New 02 ES 2.0 Owner - Lots of questions!

[TKDoyle]

Hey yall, I had a really nice long writen post done but my laptop took a dive. Anyways, heres a more abriviated version.

I just picked up an 02 Protege ES 5spd manual w/ about 69K on it. Great condition. But I have a few questions, im coming from the Jeep part of the auto world, and Im only 18 so I have a few ignorant questions....Please bear with me! Thanks! Ive read all the faqs in the sections relivant to my questions, so please be easy on me ;)

1. How do u get the stock radio out? Ive looked at the links but when i pry the molding away from the car it looks like i need to detach the entire hvac/climate control system to get to the radio, am i missing something?

1a. Does the stock radio have rca pre outs for an amp or aux in preouts?

2. How much would it cost/is it possible to turbo this car? What would be involved in the process? What else would i need to upgrade during/before this?

3. What grade fuel should i be putting in here and also what type of oil? (Im in Vail, Colorado, spring weather is just starting.

4. What are all these damn acronyms for the models? mp3, msp etc

5. What was the first mod you did/I should do? Engine, sound, body?

6. Any fun / easy mods to do before I get into the big stuff? (Still got about a month before I can work in the garage)

7. Anything else I should be made aware of?

Thanks in advance and for bearing with me. Im enjoying my new ride alot so far! Glad i found this community!

[Leppy]

Hey yall, I had a really nice long writen post done but my laptop took a dive. Anyways, heres a more abriviated version.

I just picked up an 02 Protege ES 5spd manual w/ about 69K on it. Great condition. But I have a few questions, im coming from the Jeep part of the auto world, and Im only 18 so I have a few ignorant questions....Please bear with me! Thanks! Ive read all the faqs in the sections relivant to my questions, so please be easy on me ;)

1. How do u get the stock radio out? Ive looked at the links but when i pry the molding away from the car it looks like i need to detach the entire hvac/climate control system to get to the radio, am i missing something?

1a. Does the stock radio have rca pre outs for an amp or aux in preouts?

2. How much would it cost/is it possible to turbo this car? What would be involved in the process? What else would i need to upgrade during/before this?

3. What grade fuel should i be putting in here and also what type of oil? (Im in Vail, Colorado, spring weather is just starting.

4. What are all these damn acronyms for the models? mp3, msp etc

5. What was the first mod you did/I should do? Engine, sound, body?

6. Any fun / easy mods to do before I get into the big stuff? (Still got about a month before I can work in the garage)

7. Anything else I should be made aware of?

Thanks in advance and for bearing with me. Im enjoying my new ride alot so far! Glad i found this community!


Let's see...

Stock radio.. get two of the Ford head unit removal tools. they look like two u-shaped metal pins. they fit in the holes behind the side moldings on the unit. You'll need two sets, 4 U-pins total. once you see them and match with the holes, you'll get the idea.

No rca re-outs... but look harder and someone has a way to re-wire them for a sub...

Turbo? oh hell yeah.. Mazdaspeed, Hiboost, Mental Addiction Motorsports, BeGI, Spool (now defunct), etc.. turbo's are all over the place.. and there's a Supercharger in the works that you'll have to search hard for, but it removes the AC and power steering i think. Turbo's range in price from about $2000 to close to $4000... they ain't cheap.

type of fuel is debatable.. I use 89 octane.. turbo's use 92/93, some still use 87.. it depends on a lot of things, and i'm no expert yet...

MSP = Mazdaspeed Protege
MP3 = Mazda Protege 3. It's the non-turbo protege with body kit, Limited Slip Differential, and tons of suspension mods from the factory
ES, LX, DX are trim levels of the stock Protege
P5 = Protege 5. the 5 door hatchback version.

Mods are various depending on what you wanna do.. most get an Intake, Exhaust system, and a set of tires... My best mod i've done personally was a B&M Short Throw Shifter...


Read around, the archives are huge and informative... you'd be surpised what you'd find.

have fun with the Pro and welcome to the boards (drive)

[tunersteve]

If you get a chance, head over to the Protege FAQ that TheMAN wrote. You'll learn a lot from it and it will answer just about every question that you could come up with.

I was in your boat about a year ago, not knowing much about the Protege. After joining the forums and reading countless articles, although im no genius or know it all, ive picked up a lot of useful information from these sites.

As for the question of what to do first - that all depends on what youre in it for. If you want to stand out, usually exterior mods are a quick one to turn heads. If you want to smoke some Hondas, then intake/exhaust are the first step. Stereos are for annoying the neighbors and cops, but are fun and like I said, if thats what you like, then start there. To each his own, but happy modding and welcome!

[TKDoyle]

Heya - thanks for the quick replies! As far as when i post on these forums how should i refer to my model? "02 es 2.0" is sufficent? What are the differences between the es, lx and dx? Im off to read some more faqs! :D Thanks for makin me feel welcome guys!

EDIT: Where can i find themans faq>?

[Yendor]

Welcome to the forums. Post some pics of your car! I have an 02 ES too, in silver.

For my first mods, I put in an E-bay SRI (short ram intake) and the MSP racing beat axleback. I found changing the intake made a nice change to your throttle response. I'm planning to get an OBX header next.
I'm still going in 87 octane. Unless you do a lot of mods on your car or go FI, there's probably no reason to go higher.

[Dexter]

yeah uh leppy MP3 doesnt mean Mazda Protege 3. It does, in fact, stand for the MP3 file format.

[Falango]

Welcome to the forums. I just joined about 3-4 weeks ago, and I have already learned tons of things, and have got lots of additional ideas for projects. The list of information about these cars is endless on here. The How-To's are VERY GOOD! Tons of information and tons of opportunities for your car. I just bought myself an 02 ES and I'm relaly looking forward to working on it.

As for first mods, it's all up to you, depending on what you want. Personally, I'm working on exterior first, then engine, sound, and interior. Seems like intake, wheels, and exhaust are fairly popular for first mods, gives the car more attitude off the get go.

[Leppy]

yeah uh leppy MP3 doesnt mean Mazda Protege 3. It does, in fact, stand for the MP3 file format.


Either way, MP3 on this forum stands for the Mazda Protege with the factory body kit and beefed up suspension.

[protegerider18]

Welcome you will enjoy the forums. Any ways on removing the factory headunit I only used one set of Ford DIN tool keys and it came out fine if you take it from the bottom.

[tunersteve]

theMAN's FAQ is here : http://web2.airmail.net/theman/protegefaq/

give it a look and you might find most of your answers.

[Captain KRM P5]

i am offering a header and a supercharger kit for the protege. click the links in my sig and check them out.

welcome to the forum and enjoy the car!

[Matthew]

MP3 = Mazda Protege 3. It's the non-turbo protege with body kit, Limited Slip Differential, and tons of suspension mods from the factory

uh, no.

[Leppy]

alright, sorry.. geez! can't I get a FRIENDLY correction around here? Somebody else fucking explain the Mazda MP3...

[1sty]

alright, sorry.. geez! can't I get a FRIENDLY correction around here? Somebody else fucking explain the Mazda MP3...

No need to get snippy. :D

The MP3 was a special edition protege sold in 2001 only. It was basicly attempt 1 of mazdas at what would become the Mazdaspeed program.
The car had a full factory body kits like the original MSPs, the smae Racing beat tuned suspension, 17" Racing hart Wheels and a little more power then the factory proteges by way of a racing beat muffle and a different ECU timing curve. It was called the MP3 because it was the first manuactured car to offer a factory equipt MP3 player ( A kenwood Z919 or KDC-828) It also had a 10" ported/self powered sub in the trunk and kenwood speakers all around.

[Leppy]

thank you ;)

[1sty]

word