I have a '98 protege LX 1.5 that has given me nothing but hell for the two years i have owned her. I've had to replace everything from the CV axles to the airbox. But, being my first car, i'd hate to part ways with her.

That being said, she still has quite the handful of problems. i got in a "minor" wreck in March, taking out the front passenger-side lights, the MAF is going bad, she's leaking oil, blah, blah, blah...

Anyway. That's not what this thread is about xD

I was actually hoping that someone could enlighten me as to if anyone has tried doing an auto to standard swap in a '98-ish protege. I'm wanting to drive a stick, but like i said, i cant bring myself to get rid of what i have.

i would be (hopefully) doing the swap with a 5-speed out of a 1998, so i would think everything would line up just fine, but i'm not sure if there are holes for the clutch pedal and whatnot.

I'm going to school for mechanics next year, but for now, talk slow :P

Thanks!
rick

 

Hahaha!!
W e l c o m e a b o a r d M a z d a f o r u m, R i c k ! !
(Slow enough?)
I already love your sense of humor and think it must be inline with my own.

I don't see why a swap that that can't be done? IMO, it would be harder and certainly more expensive to do on a later model car, but I'm sure some further research will be in order too. Good practice for you when you go to school. You may as well try now before life takes you in other directions and you don't have as much time to "play." Go for it, I say!!

And just where will you be going?
One of our Mods here, Tracker, just finished up school in South-Eastern Pa below Philly. I think it was ITT. You might get with him to find out more of what you're in for?

 

"Play" is the perfect word for it. It would be a weekend of me and a few friends with a toolbox and a case of Code Red ripping apart my only car xD

I'll be going to Chattahoochee Tech in Marietta, GA starting in the fall. I'm mostly going because I've always sort of been a tinkerer, and I love it. I couldnt imagine anything better than getting to make things go faster and run tighter, and getting paid for it! Epic.

The funding for the swap is riding mainly on my tax return next year, so i have plenty of time to do some more research. i plan to post updates and discoveries on here since i've noticed a lot of other people seem to have a lot of questions about my model of car. i may not be an expert (yet), but i'm stepping onto grounds that, from what i have been able to find, nobody else has.

i think i'm going to start sort of an "evaluation breakdown" of any problems i might run into with installing the transmission; get a look at the firewall, climb underneath the car, etc. If all goes as planned, i actually plan to shop around for a new motor/tranny combo to make for a pretty fast fourdoor. but, for now, that is still a daydream

one thing did come to mind, though... i imagine the ECU would be different between the auto and standard. now, the only electrical work i've really done to my car is put in a new sound system. is changing out ECU's difficult? or just sort of a "plug and play" deal?

oh, and thanks for the welcome!

rick

 

'Don't know really. I'm no expert either, but I too am pretty sure you would need the ECU to go with the engine/tranny from the donor.
And speaking of donors, why not look for an MSP drivetrain? A 5-sp w/LSD, 2.0L AND turbocharged to boot!

I was thinking about your post today, and I think it should be outlawed to match up a 1.5L engine and auto tranny. Just too much parasitic loss involved there.
What do you think?

 

you think the 2.0 would fit under the hood of my little car? originally, i was looking at a 1.8 turbo on ProtegeGarage (http://www.protegegarage.com/575-product-575.html)

that package would set me up with a engine and tranny, but i have yet to figure out the shipping cost. i'm supposed to get a good tax refund, but not THAT good, so that may have to wait

and you're right... that 1.5 auto feels like i'm carrying a car full of overweight illegal immigrants. it responds nice at higher RPM on the freeway, but i drive mostly in the city and back roads, and the combination of the weak motor and auto trans can make driving her a bit of a drag sometimes (no pun :P)

what do you think of the swap package i linked? i'm interested to see if anyone has done one successfully.