bbthum

Ok, this may sound dumb, but I am a big V8 guy who has recently gotten interested in the whole import tuning thing. I bought this 1994 Protege LX, and am looking for info on motors and parts for it...real ones not bolt on fake blowoofs and dumb stuff like that. I would like to know the different engines and what the designations are...EX: what is a BP motor? I have the dual cam 16 valve 1.8 liter...looks a lot like the 1.9 L motor in my 94 escort so I am assumimg that the GT parts will work? Anyhow I would appreciate some way to get up to speed on these fairly quickly if thats possible...thanks

mazdaspeedwest

the BP (or BPD) motor is what you have. the 1.8L DOHC. Possible engine swaps are the j-spec BPT (1.8L DOHC Turbo) or the 2.5L V6 from a MX6/626/ProbeGT (J-spec is the KLZE and U-Spec is the KL08)

yes, the 90-94 Protege and 91-96 Escort GTs share the same engine/suspension. but not the 1.9L LX Escort models.

bbthum

Ok, well what kind of room is there in this BP motor and head? I mean as far as port and polish goes, what can I gain from it? I have already found aftermarket cams (Isky makes em and Crane will Grind em...but where else to look?) Then what kind of ignition mods will I need and where to find those? Suspension is gonna need some help...I found aftermarket Tichico shocks but thats about it so far...and where do you find body kits for four doors? on and on it goes...wheels are the easy part...I like black rims though and dont like gaudy setups. something like a set of Glides or some other ultralight will work...anyhow, those are just a few of the possibilities...and BTW, the escort was the trade in for this rig...think I got a good deal for a used up pony and 1800 bucks? Its nice...I like it and think I am probably hooked on mazda for a while...lol...

Bill

While I can't offer any performance hints, as I am new to the Protege 'scene', I would like to say "Welcome to the Party!!"
I'm really impressed with the car, also. Mine is a '94 5 spd LX that's fully loaded, and I picked it up for $1500 and tax.

bbthum

I love the idea of an engine swap, but I will be doing this work myself and would prefer to stick with whats in it now, easier on me that way. I will be doing the port work but can have any extra stuff done by my local grinders...(they love it when I call em that). I had the head work done on the 1.9 that I got rid of, didn't gain too much, and the rest of the car was crap...the motor runs very nicely...it was the electrical system that went blitz. Wasn't impressive but would make a great car for someone who didn't care about building one. I had actually found a 1.8 Escort wrecked and could have had the whole car for like 900 bucks, but didnt really want to go through the swap...just bought one Besides, now I have power windows, Cruise and a nice car altogether that I dont even have to touch if I dont wanna. By the way, is the cruise on these things suppose to hold at 100 MPH? Mine does I found...

protejay

you could always slap a turbo on the 'stock' motor you've got right now - it was originally made for a turbo.... thats that why the head flows so poorly on the intake side; but does much better on the exhaust
if you interested in a turbo, do a search for 'turboge' - he had one on his LX - and he's coming out with turbo kits for our cars. he has a post on the 'forced induction' part of the forum.
you'll definitely gain power with a GOOD port and polish. there's plenty of guys that have done this over on the www.miataforum.com there's also lots of info on the right kind of cams for our BP's over there....

bbthum

I seem to have a good motor to start with...maybe this will replace my current project, anyone wanna buy a 66 stang? LOL
I have some stuff to get woking on it now for sure, thanks for the help!

FyreLance

Hey man, ain't nothing wrong with being a V8 guy!! (sig)

Keep both, working on both domestic American Muscle and high-revving zippy imports at the same time is fun! Best of both worlds, hehe.

bbthum

You are right there! I plan to build the ultimate luxury sport with the mustang...lol. I am more concerned right now with the mazda though. Hey where can I get info on getting codes from this? I am having a weird power surge problem maybe one of you have had this, I am driving along and it seems as if the motor is gaining and losing power, like a fuel filter is clogged or something. It has not set off the check engine light but its used so I dont know if it has been messed with or not. I would like to check the codes before just starting a parts replacement job. I am not one to scare problems away with the parts shotgun...hehe.

mazdaspeedwest

if the check engine light is not coming on, then i don't think you'll get a code...but the procedure is:

there is a DIAGNOSTIC plug behind the strut tower under the windsheild infront of the driver, pop open the door and use a paper clip to jump GND and pin 10, turn key to ON, check engine light will flash quickly, the number of flashes is the first number in the code, then it will flash slowly, this will be the second number in the code. My Haynes in is the car, but the codes are listed in there, as with this procedure