Time to sell the MP5 - Thank you so much for everything

[RedPanda7]

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to the Protege5.

What started as a 'let's buy a cheap beater to teach my wife how to drive for the summer' turned into my daily driver for the past 4 years. No longer having a garage and no space for a three cars - it's time to sell what my family affectionately calls 'the rust bucket'.

I wouldn't have been able to keep the car running as long as I have without everyone's help here. I also want to thank pcb for this wealth of information for all protege5 related information.

Thank you all. I will and continue to get excited every time I see a p5 on the road (even if their respective owners doesn't share the same excitement as I do)

 

[pcb]

I also want to thank pcb for this wealth of information for all protege5 related information.

Your welcome.
Most of my automotive experience is related to rust.
Working on a rusty turd sure sucks the fun out of working on cars.

There's not much satisfaction in putting a shiny new part on a rusty car.

 

[RedPanda7]

That is a shocking amount of rust that you're battling. What do you do to get them to come off without snapping the bolts/joints

 

[pcb]

That is a shocking amount of rust that you're battling.

I gave up the battle two years ago, and no longer drive.
I ride an ebike now.

What do you do to get them to come off without snapping the bolts/joints

Heat works the best, but you don't want to start your car on fire.

I'd use penetrating oil and let it soak for a day or so. Six point sockets with a 2 foot long breaker bar make a huge difference too, but the smaller bolts break more easily.
I snapped a small bolt off my rear strut that held my speed sensor wire. I had to drill and tap a new hole.

Check out this nut/bolt? on my heat shield.

 

[katapaltes]

Does an impact wrench help with rusty bolts, or do they just sheer the bolt off? I have zero experience with rust (knock wood).

 

[Saudade]

Well, you can still stick around and read about the "fun" we have with ours. Pass along the forum to the new buyers!

 

[pcb]

Does an impact wrench help with rusty bolts, or do they just sheer the bolt off? I have zero experience with rust (knock wood).

I've never really used an impact wrench, so I can't say for sure.
I never got into air tools but I did have an electric impact wrench.
It was supposed to good to 250 foot pounds but it couldn't even undo my lug nuts, so I got rid of it.

I just used a breaker bar and 6 point sockets.

I had to use a ¾" drive ratchet with a 4 foot extension on the handle and jump on it to get my axle nuts off.
I ended up breaking a ¾"- ½" adapter so I had to buy a ¾" drive socket.

Drilling a starter hole then using a self tapping screw/bolt saved me a few times,..

The smaller bolts and screws were the worst for breaking

Impact hammer came in handy a few times,..