P5 drivabilty issues

[bobster]

New P5 owner here. I have 1600 kM (1000 miles) on the clock. From the start I noticed some weirdness in the drive characteristics of the car. When starting from cold there is a slight hesitation up to 3000 rpm and then smooth. This lasts only a minute or so until warm. After 5 minutes of my morning drive I'm in bumper to bumber traffic and it sometimes hesitates and bucks when going slow (1000-2000 rpm). About ten minutes into the trip all is well ....nice and smooth. There are also some hot temperature concerns, I sensed that driving at a steady highway speed with the a/c on that a slight surge was present. Not a drop in power caused by the compressor kicking in but a momentary surging sensation.

Two trips to the dealer have resulted in two computer checks (codes OK and current software). The Master Technician took it for a cold start test drive and asked all the right questions about the bucking. He said his wifes P5 does same and this is a problem that a small % of cars have. His theory is that while everything measures OK there is an interaction between some emmision control devices that causes this condition. At the end of the second visit I was told "sorry there is no fix at this time ...maybe by your 8000km oil change there will be an answer."

Before I go ballistic and get after the Mazda regional Service rep I thought a little forum feedback might help. Anyone else have this problem? Any other dealer service stories similar? Any recommendations?

PS I love the car and want 100% goodness.

 

[eepr5]

ive noticed something similar in the mornings, but it is usually gone by the time I get out of my apartment complex. It feels like I drop the clutch too fast or something and the tires are half spinning half catching. I usually just ignore it and blame it on bad early morning footwork

 

[mts3]

I haven't noticed such a thing on my P5 but then again it's only got about 400 miles on it. When cold starting I let it idle for about 15 seconds (the owners manual says 10 seconds). I also don't rev over 3000rpms until the engine is warmed up.

In hot weather (it's been in the upper 90s here lately) it's as great as any 130hp car could be with the A/C going full blast.

Maybe mine is too new or I'm not in that small percentage.

 

[BK's black P5]

I'm pretty sure there is a thread about this situation. Do a search and you should find it.

 

[TexP5]

Not in any way trying to insult you or say anything about your driving. There have been other threads about this "bucking" and they have generally concluded that the car has a very finicky engine/clutch/accelerator set up and it's really an issue of practice. I was a little pissed about mine for the same reasons when I first got it, but it never bucks now. (3500 miles) I really believe it was me, not the car. Or, I guess actually it IS the car, but I have learned to manage it's weird behavior. The more I drive it the smoother I get.

The warm up thing is something entirely different. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...But I believe the cars have ultra low emissions engines and while I don't know the exact engineering issues involved this "cold-start" stuff has something to do with getting engine to operating temperatures faster so that the ultra low emissions systems function more quickly. The engine is designed to rev high for a few minutes and this is why it seems like it's "shaking"

Hope this helps...

 

[nramsey]

I have noticed both things with my car. I have about 1300 miles on it. I definately feel the power issue below 3K when cold, but I believe it has something to do with the variable intake mechanics, as it exactly coincides with the "cold rattle" everyone talks about. Not a big concern to me as it stops when I get a few blocks underway. As for the bucking, the P5 does seem to be quite sensitive to on/off throttle situations. Why this is I don't know, but both my car and the car I test drove had this behavior. Again, it doesn't concern me much as I have just slightly adjusted my driving style to include more declutching in stop and go traffic to avoid the situation.

Keep us informed if you find a fix though. I wouldn't mind smoothing it out, but I don't mind it much either.

 

[MrJoel]

My car has the issue with bucking when starting from a full stop. It does seem to only happen when it is cold. Like in the morning or if the car has been sitting all day. I brought it into the dealer and they said everything checks out. But they got it after I had to drive to them and it had a chance to warm up.

 

[DBR]

there have been quite a few threads on this issue, on this board and others. the best guess is that the bucking has something to do with the idle/off idle timing being too retarded and/or the fuel being too lean, because the car is ultra low emissions. i have driven a mazda mp3 (which is not ultra low emissions and has more advanced timing than the p5), and feel that the same problem does NOT happen, though some mp3 people feel their car bucks too.

by all means, complain like hell to mazda. if they don't fix our cars, at least they might fix it on future cars. it would help a lot if they only admitted what the issue is, so we don't have to trial and error the solution. they always respond that the problem is no worse than other cars.

i find the car is fine in suburbia or on the highway. it's just first gear rush hour traffic that drives me crazy.

m2 performance is making a chip for the turbo and N/A p5, and i've asked them whether their N/A chip will fix this problem. they say it might.

i bought a K&N air filter cause i heard this fixes the problem, but it made no difference for me.

one of the other members said the problem went away on his car when he improved the car's breathing, when he installed a new intake, cams, and opened up the exhaust, but i understand the end product won't pass emissions test.

i've wondered whether a piggy back computer can alter the fuel/timing at idle, but i always seem to read inconsistent messages about them. some say piggy backs only work at WOT, and some say they work everywhere BUT WOT. let's just say i remain confused, and am hoping the m2 chip will fix the problem.

but it would be nice if someone could tell us whether a new air intake alone solves the problem.

 

[Don]

I think at least part of the "bucking" sensation is that the car has VERY soft motor mounts, and that coupled with the grandma 1st gear we have can get the engine/trans rocking out of synch with what you're doing with the clutch.

I'd be interested in some less mushy mounts (but not all the way to polyurethane) if somebody markets them - I think it would take car of a big part of this problem as well.

Don

 

[fastdrvr23]

Bobster, I have the same thing happening to my car, it has since day one... There are a few threads pertaining to this.

Here's a good one with a service bulletin supposedly being investigated by mazda... Here

There's some more in this one too... 2nd one

I have email mazda north america about this problem like the folks in the above threads, and asked the dealer. The head mechanic here says that it will hurt nothing, but there should be a fix out eventually. I wonder if perhaps the new middle year update models have a fix integrated into the CPU?? Oh yeah, I always drive slow/very carefully on startup until about 5 minutes into driving, have since day one.

Oh well, the above posts should help some. As for the bucking in first gear. I can make this happen if I let out of the clutch forcefully without applying enough throttle, or coasting forward slowly and not pushing the clutch back in to coast. It happened for a day or too, and in my case I attributed it to the lightness of the clutch.

Hope this helps.

 

[nramsey]

I wonder if perhaps the new middle year update models have a fix integrated into the CPU??

Nope. My 2002.5 (build date 4/02) has the same issue. Glad to hear they are working on a fix though! Doesn't really bother me and I can't even hear it unless I turn the radio off (which seldom if ever happens)