odd power issues?

tweety2300

Member
:
2001 mazda protege mp3
So story of a protege fix one problem another comes along. Anyway at random times usually when warm my car seems like it has no power at all untill a little over 2500 rpms then it accelerates just fine. What all could cause this? I know my precat is bad its got 145k on it and no cel for now
 
How would I check to see if its the main cat? And you have a header that deleted your precat right? Cause I don't and it rules that out
 
I get this sometimes when the engine is cold. Take off from a stop normally (don't notice any lack of power), hit 2.5-3K RPM in second and *boom* power boost :D

I always figured this was a quirk of the ECU's cold-start map or something like that. You're saying it happens after the engine warms up?
 
usually but it did it this morning when it was still cold. ive never seen any car do this its completely random and can go from doing it every stop to once every few days im hoping its something simple but either way its going to take awhile before i know if its fixed or not. in a way its kinda cool having a car that feels like its turbod even though its not
 
what about the air filter could that be causing it? i just have a cheap spectre from autozone i suppose it could be too dirty or maybe plugs? theyre about a year or 2 old
 
This strongly sounds like a fueling issue and I would take a long look at the throttle position sensor, the MAF, and intake temp sensor.
 
what about the air filter could that be causing it? i just have a cheap spectre from autozone i suppose it could be too dirty or maybe plugs? theyre about a year or 2 old

I have a year-old Mazda filter, and year-old plugs. I'm pretty my car's been doing this ever since I bought it.

This strongly sounds like a fueling issue and I would take a long look at the throttle position sensor, the MAF, and intake temp sensor.

That's why I mentioned the ECU, during a cold start you burn very rich at low RPM to compensate for cylinder wall condensation (and something else I can't remember atm). I'm assuming that the mixture is so rich that you're actually losing power. Perhaps when you hit 2.5-3K RPM the ECU leans out the mixture which ends up giving you a nice little power boost :)

I'm talking out my ass so take this theory for what it's worth. If someone has an AFR meter on an N/A protege, let us know what your cold-start readings are.
 
That would be a good explanation if it only did it when it was cold it also does it when its warm... I have an intake and my iat is just dangling I suppose I could try to reposition it. If I was having a problems with the maf wouldn't it be throwing a code? With every one else having this issue I'm guessing it could just be a protege thing
 
I will write in my symptoms since this thread has much better input:

I've been noticing that my accerleration is sometimes hindered, like boggy. There are times that I have to press the accelerator a lot to make the car move from a stop.

When I press the gas pedal normaly it, bogs and then power comes back in a split second. Have anyone experienced something like this? No check engine lights. When bogging i can hear the intake strong.

But then sometimes the car seems to accelerate and pull normal with minimal gas pedal input and effort.

My car is an automatic. The question is, what can cause this?

My setup:
*Injen Intake
*Header + 02 sensor mod for no check engine light.
*108k - timing belt done.

I really don't know what to look for. Everything "seems" fine but it is really annoying specially from traffic lights and launching acceleration in general.

UPDATE:Now that my rpm gauge is working properly (new gauges), I am able to see that the car from idle to ~1500-2000k rpms is when I experience this boggy/power-response interruption. When ~2000k it "wakes up" and power/momentum is back... any suggestion? There are moments when power/response is faster (lower rpms).

When this does not happen, I hear less effort from the intake. When it does I hear the intake particularly louder - all of this is with the same gas pedal input.

It occurs randomly but I feel fotomoto's may be on to something and tweety's leaningout theory...

I made a hole to the aftermarket air filter and positioned the IAT sensor inside the filter.

Also, spark wires is something that works or don't work? OR may bring intermittent power issues? Because if so, I think it would reflect a different kind of symptom...right? I guess like power spikes within the whole powerband.

Anyway I've been thinking of repositioning the IAT somewhere else. Any suggestion where?
 
Last edited:
My rpms don't jump around aside from the random occurences its completely fine idles around 750 rpms revs just fine with the clutch pushed in I need to try runing higher octane gas it may just be the ecu throwing a fit although regular has never hurt it any like this in the past 2 years...
 
No idea. I did notice yesterday that it was kinda up and down with power going up a hill I've noticed it before but this time it did it long enough for me to rule out the torn motor mount. Also I only notice this in 1st and sometimes 2nd gear. Is it all the time for everybody else or just 1st and 2nd?
 
any suggestion where relocating the IAT sensor?

Technically it should be in the intake airflow, but it really doesn't matter. If you can't place it inside your air intake, just keep it away from the heat of the engine.

Is it all the time for everybody else or just 1st and 2nd?

For me it happens just once or twice after a cold start in 2nd. It might happen in 1rst too, but I tend to baby my car after a cold start (ie. shift under 2.5k RPM) so I'm not 100% sure.
 
Could hot air going into the engine cause it? I noticed how close my intake is to the radiator and I need to move it or get a real intake
 

New Threads and Articles

Back