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Various car questions

meltdown75

meltdown75

Lifer
Hi Garage folks. I've never posted in this sub-forum but I'm glad that it is here.

I just picked up a used 2003 Mazda Protege ES. The car has about 22,000 miles or 35,000 kms so it is still in pretty good shape. I like the car quite a bit, out of the ones we test drove we liked it the most. On to my questions:

I have never done my own oil changes or auto maintenance. I pretty much just drive the cars I own but I want to change that because it seems like fun stuff to try. I was wondering if I have enough room to do stuff like that in my garage. The garage is an attached 2-car garage, about 400 square feet and room enough to park most sedans in. My car fits in there fine with my bench on one side and fridge / freezer on the other but I don't know what type of space or things I need to get under the car. Do I need some of those little ramps that I have seen before to jack the car up? If I am going to be pulling the car into the garage in the wintertime, will I be able to shut the door and work on it? How much room do I need to do this type of stuff? help me understand the basics. if you can think of a link that would benefit a guy like me perhaps you can post it up.

I also have some questions about other things like performance tuning and doing parts-related stuff to the car. Motor mounts, cold air intakes, exhausts... that type of stuff? Since I have never done this stuff before and am pretty much a car n00b, should I try to venture into this a bit or would it be better to just buy the parts and have a licensed mechanic do it? I don't want to wreck it!!

thanks in advance, looking forward to an auto discussion.
 
Intake tubes: stupid easy
Intake manifold: depending on the car anywhere from time consuming to pretty easy
exhaust: depends on what part and if welding is needed
motor mounts: varies from very easy to just a pain in the ass to get to
Spark plugs and oil: a good place to start, just make sure that the engine is cool before doing it. Aluminum heads have a tentancy to loose threads if the plugs are done while it's warm.
Air filter: if you can't replace that, put the tools down and step away from the car

...and get jackstands. You'll need them.
 
Definitely get jackstands. I usually use a jack to jack it up then put jackstands under it and release the jack...no ramp. I have a 2002 Protege ES and it has been a fairly easy car to work on. The oil filter is in a somewhat awkward to reach place, but after you do it once it's much easier the next time. You shouldn't need much room, a few feet on each side is fine, and 5-6 feet of space in the front is good so you can slide in and out from under the front of the car easily.
 
There's a new "Princess Auto" store on the way home, maybe I will see if they have any deals on.

So let's say I am changing the oil and filter.

Would I have the car up on 2 jack stands or 4? Is it possible to do when the car is tilted?

car n00b in the house!
 
Two is fine, the tilt usually isn't very much and often leaning towards the plug. Usually four is only needed when you want the car all the way off the ground. Like when you're doing brakes and you only want to make one trip to get the rotors turned.
 
Originally posted by: meltdown75
There's a new "Princess Auto" store on the way home, maybe I will see if they have any deals on.

So let's say I am changing the oil and filter.

Would I have the car up on 2 jack stands or 4? Is it possible to do when the car is tilted?

car n00b in the house!
Click to expand...

2 or 4 will depend on the circumstances. I generally use two because I'm lazy. You want to change the oil and filter when the engine is fully warmed up. The oil then drains out quicker and more completely.

I pull the car into the garage. I usually wait about 10 minutes or so before jacking it up. This lets the oil drain down into the oil pan. Then I jack it up and put two stands under the front. This system works for me because my drain plug is at the back of the oil pan. Jacking up the front will allow as much of the oil to drain out as is possible. If your drain plug is in the bottom or side or elsewhere, 4 stands may be best for you. Common sense will tell you what's best. You may want it on 4 stands anyway just to look around underneath which is not a bad idea.

Because you're a noob, I want to tell you that you really, really want to make sure those jackstands are securely holding the car up. If you're under there, and one collapses or spits out from under the car, there is every chance you will be dead before you can say "oh shit". The car will win every time. I know a woman whose husband died that way. Crushed his skull.

I don't know if anyone really addressed your ramp question. Modern cars for the most part sit too low to be driven up ramps these days. The front air dam and/or fascia will drag as the car is driven up, if it will even drive up them at all. Trucks and SUV's are another story.

I've got a set of ramps in the garage I haven't been able to use in so long they're getting all rusty.

 
My dad had a set of ramps, not once have I been able to get a vehicle up and on them without a jack. My truck has a tendancy to just push them around. When I do get on the top the tires fit into the cups like Homer fits into a bathing suit. With the rear tires, they just slip on the metal and go nowhere.
 
My 93 camry as well as my 2006 subaru legacy wagon goes up the ramps fine. Never tried the GF's 2006 corolla S though.

I think you have plenty of room. If anything, you can pull the car in half way and give yourself much more space that way. The only thing you might have trouble with is tire/wheel related stuff and rotating them if space is tight. I personally use my spare tire jack and a set of jack stands I got for like 15 bucks that'll support a ton each.

Now though, for routine maintenance, I can reach the oil drain plug from just laying on the ground and a wrench, so I pull the plug with a pan underneath and let it drain while I go around rotating the tires. Once I'm done rotating, I change the oil filter, plug the drain and then fill back up with oil. Don't forget to prime the filter with oil (fill it so the engine doesn't run dry) and put oil on the gasket.

Also, I know they say warm the engine for like 10 minutes, but i honesly like to only have the car on for like half a minute to a minute so if oil gets on my hands, it doesn't burn.

For stuff aside from that, you're best off looking for a protoge dedicated forum where people talk more about your specific car.

Oh yea, on tools. Grab yourself a 3/4 torque wrench and a mechanics set from sears. Should be cheap with black friday here.

Otherwise, I like to shop from harbor freight because well, I'm just a garage mechanic. The only non harbor stuff I have were my initial tool set and a set of ratcheting wrenches from costco.
 
Another good point, finding a forum dealing with your particular car will help a lot. If you have a question, people there know the tricks, have the manuals, and have done most everything you're likely to do. They'll be able to tell you details about if something is easy or if it's a pain.
 
Originally posted by: meltdown75
LOL, I love your reply Demon-Xanth. 🙂

Tell me more about jackstands. Also, do you think I'll have enough room?
Click to expand...

You'll have more than enough room. I used to do all my maintenance and repair while parked on residential streets. When I got a chance to do a clutch change in a friend's carport, that was luxury. In a heated garage? Even better!

Get a good jack and at least two jackstands.

For changing oil, depending on your car you'll want anything from zero (the car's high enough to slide under, or the oil filter is very accessible from the top) to two jackstands. Any more than two is overkill.

Get a shop manual for your car, get a good set of tools. You'll want a complete socket set (with adapters and extensions), screwdrivers, wrenches in all the most common sizes (and a crescent wrench), Allen wrenches, and pliers. I got this set back when it was on sale for $60 or so at Home Depot, and it's been great so far. I've had to get a couple special sized sockets and a set of adapters to go between ratchet sizes, but besides that it's had all I've needed.
 
Awesome stuff guys. Like I said, I have driven a lot of cars but have never really attempted to actually take care of one, so this info is good.

I did join a Mazda forum a couple days ago and plan on utilizing it for specific questions but I knew I could count on AT forums for some good info too 🙂 :beer:
 
If you have a Saab Turbo running on Synthetic for 8yrs @100k and accidently a new mechanic puts in Regular oil will this diminish the Turbo's performance? This seems to have happened for me. Can I just replace the oil with Synthetic and hope the Turbo recovers?
 
Forget jacks and jackstands. Buy a 4x4 and just get under the thing. 🙂 I never use jack/stands on my Jeep unless I'm doing something with the brakes/tires/suspension. :laugh:


I've only skimmed over this thread, but I HIGHLY suggest picking up a Clymer, Haynes, or Chilton manual for your car. They're very informative, easy to read, and have tons of pictures to guide you through every bit of maintenance.
 
Originally posted by: celia62
If you have a Saab Turbo running on Synthetic for 8yrs @100k and accidently a new mechanic puts in Regular oil will this diminish the Turbo's performance? This seems to have happened for me. Can I just replace the oil with Synthetic and hope the Turbo recovers?
Click to expand...

The turbo doesn't know what kind of oil is going through it. He could have knocked one of the intake hoses off letting all the boost escape but you should hear that.
 
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Originally posted by: celia62
If you have a Saab Turbo running on Synthetic for 8yrs @100k and accidently a new mechanic puts in Regular oil will this diminish the Turbo's performance? This seems to have happened for me. Can I just replace the oil with Synthetic and hope the Turbo recovers?
Click to expand...

The turbo doesn't know what kind of oil is going through it. He could have knocked one of the intake hoses off letting all the boost escape but you should hear that.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply. The mechanic did take it for a drive and did check all the hoses. Mice were living and having a party on top of motor and we first thought they might of damaged hoses, but nothing. He feels that the pipe going to turbo and out from it should be checked to see if oil was going through. Then he put a wrench to turbo bearing house and it moved but not as it should, so I have to get a new Turbo.
Another user offered his reply that is quite fascinating and I thought I would share. Quoted below from Zenmervolt.
First of all, while I have worked on my own cars for many years now, I am not a professional mechanic. The most I can offer you is my opinion, and even if I could inspect the car personally, I would not be able to guarantee complete accuracy on issues that are specific to your car (e.g. precise costs of a new/rebuilt/repaired turbo).

With that disclaimer out of the way, there is absolutely no way for regular oil to cause a turbo failure within 1,500 miles unless there is accompanying owner abuse. Synthetic is not lighter than regular oil. As long as the viscosity range (e.g. 5W30) is the same, there is no difference in how thick or light an oil is, regardless of whether it is synthetic or regular. Synthetic does flow slightly better due to a more uniform molecular size, but that is only applicable at a microscopic level and would not have any affect on the relatively large oil passages involved in a turbo's bearing housing.

The B205 and B235 engines used in the 1998-2003 93 Turbos appear to have known issues with oil sludge due to revised piston rings causing excessive blow-by combined with a poor crankcase ventilation system that traps contaminants in the crankcase. This causes excessive contamination of oil and, over time (and we're talking 50,000 to 100,000 miles here, not 1,500 miles), the contamination causes issues for the turbocharger.

My experienced opinion is that the mechanic's use of regular oil caused no damage whatsoever and that you, unfortunately, have an engine that is affected by a known issue with 1998-2003 Saab engines (the sludge issue is not limited to just the turbocharged models, but appears in all B205 and B235 variants). You have no recourse against the mechanic and, again in my opinion, any attempt to place the blame on the mechanic is a waste of time on your part.

Turbos can be rebuilt, but given the relatively low price you have listed for a new turbo (and yes, $1,200 is pretty good for a new turbo), I don't see any real point to attempting to have someone rebuild your old turbo. However, any new or rebuilt turbo is only going to be affected by the same sludge issue that cause the failure of the current turbo. At best, you would only be buying another 50,000-100,000 miles by only fixing the turbo. Chances are that you will also need to clean/repair/replace the PCV system as well as addressing the issue of however much sludge is in the engine already.

You may want to check with your local Saab dealer to see if there is any form of additional warranty in place for oil sludge issues on your car. Given how widespread the reports are it seems likely to me that there is some form of un-announced extended warranty. Be aware that you may need to provide proof (receipts) showing that all oil changes have occurred at the manufacturer's recommended intervals in order for the warranty to be honored if it does exist.
 
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