What have you done to your P5 today?

[katapaltes]

I've replaced so many of those darn things that I always grab more at junkyards. I should learn by now and glue them in. That and the little caps on the windshield wiper stalk nuts.

I just assumed that anything plastic that's as old as the original on my car would be even more sun baked and brittle, so I splurged when ordering from Mazda Stuff and got a new screw cover.

 

[Diamond_Dave]

On a positive note, I went to my (very small) local junkyard and was shocked to find that they had several Protege sedans, one of which had a full MSP turbo swap along with quite a few other goodies!!

Not sure how you knew it started out as NA, unless it was out of the MSP year range. If that is the case, in that color, it was more likely a MP3 - which was very nearly a MSP without the engine and suspension. FWIW, I would highly recommend you pick up that drivetrain - or at the very least get the transmission. When comparing the driving characteristics of my P5 to my MSP, I think that LSD-equipped transaxle is a MAJOR upgrade.

 

[Diamond_Dave]

It's been so cold and icy lately in Oregon, I haven't done much. I have noticed that both my P5 and MSP have developed a shudder/shaking at the clutch when taking off in 1st gear. Both cars got the passenger motor and front (AWR) mounts replaced but not the rear or transaxle. I replaced that on my MSP last weekend and it has fixed the majority of the issue, although it still remains.

Oh, and with the onset of Spring came a crack in the windshield, so now I'm pricing those out.

 

[LankyKiwi]

The daily has been getting some love lately, it's time for it's annual Warrant of Fitness check so I'm replacing the stuff that was a 'caution' last time

Knock sensor was a teeny tiny bit melted

Front control arms, swaybar links and steering rod ends out. The RH ball joint was the worst part, wouldn't budge at all! Also did the gearbox seals while everything was out

New stuff in Front discs and rear shocks are the next big job

After doing all that the car thanks me for developing an intermittent bogging issue below 2K rpm! I think it's coils, hopefully it's not the trans

 

[pcb]

Also did the gearbox seals while everything was out

I read that a guy replaced his seals for good measure and they started leaking, then he ended up having to replace his seals almost yearly from then on, so I didn't replace my seals when I did my timing belt.
My seals weren't leaking, so I left well enough alone.

Apparently there are better seals that kinda have spiral splines on them that work better at keeping the oil in the transmission.

 

[katapaltes]

I read that a guy replaced his seals for good measure and they started leaking, then he ended up having to replace his seals almost yearly from then on, so I didn't replace my seals when I did my timing belt.
My seals weren't leaking, so I left well enough alone.

Apparently there are better seals that kinda have spiral splines on them that work better at keeping the oil in the transmission.

I used OEM for my recent replacement of that seal. For my money (and it's not a lot of money for a seal) it was easily worth it.

 

[323]

It's been so cold and icy lately in Oregon, I haven't done much. I have noticed that both my P5 and MSP have developed a shudder/shaking at the clutch when taking off in 1st gear. Both cars got the passenger motor and front (AWR) mounts replaced but not the rear or transaxle. I replaced that on my MSP last weekend and it has fixed the majority of the issue, although it still remains.

Oh, and with the onset of Spring came a crack in the windshield, so now I'm pricing those out.

Does the shudder only happen after driving around for a while? That’s how my msp was after it got hot then would be fine the next morning for about 30-40 minutes or so lol. I just left it as is since I was doing an engine swap soon. When everything came out, it ended up being hot spots on my flywheel.

 

[BenjiHoggi]

Not sure how you knew it started out as NA, unless it was out of the MSP year range. If that is the case, in that color, it was more likely a MP3 - which was very nearly a MSP without the engine and suspension. FWIW, I would highly recommend you pick up that drivetrain - or at the very least get the transmission. When comparing the driving characteristics of my P5 to my MSP, I think that LSD-equipped transaxle is a MAJOR upgrade.

I'm not an expert so maybe you could help me a bit. The VIN is JM1BJ225931149631

I ran the VIN on one of those free vin/vehicle history check sites and it came back as an 03 Sedan. I could see an MSP being listed as a sedan though. It can't be an MP3 though if it's an 03...right?

Some other stuff:

• The trunk lid had the standard Protege badging.
• There were holes for a wing but it was removed and could be a higher trim sedan wing or aftermarket
• It had a gray interior with standard mono-color gray seats, dash, door panels, etc.
• It did look like it might have had a pretty badly worn MSP steering wheel.
• It has Sparco pedals which I couldn't figure out how to remove, like they were part of or built into the pedals
• No fancy swaybars - black, and looked like the stock ones on the P5. Struts/springs seemed aftermarket and didn't match front/back. Fronts were Sensen Speedy Struts and rears were something else.
• No MSP door sill cover things, I believe they were the standard ones
• Shifter/boot looked stock length for a sedan

So I'm going to say it's not an MSP or MP3. But if it was, I would certainly consider grabbing that trans. I'd love an LSD and have seen many situations while driving spiritedly where it would really help to have it. Plus my current trans is starting to feel noticeably more clunky even after a fluid flush with nice fluid. So a backup would be nice if money permits.

The yard grabbed the turbo bits so they wouldn't get stolen. I could ask to look at them but I would guess they're stock MSP. I think the ECU was still in there and is probably from an MSP. Thought about grabbing it but I have no use for it without the other turbo bits. I'd love to grab those turbo bits but it just doesn't make sense right now.

 

[BenjiHoggi]

It's been so cold and icy lately in Oregon, I haven't done much. I have noticed that both my P5 and MSP have developed a shudder/shaking at the clutch when taking off in 1st gear. Both cars got the passenger motor and front (AWR) mounts replaced but not the rear or transaxle. I replaced that on my MSP last weekend and it has fixed the majority of the issue, although it still remains.

Oh, and with the onset of Spring came a crack in the windshield, so now I'm pricing those out.

Does the shudder only happen after driving around for a while? That’s how my msp was after it got hot then would be fine the next morning for about 30-40 minutes or so lol. I just left it as is since I was doing an engine swap soon. When everything came out, it ended up being hot spots on my flywheel.

@Diamond_Dave, does it happen based on how much you slip the clutch in 1st? If you slip it more when it's warm, does it get worse?

My P5 did something like that when I bought it. I didn't realize how bad it was until I drove the car for a few weeks in start/stop traffic. After a second of slipping the clutch, it would shudder the whole drivetrain and would make a terrible oscillating thudding noise in the cabin. Terrible to drive and disconcerting for passengers and other people driving the car occasionally.

If you dig around on the forums (as I did while panicking that my new car was broken), you'll find quite a people mentioning the same thing. It appears to be a more common issue with Proteges, and I believe similar to what @323 said, it's caused by a warped flywheel from too much heat. From what I understand, it happens when you beat on the clutch too much and it gets too hot. I saw people saying it was more common because the flywheel is thin. So most people were recommending to not resurface the flywheel when doing the clutch, but to just replace it altogether.

I replaced my clutch last summer and found that the clutch disk had been replaced but the flywheel hadn't and was OEM. I would guess that someone burned up the clutch (at <140k miles) by driving it hard and also warped the flywheel but didn't replace it. So I replaced both and the shudder went away.

@Diamond_Dave you may have a different issue but if your description matches mine, you might consider the possibility of warped flywheels.

 

[LankyKiwi]

@pcb and @katapaltes OEM seals used, cheap as chips with a trade account no signs of leakage yet.

Misfire/stumbling issue was indeed coil packs, swapped the NFG units to some suspect spares to get it going, got some cheap coils and leads coming in from Aussie

Car did NOT pass it's inspection blown park bulb and the front brakes were binding slightly.

I had the first gen mazda6 brakes from the red car with near new disks and pads so I grabbed a rebuild kit and slapped them on. Easy fix!

More offerings to the scrap gods:

Then I tried to turn a front wheel, the brakes bound up so tight the wheel wouldn't budge

Turns out the aftermarket control arms got reeeaaaaalllly close (just touching) to the old, worn disks and with the fresh disks it just jammed itself straight in to the disk face So I trimmed it back a bit and painted the edge

She'll be right, mate!

 

[323]

@Diamond_Dave
If you dig around on the forums (as I did while panicking that my new car was broken), you'll find quite a people mentioning the same thing. It appears to be a more common issue with Proteges, and I believe similar to what @323 said, it's caused by a warped flywheel from too much heat. From what I understand, it happens when you beat on the clutch too much and it gets too hot. I saw people saying it was more common because the flywheel is thin. So most people were recommending to not resurface the flywheel when doing the clutch, but to just replace it altogether.

Just wanted to share my experience. I purchased a used OEM flywheel off this forum and got it resurfaced. I've only have put about 8-9k miles on the car since the engine swap but all has been well so far and no shuddering when taking off from first gear.

 

[BenjiHoggi]

Just wanted to share my experience. I purchased a used OEM flywheel off this forum and got it resurfaced. I've only have put about 8-9k miles on the car since the engine swap but all has been well so far and no shuddering when taking off from first gear.

Good to know. I'm sure it's probably not a big deal. I opted to buy a new flywheel when I did my clutch, just because I didn't want to take any risks and I got one for a fairly decent price. But I'm sure it would be fine to resurface the OEM flywheel. I probably should have kept mine as a spare to resurface if I ever need to, but it's an 18lb flywheel so I'm not sure I'd want to deal with storing that.

 

[323]

Yeah thing is quite heavy.

 

[Diamond_Dave]

I'm not an expert so maybe you could help me a bit. The VIN is JM1BJ225931149631

I ran the VIN on one of those free vin/vehicle history check sites and it came back as an 03 Sedan. I could see an MSP being listed as a sedan though. It can't be an MP3 though if it's an 03...right?

Ah, didn't notice the year - not an MP3. Sounds like a top trim SE.

 

[03protege5]

For anyone wanting an update. Got the tint done. I’m a construction manager so my car sits in the sun for most the day so I went a little darker to help with some of that

3 % brow
15 % ceramic driver and passenger
3 % all back windows

Why 3%? My shop doesn’t even offer 5%.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

drove it.......still love it................

 

[Diamond_Dave]

Aside from the P5 gradually flaking all clearcoat off with this weather, the headlights have been dodgy and yellow since I purchased the car. I finally sacked up and dove in and I am stunned at the difference. I have always loved 3M products, so I bought this very inexpensive kit on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Frankly, they are stunningly clear now. Just shocked. I can't recommend this 3M kit enough. I also did one of the lights on my MSP and both lights on my CLK320 and there is a ton left over.
Also, I'm still chasing a warm temperature idle droop in my MSP when coming to a stop. Is this just an instance of cleaning the IAC valve?

EDIT: I was just at Advance auto parts and the $18 kit I bought on Amazon was $30 in store. So there's that.

 

[BenjiHoggi]

Aside from the P5 gradually flaking all clearcoat off with this weather, the headlights have been dodgy and yellow since I purchased the car. I finally sacked up and dove in and I am stunned at the difference. I have always loved 3M products, so I bought this very inexpensive kit on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)View attachment 318601

Frankly, they are stunningly cldear now. Just shocked. I can't recomm,end this 3M kit enough. I also did one of the lights on my MSP and both lights on my CLK320 and there is a ton left over.



Also, I'm still chasing a warm temperature idle droop in my MSP when coming to a stop. Is this just an instance of cleaning the IAC valve?

Those look great! I need to do this on my P5 too, and I might also try adding some clear film to protect them further in the long term.

It's been a while, but I remember my P5 also having an idle droop in the heat. It's never totally stalled but it'll get close. I think I remember reading into it and seeing that it could be related to a dirty EGR. I was also getting EGR CELs though so could be a different cause.

 

[BenjiHoggi]

Got stranded...that's what I did today. Sort of. It was actually the other day, and I am once again glad that I keep a full tool set with me, because I got it fixed quickly. But this has happened before and I'm not too happy that it keeps happening.

Upon bumping the starter with the key in the ignition, the entire car goes dead instantly. Like everything, no interior lights, headlights, dash door-ajar lights - nothing. It'll stay dead until I disconnect the battery, let it sit for a bit, and then reconnect it. Then it'll start right up.

I posted about this sometime last year and based on feedback, I replaced the ignition switch which was already beginning to fail. So I don't think that's the issue now. For now, I'll keep carrying the tools, but it's not something I'd like to deal with if I am in a hurry.

If I was smart and it caught me at the right moment, I'd probably get the meter out and start probing. But of course it's very random and always catches me at inconvenient times.

 

[LankyKiwi]

Hmmmmm, a complete cut of power could be the battery or terminals? Or an earth issue or the main fuse isn't happy. Weird that it will reset itself, which kinda points towards a heat related issue.