Mazdaspeed6 Intermittent Lack of Power Concern Fix Available
- Thread starter crossbow
- Start date
I had a problem when i first bought my car. During hard accelleration the car would jerk back an forth. Took it to the dealer an they said the purge valve was bad. Whatever that is? But anyways they did a reflash as well. It has been doing fine for a couple month until last weekend i was taking off normal and it began to jerk again an the CEL came on. Reset the computer and its been doing fine. But i always notice when i get close so 1/4 tank it has hesitation. I have a boost gauge installed and the highest i ever hit is 12-13. When its hot outside it feels a lot slower an only maxes out at 7-8psi.
Disapointment
I have owned a 2007 Mazdaspeed 6 for a few months and I am completely unhappy with the intermintant loss of power. I have taken it to two different dealers three times now and they say they can't find a problem. In fact it's at the dealer right now. Mazda told the dealer to do a octane test. I told the dealer I put in the highest I can get which is 91 here in Utah. I notice on a cool morning it has more power than in the heat of the day. It seems to have loss of power with a low amount of fuel.
I owned a 2005 Mazda 6i 2.3 before which I sold to my brother. I have raced him twice and he keeps right there with me. Where is the HP? What a PoS. I paid double for leather and a sunroof? Where is the power that sold me on this car?!?!
I'm getting tired of dealing with this.
I have owned a 2007 Mazdaspeed 6 for a few months and I am completely unhappy with the intermintant loss of power. I have taken it to two different dealers three times now and they say they can't find a problem. In fact it's at the dealer right now. Mazda told the dealer to do a octane test. I told the dealer I put in the highest I can get which is 91 here in Utah. I notice on a cool morning it has more power than in the heat of the day. It seems to have loss of power with a low amount of fuel.
I owned a 2005 Mazda 6i 2.3 before which I sold to my brother. I have raced him twice and he keeps right there with me. Where is the HP? What a PoS. I paid double for leather and a sunroof? Where is the power that sold me on this car?!?!
I'm getting tired of dealing with this.
wannabe said:
I agree......... this car was practically developed and made using 93 octane gas, multiple people who have used 91 octane have complained many times that they have loss of power, either you need to get 93 octane or have the car reflashed, or (if that doesn't help) to get an EMS to tune it for 91 octane.
I truly believe this car is just still in it's fine tuning stage, and there is just gonna be moments where you'll lack some power. It's very picky when it comes to the climate in my experience. This car just isn't gonna be perfectly smooth in it's power delivery like an N/A engine, so all you can do is put the highest octane gas in, and enjoy the good days where you have full power.
Over time, if and when Cobb comes out with a tuner for this, I expect to see a major improvement, but as of now, I enjoy this reflash, and I'll take the smoother acceleration over the frequent loss of power, and in my case with 93 octane, this car for the most part runs very smoothly and powerfully.
Over time, if and when Cobb comes out with a tuner for this, I expect to see a major improvement, but as of now, I enjoy this reflash, and I'll take the smoother acceleration over the frequent loss of power, and in my case with 93 octane, this car for the most part runs very smoothly and powerfully.
I honestly have no power loss issues, I'm having for that.... it may be I just baby my car, because I don't really drive hard, I only speed up to make a pass on some douche blocking the lanes, but I never lack the power to speed up and pass when I need to, or even lack the power when the douche actually decides he's going to try and speed up on me so I can't pass.
But I agree with the fine tuning....... I'd like to see how the Cobb compares to the CPE since the CPE is very close to PnP now....
But I agree with the fine tuning....... I'd like to see how the Cobb compares to the CPE since the CPE is very close to PnP now....
My question is how can they sell a car that requires 93 in a area that you can get only 91? The dealer told me last night that the octane test showed the throttle pulled back. Mazda said that I'm not using the right octane. duh!?!? What can I do? I can't add octane booster to every tank. Gas is too expensive as it is. I love the looks of this car I just wish it didn't have this problem.
BTW....Talked to Utah's consumer protection. If I take the car in four times and they can't fix the trouble Mazda has to buy back the car minus mileage. The buy back includes tax too. That is Utah's "Lemon Law". I have had it in three times so far. I would prefer it fixed and keep the car but I'm not going to continue with this. I guess I will be shopping for something new.(pissed)
BTW....Talked to Utah's consumer protection. If I take the car in four times and they can't fix the trouble Mazda has to buy back the car minus mileage. The buy back includes tax too. That is Utah's "Lemon Law". I have had it in three times so far. I would prefer it fixed and keep the car but I'm not going to continue with this. I guess I will be shopping for something new.(pissed)
rms said:
Have you had the reflash performed on the car yet? A lot of the people who've had the reflash have been better now when they use 91 octane...... even the MS3 was tuned for 91 octane (i assume cause of the problems with the MS6 and 91 octane)
rms said:
Well if they weren't helpful, I'm sorry to say but it appears like you may be getting a new car
If you liked the MS6 a lot I would suggest at least looking at the Subaru Legacy GT. Just saw one on the road today about an hour ago coming home.... they caught up to me (i was driving a little spirited, heh) and I asked them what they paid out the door for the car, because honestly I was considering the MS6 and the Legecy GT..... driver turned out to be a female and told me 27.5 which is a little bit higher than what most people have been buying 2006 MS6s for brand new.... I got my MS6 with 4k miles for 20k so that's pretty much what made me decide on the car over the Subaru.
I know you like your car a lot though so uh, I hope it works out for you in the end. I do know that an EMS like CP-E's Standback would help your surging issues, as it seems to have helped other people's issues. Not sure if you'd want to go that route though.
hey guys i have a few questions
what does CEL stand for
what is "EMS like CP-E's Standback"
what does this mean "Cobb compares to the CPE since the CPE is very close to PnP now"
reason I care is cause i have an 06 with 13k+ miles and now i am getting the lack or power issue. I have to turn the car off and as soon as i turn back on the full boost is back, very wierd.
also, some posts from late 2006 in this thread talked about mazda releasing an update to the reflash. did this happen? I am considering getting it done.
Also, what is strange, the dealer i got it from sent me a letter that they would buy back the car for $21,000 if i bought an 2008 model.
what does CEL stand for
what is "EMS like CP-E's Standback"
what does this mean "Cobb compares to the CPE since the CPE is very close to PnP now"
reason I care is cause i have an 06 with 13k+ miles and now i am getting the lack or power issue. I have to turn the car off and as soon as i turn back on the full boost is back, very wierd.
also, some posts from late 2006 in this thread talked about mazda releasing an update to the reflash. did this happen? I am considering getting it done.
Also, what is strange, the dealer i got it from sent me a letter that they would buy back the car for $21,000 if i bought an 2008 model.
ok first things first
CEL = Check Engine Light... the little light on your dashboard that looks like an engine and pops up when it detects something is wrong, usually accompanied by a "check engine" written under the symbol.
EMS = Engine Management System. It's basically a piggy back that allows you more control over the car from what the factory's computer does. Think of it like a hack, example. You want to access money in a bank's ATM machine. You swipe a keypad finder through the card slot, etc etc... you hack teh atm and it spits out $500 for you.
COBB is a company making an EMS, called the "AccessPort" they still have not made it. there is controversy regarding whether their EMS will be better than CP-E (Custom Performance Engineering) or XEDE's EMS, since they do great things for Subarus.
PnP = Plug And Play. as of now 2 EMS are available for the car. Both require you to splice into your existing wires. PnP means being able to plug the EMS into a socket make changes, and remove the EMS if you need to from the car for any reason.
There are quite a few reflashes from Mazda. Recalls if you will. There is one concerning surge and sputter of engine on boost. There is a recall for that, some have said it fixes their car but makes it feel slower. This really hasn't been 100% confirmed by anyone, but if you're losing boost you should definitely have the dealer check it to see if you have a leak.
lastly, there are no 2008 mazdaspeed6 models... so whatever letter you're getting is a lie. Unless you have a REGULAR Mazda6 model, which judging by your signature you do not, the letter is just bogus to get you back on the lot and be hounded.
but definitely get your boost drop checked out. you may have a leak or such that needs to be fixed.
CEL = Check Engine Light... the little light on your dashboard that looks like an engine and pops up when it detects something is wrong, usually accompanied by a "check engine" written under the symbol.
EMS = Engine Management System. It's basically a piggy back that allows you more control over the car from what the factory's computer does. Think of it like a hack, example. You want to access money in a bank's ATM machine. You swipe a keypad finder through the card slot, etc etc... you hack teh atm and it spits out $500 for you.
COBB is a company making an EMS, called the "AccessPort" they still have not made it. there is controversy regarding whether their EMS will be better than CP-E (Custom Performance Engineering) or XEDE's EMS, since they do great things for Subarus.
PnP = Plug And Play. as of now 2 EMS are available for the car. Both require you to splice into your existing wires. PnP means being able to plug the EMS into a socket make changes, and remove the EMS if you need to from the car for any reason.
There are quite a few reflashes from Mazda. Recalls if you will. There is one concerning surge and sputter of engine on boost. There is a recall for that, some have said it fixes their car but makes it feel slower. This really hasn't been 100% confirmed by anyone, but if you're losing boost you should definitely have the dealer check it to see if you have a leak.
lastly, there are no 2008 mazdaspeed6 models... so whatever letter you're getting is a lie. Unless you have a REGULAR Mazda6 model, which judging by your signature you do not, the letter is just bogus to get you back on the lot and be hounded.
but definitely get your boost drop checked out. you may have a leak or such that needs to be fixed.
thanks for the reply, good info
considering the boost loss is "fixed" with a restart of the engine, could it really be a leak? A leak to me would mean a consistent problem. No sputtering occurs, but instead of the expected kick in the ass boost past 3k+/- rpm, i just get a wet fish, meaning minimal boost or non at all.
The letter stated a 2008 model, being whatever they made in 08, not a ms6
considering the boost loss is "fixed" with a restart of the engine, could it really be a leak? A leak to me would mean a consistent problem. No sputtering occurs, but instead of the expected kick in the ass boost past 3k+/- rpm, i just get a wet fish, meaning minimal boost or non at all.
The letter stated a 2008 model, being whatever they made in 08, not a ms6
oh ok the letter meant whatever 2008 model I thought they were telling you a 2008 MS6, lol.
To be honest about the vacuum leak being fixed when restarted, I don't really know........ stranger things have been known to happen in life.
But just the fact your car simply STOPS boosting doesn't seem right. Definitely get that looked at under your warranty.
and yes there is a reflash of the ECU regarding powerloss to the cars....... they may need to apply that to your car.
reflash update opinion
I purchased my 2006 speed 6 in November of 2006 and have been driving it this long without the reflash. I just had the reflash done last week and here are my opinions:
#1 - there is NO power loss, in fact the car seems to have much MORE power then it did prior to the reflash. I love this car but one of my main gripes with it was how the torque would kick in WAY to early which would cause the car to, literally, hit a brick wall at 4000 RPM's and above. The "sweet spot" in this car, before the reflash, was very small (boost kicked in at 2500 RPM's and then fell completely flat at 4000 RPM's). Couple this with a 6 speed and you can imagine how many extra shifts you had to make in order to keep the car in power.
Now, after I had the reflash, it's like driving a completely different car (in a good way). Boost now kicks in at the same 2500 RPM's, but now you can accelerate all the way to 5500 RPM's without any loss of power. The service manager, who is into modding his cars also, explained that the "old" program in the ECU was making the turbo spool too quickly and it was running out of it's effeciency range prematurely. I have no idea about turbos and I won't even try to pretend I do, but this explaination made sense to me, logically. The reflash also took care of most of the "fuel cut" problems I had in third and fourth gear. There is still a split second hesitation but nothing like it was prior to the reflash. I should also mention they replaced the actuator valve in the manifold because that was sticking a bit.
#2 - Yes, the short burst of boost that use to kick in at 3000 RPM's is lost but I will gladly give that up for a more linear and longer boost. It does not feel any slower to me, in fact it feels like it is quicker. I don't have any before or after dyno stats or 1/4 mile times to support my theory. All I am trying to do is give people that are on the fence about doing it one person's opinion.
Anyway, I personally would recommend getting this reflash done if you are not happy with the way your car putts out at 4000 RPM's
I forgot to mention that my only mod is the mazdaspeed CAI
I purchased my 2006 speed 6 in November of 2006 and have been driving it this long without the reflash. I just had the reflash done last week and here are my opinions:
#1 - there is NO power loss, in fact the car seems to have much MORE power then it did prior to the reflash. I love this car but one of my main gripes with it was how the torque would kick in WAY to early which would cause the car to, literally, hit a brick wall at 4000 RPM's and above. The "sweet spot" in this car, before the reflash, was very small (boost kicked in at 2500 RPM's and then fell completely flat at 4000 RPM's). Couple this with a 6 speed and you can imagine how many extra shifts you had to make in order to keep the car in power.
Now, after I had the reflash, it's like driving a completely different car (in a good way). Boost now kicks in at the same 2500 RPM's, but now you can accelerate all the way to 5500 RPM's without any loss of power. The service manager, who is into modding his cars also, explained that the "old" program in the ECU was making the turbo spool too quickly and it was running out of it's effeciency range prematurely. I have no idea about turbos and I won't even try to pretend I do, but this explaination made sense to me, logically. The reflash also took care of most of the "fuel cut" problems I had in third and fourth gear. There is still a split second hesitation but nothing like it was prior to the reflash. I should also mention they replaced the actuator valve in the manifold because that was sticking a bit.
#2 - Yes, the short burst of boost that use to kick in at 3000 RPM's is lost but I will gladly give that up for a more linear and longer boost. It does not feel any slower to me, in fact it feels like it is quicker. I don't have any before or after dyno stats or 1/4 mile times to support my theory. All I am trying to do is give people that are on the fence about doing it one person's opinion.
Anyway, I personally would recommend getting this reflash done if you are not happy with the way your car putts out at 4000 RPM's
I forgot to mention that my only mod is the mazdaspeed CAI
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the flash takes care of the car going into "fail safe" too early. This is why when you shut off the car and restart you have boost again. When the computer senses too much knock it will cut timing and cut boost down to save the motor. The reflash allows for more fuel and timing to get rid of knock and thus more boost "power" til redline.
When i was working at mazda, i had a MS6 with the same issue, after 10mins of driving, loss of power over 2500. and sure enough you drive it on the freeway for 10mins. and you try to accelerate it would fall on its ass after 2500 rpm.
The flash takes care of this, but some think that it makes it slower and have not had the flash done yet.
As soon as i get mine back from CarMax for scratches on the paint i will be getting the flash done, it hasn't been done yet and i feel it surge when trying to boost everytime i get on it and this will take care of that.
When i was working at mazda, i had a MS6 with the same issue, after 10mins of driving, loss of power over 2500. and sure enough you drive it on the freeway for 10mins. and you try to accelerate it would fall on its ass after 2500 rpm.
The flash takes care of this, but some think that it makes it slower and have not had the flash done yet.
As soon as i get mine back from CarMax for scratches on the paint i will be getting the flash done, it hasn't been done yet and i feel it surge when trying to boost everytime i get on it and this will take care of that.
Stewblack23
Member
Questions about MS6 Power loss problem.
I'm thinking about buying a MS6 next year and I have been reading about the power loss problems on various sites. It got me re-thinking about buying the ride. However blogger Crossbow provided great information below. My questions are does this power loss only happen on 2006 MS6's and does it effect the 2006 MS3's as well. Also is the cost of this software update under the manufactures warranty or do I have to pay out of pocket?
I'm thinking about buying a MS6 next year and I have been reading about the power loss problems on various sites. It got me re-thinking about buying the ride. However blogger Crossbow provided great information below. My questions are does this power loss only happen on 2006 MS6's and does it effect the 2006 MS3's as well. Also is the cost of this software update under the manufactures warranty or do I have to pay out of pocket?
