Kev's '98 Protege Thread

[irishkev90]

Just disassembled and cleaned the EGR valve... again. Damn shaft is always getting stuck. I cleaned it with some throttle body cleaner and PB Blaster. I wanted to try WD-40 for lubricating the shaft this time, but we're all out so I painted the shaft with Never-Seez again. Both inside the housing and on top behind the spring. I'm starting to think it's the section of shaft outside, behind the spring, that gets stuck, not inside where the exhaust gasses flow.

Also cleaned the throttle body and as much of the inside of the intake manifold as I could reach with my hand and a rag.

[Mazda_Powered]

stupid EGRs...my 626s never liked me either lol

[FE3-323]

undersize the shaft a hair on the areas it sticks...

[irishkev90]

How should I go about doing that? Small file or something?

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[FE3-323]

file/grinder of some sort

[irishkev90]

That would be a tiny grinder, haha. I'm not going to worry about it too much, I'm looking into a KL swap anyway. If the KL's EGR gets stuck I might file it down a bit.

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[Mazda_Powered]

Mine doesn't get stuck, just the solenoid controls for it are ridiculous lol

[irishkev90]

Oh, haha. I have no problem with that. It's the shaft that likes to screw with me.

Anyway, calling/visiting some local junkyards to morrow to see if anyone has what I need for the KL swap.

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[irishkev90]

I was surprised how much of a difference cleaning the MAF made to idle. I cleaned the EGR the other day, which solved my rough idling and crap, and the next day I took some MAF cleaner to the, well, MAF The steering wheel used to vibrate so much oh could see it moving. After the cleaning you can barely even feel it. And the car idles much quieter as well. Just, wow.

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[Mazda_Powered]

wow scary there's that much difference after some cleaning...lol

[irishkev90]

I'm thinking my front-right strut is worn out. Horrible squeeking noise when the wheel goes down or I pull up on the fender. Whenever the strut extends, that's a better description. Going to go jack the car up and see if there's any leaks or anything. I'll be back with more information. Stay tuned.

[irishkev90]

Well, not much to report. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. No leaks, no discoloration of the shaft, suspension bushings are fine, I don't know. I sprayed some WD-40 on the shaft and that eliminated the squeek, for now. Also noticed a loose splash gaurd that goes over the steering rack. I didn't have any clips or anything to put it back up, so it's just dangling there still. I also have a small oil leak somewhere. There was fresh oil on the bottom of the engine where the transmission bolts on, rear main seal maybe? I cleaned it up and I'll check back in a little bit to see if there's more.

[irishkev90]

Thinking about getting some Ksport coilovers. I'm worried that the B&G springs and KYB struts won't hold up well to the weight of a KL since they were designed to hold the weight of a smaller engine. I also like the idea of being able to adjust the height and damping when I need to. Still need more money/betterjob first, though. The cheapest I've found the coilovers for is $909. I have less than $500 in the bank at the moment

[firelizard]

I am also contemplating coilovers, but for my BJ. I fired off an e-mail to XYZ Suspension, because their product is identical to K-Sport. Apparently they also offer custom rates and valving, so I asked about that. I also asked if they could make the Protege coilovers with a shorter damper so it doesn't hit the axle boot when really slammed.

Being identical to K-Sport, they do have the same options for the BH.

[irishkev90]

I saw the XYZ coilovers in my search. Never heard of them before so I felt kind of sketchy. Let me know what they say in their reply. Could be a good alternative to Ksports.

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