- :
- Mazda protege5
Sweet I'll have to try them out some time, maybe I'll make those my summer tires.
[DEFUNCT] The College-Budget P5
- Thread starter Riot_Polizei
- Start date
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Nice man, Pirellis are pretty good! A lot of time attackers/autoXers use those, so I've heard.
I do plan on lowering the car, but most likely farther down the line, and only by a little bit. Was thinking about 1"-1.5" tops, since the roads around here are rife with potholes and bumps. Would hate to hold up, traffic, lol!
I am looking at some yellowspeeds a fellow Protege owner offered to sell to me at a nice price, but that won't be for a while. Gotta recuperate from the recent wheel + tire purchase, after all. I kind of went against the whole "college budget" thing with these tires and wheels, although I did get everything at a heavily discounted price.
If anything, I might add some performance bracing, megan lateral links, and the AWR trailing links before I go into coilover/strut territory. Mostly because I'm technically at an advantage on the track during time attacks with my softer suspension when riding over the red/white curbing. My car doesn't destabilize as easily as someone with stiffer suspension would over those, and usually going over them opens up the best lines for corner entry. Of course, the tradeoff is that I plow more than I'd like without compensation for a larger nose-heavy polar moment of inertia :^)
Theoretically, getting the aforementioned stiffer lateral links and trailing links coupled with my RB rear swaybar will help restore the balance back to a more neutral feeling. Of course, a lot of these plans are made with caution in mind, since a lot of new racers tend to fall in the pit of "gotta throw money at my car to get better", if you know what I mean. Gotta get the basics down before you really start tweaking the car to suit you, right?
its funny, my girlfriend was actually just talking about how I'm spending too much money on a car I got for less than $2k and that I spend hours working on it but none cleaning up around the apartment lmao (I hate cleaning). But I love the pirellis! First set I've had (always got cheaper tires) but a quality tire makes a difference! One is flat spotted though, so it's annoying, but a small gripe.
However, I thought you already had the Megan rear strut bar?
However, I thought you already had the Megan rear strut bar?
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Saaaame lol. My place's a wreck, but my car's near-pristine! For sure, tires do way more than people give them credit for. Heck, you can even go as far as reducing both wheel and tire size to shorten the final drive ratio for better acceleration!
But yes, I do have the Megan RSTB, but not the lateral links. Those are the four bars protruding from the middle of your car. These try to keep as much tire on the ground at any point in time. The stiffer, the better. Mine are rusting away quite badly, but they're a very sturdy part.
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Server Maintenance Update: Coolant Problems
As we all know, the server went down and as a result, took some of our posts with it!
In the interest of keeping my page still accurate regarding modifications and problems, I'll re-write my posts in a synopsis format with some time-stamped updates.
03 JULY 2018
I noticed temperature problems. Residue around radiator cap and on radiator. Cap must be blown. Also noticed this when installing the foglight deletes, only the residue was on my air intake duct.
04 JULY 2018
Bought a new cap before heading out. Seemed to do the trick.
Car begins to overheat really badly!! Time was running out, so I ran to a nearby car parts store and got a new thermostat.
Faulty thermo:
The thermostat was one part of the problem. Car would idle at a normal temperature. I was able to drive it home that day, but it would overheat if I raced the engine. Inspection of coolant reservoir revealed that I didn't add enough coolant. Would fix the following morning.
05 JULY 2018
Topped off the reservoir, bled the system of any possible air. Car idled at a normal temperature again, as I expected. Drove it, and raced it, but the thing overheated again (not nearly to the same extent as the other day). The temperature would rapidly cool down if I gently drove the thing. With a race coming up next week, I decided to drop it off at the family's mechanic for a spotless repair.
Possibilities of what could've gone wrong:
06 JULY 2018
I could've swore that when I got the car to idle back up to temperature on the 5th, I felt no heat from the radiator when wiping it off. Perhaps it was a clogged radiator?
I doubt that I have a blown headgasket, but here's hoping the car's still fine.
07 JULY 2018
Spoke with fellow racers on the facebook group, and asked for their opinions on the Mishimoto radiator + fan shroud kits they make. Lots of folks told me to go for it, so if my car gets diagnosed with a crap radiator, I'll go ahead and just get the improved radiator. Probably should've done this before I started racing.
Thinking more, I did hear my fans turning on, and I still doubt the head gasket is toast. I regularly checked my car's oil cap, and I haven't seen any milky substance. Similarly, I haven't seen any exhaust to indicate such a thing. Also, my car has not intermittently nor regularly overheated. Of course, only a hydrocarbon test could give me the answer, but at this point, I believe the radiator is clogged.
As I've said, I swear that I was able to touch the radiator while the temperature was at operational levels. I heard the fans kick on, but I haven't checked the water pump. Realistically, it's either a clogged radiator (most likely) or a bad water pump. Or both?
As we all know, the server went down and as a result, took some of our posts with it!
In the interest of keeping my page still accurate regarding modifications and problems, I'll re-write my posts in a synopsis format with some time-stamped updates.
03 JULY 2018
I noticed temperature problems. Residue around radiator cap and on radiator. Cap must be blown. Also noticed this when installing the foglight deletes, only the residue was on my air intake duct.
04 JULY 2018
Bought a new cap before heading out. Seemed to do the trick.
Car begins to overheat really badly!! Time was running out, so I ran to a nearby car parts store and got a new thermostat.
Faulty thermo:
The thermostat was one part of the problem. Car would idle at a normal temperature. I was able to drive it home that day, but it would overheat if I raced the engine. Inspection of coolant reservoir revealed that I didn't add enough coolant. Would fix the following morning.
05 JULY 2018
Topped off the reservoir, bled the system of any possible air. Car idled at a normal temperature again, as I expected. Drove it, and raced it, but the thing overheated again (not nearly to the same extent as the other day). The temperature would rapidly cool down if I gently drove the thing. With a race coming up next week, I decided to drop it off at the family's mechanic for a spotless repair.
Possibilities of what could've gone wrong:
- Clogged Radiator
- Faulty Waterpump
- Dead Fan(s)
- Blown headgasket
06 JULY 2018
I could've swore that when I got the car to idle back up to temperature on the 5th, I felt no heat from the radiator when wiping it off. Perhaps it was a clogged radiator?
I doubt that I have a blown headgasket, but here's hoping the car's still fine.
07 JULY 2018
Spoke with fellow racers on the facebook group, and asked for their opinions on the Mishimoto radiator + fan shroud kits they make. Lots of folks told me to go for it, so if my car gets diagnosed with a crap radiator, I'll go ahead and just get the improved radiator. Probably should've done this before I started racing.
Thinking more, I did hear my fans turning on, and I still doubt the head gasket is toast. I regularly checked my car's oil cap, and I haven't seen any milky substance. Similarly, I haven't seen any exhaust to indicate such a thing. Also, my car has not intermittently nor regularly overheated. Of course, only a hydrocarbon test could give me the answer, but at this point, I believe the radiator is clogged.
As I've said, I swear that I was able to touch the radiator while the temperature was at operational levels. I heard the fans kick on, but I haven't checked the water pump. Realistically, it's either a clogged radiator (most likely) or a bad water pump. Or both?
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- :
- Mazda Protege5
The Rad/Shroud is a solid upgrade. Super easy to install. Might want to grab two pigtails from the junkyard to install on the shroud as they don't come with connectors, just wires. You can also go the more racing style and get the controller kit. It manages temperature to a specific degree so the fans kick on faster.
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Hey, thanks for that heads up! I'll definitely make a run to the junkyard before I get this project off the ground. I'll probably get the parts I need for the 1.8L coilpack mod, too.
Never knew there was a controller kit; I'll definitely have to investigate that. If I ever get super serious about racing, that'll be a plus.
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
- :
- Mazda protege5
Damn you guys have me wanting to buy all these goodies and mine still work fine (for now) XD
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Highly recommend you upgrade the cooling system if you ever intend on pushing the car!
- :
- Mazda protege5
I gotta focus on my trans. Right now I have a major leak going right now. Only keeps a handful of oil in at a time. If i push it for more than a min. Gets a nasty burning smell.
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
It's Okay!
Just got a call from the mechanic, and what a load off my shoulders!
The hydrocarbon test revealed no mixing of coolant and oil, so my headgasket is still fine. Damage done is uncertain, but luckily, the car never overheated enough to blow a hole in it. Furthermore, the ultimate cause of the overheating was a busted, but not leaking, radiator. This is explains how I was able to put my hand on it despite the car being at operational temperatures.
So, hell yeah guys, one of my notions was correct! This is somewhat of a bittersweet "victory", though, since I'm still going to have to spend lots of money to get it fixed. It's either a little bit more to have my mechanic put in a new radiator that's OEM spec, or a little bit less to buy that Mishimoto radiator + fan shroud kit and change it myself. Either way, I need an upgrade in the cooling department, so the latter is my path of choice.
Here's hoping I get it all in and done before the races!
Just got a call from the mechanic, and what a load off my shoulders!
The hydrocarbon test revealed no mixing of coolant and oil, so my headgasket is still fine. Damage done is uncertain, but luckily, the car never overheated enough to blow a hole in it. Furthermore, the ultimate cause of the overheating was a busted, but not leaking, radiator. This is explains how I was able to put my hand on it despite the car being at operational temperatures.
So, hell yeah guys, one of my notions was correct! This is somewhat of a bittersweet "victory", though, since I'm still going to have to spend lots of money to get it fixed. It's either a little bit more to have my mechanic put in a new radiator that's OEM spec, or a little bit less to buy that Mishimoto radiator + fan shroud kit and change it myself. Either way, I need an upgrade in the cooling department, so the latter is my path of choice.
Here's hoping I get it all in and done before the races!
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
A Temporary Hardline
Well folks, I went online and purchased everything I needed.
I'll be receiving the following items in the next few days:
And separately, I'll go buy more coolant and some coolant flush systems for before I install the goods.
Together, all this more or less raped my bank account, and thus made me enact a temporary hardline until I can 100% recuperate the funds I spent from the wheels + tires to these items today. As of today, I can't spend anymore on the car unless I absolutely need to, so the updates might be somewhat light on proper content.
After the radiator/fan shroud/hoses are installed, I'll upload any pictures from the racing event, but that'll be it.
I love this car, but working on/building cars is always a money pit with no returns. College educations, however, are investments with positive returns!
Well folks, I went online and purchased everything I needed.
I'll be receiving the following items in the next few days:
- Mishimoto Performance Aluminum Radiatoor
- Mishimoto Fan Shroud Kit
- OBX Silicone Radiator Hoses (don't want to use the old hoses just in case)
- Injen Hydro-Shield Pre-Filter (the latest rainstorms made me nervous on the roads)
- Blox Racing Torch Blue 10 x 1.25mm shift knob (Sick of the rattling!)
And separately, I'll go buy more coolant and some coolant flush systems for before I install the goods.
Together, all this more or less raped my bank account, and thus made me enact a temporary hardline until I can 100% recuperate the funds I spent from the wheels + tires to these items today. As of today, I can't spend anymore on the car unless I absolutely need to, so the updates might be somewhat light on proper content.
After the radiator/fan shroud/hoses are installed, I'll upload any pictures from the racing event, but that'll be it.
I love this car, but working on/building cars is always a money pit with no returns. College educations, however, are investments with positive returns!
- :
- Mazda protege5
Damn bro quite the list you have going on. And I feel you on the bank raping but all I bought was oil and a filter lol
Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Yeah man...definitely the last list of upgrades/parts I'll be making for a while now. I've always been pretty good about saving money, so thankfully I didn't hit my "safety net" level, but boy I just spent so dang much.
I think at this point, I've spent more on mods than I have on the car...I may have defeated the purpose of a "College Budget". Either that, or my budget is just slightly higher than other folks'.
Have fun with your oil change man, surely the car will appreciate it
I did some snooping, and I read on some amazon reviews for Mishimoto's high-flow thermostats that if you couple them with their aluminum radiators, the cooling system works "too well" and makes the system run too cold. However, this was the Mishimoto thermo, which opens at 160 degrees. Still, 10 bucks is cheap enough, so if the car still overheats (somehow) with my new radiator, I'll investigate getting one. Thanks again for the suggestion! I ended up learning a little bit about thermos.
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Riot_Polizei
Comp Engineering Student
- :
- 2002 Mazda Protege5
Radiator Removal
In anticipation of the new radiator, I went ahead and removed the old rad and fan shroud. Gotta say, that was extremely easy. It was literally 8 bolts total or so: four to remove both fans, four to remove the radiator. Everything just slid right out...man, so nice and accessible! Excellent in comparison to my sister's 99 Malibu, as there's a lot of s*** in the way and it's very crampt.
The emptier engine bay:
With it removed, I got a clearer shot at the surrounding area. Man, I made such a big stupid mess lol. There's white lithium grease and coolant all over the place (lightly cleaned up in the picture):
The white lithium grease is from trying to grease up the old clutch slave cylinder piston. It chirps a lot, and it's extremely annoying. I know for a fact that it's the clutch slave cylinder, since I had a buddy that managed to slip in there with some white lithium grease, hose it down, and have the noise stop for about 3 months or so.
And finally, here's the old turd itself:
What's not pictured is the crap that came out of it after the green coolant poured out. At first, it was a pleasant green (had the thing flushed a while ago), but then it turned brown and bad. I think the thing was rusting from the inside out. Either way, it's out of here, and won't be missed.
Old fans. I don't think they were busted, but I never really checked. Oh well, out they go!
While I was out there, I went ahead and checked the sparkplugs. This car came with no maintenance documentation, so as of late, I know something wasn't taken care of when it s**** out on me, lol. Might as well check these before the thing begins to idle oddly, or even misfire. Sure enough, I checked one, and oof yeah they're old.
Barely any electrode left, and it's covered in white s***. Makes a bit of sense, since my valve seals are less than good, and allows a little bit to be burnt upon start up. If I'm being a bit to lax about this, someone let me know!
The old man gave me a pity-pittance to help me out with fixing my car, so I ended up using part of it to replace the sparkplugs. I went with NGK V-Power coppers.
Well, that about does it for today. At this point, all I have to do is wait until everything arrives, piece it all back together, and then ensure the car keeps cool.
According to Amazon, my radiator and fan shroud kit will arrive first. The shroud comes tomorrow, with the radiator coming Thursday. The Blox knob arrives Friday, and the OBX silicone hoses along with the Injen hydro-shield arrive anywhere from the 13th to the 17th. Fingers crossed the radiator hoses arrive Friday!
This is a pretty big racing event that I'd hate to miss. It's a big two-day hullabaloo with food, drinks, live music, drifting, go-karts, overnight camping, and what I'm competing in: The Double Cross.
Don't know how many of you guys race or know about races, but the Double Cross is more or less a head-to-head time attack where the two racers cross paths (safely and separately!). I'm super eager to get out there and challenge the fellow Protege racer :^) So, P5 represent!
Ultimately though, if it comes to it, I can miss the competition on the 14th if it means having a safely installed cooling system with all the parts I need. I'd be bummed, but less so than having a broken car! The competition that really matters is the one on the 15th, which affects my standings. The Double Cross is just for fun...but what fun it'll be!
Man I can't wait until I get out there again on the new wheels and tires. The grip benefits are too much to neglect.
Hey, maybe I should hit up the "Team Pro5" folks on this forum. I race, so maybe I qualify to join the crew?
Can't wait to show you guys the final project!
In anticipation of the new radiator, I went ahead and removed the old rad and fan shroud. Gotta say, that was extremely easy. It was literally 8 bolts total or so: four to remove both fans, four to remove the radiator. Everything just slid right out...man, so nice and accessible! Excellent in comparison to my sister's 99 Malibu, as there's a lot of s*** in the way and it's very crampt.
The emptier engine bay:
With it removed, I got a clearer shot at the surrounding area. Man, I made such a big stupid mess lol. There's white lithium grease and coolant all over the place (lightly cleaned up in the picture):
The white lithium grease is from trying to grease up the old clutch slave cylinder piston. It chirps a lot, and it's extremely annoying. I know for a fact that it's the clutch slave cylinder, since I had a buddy that managed to slip in there with some white lithium grease, hose it down, and have the noise stop for about 3 months or so.
And finally, here's the old turd itself:
What's not pictured is the crap that came out of it after the green coolant poured out. At first, it was a pleasant green (had the thing flushed a while ago), but then it turned brown and bad. I think the thing was rusting from the inside out. Either way, it's out of here, and won't be missed.
Old fans. I don't think they were busted, but I never really checked. Oh well, out they go!
While I was out there, I went ahead and checked the sparkplugs. This car came with no maintenance documentation, so as of late, I know something wasn't taken care of when it s**** out on me, lol. Might as well check these before the thing begins to idle oddly, or even misfire. Sure enough, I checked one, and oof yeah they're old.
Barely any electrode left, and it's covered in white s***. Makes a bit of sense, since my valve seals are less than good, and allows a little bit to be burnt upon start up. If I'm being a bit to lax about this, someone let me know!
The old man gave me a pity-pittance to help me out with fixing my car, so I ended up using part of it to replace the sparkplugs. I went with NGK V-Power coppers.
Well, that about does it for today. At this point, all I have to do is wait until everything arrives, piece it all back together, and then ensure the car keeps cool.
According to Amazon, my radiator and fan shroud kit will arrive first. The shroud comes tomorrow, with the radiator coming Thursday. The Blox knob arrives Friday, and the OBX silicone hoses along with the Injen hydro-shield arrive anywhere from the 13th to the 17th. Fingers crossed the radiator hoses arrive Friday!
This is a pretty big racing event that I'd hate to miss. It's a big two-day hullabaloo with food, drinks, live music, drifting, go-karts, overnight camping, and what I'm competing in: The Double Cross.
Don't know how many of you guys race or know about races, but the Double Cross is more or less a head-to-head time attack where the two racers cross paths (safely and separately!). I'm super eager to get out there and challenge the fellow Protege racer :^) So, P5 represent!
Ultimately though, if it comes to it, I can miss the competition on the 14th if it means having a safely installed cooling system with all the parts I need. I'd be bummed, but less so than having a broken car! The competition that really matters is the one on the 15th, which affects my standings. The Double Cross is just for fun...but what fun it'll be!
Man I can't wait until I get out there again on the new wheels and tires. The grip benefits are too much to neglect.
Hey, maybe I should hit up the "Team Pro5" folks on this forum. I race, so maybe I qualify to join the crew?
Can't wait to show you guys the final project!
