My First Mazda!
#1
06-01-2012, 11:50 AM
My First Mazda!
So, I was driving a '02 Cavalier 2200, with the Z24 suspension and i'll be honest, I liked the car, but I totalled it Friday, April 13, 2012 (Lol, Friday 13th...), some teenager pulled in front of me and I t-boned him...everybody was ok. Well, I was without a car and saw this little yellow Mazda Protege 5 and decided to buy it!!
Boy am I happy with it! 135k miles, same color yellow as my cavalier was, 16" Black 5-spokes, SLS Performance Solid Upper Mount, front strut bar, Injen Cold Air, and I'm not sure whether it's got a cat-back or not, but it's got one of the best exhaust notes for a 4 cylinder I've heard in a long LONG time. It's not tinny or raucous, it's not overly loud, it just...throbs, and has a clean tone throughout the RPM range. Not a drowned out resonator sound that doesn't allow one to hear the individual pistons firing...it's just nice. I didn't find out till AFTER I'd bought it that it's got a factory spare tire subwoofer...that's actually really nice.
Now, I was happy with the cavalier. Yeah, it had a good bit of body roll, but the rear end was set up that it was predictable when it rolled into a corner...this mazda...beyond my expectations. I'm still trying to figure out how to launch this automatic, as it bogs down when you goose it, but it's SO solid in the corners. No body roll, and far exceeds the cavalier in all aspects. Factory mounts for roofracks (that's why I bought it...to put Kayaks on top of), nice stereo, plenty of interior room, good reviews, much better gas mileage than the cavalier!
It's only downfall is it begins to shake up past 60mph, but I'm guessing that the previous owner never rotated the tires (The rear tires look FAR better than the fronts) and they wore uneven, thus they wore unbalanced...so we'll see after I have the front and rear re-aligned, and the tires balanced and rotated. Aside from that, I'm loving the upgrade from a Coupe to a Wagon. I drove the Cavalier Coupe throughout college, and now that I've graduated, the extra space and the extra doors are REALLY nice. I'd forgotten how convenient they were.
This is my first Mazda, got a buddy who's got an RX7 and a Mazdaspeed 3, and I was impressed with how the mazda's run...so I decided I'd buy one, and I have NO regrets. I'll be keeping you all updated as to what I do to the thing. Thinking...suspension, headers, downpipe, high-flow cat, rear strut bar, and re-tune the computer for better shift points and to see if I can't tune up a little more agressive map. Maybe cams if I can find anybody who makes them and a tranny cooler just to make sure I don't burn up an automatic transmission.
Hurray for me! ZOOM ZOOM!
Boy am I happy with it! 135k miles, same color yellow as my cavalier was, 16" Black 5-spokes, SLS Performance Solid Upper Mount, front strut bar, Injen Cold Air, and I'm not sure whether it's got a cat-back or not, but it's got one of the best exhaust notes for a 4 cylinder I've heard in a long LONG time. It's not tinny or raucous, it's not overly loud, it just...throbs, and has a clean tone throughout the RPM range. Not a drowned out resonator sound that doesn't allow one to hear the individual pistons firing...it's just nice. I didn't find out till AFTER I'd bought it that it's got a factory spare tire subwoofer...that's actually really nice.
Now, I was happy with the cavalier. Yeah, it had a good bit of body roll, but the rear end was set up that it was predictable when it rolled into a corner...this mazda...beyond my expectations. I'm still trying to figure out how to launch this automatic, as it bogs down when you goose it, but it's SO solid in the corners. No body roll, and far exceeds the cavalier in all aspects. Factory mounts for roofracks (that's why I bought it...to put Kayaks on top of), nice stereo, plenty of interior room, good reviews, much better gas mileage than the cavalier!
It's only downfall is it begins to shake up past 60mph, but I'm guessing that the previous owner never rotated the tires (The rear tires look FAR better than the fronts) and they wore uneven, thus they wore unbalanced...so we'll see after I have the front and rear re-aligned, and the tires balanced and rotated. Aside from that, I'm loving the upgrade from a Coupe to a Wagon. I drove the Cavalier Coupe throughout college, and now that I've graduated, the extra space and the extra doors are REALLY nice. I'd forgotten how convenient they were.
This is my first Mazda, got a buddy who's got an RX7 and a Mazdaspeed 3, and I was impressed with how the mazda's run...so I decided I'd buy one, and I have NO regrets. I'll be keeping you all updated as to what I do to the thing. Thinking...suspension, headers, downpipe, high-flow cat, rear strut bar, and re-tune the computer for better shift points and to see if I can't tune up a little more agressive map. Maybe cams if I can find anybody who makes them and a tranny cooler just to make sure I don't burn up an automatic transmission.
Hurray for me! ZOOM ZOOM!
#2
06-01-2012, 12:26 PM
Glad your happy. It could be bogging down due to that Injen intake. I would also clean your MAF and throttle body. First disconnect negative terminal on battery and depress brake pedal for 5 seconds. Remove and clean the items, making sure they are dry before re-installing. Try to partially remove throttle body and catch liquid on the other side with paper towels or rags. Let car idle for 10 minutes. drive gradually for 50 miles. Then it may not bog down as much. Change your PCV valve.
#3
06-01-2012, 01:25 PM
I've heard the throttle body is liquid cooled so I understand catching the fluid, but that raises another question...is a liquid cooled T/B really necessary, or can I just remove the throttle body and permanently cap off the cooling lines for the intake before re-installing the t/b? Can I use carb cleaner for the throttle body? I've got a ton of the stuff laying around from a another build I'm working on...greasy salvage yard parts need tedious cleaning. The stuff says it's sensor safe, can it be used for the MAF?
I've used Carb cleaner on older FI V8 PCV's with success in the past, can the Protege's PCV be cleaned, or is it just less hassle to replace them. They aren't expensive, but I just graduated from college. STUDENT LOANS are a B*%@#.
Carb cleaner on old Engines...IMO, it's better than engine degreaser by a longshot, and doesn't leave any residue...just evaporates right off.
I've used Carb cleaner on older FI V8 PCV's with success in the past, can the Protege's PCV be cleaned, or is it just less hassle to replace them. They aren't expensive, but I just graduated from college. STUDENT LOANS are a B*%@#.
Carb cleaner on old Engines...IMO, it's better than engine degreaser by a longshot, and doesn't leave any residue...just evaporates right off.
#4
06-01-2012, 02:13 PM
I've heard the throttle body is liquid cooled so I understand catching the fluid, but that raises another question...is a liquid cooled T/B really necessary, or can I just remove the throttle body and permanently cap off the cooling lines for the intake before re-installing the t/b? Can I use carb cleaner for the throttle body? I've got a ton of the stuff laying around from a another build I'm working on...greasy salvage yard parts need tedious cleaning. The stuff says it's sensor safe, can it be used for the MAF? NO
I've used Carb cleaner on older FI V8 PCV's with success in the past, can the Protege's PCV be cleaned, or is it just less hassle to replace them. They aren't expensive, but I just graduated from college. STUDENT LOANS are a B*%@#.
Carb cleaner on old Engines...IMO, it's better than engine degreaser by a longshot, and doesn't leave any residue...just evaporates right off.
I've used Carb cleaner on older FI V8 PCV's with success in the past, can the Protege's PCV be cleaned, or is it just less hassle to replace them. They aren't expensive, but I just graduated from college. STUDENT LOANS are a B*%@#.
Carb cleaner on old Engines...IMO, it's better than engine degreaser by a longshot, and doesn't leave any residue...just evaporates right off.
Do not use Carb cleaner for throttle body or MAF. Watch video: Rough Idling Issues |*MotorWeek Having an assistant is not necessary provided you disconnect battery before cleaning. Buy the proper cleaner as shown in post 2.
MAF Cleaning: With no alternative many technicians and DIY'ers are using aggressive chemicals like brake, carburetor and air-intake cleaners to clean fragile MAF hot-wires and housings. These chemicals can cause serious and expensive damage to sensitive equipment, especially plastic.
SEE VIDEO: CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner - YouTube Start @ 40 seconds. MAF is electrical.
Cleaning PCV won't help the action of it.
Even though the Throttle body cleaner is safe for O2 sensors, I don't personally like that dirt and all that cleaner going in to engine. I loosen throttle body and leave it hanging. Make sure you put on a new gasket. To save money don't remove it and just spray it (no gasket to buy or old one to scrape off.
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