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My (Laser Blue Mica) 2003.5 Protege5

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    My (Laser Blue Mica) 2003.5 Protege5

    Wassup fellas...

    Lurked here for a while, finally getting around to posting about my "new" purchase from September...

    Here's Leslie!



    I got her for $4600 from a private party here in Houston with a ~106k on the odo. Needed some maintenance, but the interior was great and the Laser Blue Mica looks fantastic minus some tidbits. It took a while to really make her feel like mine as my prized Integra of 6+ years was very suddenly stolen, but a couple of mods over the past few months and some maintenance has helped the bond grow. Hoping to keep her going strong while I save up for the new FR-S/BRZ. See mods below...

    3 layer sound insulation
    Billet shift knob
    Head unit
    Upsized tires (I drive a lot of highway)

    I'm planning on getting down and dirty with some big maintenance shortly and would appreciate any advice. I've bought most parts from the Mazda dealer, but not sure what to do about the mounts just yet. I printed off the factory service manual too.
    Timing belt kit plus tensioner spring
    Water pump
    V-belts
    MTF change to Royal Purple
    Passenger engine mount (#3) (PolyU inserts or Speed)
    Tranny mount (#2) (PolyU inserts?
    Valve cover gasket
    Cam seals
    Crank seal
    Coolant flush

    Mods detail in next post...
    2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
    1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

    #2
    clean chassis, there is a potent V6 swap for those if you ever wanna make it faster that the FS slug that came in those.
    "Discontent is the first necessity of progress."
    -Thomas A. Edison

    "There is a fine line between ballin' on a budget, and dreamin' on an empty wallet."


    *Junked* 92 mx3, BP swap- milage whore, beaten up and down the east coast
    *Junked* KLZE powered 323 on Megasquirt 1
    172.60HP & 156.93 TQ with only headers and short ram intake. back under the knife for a BPT swap.
    New Daily stock 1.6L 1999 Mazda Protege LX

    Comment


      #3
      Sound Insulation Install

      Mods make the car better and help keep it fresh. Here's what I've done so far:

      Shift knob: I put on a graphite type-r style shift knob from TWM (TWM.com). Stock shift knob was just too ugly and was having a tough time getting into some gears.

      Head unit: Kenwood Excelon KDC-X995. Birthday present from my Dad as my stock radio needed some amp and the CD player wasn't working. New unit has bluetooth (awesome), HD radio, i Pod integration, and Aux input too. It sounds wayyy better. No plans to go further just yet.

      Tires: Car came with 4 different tires (same size, thankfully) that were nearly bald so I up sized x2 to a 215/50/16 Cooper CS-4 for the long highway miles I've been putting on her so far. Getting ~29 mpg with 80/20 highway/city. They are massive compared to my brother's stock sized ones and, IMO, fill out the fenders better. Now I just need to lower it...

      Sound Insulation: This project was something I was looking forward to. I tried it with some success on my Integra, but was really looking forward to droning out the thrash of this FS-DE engine and the impact on the sound system by doing it properly here. I put down 3 different layers that target different types of sounds and work together from Second Skin Automotive: Damplifier, Luxury Liner and Overkill.

      Here's some starter pics...

      Bare car


      Scope of what was installed and where...


      The 3 different layers...


      Layer 1: Vibration damper (CLD), covered ~25% of flat spots



      Layer 2: Foam (CCF), covered everything for wind and road noise



      Layer 3: Thick and dense vinyl (MLV), covered as much as I could while still being able to install the interior lol



      Door detail...(hatch was done too)



      After reading the factory service manual, I opted against taking the dash out this time but everything else on the inside was put aside. With the help of my Dad, we did it in ~20 hours over the weekend. This **** really works. Can give more details if there are questions (cost was ~$400 for all supplies, ~85 lbs installed)
      Last edited by GeesPlease; 02-28-2012, 11:32 PM. Reason: i Pod is a bad word??
      2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
      1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by MD323 View Post
        clean chassis, there is a potent V6 swap for those if you ever wanna make it faster that the FS slug that came in those.
        Thanks man. It is a slug lol. Which V6?? I probably won't do much more than breather mods but it's good to know.
        2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
        1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

        Comment


          #5
          the KLDE and KLZE which came in V6 probes and 626's, i had a ZE in my black car that made 172hp with just megasquirt and breather mods. the broad powerband fits the wagon in my opinion
          "Discontent is the first necessity of progress."
          -Thomas A. Edison

          "There is a fine line between ballin' on a budget, and dreamin' on an empty wallet."


          *Junked* 92 mx3, BP swap- milage whore, beaten up and down the east coast
          *Junked* KLZE powered 323 on Megasquirt 1
          172.60HP & 156.93 TQ with only headers and short ram intake. back under the knife for a BPT swap.
          New Daily stock 1.6L 1999 Mazda Protege LX

          Comment


            #6
            Wow, that's gotta be one quiet ride. At least with the radio off anyway I plan on sound deadening my car as well when the time comes to tear into it. Great work so far.

            Comment


              #7
              Nice! I'll keep it in mind, but no engine swaps for me unless this one somehow blows up. That ZE is one spunky engine though...

              It is really quiet, almost serene below 60 mph. Good luck when you get around to it! Send me a PM if you have any questions. Second Skin makes great products.
              2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
              1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

              Comment


                #8
                The P5 is a great car and yours is a good-looking example. For an exhaust mod I highly recommend that you install the Racing Beat cat back system. A certified power increase and perfect fitment. However, make sure you get the P5 version and not the sedan model which is too long for your car. The usual tire size upgrade for the P5 is a +1 fitment (205/50-16) since the 215 size gives substantial speedo error and according to 1010 tires may cause brake problems. Additionally, it reduces vehicle acceleration because of the increase in rotational inertia of the wheel/tire combo. Nice job on the sound-deadening materials installation but I personally wouldn't want to add 85 lbs of weight to my car. I'm sure you'll find it helpful if you install the Racing Beat exhaust, however. Although the quietest of the aftermarket systems, some drivers still find the sound a bit prominent compared with stock.

                Good luck with the rest of your mods.

                Happy Motoring!
                02 DX Millenium Red - The Penultimate Driving Machine
                MP3 Strut Tower Bar kit; Cusco Front Lower Arm Tie Bar
                MSP Springs, Struts, Stabilizer Bars, Trailing Links, #3 Engine Mount
                Kartboy Stabilizer Bar Bushings; Nyloil Shifter Bushings; Red Line MT-90 Gear Oil
                MP3 Shifter, Knob and Aluminum Pedal Set
                Suvlights HD Wiring Harness; Osram Night Breaker H4 Bulbs; Exide Edge AGM Battery
                Summer: 5Zigen FN01R-C 16 x 7" Wheels; Yoko S.drive 205/45-16s
                Winter: Enkei OR52 16 x 7" Wheels; Falken Ziex ZE-912 205/45-16s
                Modified OEM Air Intake; Racing Beat Exhaust System; Techna-Fit SS Clutch Line
                Denso SKJ16CR-L11 Extended Tip Spark Plugs; Magnecor Wires
                Power Slot Front Brake Rotors; Techna-Fit SS Brake Lines; Hawk HPS Pads
                Red Line Synthetic Engine Oil; C/S Aluminum Oil Cap
                Cyberdyne Digital Gauges: Tach; Ambient Air Temp; Voltmeter

                Comment


                  #9
                  I was only planning on using Dynamat, never heard of using 3 different layers before. If what you used is really that good, I'll just turn my nose up at Dynamat and head over to Second Skin. And I'll definitely PM you if I need any help or pointers. Also, how do you think that stuff would hold up under the hood? I would only use the vibration layer, though. And what does the MLV layer do? You said the others were for vibration and wind/road noise.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by goldstar View Post
                    The P5 is a great car and yours is a good-looking example....

                    Good luck with the rest of your mods.

                    Happy Motoring!
                    Thanks Goldstar. Looking forward to keeping it looking sharp. To be honest, if I put on an exhaust it's probably gotta have more bark than the Racing Beat but I haven't heard it myself yet. The tires have held up nicely so far, taking into account the effects. I could have put Vette-sized tires on the car, it still stops way better than the bald ones were working out lol.

                    Originally posted by irishkev90 View Post
                    I was only planning on using Dynamat, never heard of using 3 different layers before. If what you used is really that good, I'll just turn my nose up at Dynamat and head over to Second Skin. And I'll definitely PM you if I need any help or pointers. Also, how do you think that stuff would hold up under the hood? I would only use the vibration layer, though. And what does the MLV layer do? You said the others were for vibration and wind/road noise.
                    Give this link a try for some good insight (p.s. how do you post hyperlinks??)


                    The vibration damper is supposed to hold up pretty good underneath the hood, at least according to the Second Skin site and the forums on there. The MLV layer is like a giant blanket: it just drowns out everything. It works great on it's own, but best when matched up. And I didn't wanna try it on the doors because it's so dense it would just come loose inside.
                    2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
                    1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Completed a big ol' chunk of maintenance this past weekend:
                      - Timing belt (plus both pulleys and spring)
                      - Water pump (plus gasket)
                      - Drive belts
                      - Cam seals x2
                      - Crank seal (Front main)
                      - Valve cover gasket
                      The work went smoothly enough with a friend in my parent's garage and the car was down for 3 days in the mean time.

                      Always figured my valve cover was leaking because the gasket was bad, but turns out the bolts just weren't torqued. Guess I should have checked those ones a while back haha. Getting the new belt on to the cam gears was a PITA as were constantly one tooth off, but we got it right on the third try. Looking forward to another 105k out of it now, and will get to the #3 (passenger) and #2 (tranny) mount to make them a little smoother. MTF flush soon, and will rotate the tires when the damn things stop getting rusted on the hubs.

                      Recommendations on #3 and #2 mount replacements? I know of the SpeedProtege mount for #3, AWR polyurethane replacement for #2 and inserts for #3, and a Mazda factory "roll damper" for the #2, but not sure how strong any of these really are. Advice appreciated!
                      2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
                      1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

                      Comment


                        #12
                        going with a solid mount design won't really help "smooth" out the engine per say, it would almost feel like a failed mount as far as vibrations felt in the cabin. If that's not much of a concern, AWR makes a solid product. Also there's the option of filling the current engine mounts with polyurethane caulking, there should be a general how to on the site.

                        Also for the hubs getting rusted, you can coat the hub lip the rim seats to with anti seize compound.
                        -Jack

                        ONTARIO MAZDA CLUB! Join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/500055016671733/

                        91 626 LX - basically stock and pretty slow still
                        http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/sho...my-GD-626-LX-)

                        01 E53 3.0i - FOR SALE! pm if interested

                        91 USDM Protege LX - SOLD! turbo/manifold up for sale!
                        http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46606

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Mazda_Powered View Post
                          going with a solid mount design won't really help "smooth" out the engine per say, it would almost feel like a failed mount as far as vibrations felt in the cabin. If that's not much of a concern, AWR makes a solid product. Also there's the option of filling the current engine mounts with polyurethane caulking, there should be a general how to on the site.

                          Also for the hubs getting rusted, you can coat the hub lip the rim seats to with anti seize compound.
                          Thanks for the response man. I should have prefaced the question that I had 3 polyU inserts on worn mounts on my Integra so I've felt the vibrations before, but that caulk idea sounds really good on a new set of mounts. What do you have? And good idea on the anti-seize too, thanks.
                          2003.5 Protege5 - Laser Blue Mica
                          1997 Integra - Corner Carver. Stolen 09/11 RIP

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Caulking is usually a pretty bad idea. I did it and found out the hard way that it's not really the best way to go about it. You can get liquid polyurethane and fill your mounts with that, get stock mounts and leave them as is (replace every couple -5 years) or get an aftermarket poly mount. I've got 95 durometer AWR mounts in my car, they really aren't that bad but deff not for an application like yours. If I were you and wanted to get an aftermarket mount I'd get the softest poly mount I could get, like an 80 or something along those lines.
                            -Steve

                            94' Protege < Worklog<SOLD!
                            VF10 powered!
                            262 Whp & 257 Wtq
                            13.1@107

                            '02 Suzuki Bandit 600s

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I've never had any issues filling my mounts fyi, I use PL polyurethane caulking on salvageable mounts and bore out some old CD centers with some wax paper on the backside of the mount so it doesn't make a mess leaking out the backside lol...I leave them for a few days then toss em in the vise for a stress test lol.
                              Last edited by Mazda_Powered; 03-13-2012, 07:47 PM.
                              -Jack

                              ONTARIO MAZDA CLUB! Join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/500055016671733/

                              91 626 LX - basically stock and pretty slow still
                              http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/sho...my-GD-626-LX-)

                              01 E53 3.0i - FOR SALE! pm if interested

                              91 USDM Protege LX - SOLD! turbo/manifold up for sale!
                              http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46606

                              Comment

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