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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Nematode, are you talking about a roots-type superchager? If so, you would need a whole new custom intake manifold because the supercharger fits between the intake manifold and the engine. A centrifical style supercharger would need a shaft that runs from the belt driven accesories on the passenger's side of the car to the supercharger which would have to be on the driver's side of the car because of where the intake is. This would be a similiar setup to the one found on Vortech's Civic kit. A turbo would require a new exhaust manifold and oil lines to the oil pan among other things. I think either way, it would be hard. I am not even going to get into what the stock ECU would think. You would definately need a new ECU or a piggy back ECU and I am not aware of any company that currently makes one for the 2001 ES 2.0L. If there is a company that does, you can expect it to be big money. You may be able to fabricate a custom forced induction system, but "customizing" the ECU is a completely different story.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I want more low-end power though, so I think supercharging would be the way to go (lower lag levels). I am not dealing with all that right now though, I am going to wait until the kits become available. I am sure everything will be laid out properly. I wouldn't be installing it myself anyway (not that good with mechanics), but I would want the method that's the cheaper and less eomplex of the two (less change of breakdown).
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    CONGRATS on the new job dude! Glad to hear it! :)
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Would a supercharger kit cost? Would that for sure void the warranty? Thanks for doing my homework again. :)

    PF
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Congrats on the new job!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You KNOW it will void the warranty for sure. It would be in the neighborhood of $3000 from experience.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Well, it's about time your talents were recognized. You deserve it. You've been at the sweatshop long enough.

    Now, just one question. Are those 500 Free Oil Change coupons you mailed me still valid?

    Meade the Congratulatory Bull-S***ter
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I'm outta here. Everyone have a good weekend; I'll post another MAPP II update on Monday.

    Meade

    P.S. Is it me, or is this the only topic on Edmunds that has a "The Waltons" feel to it? I feel like I'm saying, "Goodnight, Johnboy!"
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Here is a picture of my new place of employment: http://mpls.kensystem.com/otherbuildings/lasalleplaza/picture01.htm


    I will be working in this joint from time to time also: http://mpls.kensystem.com/wellsfargocenter/picture11.htm


    Meade, the 500 free oil change coupons expire in December. Is that the free door prize you plan to give out at MAPP? Sorry for ruining your surprise......Really though, I might need to dig for some coupons before I leave that place.

  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Nice building! Don't get lost in there!!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I would ask for some oil change coupons too, but don't trust taking my car to Jiffy Lube. :(
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Profan-I hope I don't get lost. Vocus-I can understand that. I don't trust taking my car ANYWHERE, including the dealer. Do you think they have some ASE master tech doing oil changes at the dealer? Nope, they have a snot nosed lube boy do it, like myself, only less talented ;) Matter of fact, a guy I used to work with left Jiffy Lube to go work at Sears Imports here in Minneapolis. He's the oil change monkey there now. They sell and service BMWs and MBs. See, even if you have a Benz or a Bimmer, you will never get away from that Jiffy influence. I just do it myself.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    but a numbing & droning sound emanates around 1500-2000 RPM when you step on the gas from a dead stop.

    The heat shield buzz was taken care of last year.

    Yes. I do experience better pickup on colder days but more valve noise too.

    Best temp I find for the ES is 70-80F.
    Engine runs like silk.
    Ride is also great....not harsh and stiff like when it is now...65F. Feels like the shocks are not working at all!!
  • nematodenematode Member Posts: 448
    Nuts and bolts: I dont think that the roots-type would work in terms of cost effective as you pointed out as an entirely new intake manifold would be required. I was actually thinking about the Vortech Civic kit when I posted. However, based on personal experience, I seem to be drawn to the twin screw-type (like the Autorotor one that Rimmer sells for Subaru). I have driven an RS with their kit and it was really impressive. Seat of the pants says its faster off the line than the US spec WRX. For the 2.0 this would require some development time/money. On the other hand, the kits I have seen from Vortech come really complete and seem pretty easy relative to the others on the market. I have never driven a Vortech modded car. I dont think it would take them much time to adapt the Civic kit for the 2.0 if they were so motivated.

    ECU: Not sure what would happen here. I would not be shocked if it would adjust air/fuel just fine without any mods if we are talking about +20-30hp. After that I dont really know.

    Warranty: Actually Vortech used to claim that their superchargers did not void the factory warranty unless you got one of their high boost racing ones. Not sure if that still holds true.

    Cost: My crystal ball says $4000 installed. Most of kits take about 6 hours for a pro, 12 hours for semi-pro, and about 2 weeks if I were to attempt it. They dont sell too many of these kits so they charge a ton to get some development money back. My guess is $3000-3500 for the kit alone. It might be a relative wash when compared with doing an engine swap but I'm not sure.

    Way off the deep end: What I really want is the 200hp Duratech 2.5L SVT V6 engine in my Protege ES. It would fit but I think that may cost a little more.....I really loved my Contour but it was a reliability nightmare. I just want the engine back not the rest of the car.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
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  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    Congrats, my friend! Good Luck!

    -Larry
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
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  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    don't stay in that biz too long, the auto industry needs more car enthusiasts. BTW, I wasn't late on my mortgage payment last month, can you fix it for me?

    :)
  • eeterpeeterp Member Posts: 33
    "So far the Protege was a one off for Mazda USA. We are looking into trying to make a kit for the masses eventually. However, at this time, we are
    still working on perfecting the turbo that is on the car now. If there is anything else, let me know.

    Thank you,
    Rocky"

    So, "eventually" a turbo will be available. The word "eventually" sound like enough time for me to start saving money :)

    As far as turbo vs superchargers, turbo's are the way to go if you want the best efficiency and greatest potential for producing hp. Sport Compact Car Magazine has been printing a several part series on why (so, I won't go into minor details). Superchargers rob hp from the crank but, are nice for low end power. Turbo's, being more efficient, can really produce extreme hp numbers.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    My guess is that Mazda will beat them to it. Start saving...
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Superchargers don't create a lot of heat, so in theory I would guess that a supercharged engine would last longer. I personally like the feel of a big fat turbo. My buddy has an eclipse with a big nasty turbo (its called a "Frankenstein" or something) and it has a lot of lag but once the boost kicks in it sounds like a semi-truck and the car feels like it wants to rip your head off. I'm not kidding, the acceleration is **violent**. On the highway, it seems like this car could accelerate hard for ever.

    Maltb--I haven't even started yet, but I know I will be dealing with mortgages from around the country because Wells Fargo Mortgage is headquartered in Minneapolis. Is the mortgage in the name "Maltb"? I'll look for it. ;)
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Kinda like putting an automatic transmission in
    a car and leaving the clutch pedal there, eh?

    Now that's an idea! The dead peddle is a little to far left.

    fowler3
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    I am sure Mazda has a turbo in the works for the Protege MPS (I read somewhere that the MP3 was supposed to wear the MPS name, but its performance did not meet Mazda's performance requirements for the MPS name). Mazda has plenty of experience working with turbocharged 4-cyl and rotary engines. What would be nice to see is a sequential twin-turbo setup, like the RX-7, with a low stage turbo for low-end boost and a high stage turbo for high-end performance, basically eliminating the majority of turbo lag. However, I would imagine that cost would be a major issue and we probably won't see it.

    Hey malt... didn't you say there was someone toying with the idea of fitting a rotary in the Protege? I know it will never happen (from the factory at least... but if I came across some extra money... hmmmm), but I can keep hoping. Perhaps with the Sport 20's AWD platform...
  • black01coupev6black01coupev6 Member Posts: 195
    My Pro feels weird in the cold too. It got down to around 40 degrees a few days ago and my right door made a creaking noise, my power window sounded funny, and the engine made a metallic rattling noise upon acceleration. However, all bugs were cured after about 10 miles of driving.

    I wish that there was more aftermarket backing of the Pro just in case I decided to fix it up a little. I know that there is a Civic kit that will get you up to 182HP at the wheels. My fiance is dying to do that to his Civic. That would fix my only real complaint about the Pro, which is the power it makes. It's great for lots of traffic but it doesn't seem to have much fun above 4000 RPM..but maybe that will change as the engine gets a little more broken in.
  • elec3elec3 Member Posts: 160
    Is what I do when I think about a Pro5 with AWD and a powerful rotary engine. It still might not perform up there with true sports cars but what a fun ride it would be :)
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I experienced the same type of noise a couple of times when the outside temp was about 5 degrees Celsius. I park indoors, but when I take the Pro out on a cool morning, for about 1 km it makes this noise from the engine. Sounds like a very fast knocking when accelerating, barely heard, and goes away in less than 5 minutes. I hope there's nothing serious with the engine since I heard a similar sound in my ex-Civic that soon needed a cylinder head machined and the head gasket replaced. I'll see how it goes as the weather gets cooler, then take it to the dealer at the next svc interval.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I read some info on them from Edmund's and spoke to a neighbour that installed one in his 2000 Focus. I'm thinking of buying the OEM k&N for the Pro. Does anyone have it installed in their Pros? Is it worth it? www.knfilters.com says that it does not void the warranty in the US b/c of legislation that was passed (info on the site). Does anyone know about any Canadian laws that guarantee that?

    Cheers!~ Dinu
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Sorry to hear about the ticket. We had photo radar in T.O. a couple of years ago and it lasted about 3 mths (privacy issues). The prov. gov't scrapped it. Now we have red light cameras at about 20 intersections. What happened to the privacy issue? Anyways, just me venting about it.

    I rcvd a letter and photo of how I apparently went on a red 0.1 secs after it turned red and travelled through the intersection for 1.0 sec. Pic of car entering intersection, crossing on red and a close-up of the license plate. I opted for French language court since they have few judges and it takes about 1 yr to be called. As for an excuse, "guy behind me was up my bumper and I couldn't stop since he was going to rear-end me". but I can't prove it since his car is not in the photo.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The engine in both my 1999 DX and my current 2001 ES have the same sound when cold. It goes away after warm-up. And I drove the DX for 37K+ miles and never had trouble with the engine. Don't worry about it, it's just a characteristic of the motor. And also, drive the car easily until the engine warms up, because I hear that's bad for the engine to drive it hard when cold.
  • logger1logger1 Member Posts: 14
    Does Mazda carry these loans, or discount them and sell them to other finacial activities?

    Is it possible to arrange for direct debit of a bank account for payment?

    I've had bad experience with continuous reselling of a mortagage in the past. Resulted in "lost" checks, failure to update the account etc. It's easy to end up paying a lot more for a loan in uncredited payments and late penalties with some of these secondary loan servicers.

    Anybody got some experience/knowledge of how the Mazda process works?

    Lou
  • pjd58pjd58 Member Posts: 366
    my payments go to Mazda American Credit in Detroit MI. I believe the company that services the loan is called Primus. They debit my checking account every month , no problems.

    Generally, banks don't sell car loans, like they sell Mortgage loans.

    If you are looking for a 2001 Protege don't delay, since the 02s have hit the dealers and the 0% isn't available for them.

    I saved a bunch of greenbacks getting 0% for 48, free moonroof and alloys and only paid $300 over invoice.

    Pete
  • logger1logger1 Member Posts: 14
    I did purchase and am waiting to hear from the Mazda finance folks on details. Just had 2nd thoughts on finance based on old experience and "no free lunch" suspicions.

    Lou
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    From what I remember, this could have something to do with the fact that the protege does not have an all-aluminium engine, but an iron block. The metals have different rates of heating.

    I think I remember this from someone explaining this a few months back to someone who asked the same question.

    For peace of mind (especially if your car is still in warranty) you may want to mention it to the dealership and have them look at it - even if its just for the record!
  • tomcivilettitomciviletti Member Posts: 207
    Unless the engine is built for a supercharger from the block up, bearing problems can be expected long term. The blower creates a lot more stress than alternantor, cooling compressor, etc. Supercharging will also reduce fuel economy more. On the other hand, if it's a drag racer you want, supercharging is a quick boost.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    If anyone is looking for a 2001 Protege in the MD/DC/VA area, a dealer called Russel has a dark green 5-speed Premium Pkg. ES with colored mirrors and alarm on their lot. I know that specific equipment (5-speed Premium) is hard to find in some markets, so just thought I would post the info. They also have about 5 P5s on their lot, and even a 2000 ES 5-speed Premium model. It's brand new too. Bet the deal is good on that one. :)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You said about a crease down the middle of the hood of the 2001s. I never really noticed it until I saw a 2000 and a 2001 beside each other at Russel yesterday. Guess it is for structural rigidity.

    I wonder how hard it would be to change the front fascia to the P5/MP3 setup from the standard one. I was looking at an ES sedan and a P5 next to each other yesterday, and I don't think it can be done. Thoughts?
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I like my car the way it looks; I never considered swapping out parts.

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I was asking the question to whomever could answer it. I was referring to you about the ridge in the hood, because we had talked about it on Friday I think.

    I think the front end from the MP3 could be swapped out for the ES one. It would probably be like $4-500, but it still does look pretty cool. So does the Racing Beat exhaust. I wanna check on it though.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Hey everyone. Well, I finally bit the bullet and spent 5-1/2 hours Saturday and Sunday washing, waxing, vacuuming, window-cleaning, etc., my 2000 Emerald Mica ES 5-speed. Wow, you oughta see it now.

    To Larry and others who've been discussing waxes and polishes lately: turns out I ran out of Nu Finish and didn't realize it. Instead of going out and buying a new bottle, I decided to give the nearly full bottle of Meguiar's Gold Class another try.

    Like before, it was much harder to remove than the Nu Finish. It doesn't seem to dry to as powdery a haze as the Nu Finish and you wind up having to buff the hell out of the car to get the swirl marks off. My arms were sore all night Saturday night. The workout was worth the work, though -- the shine is nice. I did the bumpers too, and after a 30-mile drive Saturday night, I could literally BLOW off the few bugs that had met untimely deaths at the front of the car. The shine does appear slightly deeper and the car looks more "Emeraldy" than with the Nu Finish, but I'm still not sold. The first time I used this stuff, it only lasted about a month. Nu Finish usually lasts four to five months for me.

    I also tried a new product: Eagle One auto glass cleaner. Man, I'm sold. This stuff walks circles around Windex and leaves no hazing. I've never seen car windows so transparent. I also used Eagle One Tire Wet to darken my tires a little. (I usually don't put stuff on my tires, but I got this nifty little Eagle One car care kit from Goodyear the last time I had my tires rotated. It contains four "trial size" bottles and some coupons. I think I'm going to be getting a big bottle of the window cleaner. Man, I can't praise that stuff enough!)

    My 17-month-old Protege is as spiffy as the day it rolled off the lot now. I just hope the weather holds out this week so I can show it off at MAPP II this weekend!

    MAPP II = FIVE DAYS!!!

    Meade
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    You are way too optimistic. A complete job with factory parts and matched paint would run you close to $2k.

    That's without the P5 headlights, BTW.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You mean to change the front end of the car from mine to the MP3 would be like $2000???? Good Lord! I would probably then have the whole car done in laser blue or yellow as well if I am going that far. It would cost alot, but it would still look pretty cool. :)
  • black01coupev6black01coupev6 Member Posts: 195
    You should know better Meade...any time you wash your car with the intentions of keeping it clean for a purpose...that's when it starts raining and then you drive through a big mud puddle.. at least that's been my luck :)
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Hope you had a good weekend. Mine was quite Protege-intensive. The Weather Channel predicts a nice week and weekend here ... of course, since when can the weather guys predict the weather that far in advance? We'll keep our fingers crossed though! MAPP II in five days; I for one am getting excited. Wish you could make it!

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Like I said to maltb, however, the Weather Channel is giving our weather the green light through the weekend. We can only hope ...

    Oh, BTW, it hadn't been two hours since I finished the car Sunday afternoon when the sky darkened and a few unexpected clouds rolled over, sprinkling just enough rain to piss me off. There was no rain in the forecast, by the way! Oh -- and I just remembered that on Saturday, just as I had finished applying wax to the hood, a bird flew over and left a little deposit on the hood -- right on top of the fresh wax! I had to clean the poop off and re-wax.

    Methinks I have been punished enough for my weekend atrocities!

    Meade
  • black01coupev6black01coupev6 Member Posts: 195
    From my experience The Weather Channel can't predict 2 days in advance sometimes. But like you said, we'll keep our fingers crossed for you!

    I am disappointed that I couldn't make it to this years MAPP...but I will be at the next one.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    When did everyone get their Proteges, how manyy miles when taking delivery, what year are they, and how many miles thus far.

    Mine was delivered to me on 2/23/01 with a total of 2 (yes, only two) miles on it. As of today, it has 16,800. It's a 2001 ES auto. Premium Pkg. in black.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    I saw two MP3's at Parks Mazda in High Point yesterday. Sticker priced at $20,295. One Laser Blue nd the other one Yellow. Any takers?

    The only 2002 Protegés were DX and LX models.
    They had a Red one.

    fowler3
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    delivered to me on 4/16/01 and the mileage was 136.
    Now have 3590 miles on it.

    fowler3
  • krotinekrotine Member Posts: 93
    Bought: June 23, 2001
    Mileage: 8
    Now: 6500
    ----------------------
    Jason
    2002 Protege5
  • duh_sterduh_ster Member Posts: 102
    purchased: aug 31, 2001
    mileage: 12 kms
    now: 968 kms
    model: 5 spd black ES 2.0 w/ GT package
    'duh'
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