1999 mazda protege 1.8, have the valve cover off and the cover for the timing gears, found a spring lodged inside the cover of the timing gears, must be a tensioner of some sort- how do i replace? Also, is it ok to drive until I get a new spring??? I cant find a tensioner spring for this vehicle, only a timing tensioner-

1. Remove all spark plugs so that the crank shaft could be rotated easily.
2. Rotate the crankshaft to align the timing mark of the crankshaft gear with the index mark on the engine cover.
3.Rotate the crankshaft +/- 30 degrees to ensure that the valve could not hit the pistons when aligning the camshaft gears.
4. Align the camshafts as described below.
5. Align the crankshaft timing gear with the index mark.
6. Loose and lock the timing bearing at its farther position. Install a timing belt starting from the crankshaft gear, then right cam, then left cam, and at last the timing bearing.
7. Press and hold the timing belt to keep it firm on the gears and loosen the timing bearing. It will get adjusted by itself with the help of spring attached to it. Do not put extra force on the bearing to adjust it more.
8. Confirm the timing marks.

I believe it is located directly underneath the throttle body intake.
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If you did not have the bent valves replace then that may be the problem. If the belt has not broken then turning the engine over with the belt removed will bend valves. I suggest that you have a compression test done to eliminate the valve problem. Next is to recheck the cam shaft timing . next is to check the position and firing order of the distributor.

What does the fuze box actually look like? i found a diagram which you can see if it looks similar and if it is then it may just be for your car.

Mazda 1998 Protege Fusebox Diagram

the transmission is sensor controlled unplug one of them an see what you get you should be able to manually shift the gear or gears

The oil fill cap should be on the valve cover in top of engine.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A GOOD TUNE UP? SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED THE WORKS-PLUGS, WIRES, FUEL FILTER, AIR FILTER, PCV VALVE...

I assume you are replacing the timing belt, so just wactch the youtube video at the link 1999 03 Mazda Protege 1 8L 2 0L timing belt replacement pt 1

Have you adjusted the adjuster to bring the shoes close to the drum? Always force the pistons in (the return springs should hold them in) and then adjust to make a tight fit after replacing. When the shoes are on right, there is no way for the piston to come out, as there is only a quarter inch of travel.