My 99 protege5 spd. manual trans.is at 187K. For the last 6 months the gas pedal was stuck first thing in the morning. Now I hear a scraping noise at low gear when I apply or let off on the gas. The engine also shudders when I do this.Can I do anything to remedy this or do I need a mechanic?

 

check all of your throttle linkage first. these parts are generally mechanical and sometimes dry out until they will begin to break. i had a little car with a manual clutch and it began to do that. the next step was that the clutch cable broke. it was simple to fix i just had no idea what was going on.

first step to take would be to pull the throttle cable off of the engine side and hold it tight while you have someone press the gas pedal. if it feels sandy or gritty and makes any noise at all, replace it. if it feels like it is smooth, the problem is further down and i can't help without physically seeing it in person.