Yo! Brian here!

[domino760]

What's up everyone? I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I purchased my 2003 MSP 9/20/08. Here's my 1st impression:

WTF?! I'm pissed off man!

Bought the car at 57k miles on Saturday at about 7pm.
Sunday at about 3pm...BAM! The engine blows...all white smoke in the rear view. Probably the worst feeling.

I had it towed back to the dealer who I just got off the phone with.
They told me good news though.
They will be replacing my engine, transmission, and turbo with brand new OEM parts and giving me a loaner car (read and obtain copies of ALL paperwork!)

So, my actual review of the car will come in a week or so. :p

[kamon8404]

Damn, thats good news for you.

[tviera]

I may have been beaten on when you bought it. It was a blessing that this happened as soon as it did. You will have a new drivetrain, now baby it. Pleeeeease read everything you can about the MSP on these forums. They are great cars but very fragile. If you can, pay some extra money and get forged internals so you can play with the thing.


READ EVERYTHING YOU CAN ON THESE FORUMS AND LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES!!!!

[zuku26]

Since you got it from a dealer, you should have been able to get an extended warranty. If so get it. It's the best $1200 I could have spent. especially after a 3K Turbo replacement!!

[speed1016]

WOW! what good luck charms do you use? HOLY CRAP!!!!!!

oh yeah welcome to the board!

[speed1016]

what color? and number?

[domino760]

Good luck charms? HA! This is the first good luck I've had with my cars. The last car I had was 99 civic. at 80k the motor blew. replaced it with a B16A SiR2 and a few months later I get pulled over, hood popped, ticked for a ref station which are all suspended because of the CA state budget crisis. Decided to scrap that car and went with this one.

I have been reading ALOT of different threads, ecspecially in the problems threads. It looks like the wastegates go out frequently, along with the LSDs. And it's highly recommended that the plastic piping running throughout the engine bay should be swapped out with aluminum pipes. A boost controller helps keep tabs on your turbos health, etc.

Good stuff.

So forged internals is a good way to keep this baby going? I'm planning on keeping this as daily drivable as possible, but I still have a heavy foot so preventative maintanence/tougher parts is EXACTLY what I need to know about.

[domino760]

what color? and number?

Charcoal grey.

# ???

[speed1016]

yep forged is deff the way to go!

[domino760]

so what did you mean by numbers?
and any particular brands I should look for?
I saw a couple write ups for new MSP owners on what upgrades to do...

any waste gates in particular i should look for?
IC lines and intake?
etc etc

[greasemonkey524]

Welcome! You can find your production number of the Speed here...http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123653104
just click on the second link (2003.5) in the first post. It goes by your VIN number. And Protege Garage is a great place to get your parts. There under the Vendor section.

[speed1016]

I was asking your production number of your 2003.5 MSP
Im number 1016.
Just do some searching around on the site for inout on mods. Also try
corksport.com
protegegarage.com
***************

Those are the sites I mainly use. If you need any help just send me a PM and Ill do my best to help. Some people on here can get pretty brutal for stupid questions so feel free to PM me.

[slo03.5msp]

What crossover auto and sam get no love?

[Buyer]

congrats...you just made the worst investment of your life! I love my MSP, but man it has been a love/hate thing...It is not a good stock car! If you buy one you need to be ready to mod it to make it run correctly. I mean I seriously cannot believe mazda let these things go from the factory running the way they do....but they are great looking cars. You just need a few parts to get it running smooth. I hope it works out well for you!

[XxaltezzaxX]

wow, the only thing I had bad happen to me was the radio crapping out the minute I left the parking lot of the dealer. good thing they are taking care of you. lets see some pics of it when you get it back.

[fatti03msp]

welcome to the forum, u are def. one lucky sob that your getting all that replaced for free and getting a loaner car, btw what did you get.

[Ricktalife]

greetings fellow mazda lover.

[domino760]

When I get my car back I'll post pics (all stock but whatevs) when the production # etc.

So, I DID come to understand that modding the car for relia/drivability is a MUST.

Where do I start?
I read the wastegate is a POS, so change that out.
Get it flashed? I don't plan on boosting this thing more than 12psi.
etc.

But what ORDER should I go in? THATS what I need to know.


Thanks for the welcome everyone (doughpoke

[speed1016]

PMd.... But I would really think and read before boosting 12psi on stock internals. (big no no)

[domino760]

Oh OF COURSE I'm not going to boost 12psi on stock internals! I plan on doing all my preventative maintenance before I touch the boost! Fuel management and gauges first of course.

Then...???

[ChopstickHero]

join www.moccforums.com (http://www.moccforums.com) since you live in San Diego. there are a bunch of MOCC members there.


Oh OF COURSE I'm not going to boost 12psi on stock internals! I plan on doing all my preventative maintenance before I touch the boost! Fuel management and gauges first of course.

Then...???

I think biggest restriction on MSP is exhaust. It's tiny. Free that up and then worry about supporting mods like engine/fuel management. It takes A LOT to get power out of these engines reliably. It's more of a handling car than one for lots of power.

[domino760]

join www.moccforums.com (http://www.moccforums.com) since you live in San Diego. there are a bunch of MOCC members there.



I think biggest restriction on MSP is exhaust. It's tiny. Free that up and then worry about supporting mods like engine/fuel management. It takes A LOT to get power out of these engines reliably. It's more of a handling car than one for lots of power.

Thanks for the tips. Joined Mocc under same user name.

[slo03.5msp]

Seriousl has anyone tried boosting over 12lbs on stock internals? I had been doing pretty much since i owned the car. My engine still hasn't blown up. The oil scraper ring took a crap and started blow by like a champ and thats it. If you have supporting mods and bigger injectors 12lbs is actually pretty safe on a daily basis.

[speed1016]

Well the thing with running that higher boost is there will be no warning when it does go. Speaking from experience I just made sure I had money set aside for a new block and head.

[domino760]

After having the car blow up within 24 hours of getting it, i think I'm going to baby it until I can 'bullet-proof' it.

[jmv]

congrats!! Good thing the dealer is taking care of you as well.

yes the wastegate is a POS in that it craps out too often, but if yours is good (check by blowing into it and hooking it up to a vac pump/sucking on it... if it holds pressure and vac, its fine) theres no need to replace it right now. Exhuast first, then intercooler (intake if you want the sound/look, but it doesn't do much for power), and then EMS, and then boost at or under 10 psi is my suggestion, and is also the general path i've followed/am following with my car.

Another thing to check out is the stock motor mounts, they suck and tear easily, thats on my short list of things to buy.

Oh and you also mentioned gauges, thats a definite good idea, make sure to get quality gauges... a good boost gauge and also a wideband O2 if you can afford it. Don't waste your money on a 'narrowband'.

[jmv]

another thing i forgot to mention.... when you do the intercooler stuff and presumably get hardpipes, its a good idea to look at either running a dual setup (bpv AND bov), or getting an upgraded BPV, because the stocker, and the small piping it uses, gives lots of compressor surge which over time is bad for your turbo.

[domino760]

Dude, that was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Great advice! Thank you!

[jmv]

Glad i could help!!

After those first basic steps theres plenty of things that you could do, but honestly, after doing those steps, that is the point that i would start considering an engine build, just because i'm very leary of the strength of the motors. Some people have real good luck, some don't, but most agree that exhuast, intercooler, EMS, and 10 psi is a fairly safe bet.

[domino760]

Well all right then. haha(2thumbs)