Mashed-In MP5

[Mookhaasa]

I have always liked the MP5 since its debut, now that I need a family car I had a first choice for DaddyWagon.

For the last half a year I have randomly checked Craigslist locally for one to pop up. Usually amazingly maintaned and top dollar.

Yesterday I jumped on and found a lightly abused blue wagon and bought it straight up for asking price, under 2k, how under is left to the imagination...

Drove it around and it felt solid other than the horribly shot wheel bearing. Bit high on the mileage, but I'm not worried, if it breaks it only gets better.

Driving it home I almost made it before the hydraulic line for the clutch leaked out. So I have to get a line and throw it on and bleed it. :/ wasn't planning on doing that so soon.

I have lurked here before a bit, but I figured better join sooner than later.

 

[zoom zoom sp20]

Welcome

 

[Mookhaasa]

So no one has one(hydraulic line) locally so I have to wait til tomorrow. Picked up front wheel bearings and will try to get that knocked out tomorrow at while at work.

Got it Registered and hopefully they let me have the plates I asked for. Next up call the insurance and all that fun stuff. :/

Other than that, I will be swapping fluids whenever I get time.

Noticed water in the trunk behind the panels, saw a thread on that, I don't have a sunroof(which I love), so It's probably the tail light. I'll get pics whenever I see my camera next.

 

[Mookhaasa]

 

[J_Naoto]

welcome (thumb)

is the s13 yours too?

 

[Mookhaasa]

Yeah. I have an 89 Hatch, 90 Hatch, and 89 Coupe. All SOHC KA pretty close too stock. I have been messing with those since 06, but have always wanted an MP5, so now I am going to get in too the mazda thing a little. Wife likes Dubs.

I tried to get a 510 Wagon but I didn't have the cash at the time.

 

[Mookhaasa]

Happy Halloween Ya'll.

And this is some guy in germany, only posting it cuz I just saw it in my album.

 

[Installshield 2]

welcome to the forum, man.

As far as the clutch line...I'm saying this from literally doing this Friday night last week. Its an easy job, but you'll need to have another person around for the bleeding part (unless you use a hand pump, more on that farther down). The factory shop manual is very vague about how the brake system integrates with the clutch system. They share a fluid reservoir, as explained, but it apparently draws in fluid from near the top of said reservoir. So this is only heads up. After bleeding the clutch line, IMMEDIATELY top off the reservoir again (this is what the shop manual doesn't say, but it will suck air in on the second bleeding attempt if its not completely topped off). I was completely stumped because i bled it once with a friend pumping the clutch pedal then holding it in. It did what it should. I closed the bleeder valve, he started pumping it again...but said it had nearly no resistance...bleed it out once more...the pedal stayed on the floor, and would not build pressure when you picked it up and pumped by hand.

The reservoir was just barely under the 'max' line, but the clutch slave cylinder was clearly fluid starved...just making hissing noises. I couldn't get anything to happen until i filled the reservoir to nearly over flowing levels. and then just one single bleed would draw in like half a cup of fluid.

Its one of those things where a hand pump speed bleeder might actually be a little easier (i hate them for brake bleeding)...but using the clutch pedal creates A LOT of pressure, and A LOT of fluid will come screaming out of the valve the second its barely opened. Its very hard to only bleed out a small amount each time. a hand pump (which i used to finish, but isn't necessary) creates much less vacuum than the clutch pedal creates pressure...if that makes sense.

So sorry for the essay, but just make sure you have a good bit of brake fluid on hand when you replace the line. Its also not a bad idea to completely bleed/replace the brake system as well...Protege's, like most mazdas, caliper designs are not great for keeping moisture out of the system...I just replaced the entire system with Motul 5.1...and what came out of the system during the job looked like black coffee...thats a lot of rust that shouldn't be in there, and after i was done it was a night and day difference on brake and clutch engagement.

 

[ihone]

Welcome fellow Mp5'er.

Our cars look almost identical.....so we're kinda related, ya know?

 

[stephyw2001]

I like the blue color of your MP5. I have the red color. I like mine a lot, but I do find I need to rework the brakes, and touch up the paint every summer. I know very little about fixing cars, but since I don't have money to take to mechanics (who I think will try to rip me off since I'm a girl anyway) I've been learning a lot from the people on here. I hope you find it as useful as I have!

 

[Mookhaasa]

Thanks guys.

Yeah I am ready to do the main repairs but this storm has made me not want to stand outside and do it.

My brakes worked pretty well while I was driving that short distance I did, but I may want to upgrade to something slighty better and I plan on turboing if the bottom ends are identical to the speeds.

I think I read mazda 6 brakes can be thrown on.

I need to get it driving and then I can start addressing the rust and leaks.

 

[Mookhaasa]

I did the front wheel bearings yesterday. Gonna go back up tomorrow and try to finish bleeding the clutch.

I think I would rather the clutch and BMC reservoirs be separate, maybe that is just me.

KNOWN ISSUES
Wheel Bearingsdone
Clutch Hydraulic LineDone
Windshield cracked
Tires suck
Car audio sucks/headunit is busted (won't eject the current cd, although I found a Nickelback CD elsewhere in the car so I might be glad it won't eject or play)
Dents
Rust Spots
Cracked Gauge plastic
Unknown CEL
PO put a cone filter and connected it to the maf so I have a sweet hot air intake
Water in trunk driverside quarter panel



I did notice the under side seems pretty damn clean.

 

[Mookhaasa]

Got the bearings done and got the car home.

The hydraulics still feel they are leaking slightly it was nice and firm and by the time I got home it wasn't as sturdy feeling. It might have a tiny leak where the the line connects to the slave. but I don't see a ton of fluid anywhere though.

Going to try and get a new windshield sometime soon. Looking a getting some 205/55 r16's to replace the pretty worn tires it came with.

Still get a little noise from the front, the ball joint didn't look destroyed so I'm not sure if that is it.

Bushings for the shifter seem pretty much gone, and I probably need new motor mounts.

Looked under the Valve cover and it looked pretty clean, so that's good.

I think I might buy everything for the timing set and do it sometime soon, so I can be sure it gets done before I start beating on it.

Fun to drive so far, however I am constantly looking for something to go wrong so I can fix it, so I am not quite fully enjoying my time with the MP5 yet.

Gonna try and clean it up soon.

The brakes seem not quite right when I looked at them, So I may be doing a stock replacement of all that stuff soon too.

 

[ihone]

As for the hydraulic connection to the slave - try some white teflon tape. It worked for mine when it was leaking.

New shifter bushings can be had for 20 bucks USD from ebay. Or you can spend more and get pretty much the same thing from other spots.

Timing belt/tensioner/waterpump/serp. belt - do it.

Brakes - you can upgrade them to Mazda6 brakes and it's a hefty upgrade. There are also some other options as far as brakes go - new stock calipers from anywhere really, with a brake kit bought from here >>>> http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...roParts-USA-Brake-Kit-for-your-Mazda-Protege5 That'll fix yo uup

Other than a little work - it looks like she's road worthy with some new shoes. Good luck bud!

 

[Brains]

I'll be doing the 2006+ mazda6 front brake swap on my pro. sometime in the next week or so- i plan on putting the rear brakes from a V6 mazda-626 on the rears too. I'll post some pictures that should be helpful... if not just entertaining. Usually when we do anything to my car we shear at least 2 bolts, that's always entertaining.

my pro. was pretty beat up when i got it- the previous owner bought it as a beater (it was a 2001ES... i feel like a beater should have been more of... a beater.) and recently got a brand new nissan maxima, so the pro. just sort of sat in the street. Point is, i *think it had the OEM spark plugs in it. When tested with a spark plug gap tester disc thing, the whole disk fit in the gap. (i lol'd) Make sure you look into basic maintenance like that (i'm sure you know though... but just in case.)

+1 on the timing belt, mine went for 160,000 before we did it, probably not the smartest.
take care of the rust- my rear fender (or is it.... a quarter panel? hmm.) rust where the bumper cover mounts doubled in size in the 6 months i had the car before we cut it off. (eventually, the whole panel on my car will need to be replaced cause it's still rusting... i don't know if that's even an option, so don't let it get too bad)

O, you've got water in the trunk? I had a puddle in mine where the spare jack is (maybe unique to the sedan, but i'll mention it in case it helps) because the fender rust made a hole in between the body panels so water from my tire was shooting into the cavity. My my spare jack was pretty much disintegrated when i discovered i actually had a spare jack. (again... i lol'd)

nice car man, i always liked seeing the p5's drivin' around.
oh, also: make sure your J-pipe isn't getting ready to bust off where it attaches to the uhh... 2nd cat with the spring bolts...

 

[Installshield 2]

yeah, as far as brakes...there are a ton of options...luckily Mazda, for a long time, used identical caliper slide bolt dimensions between lots of different cars, as well as the knuckle geometry for how they mount. Off the top of my head, i can't remember what all stuff fits...but this is one i'm positive about:

I have front calipers from a 2001 626 V6, as well as rotors and pads...but MSP rotors will work with this set up (larger than stock). I have MSP rear calipers, mazda 6 rotors, and FD RX-7 pads. Motul 5.1 for the entire system, and the stock master cylinder.

I did this upgrade in 2005'ish...never had a problem with any component, and have been happy with the bite i get. the newer trend is basically full mazda 6 everything, or derivatives of that, but when i needed to replace some stuff prices were still very high on the 6 components...as it was still very new, with little aftermarket replacement parts available at the time (easily running over $1000 from a dealer). One thing to keep in mind is how the master cylinder interacts with bigger calipers...I wasn't interested in getting multiple piston setups, as they'll draw in a lot more fluid to activate...which translates into more pedal movement instead of the instant grab that the factory'ish sized calipers do. Most that do really big brake upgrades switch to a V6 millenia MC iirc. which fixes that, but is additional work to bench bleed and install.

 

[Mookhaasa]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I think for now being stock power I will pretty much just redo hardware and get new rotors and pads, clean up the calipers and throw everything back together.

Then when I have more power or about to have more power or I up the wheel size and rotating mass, I'll get the stuff for a bigger brake setup.

I noticed the coolant res was a bit under full, but when warmed and running its exactly at full. Kind of interesting to me.

Still some road noise that I am not totally sure about, so I may get some used fronts and see whats up with balanced tires.

I haven't looked at the rear brake setup yet. I need to get a few things like a driver's front sidemarker for a p5. So I can get my windshield and a new inspection. After I vote I want to get the ecu codes checked out and go from there.

I like the car but I am so used to a nissan that the short gears kind of throw me off. I'll get used to it, my first car was an Honda EM1.

 

[Installshield 2]

fluctuating coolant levels (to a certain degree) are normal with a 'semi pressurized' cooling system. The rad cap and pump will create pressure to increase the boiling point of the coolant, but the reservoir is not a sealed design...hotter coolant will increase slightly in volume (and thus, some will be pushed into the overflow reservoir when fully heated) due to water molecules being sustained at their boiling point...This automatically regulates your coolant mixture...too much water, and some will be boiled off (this is why the overflow reservoir has an opening at the top)...too little water, the coolant won't expand properly, and the reservoir will be drained (signalling you to add more water/coolant mixture of the right ratio)...Systems like this are designed to work with OE coolant and a proper mixture of distilled water...so they get a little funny when you start adding auto-part store pre-mixed stuff that has some distillates and things that change the properties of the mixture...they still work fine, but you can get some different reservoir readings fairly regularly. They're trickier to flush than some fully sealed/pressurized European designs (its hard to get all the old coolant out), but the self adjusting nature usually makes them a little less problematic.

so fluctuations between a hot and cold system is for the most part ok...but if its obviously boiling over into the reservoir regularly, that could mean a number of problems (air in the system, dying thermostat)...and if its continuously needing coolant added, could be a leak, failing water pump, head gasket, etc...

lastly...the reservoir can change simply by the settings for the heater core. If you haven't ran the car with the heat on for any length of time, the core will be drained slightly through vacuum, and that coolant will then be pushed into the reservoir tank...until you open it again.

 

[Mookhaasa]

Went to leave to go to the store and snapped my front driver rubberband. I am not a fan of thin tires unless you have to because of wheel size.

These 45 tire walls on a stock car are not my thing. Oh well hopefully tomorrow I have time to play musical wheels.

 

[Mookhaasa]

I will watch the level in the res. It doesn't seem over pressurized. I need to to do that a/c fan speed dealy tho.

That wiper stalk mod seems sweet too.

I got my real plates in the mail today also.

Then went to vote(2.5hours later)FML. It was dark. My wife wants to go out of town til tomorrow, so unless I get stuff done early, mazda might have to get ignored for a bit. :/ At least its to OBX.