What have you done to your MSP today?
- Thread starter baconbitz
- Start date
Please tell me it actually works out of the box this time...I hate when companies won't acknowledge that they screwed up a product and put it on the customer to fix something that shouldn't have needed fixing in the first place.
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
I installed it at noon yesterday, cleaned the residual coolant that wasn't baked on my recently polished radiator, drove it last night and this morning, checked and we're all good. I was actually half expecting to pop the hood, see coolant and immediately call and scream at Mishimoto.
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
I've found a CX-7 with a broken timing chain for $1,000 about 100 miles away. My girlfriend really doesn't want me buying a non-running car to repair and drive. She'd rather I spend $6,000 on one that currently runs that I'd have to put a timing chain in anyway. Yes, I understand the non-running will require more than just a chain. If I can spend $1,000 and get it running for $1,000, I'd much rather do that. Then I'd have that much more to spend on correcting other unknown issues it may have.
Jackie chan
Member
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- Pro5
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
If the chain broke you could have bent valves to deal with. The second gen 6s are actually pretty good cars, we rarely had problems at the dealer with them aside from the sunglasses holders breaking and the exhaust gaskets wearing out and squeaking. I would look for a V6, they actually run pretty decent. A CX7 wouldn't be bad but honestly I would stay away from the turbo models, the 2.5s are pretty solid.
jleblanc26
Member
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed protege
Good luck with that one, lol. Sorry to hear about all the troubles.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
It's a long-term relationship and we have children, so she's a wife.
I've already assumed it would need a head and checked local salvage yard stock. Heads range from $450-800. Factor in a timing set, gasket set, head bolts and timing tools and I could come out as cheap as $1,000. I wouldn't imagine I'd exceed $2,000, but with my luck, there'd be damage to a piston or cylinder wall.
We were going to get her a 10-12 CX-7 with the 2.5, but she wants to wait another year before getting another car. I've got to get back into a real daily driver and out of the MSP and P5.
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
I weirdly saw not one but two Spicys on Saturday, it's a sign I need to buy one. Still need to swap the clutch in 1574 but never have time to get started. ABS light has been on in 1345 since the motor swap and finally just got the codes read, RF sensor. May get one from a JY if I can find a protege with ABS. Still need to connect my laptop to the AFC so I can change the tune and install the 440s. Running around 13psi and it runs great but I still want to make more power. I was walked by a 5th gen Camaro SS (no surprise as they are ~430hp stock) but destroyed an FRS and a heavily modded civic which is no surprise as I could do that before
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
1800 miles after the motor swap 5th gear starts to pop out, I look under the car and the driver's side axle seal is leaking pretty bad. Great. Filled it up and 5th is still popping out but the rest of the gears are less notchy. Luckily I found and pulled a trans from an 03 P5 that had '46210' written on the windshield which I am hoping is the mileage on the vehicle. If I really did score a 46k mile trans for $150 with core charge I am extremely happy with that. Going to start the Clutch replacement on 1574 (finally) and then dive into the trans swap on 1345. Plan on swapping the LSD to the P5 trans and running it for as long as it lasts, then rebuild my original trans with all new synchros and possibly a better gearset and swapping it back in.
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
I've replaced axle seals in EVERY transmission I've replaced as well as having replaced them as normal repairs on my other Protege's and I've never had an issue. I hear the "OEM only" argument often, but normally the failure is installer error. There was a guy on the FB pages a couple of months ago who was having chronic camshaft seal failure, advised by others that it was caused by aftermarket seals (Fel-Pro) and instructed him to purchase OEM to correct the problem. After he stated it was his fourth set to go in, I told him it's probably not the fact he went with aftermarket and there is another cause. Advised him to check the valve cover gasket where it meets the cam caps. Sure enough... it was the valve cover gasket. While I understand this scenario was directly related to a misdiagnosis, there were so many people telling him the problem was the fact he used aftermarket cam seals rather than OEM. I've been a service manager for 10 years now and I hear the same s*** from techs- "if it was OEM it wouldn't have leaked!".. bulls***, Tech B did the exact same job five times last quarter using the exact same seals on the exact same application- they're not leaking... In short, if you go with a quality, well-known aftermarket replacement, whether it be a seal, gasket, engine component, etc, and install it correctly, you'll likely not have a problem. Also assuming the concern was properly and accurately diagnosed to begin with.
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
Need to get the the engine picked up for the P5 this week so I can get it back on the road. I can get a 120k 626 engine from the salvage yard for $200. ALL of the mounts are destroyed which made it a huge pain in the ass doing the clutch, so I'm waiting until the replacement mounts arrive before I R&R the engine. The cat is all but a brick wall in the exhaust, so it's getting replaced with a cheap eBay header at the same time. Still need to mount and balance the new tires for it. Once the P5 is done, A/C is going back into the MSP. Purchased some pre-cut tint for the car, too, but haven't had the time to mess with it.
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
I tried looking them up on the OEM mazda websites and could not find them. SU sells them though, $11 each before shipping.
http://www.***************/Mazda_MSP_Axle_Seal_p/su27238b.htm
hornsfan10609
Certified Mazda Tech
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege x2
Got everything off and the trans ready to pull but the damn axles wouldnt come out. Drivers side is stuck in the spindle and for whatever reason the passenger side doesn't have enough room to slip out of the spindle even when installed in the trans and everything on the spindle removed except the control arm and tie rod. Will mess with it again tomorrow, just need to drop the trans so I can swap the clutch and then bolt it all back together.
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- 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege 1660, 2004 Winning Blue RX8, 2005 Mazda6
I love how every Mazda I've ever touched in regards to axles has always been a problem the first time they came apart. My first P5 was one of the hardest I've ever dealt with. I soaked them, heated them, beat the **** out of them with a 5lb. sledge, let my 375lb. friend spend 30 minutes with the sledge before they finally loosened up, but the end of the spline was mushroomed. Ended up having to grind it down to get it out of the hub. The 6, I gave up and just left them hanging from the hub when I removed the engine/trans/subframe. Made it kind of tricky when going back together. The MSP was a little tough, but don't remember it being anything like those other two. My buddys '99 was a b****, too.
cool thanks.
what's your approach to installing the new axle seals? tap in with rubber hammer and grease the seal before putting the axle in? i need all the help i can get. you know i'm not a pro at these things and i'm not trying to do it a second time
