Recent content by katapaltes

I got my MP3 ECU from car-part.com. Worth it for me, but you may have to run higher-octane gas to avoid pinging.

I guess one question I'd have is whether high-octane gas actually fixes the pinging. If it does, then that's as sure a sign as I know that it needs higher-octane gas. As I mentioned above, the three octane levels common in Dallas are 87, 89, and 93 (91 is not commonly available afaik). 89 and...

I bought the part from my local Mazda dealer, and it came with all the blue and green clips. It didn't come with the rear-most black, plastic rivet, or the one-inch black plastic "'clip" that snaps in place near the top of the arch. Luckily, I was able to harvest both from the vehicle (my...

I got a JDM FSDE replacement engine in my P5. I noticed pinging with 87 octane, especially if I accelerated going up a hill. It's $.30 extra to get 89 octane and another $.30 to get 93 octane here in Dallas. I can pay for the 93 octane because I don't drive much (I work from home and ride my...

Ugh.. At this point, many of us have had our accordion intake hose crack on the bottom allowing unmetered air into the intake. Mine cracked years ago; done by an oil change place when they were checking my air filter to up-sell me. They also broke the handle off the oil dipstick and...

Does an impact wrench help with rusty bolts, or do they just sheer the bolt off? I have zero experience with rust (knock wood).

I am also interested in hearing about good axle replacements as I've got some clicks. OEM would be expensive, and I don't know that they're still available for purchase (I think the local dealer said they were not last time I checked). From what I've heard, Cardone refurbs are not good.

IIRC, the cluster has two multi-pin connectors. I wonder if the missing warning lights are all in *one* of the two connectors. Maybe you can plug in the connectors and wiggle them a bit and see if any lights come on?

If you can't fix it, maybe just don't use the brake. I put my manual transmission P5 in 1st or 2nd gear when I park it and I don't set the brake. I learned as a kid that this was a valid option and I've never had a problem in 21 years. If you've got an automatic, you can put it in Park, of...

As a general statement about car-part.com, I had a good experience with my one purchase from a car-part.com-affiliated seller, but I had to be careful. For example, I would see a listing for an MP3 ECU and the vehicle pictured was just a regular Protege - and most listings do not even have pics...

I hope it's not every 10,000 kilometers. That would be extreme! :D My JDM engine has the same sticker.

Would a salvage yard be a good option for you? Most P5s I see in my local yards have the original roof rack, but I think later models (2003.5 or Canadian models or something?) may have come with the filler strips. Even if they didn't come that way from the factory, you may find a car that had...

That's fantastic news. :) Not really related, but you made me think of this... Way back at 30k miles, I got my manual transmission fluid replaced *at the dealer*. Car immediately had intermittent trouble shifting, most noticeably from 1st to 2nd. I turned the car around and went back to the...

I got my MP3 ECU from car-part.com. The seller even sent me a pic of it before I bought it. You may be able to find an MSP ECU there.