help deciding if car is worth the effort- Bp 98

[jarredjoffe]

Hi,
i have a 98 1.8 L protege. There are a number of problems with the car that i need help identifying.
i like the engine in the car but lately it has not been running as strong.
their seems to be a crack in the pipe running after the catalyst.
im not sure how to calculate mileage but i get 340-370 km/ tank.

i want to do a transmission swap to a manual, especially because the current Auto tranny slips alot.

the engine looks like it is in great condition but im not sure if its worth spending like 2 thousand on.

any ideas?
thanks!

[MazdaNoob]

do a compression test .. that + a leakdown really sorta tells all

what shape is the body in ?

[jarredjoffe]

the exterior is fine, 2 small spots of rust on the roof, the hood is worn to a dark green color, the rear fender also has a small amount of rust.

we just replaced the break lines( where we could get to adleast) but the breaks still dont work properly. i think the front ones need a rebuild. and i need alignment. 4 rotors all round

the car has 270 000 km. so it does enough driving. i really like it and like seeing how nice they turn out when a little body modifications are done.

how much should a compression test cost?

[jarredjoffe]

i want to buy a new exhaust system but i dont want to do it and have the transmission flop on me, is a manual swap that difficult?

[Raider9864]

I have never done an auto-to-manual swap, but in my opinion...thats why you can buy a car with auto trans or manual trans. It's a lot of work and you would probably be better off buying a car that is already stick. Of course this is just my opinion, but maybe those who have swapped can tell you otherwise. A friend of mine swapped his auto jetta to a manual jetta and had nothing but problems. Between the electrical issues and all the modifications he had to make, it was just not worth the work.

[irishkev90]

That's because it was a VW, haha. The manual swap shouldn't be hard. Just rewire the neutral safety switch from the auto to the clutch switch, and wire up the reverse lights.

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[jarredjoffe]

true, i need to find somebody who has done the swap before i try it i think.

[Raider9864]

irishkev...you sure its that easy? The trans mounts are exactly the same? Will any linkage interfere with the exhaust?

[irishkev90]

I haven't done it myself, yet. But I don't see why the mounts would be different or why the linkage would interfere with the exhaust. If Mazda changed those areas between the auto and manual then it was a waste of money.

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[3ni_tricksta]

if not, your not too far from me. i'll just buy your bp

[MazdaNoob]

comp test ... about 19.00 for a compression tester. about 30 min of your time IF you have to look for your tools.

leak down test ... about 30.00 for fitting and gauge if you have an air supply ( compressor or even a crappy tire air cylinder)

auto-manual swap isnt too hard with proper tools and know-how but tbh may be beyond your scope of experience. very easy to do IF you have the donor car beside you to copy/swap parts from. add the costs of a new clutch kit + fluids to the cost of all the donor parts IF they are in good working condition . things you may want to consider putting in as NEW are the slave cylinder for the clutch and a braided steel line for the fluid. additional costs .