jl

Sorry, this is a double post, but I realized I posted this in the general section and not the engine section. Don't know how to move the original post.
Moderator - If you want to delete the original go ahead.


My son was just given an old 1996 Protege for his first car and it needs some work.

The first problem is that the exhaust manifold is cracked. Looking for some advice.

1. Found replacement aftermarket manifolds on the web for about $70. Anyone have any experience with these?

2. Tried to buy a manual but the Chiltons I found was pitiful. Only thing I saw in there regarding the exhaust manifold was a small picture of a "typical 4 cyl exhaust system". Any reccomendations on a book?

3. How hard is it to replace the manifold? Not much room in there. Do I have to remove stuff to get to it? Anyone have a recommended procedure for this?

4. 91K miles on the car. Time for an O2 sensor replacement?

5. One of the reasons he was given the car is that it will not pass emissions inspection. Suspect the cracked manifold is a major reason. General tune up should also help. Any common problems with the protege that I should look for?

Thanks

ProtegeExtreme1

I've cracked the stock manifold before. I purchased a kit off of Ebay for $50 that came with manifold, gasket, heat shield, and hardware. Manifold fit perfectly and i've had no problems since.

jl

What did you have to do to replace it? Did you have to remove anything (radiator fan, radiator, etc) to get room?

ProtegeExtreme1

We removed mine from the bottom end, because if you did it from the top you would have to remove other parts. It's not easy doing it from the bottom, but it's probably easier than taking it out from the top. If you don't want to do it yourself, a repair shop will install it for $100-$125 if i had to guess. Reading your first post, if the car has never had a tune-up, this would be a good time.

jl

Thanks. Ahead of you on the tune up. Started with rotor and dist. cap. Plugs and wires come next.

With exhaust manifold I will probably also replace the O2 sensor. Noticed the plugs are white, so they are running hot.

Oil looks good, appears the filters have been taken care of also.

Funny thing is I found the manifold on ebay for $36 and ordered it. Now I am having problems finding the gasket kit. One place quoted $35 for it. Any suggestions on a cheap place to order it?

ProtegeExtreme1

That's why i bought the entire kit. I first sourced out the parts locally, and found nothing. I'm not sure where you can find just the gaskets.

jl

Found one at the local dealer. 2 gaskets, $32 total. Not too bad. My son and I will be replacing this weekend. Right now I have him spraying penetrating oil on it every day (just a little) so by the time we are ready to apply the wrench it might not be too bad.

midnightblue97

If you plan doing any large amount work and know a reasonable amount about auto repair which you seem to, BUY the factory service manual. Haynes manuals and chilton are .ok. but thats it. The FSM for that year car will cover everything. Its about 150$ at my local dealership, but the price may vary. If they tell you that they can't sell it to you they are LYING.
Demand to see the owner and see how fast they get it for you.

ProtegeExtreme1

good point there for sure. I haven't tried that yet, lol. But I'm not going to put another dime into my engine until it's time for a swap or rebuild. It's not worth spending any money on it when the engine won't be in the car come may or june.

jl

Agree on the usefulness of the manual. Problem is that this is my son's first car. Minimum budget, minimum cash. $150 for the manual is a big chunk of change for his pocket, so we will just have to wait and hope we don't really need it right now.

jl

Well, got all the bolts off, now one more question. Anyone know the reccomended torque on the bolts?