Kev's '98 Protege Thread

[bloodyspirit058]

Or tires? Hahaha.

On a side note, the car doesn't like to start. It cranks for a second then dies. After maybe five minutes or more it will start, slowly. The battery is at 12 volts and right around 14 volts with the car running. I'm thinking the starter? It also feels like the engine is running kind of warm, but the temp gauge reads normal. Any help please!?!? Emergency!

Also, my OBDII scanner says the coolant temperature is around 200* while idling in the Burger King parking lot. Intake air temperature is around 130*, I think I need a heat shield or convert back to my old CAI.

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how hot was it outside at this time?

not really thinking i started writing this:
i would say your missing a ground just by what the sensors say, but that might also explain why your engine doesn't like to run, your guage goes by a seperate sensor, but what the computer sees goes on a dif signal.

but after re-reading it, i'm not really sure, let us know if anything else is being wierd

[irishkev90]

Nothing else seems to be weird right now. It was probably in the 80's all day yesterday. While driving, the coolant went down to about 200* and IAT went down to around 90*. I turned the a/c on to have a second fan to pull more air through the radiator while at idle. The a/c itself doesn't work. It has a bad pulley so I have a power steering/no a/c belt on there so there's extra load on the engine when I turn the button on. My girlfriend's dad, and I as well, thinks it's the starter. He used to work at a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership. Personally I'd like to be working on this in my own driveway with my dad, but starting the car is a pain in the ass.

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[bloodyspirit058]

Personally I'd like to be working on this in my own driveway with my dad, but starting the car is a pain in the ass.

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i dunno if the auto's are bigger (iirc you had an auto, dunno if you did manual swap yet) but the starter on a z5 is really really easy (you can almost do it from the top ofthe car) well on a 95/96 ne way, only problem is you can't get it passed the intake, dunno ifthe 97/98 intakes changed on the back above the oil filter or not. for some reason i thought they were a tiny bit different.

[irishkev90]

There's three 12mm bolts that hold the starter on. Two I can reach with the right extension on the transmission side after I take the intake tube off. The third is on the engine side by one of the transmission mounts and a support bracket for the intake manifold. There's no way for me to get a socket and racket between that back bolt and the bracket. And no real room to get any leverage anyway. I threw the intake back on and left the car up on the ramps, I might just have to wait til I can get it home to work on it.

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[bloodyspirit058]

I threw the intake back on and left the car up on the ramps, I might just have to wait til I can get it home to work on it.

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on ramps it should be really easy, hard part is getting the right amount of distance to clear the starter but also not to long to hit the oil filter. IIRC i ended using a 3/8 ratchet with 2, 3in extensions with a standard shallow socket

[irishkev90]

Which side of that bracket were you able to get at the bolt from? There doesn't seem to be room between the bracket and engine, and there's no way to get anything between the bolt and bracket. I even tried a swivel connector and got the socket on the bolt, but couldn't get it to turn.

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[bloodyspirit058]

Which side of that bracket were you able to get at the bolt from? There doesn't seem to be room between the bracket and engine, and there's no way to get anything between the bolt and bracket. I even tried a swivel connector and got the socket on the bolt, but couldn't get it to turn.

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hmm... mine doesn't have a bracket inthe way... just the 2 bolts on the tranny side, than the one from the engine side, laying under the car with my feet out the front, i was able to get the bolt on the engine side with the tools mentioned above. I think i know the bracket your talking about, my bp has it, and it was a pain to get the starter back in, and the engine was OUT of the car...

[irishkev90]

Well that sucks, haha. The head of the top bolt on the bracket started to strip so I just gave up. Hmm...

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[3ni_tricksta]

12 volts off and 14 volts at idling is normal

[irishkev90]

I know the voltage is normal. Also, got the starter texted and it was fine. Going to another store to check again, though.

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[irishkev90]

Got it fixed. Bad battery. It held the charge fine and the alternator charged fine, but when cracking the battery fell to 2-6 volts and shouldn't go below 9. Put a new battery in it and it fired right up.

But now there's another problem. The shift cable was in the way to get the top bolts on the starter so we pulled off the clip on top of the transmission to move the cable. While doing that, the plastic clip on the selector broke. We Gorilla Glued it back to gather and it worked fine, but I think the heat of the engine bay was too much for the glue. Might try zip ties tonight for a temporary fix.

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[rusty]

How is the temp fix holding out?

[irishkev90]

The zip ties worked to get it out of park and into reverse, then drive, but not the other way. I had to pull the hand brake, put it in park, pop the hood and pull the lever into park by hand. I got rid of the zip ties and put a small hose clamp around the plastic piece on the end of the cable. Then I slid a pin under the clamp and twisted it around the lever. It's quite tight and shifts both ways. Just hope its enough to pass inspection, due by the end of the month.

[rusty]

As long as it is shifting i am sure it will pass, maybe i can see if i have something laying around to use to make it more stable but would need to see it. Can't compare on my pro since it is a manual

[irishkev90]

Haha, I think I got it anyway. I got a nut and bolt and two washer to help hold the pin to the shift lever. Shouldn't have any problems now Now I just need a new coupler to go from the first half of the intake pipe to the MAF. The one I have on it now is cut, so I wrapped alectrical tape around the inside. Works fine, no leaks so far.