When I start my 98 protege it will idle anlil high at first then all the sudden the rpm drops and jumps and drops and jumps. I need to know where to start to get this problem fixed.

 

Idle Air Control (IAC) motor. It's located right behind the throttle body and it controls the idle when you lift off the accelerator. I cleaned mine for the second time(in 220,000 miles) a few days ago. They get gunked up over time and you'll need a can of cleaner(take it off and spray it off and it'll be fine. Don't buy a new one they're a couple hundred bucks. Bad news is the IAC motor is held on with some weird spec Japanese #2 Phillips and US is slightly smaller. I changed mine out to Allen head cap screws, much easier to remove the next time. Good luck!

 

My mechanic says it doesnt have one

 

Yours is either a 1.5 or a 1.8 & they both have one. The 1.5 style is like the one on a 99-03 2.0 liter. It's held down by those 4 weird phillips screws and has a hose and an electric connector. The 1.8 has an electric connector only I believe. Either one is right at the throttle body.

 

Ok so I took off the throttle body and found it. I can’t get it off !!!!! Fml.

 

Ok so i took the whole throttle body off. I still can’t get them f^%*#*%#. Screes out. Even used a back out kit. Someone already tried this once. They were half stripped already. I’m so mad. Lol

 

Take a sharp chisel and tap a cut for a flat screwdriver. Sometimes the tapping on the chisel even loosens the threads. I also have had luck with a small pair of needle nose channel locks. Replace them with allen head cap screws and washers. The size if it's exactly the same as my 2.0 liter is 5mm x .08 x 16mm. At least after this it's easy to do.