same code about a year-and-a-half ago and swapped out the valve from my parts car in 5 minutes and it was fixed.
Before I swap it out, I tested the original with 12 volts right from the battery and it clicked. I touched it again and it clicked, then I touched it a whole bunch of times really fast it clicked for about 10 times and then it stopped clicking.
So those valves can sort of be intermittent as far as failure goes.
The p0660 is the vics solenoid valve pretty much the same idea but perhaps a slightly different design (I forget).
One thing of note is to check your charging/battery system.
If the voltage drops too low, you can through all kinds of erroneous codes.
The EVAP leak may just be your gas cap.
Check the metal mating surface of the filler neck to make sure there's no pits or rust.
I fixed a friend's EVAP code by putting a little bit of Grease around the metal of the filler neck to help make a better seal on the gas cap.
Finding an EVAP leak can be a PITA.
You may end up needing a smoke test.
I've got a couple of friends that can help you smoke test your car. Lol
I threw the same code about a year-and-a-half ago and swapped out the valve from my parts car in 5 minutes and it was fixed.
Before I swap it out, I tested the original with 12 volts right from the battery and it clicked. I touched it again and it clicked, then I touched it a whole bunch of times really fast it clicked for about 10 times and then it stopped clicking.
So those valves can sort of be intermittent as far as failure goes.
The p0660 is the vics solenoid valve pretty much the same idea but perhaps a slightly different design (I forget).
One thing of note is to check your charging/battery system.
If the voltage drops too low, you can through all kinds of erroneous codes.
The EVAP leak may just be your gas cap.
Check the metal mating surface of the filler neck to make sure there's no pits or rust.
I fixed a friend's EVAP code by putting a little bit of Grease around the metal of the filler neck to help make a better seal on the gas cap.
Finding an EVAP leak can be a PITA.
You may end up needing a smoke test.
I've got a couple of friends that can help you smoke test your car. Lol
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- Mazda protege5
Thanks for the trouble shooting pcb, my idle is very unsteady and pulses when theres a load like lights and fans. I know my engine isn't in the best shape and probably has a very dirty egr valve. I'm thinking my alternator is worn out, Its been on the car for over 12 years according the the paperwork.
You can remove your alternator in 3 easy steps...
What the service manual doesn't say is that once you remove the alternator from the engine it's trapped in the engine bay.
Some guys take it out the top by removing the cruise control unit to gain access.
The mechanics that did my car before I did my own work pulled the axle to remove the alternator.
I don't want to pull my alternator out the top cuz there's too many Krispy crumbly Parts up there that I don't want to mess with.
I remember one mechanic saying the best way to remove the alternator is to remove the hanger bolts from the joint shaft, then pull the axle out of the transmission about half an inch.
That way the oil doesn't come gushing out but it gives you just enough room to wiggle the axle out of the way to get the alternator through.
Once your alternator is out you're going to want to install a new one.
Instead of the gutless 70 amp OEM alternator, I think you should talk to the Power Bastards and get one of these...
And then get one of these...
Tell your significant other that it's for the baby.
When your kid just won't sleep and won't stop crying you simply strap em' into the car seat in the back seat go for a drive with the music cranked.
Turn the treble and mids down and crank the bass and vibrate the baby to sleep.
You don't want a deaf kid.
And just because the baby falls asleep in 5 minutes doesn't mean you don't drive around for two or three hours.
May I suggest some musical interest for you and the baby.
Bob Marley's Exodus, which is the number one album of the 20th century and the first album I ever owned that I wore out.
I played it thousands of times.
Apparently, the deep rhythmic bass tones of raegae music mimics the mothers heartbeat.
What the service manual doesn't say is that once you remove the alternator from the engine it's trapped in the engine bay.
Some guys take it out the top by removing the cruise control unit to gain access.
The mechanics that did my car before I did my own work pulled the axle to remove the alternator.
I don't want to pull my alternator out the top cuz there's too many Krispy crumbly Parts up there that I don't want to mess with.
I remember one mechanic saying the best way to remove the alternator is to remove the hanger bolts from the joint shaft, then pull the axle out of the transmission about half an inch.
That way the oil doesn't come gushing out but it gives you just enough room to wiggle the axle out of the way to get the alternator through.
Once your alternator is out you're going to want to install a new one.
Instead of the gutless 70 amp OEM alternator, I think you should talk to the Power Bastards and get one of these...
And then get one of these...
Tell your significant other that it's for the baby.
When your kid just won't sleep and won't stop crying you simply strap em' into the car seat in the back seat go for a drive with the music cranked.
Turn the treble and mids down and crank the bass and vibrate the baby to sleep.
You don't want a deaf kid.
And just because the baby falls asleep in 5 minutes doesn't mean you don't drive around for two or three hours.
May I suggest some musical interest for you and the baby.
Bob Marley's Exodus, which is the number one album of the 20th century and the first album I ever owned that I wore out.
I played it thousands of times.
Apparently, the deep rhythmic bass tones of raegae music mimics the mothers heartbeat.
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- Mazda protege5
Weeeeeeeeell not a whole lot getting done but SO MUCH in the works. Just had my first son so free time is cut down a lot and yeller has kinda been just sitting, got a bunch of mold due to poor door fitment and dried out seals so carpet and seats are back out for cleaning. Refreshing my whole brake system with new parts, calipers, pads, stainless lines (to please the eyes), clips n stuff.Rear calipers painted red to match the fronts, new gas cap to check that fuel pressure code, and a new intake filter. On another note I might have made a teensy mistake that I dont regret one bit..... for now. I got another pro5 (insert facepalm here) an 03 yellow (rolls eyes) 5sp with 220,000 miles (smashes face against wall) with a medium sized oil leak (even i dont know what I was thinking at this point). Despite all the cons, its actually a really nice chassis. No rust ANYWHERE, ima get more in depth on the under body but everything else is rust free. Car runs great, bit of valve noise but some seafoam will quite them down. Now the bad, the oil leak appears to be coming from the water pump area or above it. Still unsure on whether its water or oil (I had to top off both when I got it) but theres smoke when I rev up. Suspension also needs work, shocks are blown, needs an alignment. The brakes work great, rebuilt caliper in the back and new front wheel bearings. Overall I'm really excited about this car, needs lots of love but it's way more comfortable and user friendly to daily. It's weird getting in and seeing interior and having things like armrests and a glovebox haha yeller is finally getting a break from the daily destruction. I'll try to get some pictures up, it might be a bit sorry. I have a couple more goodies I'm working on getting, if all goes well yeller will be getting a serious upgrade
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- Mazda protege5
Thanks man, the madness is already getting to me. I've been mulling over what I want to do with yeller, I cant decide on a definite course for the build to go in. I have so many ideas going on and none are cheap or simple. I know what I wanna do to the new car, lower it, intake, catback, mp3 ecu, and daily it. Yeller on the other hand is giving me major headaches, I know all the other builds on this topic never finish and no real progress is ever made but I got to put it put there. In one hand I want a rotary protege, in the other I want a rally car, and juggling between my feet is a drift car........ well why not all three in one? Anyone remember the fc rx7 that got built for pikes peak using a b2600i 4x4 transfer case and front end? Well I was thinking, why not use a s5 Tll 13b with matching trans, and since the b series transmissions are damn near identical to the fc rx7s, one could theoretically swap over the parts to hook up the transfer case or use the b series trans and play around with gears between the 2 (I believe 5th gear is the only difference besides tailshafts and bell housings). Other than the main issue of making this all work in a fwd BJ chassis the only major concern I can see is the miss matching lug patterns and the crappy b2600i front suspension.......and wiring, oh god I almost forgot that nightmare. What do you guys think? Pure protege fwd FS powered rally car? Rwd rotary wagon? 4x4 rotary rally wagon? Too many ideas not enough money or test shells. Oh sorry I got some pictures today but they are crap, I'll try to throw them up later to give you guys an idea of what I'm working with
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- Mazda protege5
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- Mazda protege5
Sweet I remembered how to do that lol, the girlfriend got an 03 pathfinder for her "new" daily, super nice rig. Cracked tailight and the ugly hood were on the new car, swapped those over to yeller. Got some tokicos and rb springs from my buddy mark with the yellow mp3 (lucky bastard doesnt have a kid and got BC's, JEALOUS!!!) Unfortunately the front are blown as I could compress the shock by hand and one didn't even bother trying to push back out. I couldn't get the rears apart, the nut on top is siezed on both and rotating the whole shock shaft, so that's a no go. Are the Blue HP tokicos really discontinued? I see street unit and a couple other places still have them on their catalogs. I emailed street unit for now, I might have to pull yellers setup for now to get me from A to B. Those shocks on the new car are DONE. Well ima try to get some sleep, we'll see if I get a chance to do my brakes this weekend........and what car ima put them on Hahaaaa 
Good score on the new daily, looks tidy! I'm 90% sure the tokicos are discontinued now unfortunately but the racing beat springs are great!
RWD/AWD hatch sounds like fun! There was a guy in Oz putting an FS motor in a miata, I think he got it running too, that'd be a relatively easy way of getting rear wheel drive in to a P5, plus keeping the FS (probably not worth it lol) otherwise there's a million crashed RX8s out there.....
Whatever route there'd be so much cutting involved, new firewall, centre tunnel, rear floor section...
RWD/AWD hatch sounds like fun! There was a guy in Oz putting an FS motor in a miata, I think he got it running too, that'd be a relatively easy way of getting rear wheel drive in to a P5, plus keeping the FS (probably not worth it lol) otherwise there's a million crashed RX8s out there.....
Whatever route there'd be so much cutting involved, new firewall, centre tunnel, rear floor section...
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- Mazda protege5
I've heard rumors of a rwd rotary p5 made with rx8 parts, definitely plentiful in the junkets. I've been on you tube lately (the start of every halfassed project) watching jimmy oakes do an s14 swap on a honda civic (late 90's or early 2000's, not too familiar with hondas) he built new front frame rails off of the stock ones and placed them where they would be in an s14. Then he just used an entire s14 front end, subframe, motor mounts, steering rack, etc. The rear he welded in arches to the rear frame rails to clear the axles and built new rails for the subframe. Custom shock towers, hacked and patched driveline tunnel and firewall. Lots of cutting, fabrication, measuring, and welding. The plus is he can use all s14 suspension, the downside is after hes done the thing is gunna weigh like 700 pounds more. He makes it look easy, but it's so much work and money in the end, plus it's far above my skill set. It would probably take me 10-15 years to finish this project at my current pay rate and living situation....... so many obstacles stopping me from even starting this. I'm honestly think of stripping yeller down to bare chassis for now and using everything as a spare for when that 220k mile engine in the new car goes pop! But that leaves what to do with yeller
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- Mazda protege5
I finally got a dremel so I'm starting on the intake manifold again. My battery died in 3 minutes so I almost got all the lips down on one runner. Already way faster than that cheap drill and sanding rollers, I also have to look back into the pros and cons of the 626 intake manifold swap. I have one so might as well see if it can be used or even used to improve. Still looking for an mp3 ecu, was talking to someone but havnt heard back yet. It has been a month so hopefully he hasn't forgotten me. Did some small things to the daily, oil change and seafoam in the tank and crankcase. Found my leak, it's coming from the power steering reservoir or one of the hoses. Found fresh fluid in the back of the passenger engine mount and directly under the reservoir. I had also hit full lock on a u-turn after passing the jobsite that morning and the level was below min. Doesnt seem to leak until full lock so no biggie for now. Bad news on my clutch, starting to grind on fast shifts and slips on 2nd with hard throttle. Probably just going to get a stock clutch and a new flywheel. 226,652 miles and I dont want to disturb a bees nest of problems in the drivetrain, namely those worn mounts. So I guess I get to learn how to pull the transmission now 
still trying to think of a fitting name...... nothing seems to "fit" you know?
still trying to think of a fitting name...... nothing seems to "fit" you know?
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- Mazda protege5
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- Mazda protege5
So..... put my 10" sub and Memphis amp in the 03 and am having problems. I have everything wired the same, even the head unit is the same. The amp isn't recieving power, or at least not powering on. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the msp stock sub in the spare tire well or that my ground is just bolted to the rear seat bracket... probably should sanded that a bit
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- MSP 1145
Ground for sure.
