The Protege, Mazda's entry-level, four-door vehicle, first saw life in 1990 as an upgraded Mazda 323. The 1998 Mazda Protege came fitted with a 1.5-liter, in-line four-cylinder engine that produced 92 horsepower in the DX and LX trim levels. The ES trim level had a 1.8-liter, in-line four-cylinder engine that created 122 horsepower. Mazda discontinued the Protege after the 2003 model year. It went out with a bang, however, as Mazda included a Protege Mazdaspeed that produced 170 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine. The 1998 Protege has a total of five brake light bulbs, two outer, two inner and one high-mount stop lamp.
Open the trunk of your 1998 Mazda Protege and remove the two Phillips head screws from the inner portion of the taillight assembly with a screwdriver.
Slide the lens outward to release the retaining pins on the taillight assembly from the body and pull the assembly toward you to free it from the Protege.
Grab the upper socket on the rear or the taillight assembly and twist it counterclockwise to unlock it and pull the socket from the assembly.
Push downward on the bulb and twist it counterclockwise to unlock it from the socket. Pull the bulb from the socket.
Grab the new bulb with a clean, lint-free cloth and insert it into the socket. Press the bulb downward and turn it clockwise to lock it into place.
Insert the socket into the taillight assembly and turn it clockwise to lock it into place.
Place the taillight assembly on the Protege and guide the pins on the assembly into the holes in the body of the car. Install the Phillips head screws with a screwdriver.
Repeat Steps 1 through 7 for the brake light bulb on the other side of the Protege, if needed.
Close the Protege's trunk.
Open the Protege's trunk and locate the white bulb socket plate, directly behind the taillight lens on the trunk lid.
Remove the screws securing the socket plate on the truck lid and pull the plate from the trunk.
Press the lower bulb downward and turn it counterclockwise to unlock it. Pull the bulb from the socket.
Grab the new bulb with a clean, lint-free cloth and insert it into the socket. Press the bulb downward and turn it clockwise to lock it into place.
Place the socket plate back on the trunk lid and tighten the Phillips screws with a screwdriver.
Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for the brake light bulb on the other side of the Protege's trunk, if needed.
Close the Protege's trunk.
Climb into the rear seat of the Protege and locate the high-mount stop lamp assembly, the plastic assembly at the middle of the rear window.
Apply downward pressure with you fingers, to the top-center and both sides of the plastic cover on the rear of the high-mount stop lamp assembly. While applying pressure pull the cover towards the front of the vehicle to remove it.
Grab the rear of the bulb socket and twist it counterclockwise to unlock it and pull it from the assembly.
Pull the bulb out of the socket with a slight wiggling motion of the bulb.
Grab the new bulb with a clean, lint-free cloth and push it into the socket.
Insert the socket back into the high-mount stop lamp assembly and turn it clockwise to lock it into place.
Slide the plastic cover back onto the rear of the high-mount stop lamp assembly until the tabs click into place.
