What have you done to your MSP today?

[evilmonkeyMSP]

He's just bitter. I <3 our MSP, its been great all 73k miles

I do need to order some new rear pads, thats a wopping $26.50, OMGNOES!!!!

(no)

Dale...parts aren't horribly expensive for the MSP, especially compared to comparable sports sedans...

 

[mgerst1]

I mean I dont want to spend the same amount of the car

 

[Dpwhitehead1]

so i was doing to few 3rd gear pulls to test my tune's A/F ratios and my car is missing.

I have the 1.8L coilpack setup w/ the 626 VC.

just driving normally its fine but when i really get on it..... It starts to miss and sound like a dam machine gun.

Any ideas?

spark plugs possibly.. what plugs do you have?

 

[GiJoe]

what exactly is the point of doing the 1.8 liter spark plug swap with a 626 valve cover?

 

[mgerst1]

Here are your options. For your rear struts, you're screwed with aftermarket if you want to keep your stock springs. Stock MSP rear struts have a higher spring perch location, and a shorter spring height because of it. This means you can't buy a regular Protege strut and use the MSP spring, you also can't buy a regular Protege spring and use it with the stock MSP strut. You either go OEM MSP replacement parts, regular Protege parts, or full coilovers.

1. Get stock replacement struts from Mazda. Very expensive and you're looking at spending close to $900 shipped from onlinemazdaparts.com.
2. Get the Tokico suspension kit for the Mazda Protege. These come with struts and lowering springs together. They will lower your MSP about 1/2" more than stock and be slightly stiffer. If you want to stick with non-adjustible struts, you can get the HPK247, which comes with Blue struts similar to stock. If you want adjustible, you can get ILK248, which comes with the adjustible Tokico Illumina struts.
3. Tokico Blue/Illumina struts paired with Ground Control coilovers
4. Full coilover system

For daily driving, your best bet will likely be #2 for the money.
Also, if you do replace your struts, any chance you could send me your blown stockers for the cost of shipping?

Thank you very much, I am not sure what the problem is yet but I wanted to do my homework before I found out the final verdict of whether or not it is swaybar bushings or struts. If my struts are blown I think I could send them to you for shipping only. Out of curiousity what will you do with them?

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I'm guessing he wants to make a custom strut using the housing... lotta guys do that on under-supported platforms (1g MR2 comes to mind)...

another option would be to just buy rear struts, and get lowering springs of your choice... check out the thread about what drops what car how much... there are NUMEROUS options.

 

[GiJoe]

another option would be to just buy rear struts, and get lowering springs of your choice... check out the thread about what drops what car how much... there are NUMEROUS options.

I've spent many hours looking for that thread... only to be disapointed in my interweb searching skills...

 

[mgerst1]

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/Vie...nd=Tokico&Subcategory=Shocks&Details=Illumina

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/Vie...&Subcategory=Suspension_Kits&Details=illumina
^this would work

 

[Shadow102]

Thank you very much, I am not sure what the problem is yet but I wanted to do my homework before I found out the final verdict of whether or not it is swaybar bushings or struts. If my struts are blown I think I could send them to you for shipping only. Out of curiousity what will you do with them?

What's wrong with the car that makes you think it may need rear struts?

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I've spent many hours looking for that thread... only to be disapointed in my interweb searching skills...

heres a start
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58798

 

[Shadow102]

what exactly is the point of doing the 1.8 liter spark plug swap with a 626 valve cover?

Its believed to give a more consistent spark leading to a smoother power delivery. I am not sure if there has ever been any solid proof if itgives and hp gains or is just plain better

 

[GiJoe]

sweet thanx wagon, youve already won the GiJoe's Awsomness of the Day Award once but your well on your way to a second win with that one lol...... book marking...... now, so I wont have to try and search for it again...

 

[GiJoe]

so why would it give better spark consistancy than the 2.0L? is the coil pack/ SP wires setup differently?

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I know theres a bigger/more detailed thread somewhere... I'll work on finding that too. lol

 

[fatti03msp]

spark plugs possibly.. what plugs do you have?

i know the plugs are new, and are most likely the stock plugs. When the motor was getting finished my mechanic put in some new plugs so i know they are not a step colder.

what exactly is the point of doing the 1.8 liter spark plug swap with a 626 valve cover?

what Shadow102 said and the reason you should run the 626 Valve cover is cause the stock msp VC has a lip around the holes for the spark plugs and the wires from the 1.8L coilpack will not see flush and you could have a bad connection.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

so why would it give better spark consistancy than the 2.0L? is the coil pack/ SP wires setup differently?

the theory is that getting it away from the valve cover keeps it cooler.... kinda destroys the COP ignition idea.. Personally I don't think there is an advantage either way. eliminating the spark plug wires as a point of failure is plenty of reason to stay with the stock coils for me!

 

[mgerst1]

What's wrong with the car that makes you think it may need rear struts?

The entire time I drive the rear end creaks, when I turn, go around curves, come to a stop, take off from a light or a stop, go over bumps, basically all the time. It started out light where it was only going around curves and stopping now it is all the time. I dont remember my front swaybar bushings doing this when they needed to be replaced. They only creaked when I went over speed bumps.

 

[Dpwhitehead1]

i know the plugs are new, and are most likely the stock plugs. When the motor was getting finished my mechanic put in some new plugs so i know they are not a step colder.



what Shadow102 said and the reason you should run the 626 Valve cover is cause the stock msp VC has a lip around the holes for the spark plugs and the wires from the 1.8L coilpack will not see flush and you could have a bad connection.

i see. but, your mechanic, could have used something other than stock... ngk v powers are the best.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

i know the plugs are new, and are most likely the stock plugs. When the motor was getting finished my mechanic put in some new plugs so i know they are not a step colder.

You're running raised boost, right? run the NGK 7 series plugs (step colder) and make sure they're gapped right... I'm running the stock temp, and they did WONDERS for my car compared to Bosch Platnium +2s... *shudder*

 

[GiJoe]

The entire time I drive the rear end creaks, when I turn, go around curves, come to a stop, take off from a light or a stop, go over bumps, basically all the time. It started out light where it was only going around curves and stopping now it is all the time. I dont remember my front swaybar bushings doing this when they needed to be replaced. They only creaked when I went over speed bumps.

I dont remember things very well so I will ask... did you try greasing your sway bar bushings?