Got me a P5

Holiday

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Protege 5
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Just bought me a Protege5 here in BC, Canada. Has 190K on engine and 230K on body. Well serviced and has a number of new parts. Custom paint job when bought. Defects currently are an engine light signal (owner said the replaced sensor but light stays on), has a hairline crack on windshield, some bubbling below the paint around rear tire wells.

Initially work I plan on doing:
-Complete inspection and replacing anything that's in need. Essentially wanting to get it working perfect stock.
-Windshield replacement
-A set of Wheels and tires for summer. Will keep stock wheels and winter tires together. Looking at 16x7 black with red accents like I've found with Konig and Motegi, nothing too expensive but hoping to keep the weight down.
-Upgrade sway bar. Seems this is the cheapest mod for enhanced performance. Not sure where to go for this and if I need parts from various vendors to make work.
-Eibach PRO-KIT Performance Springs
-Tokico HP Shocks & Struts
-Moog K80258 Stabilizer Bar Link Kit
-Perhaps a weighted shift knob and Mazdaspeed pedals or other aluminum pedals.
-Replace headlight assembly and fog lights with something brighter and sharper looking. No idea what.

Potential work to be done:
-Cold air intake and cat-back exhaust system to get a 15 HP gain hopefully.
-Better brakes. I have no idea where to start. Bigger is better?
-Inexpensive bucket seats.
-Paint touch up to address bubbling.
-Undercoat
-Better in-car speakers. Already pre-wired for sub.

Overall as it's got some K on it not sure how much It'll be worth investing into but hoping to make it a fun and practical ride with some added performance
 
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I think you should move the undercoating to the top of your list and take it in to Krown for a treatment.

There's a bunch of outlets in BC.
They drill holes and use wands to spray inside the pillars and door sills and other places where you can't see the rust.

That tiny bit of bubbling you see could completely rot out your wheel wells in less than a year.

Screenshot_2017-10-30-13-03-58.png
 
Hey thanks, gonna check into undercoating. Nearest Krown is a 4 1/2 hour drive from me though. By the way how do I get pics up on a post? IMG tags don't seem to work.

A couple of questions I'd like to throw out there.

Stock wheels are 17lbs?
Best bang for the buck tires for spring, summer, fall? Note, I'm in a wet climate.
AWR 19" rear sway bar requires additional reinforced struts? Is this a non issue if I have Tokico HP Shocks & Struts installed?
1st choice in more usable HP, SRI, Header, Cat-Back Exhaust? Driving about 50/50 city and highway commuting.
Thoughts on brake upgrades?
A way to install amp + sub without killing my use of cargo space?
 
how do I get pics up on a post?


Settings

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Choose File

Upload

After picture is uploaded , click the blue hyperlink

The attached file (picture) should open in a new window

Copy the url

Click the Insert Image button

Copy and Paste URL

Done
 
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What he said ^^^
The pics may have to be stored here for image tags to work ??...

I did find the car though...

Screenshot_2017-11-18-18-06-34.png
 
Thanks. For some reason I was out of the main site and missed all the many options. Got it fixed now, pic of the car in original post.
 
Hey thanks, gonna check into undercoating. Nearest Krown is a 4 1/2 hour drive from me though..

At least find a place that does a thorough job with the spray wands and holes drilled.
Inside the doors, pillars, under the hood, inside the hatch door....

Those wheel wells look pretty serious...
The area may have already been repaired and is starting to fail... That can happen really fast and look Really bad.

I even cake the lip in my wheel wells with grease. It's a gooey mess but better than rust.

A good under coating job slows down the rust by 85%.
 
I don't know much about mods but there is a big brake upgrade using 626 parts...
There's an issue with how the P-Brake attaches to the rear calipers.

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...-Protege5-Big-brake-upgrade-(using-626-parts)


Our car has a really underpowered electrical system and a high powered amp can lead to dead batteries, dimming headlights and widows that take forever to wind up.
There is a high power alternator available... 140-160 amp.
 
Don't know why, but I have this weird feeling that "custom" two tone paint job is hiding something nasty underneath the black. Just sayin'.
 
The story is the car was bought used by a custom painter who redid the paint to showcase his work. Car was bought from the painter and driven for 4 + years.
 
Don't know why, but I have this weird feeling that "custom" two tone paint job is hiding something nasty underneath the black. Just sayin'.

That was what I was thinking.

The story is the car was bought used by a custom painter who redid the paint to showcase his work. Car was bought from the painter and driven for 4 + years.

That's good news... If the car was painted after some rust was repaired, then he did a pretty good job with the rust repair to have it last four years.
You may be OK with just some touch up and some undercoating.

Other guys on this forum have just filled the holes with Bondo sanded and painted. I looked good but barely lasted a year.
 
... Defects currently are an engine light signal (owner said the replaced sensor but light stays on), ..

You can get a code reader from Canadian Tire or Walmart for about $40-$50, or you can order an ELM 327 code reader that plugs into your OBDII port and broadcasts to your phone... They're as cheap as ten bucks.

Screenshot_2017-11-19-06-14-01.png
 
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Don't have access to the vehicle at the moment but I'm gonna try the ECU reset as I see posted in a few places as a solution. Beyond that yeah, gonna check the codes. Thanks for the info.
 
Keep in mind,..
If you reset your ECU by disconnecting the battery, your car will idle like crap until the IAC and ECU learn to idle your car again... It may even stall initially.
 
Retrieve your codes before you rub your ECU...

We can help you with your code.
 
Retrieve your codes before you rub your ECU...

We can help you with your code.

So an ECU reset will mess up the idle but if I get the codes I can have them re-entered in replacing the blank codes? Will cost of doing this at the shop be much? While we're on the subject what's the deal with the MP3 ECU flash as a performance mod? Aside from undoing a restriction how does it affect other systems considering it's putting info from one vehicle to another.
 
An ECU reset completely rubs your ECU and all of it's learned setting, fuel trims, IAC control, etc. etc...

A code reader can retrieve your code and then just rub only the code from memory.

There's two basic types of readers, one is self contained and convenient and you can get it for about $60 at princess auto and other places.

You can use it on any car, just plug it into the OBDII port, read the codes then fix or replace the associated part then rub the code.

Screenshot_2017-11-20-11-27-52.png



The other type, plugs into your port and broadcasts to your smartphone or computer and with the free Torque App you can see All the information from Every sensor on your car.
They can be a bit of a pain in that they have to sync with Bluetooth or WiFi and I don't like computer type stuff too much... They are really cheap but you will probably have to wait for it to ship from China or spent a bit more for one shipped from Canada or the US.

You can setup your Torque App on a tablet stuck to your dash somewhere and it will give realtime readings of anything you want to see. It's really quite cool.

Screenshot_2017-11-20-11-42-55.png


Most mechanics charge about $30 to check your codes and some take that cost off the repair bill.

A lot of places in the US will read your codes for free but I'm not sure about Canada.

You should just get a code reader...
Taking your car in to get your codes read is like taking it in to put air in the tires... It's something you can easily do yourself, chances are you will pop another code soon enough and you can read the codes for friends and family too.


You mentioned that the previous owner replaced a sensor but he may not have rubbed the code after doing the work.
Some codes will go away after you fix the problem, some have to be reset.
 
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The MP3 flash changes the operational parameters of the engine to give it more power and a smoother power band.
It changes ignition timing and all kinds of engine settings.

You also have to start using premium gas.
 
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