ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
Picking this MSP up soon(hopefully!) Please let me know if everything is in order...
- Thread starter ParadoxSociety
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ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
What has been added? And has anything been removed? Should the turbo be in clear sight?
Theres a front mont intercooler with custom air intake and relocated MAF, you can see the sidemount intercooler is still in place but disconnected. Its also using a bov instead of the stock bpv. It also seems to be sitting lower than with the stock suspension. Its not necessarily bad but it exponentially increases the chances that the car was boosted over stock level at some point. Hard to tell what else was changed without additional pictures.
This is what it should look like in stock form
http://image.modified.com/f/15579836+w750+st0/0309_02z+Mazdaspeed_Protege+Full_Engine_Bay_View.jpg
This is what it should look like in stock form
http://image.modified.com/f/15579836+w750+st0/0309_02z+Mazdaspeed_Protege+Full_Engine_Bay_View.jpg
How many MSP have not seen increased boost? And for that matter there is not standard stock boost, as each MSP seemed to have had a different adjustment made to the WGA arm when at the port. Granted it's not a wide variance. Some people had as low as 4 and as high as 8 in stock trim.
If that original side motor mount is not broken, then that is pretty good indicator that the car was not driven spiritly once in a while. Its the black mount on the passenger side with the blue paint dot on it. You can run your finger around it a feel for rips.
Make sure it idles at 750 rpms and does not stall out when driving and pushing in the clutch. Vacuum should read around -20.
I don't see any boost controller solenoids in the engine bay. There is an aftermarket small air cleaner on the turbo. Oil residue on the front of the head, could be from loose cover bolts or a worn out gasket.
If that original side motor mount is not broken, then that is pretty good indicator that the car was not driven spiritly once in a while. Its the black mount on the passenger side with the blue paint dot on it. You can run your finger around it a feel for rips.
Make sure it idles at 750 rpms and does not stall out when driving and pushing in the clutch. Vacuum should read around -20.
I don't see any boost controller solenoids in the engine bay. There is an aftermarket small air cleaner on the turbo. Oil residue on the front of the head, could be from loose cover bolts or a worn out gasket.
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
Looks like a nice car, one thing I would have the seller do is remove the heatshield on the turbo manifold and show you if there are any bolts missing, that is an extremely common occurrence. It has an HKS SSQV Black edition Blow off Valve (BOV), I have the same one and it sounds sweet.
ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
Unfortunately, the car has about 160,000 miles on it. But if I can make the car last another four years or so, I'll be a happy camper.
What is an FMIC?
and as Custom MSP said, what is an FSDE? are they a serious risk to the car?
There is a picture of the interior with all the gauges, if it matters!
160k miles is a bit high. Your number one concern would be burning oil due to ring, valve seal and or turbo wear. I would probably pay no more than 5k for such a MSP. FMIC stands for Front Mounted Intercooler, which this car has. FSDE is the engine code of the Protege. You can find a low mileage replacement engine for anywhere between 600-1k depending on the model and condition, if you ever need to refresh your future MSP.
ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
I also have the opportunity to purchase a silver MSP that has 20k less miles, but lacking some of the aftermarket mods. Also, the seller for the Yellow MSP seems so much more proud of his car, and happier with it than the seller for the silver one, which makes me trust the guy with the yellow one more.
Also, where could I find a replacement engine? No junkyards around here have ever seen a protege, and idk how I would be able to find one elsewhere. are there websites that deal in strictly MSP engines?
EDIT: The silver one also has a branded title :/
Also, where could I find a replacement engine? No junkyards around here have ever seen a protege, and idk how I would be able to find one elsewhere. are there websites that deal in strictly MSP engines?
EDIT: The silver one also has a branded title :/
ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
Also, another thing. If I took this car directly from the guys house to Mazda for a tune-up, would that help make sure my cars in tip-top shape and will last me?
I bought my last one on ebay, from a 2002 Mazda 626 with 60k miles. There are a lot of Protege engines from Japan (already imported by various engine importers) for about $800 shipped with low mileage as they have emissions laws which force people to retire their cars with 60k kilometers or more.
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Unless that dealership employes a master tech who's been with Mazda long enough to have worked on MSPs for TSBs and other MSP related issues, I think that you're better off taking it to you local trusted mechanic. Your main concern should be how much of, if any, does the engine burn oil. However, if you plan on fully building the engine up with aftermarket forged components down the road, then it's not as much of an issue. The transmission in our cars is also not the smoothest. You need see if it grinds going into any gear.
ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
http://www.jdmenginescorp.com/engin...6-protege-jdm-fs-de-dohc-2.0l-engine-fs-motor
http://jdmengineworld.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=76
You'd need a replacement engine with coil packs as pictured in the above links.
http://jdmengineworld.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=76
You'd need a replacement engine with coil packs as pictured in the above links.
ParadoxSociety
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
So the Mazda 626 has the same engine as the non-boosted protege engine?
Boosted or not, it's the same Engine. The only difference is in the Main Bearing Support Plate (also known as MBSP or upper oil pan) on the MSP. It has a fitting for the oil return line from the turbo. There's also the FSZE, a JDM Protege engine with high compression which is not good for boosting.
