Hello From A Newb!!

[#1650MSP]

Well, I finally made the jump to something I'm totally unfamiliar with...what an understatement!! I'm a HUGE Jeep guy, but I recently picked up a 2003 Spicy Orange Mica MSP with 21.5k on the odometer.
A few things already installed by the original owner:
Injen CAI, TurboHoses aluminum intercooler w/ aluminum hardpiping kit, Apex downpipe w/ high flow cat and Bomz Racing muffler, GReddy timer, Kartboy shifter bushings, AWR front motor mount.
I just ordered Magnecor 8.5mm wires and Denso IK22 plugs (just through browsing through the site, I decided on these!)

I know almost nothing about turbos so I'm trying to edubicate myself, but please feel free to make suggestions and improve my "knowing" so I don't look like such a retard on here! (hah)

I'm not looking for a huge, kick everyone elses butts, kinda ride, but I do want to improve on the reliability and performance. So please feel free to enlighten me and make suggestions....just remember I'm an idiot, so you might have to explain things a little s l o w e r than usual!!
Again HI!! (thumb)
-Chris

 

[#1650MSP]

I guess I should also narrow the subjects by asking peoples' opinions on:
BOVs
Brake pads (looking at slotted rotors and EBC pads...GREENs?)
Brakelines
Radiators (I might have a leak)
Unichip (worth it?)

Also known problems (been reading about wastegates?) or suspected things to look for.

Plus links to cheaper priced vendor sites are always appreciated!!
Thanks in advance.
-Chris

 

[Chiguy_2002]

Hello and welcome!! Lots of useful information on this site, ask away, and always use search...that seems to be what everyone says to all newcomers.

 

[wannabe]

Plus links to cheaper priced vendor sites are always appreciated!!
Thanks in advance.
-Chris

welcome!
one of the first n00bs that knows how to use the search function (thumb)

there are a few great vendors that support this community, Ken at Protege Garage is great, Turfburn is also a good guy over at NSN Motorsports, HorsePowerFreak, Street Unit ..the list goes on

 

[#1650MSP]

cool, well I hit 3 out of 4 of those sites, but missed TurfBurn's. I read alot of good stuff about him, so I'll check that one as well!!
Couple Q's-
How do people feel about BOVs that vent back into the intake?
If my radiator is leaking (almost positive on this one) PWR or AWR?
I have a ton more questions, but thought I would start with some basics, I'm especially concerned with the radiator leak!

Here's a stupid question---if I'm the second owner, will Mazda still warranty something like the radiator (especially with the mods already done)?

Hey, at least I warned ya'll!! (screwy)
-Chris

 

[Striker187]

bov venting back to the intake is a good thing since you'll tend to stall otherwise. however, if you run the dual bov/bpv setup, you can open vent the bov with no problems. or you'll need a fuel computer that can compensate for a vented bov.

 

[RallyeRedSi]

sometimes i like the turkey sometimes i don't

 

[jmv]

Here's a stupid question---if I'm the second owner, will Mazda still warranty something like the radiator (especially with the mods already done)?

Hey, at least I warned ya'll!! (screwy)
-Chris

It doesn't matter that you're the second owner, although they'll probably give you a hard time about the mods. I don't know if they can legitimately claim that your mods caused a radiator leak though, so you should be able to get them to warranty it, i would think.


And i wouldn't know personally, but from everything i've read, it sounds like the Unichip would be totally worth it. With that, and all the stuff you've already got, it seems like you'd have just about all of the basic mods.

 

[Rawyzf]

Welcome aboard!

Did you buy the car from the dealership? If so, they should cover the rad.

 

[livelyjay]

I'm not looking for a huge, kick everyone elses butts, kinda ride, but I do want to improve on the reliability and performance. So please feel free to enlighten me and make suggestions....just remember I'm an idiot, so you might have to explain things a little s l o w e r than usual!!
Again HI!! (thumb)
-Chris

Welcome.

Doing anything to the car and reliability will suffer, but that's what the forum is here for. It looks like you car is already off to a good start. Removing at least one cat opens things up a lot, and I'm guessing your car is probably in the 170s for wheel horse power (crank horse power is the one advertised by the manufacturer and is usually 15%-20% higher than wheel horse power).

For what you already have, and your goals, I would suggest getting some form of air/fuel controller. I'm guessing you have a hesitation around 3000rpms when you floor it? An AFC will solve that problem. The cheapest is the Airflow Logistics AFC which I have. It's simple to install if you know how to splice wires and comes with a preconfigured air/fuel map. Your next step up is the Unichip and MPI tuner, but if you're not going hard core, the AirflowLogistics AFC would be good enough.

Next step would be to up boost to 9 or 10 psi. You running more risk doing so, but with the AFC in place you should be good to go up to 9 or 10 psi. I'm not there yet, but I will be once I get my manual boost controller installed correctly (of figure out what's wrong with it).

Read through the FAQs and just browse though the forum and you'll start picking things up quickly.

 

[MrDiggler]

Yep, glad to see you joined the club (and picked the right color!). You won't regret your decision. That's crazy low mileage, too. How much did you get it for, so we can gauge the resale on these things? Forgive me, I'm an appraiser and track sale data by nature.

If you're smelling coolant sometimes after a drive, that's pretty normal on our cars. If you see green stuff dripping out, that's not.

You don't have to vent the BOV/BPV back into the intake. I run an open vent BOV and don't have any real trouble with it. If you relocate your MAF (mass air flow sensor) to between the BOV and TB (throttle body) it should eliminate any issues with open venting. Since you have hardpipes already that would be an easy project for you. There's a thread running around here somewhere discussing that. I'll be doing this myself when I install my FMIC setup. Right now I'm running my TH SMIC with the factory "soft pipes".

As for running some sort of air/fuel controller, I'm probably picking up the DSMConvert AFC unit that was recommended above. Looks to be the best bang for the buck and there's plenty of good install info on here.

Take your time and familiarize yourself with the car, and read stuff here as you get time. I didn't really get a good feel for how it's set up mechanically until I swapped my tranny/clutch/motor mounts/intake/exhaust recently. If you want to learn more about turbo theory and applications, check out Maximum Boost by Corky Bell. You can get it at Amazon.

Good luck, and glad to have you on board!

Oh yeah, check out www.corksport.com as well. They're up there in rain country. Also, www.*************.com. JDMSam has been great to work with.

 

[#1650MSP]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and points to ponder!

jmv-dealership said warranty is good to go, going in manana a.m.

Raw-bought from a private seller here in Wa.

jay-funny about the AFC, last night I was reading the almost never-ending GB from Thanksgiving/X-mas/New years...just missed it (or did they not fill the other 6 slots?)lol

MrD-$16,500. I looked online quite a bit after spying it & thought he was a litle high, then I saw first hand the condition and care...then I screwed up and drove it....so much for bargaining power!! I had to have it! (headbang)

Again,thank you to all of you for responding, I look forward to bothering ya'll with more questions in the future! (thumb)
-Chris

 

[MrDiggler]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and points to ponder!

jmv-dealership said warranty is good to go, going in manana a.m.

Raw-bought from a private seller here in Wa.

jay-funny about the AFC, last night I was reading the almost never-ending GB from Thanksgiving/X-mas/New years...just missed it (or did they not fill the other 6 slots?)lol

MrD-$16,500. I looked online quite a bit after spying it & thought he was a litle high, then I saw first hand the condition and care...then I screwed up and drove it....so much for bargaining power!! I had to have it! (headbang)

Again,thank you to all of you for responding, I look forward to bothering ya'll with more questions in the future! (thumb)
-Chris

I figured it brought a pretty penny. For mileage that low, the excellent condition and the mods, I think it's a fair price. Supply and demand.

 

[#1650MSP]

I'M GETTIN' A NEW RADIATOR FOR FREEEEE!!!
Sorry, owning old Jeeps with NO warranty, I'm kinda stoked!! (thumb)

 

[jmv]

niiice.

Its such a wonderful car, i was hooked after the first drive too.

 

[RevLimitLaunch]

mazda

bought my msp from nissan, who with there "extended warranty" has done nothing to help. but bringing it to mazda they haven't even second guessed anything, ecu reflash, new intercooler pipe and bov, new cd player, and a few suspension bushing and odds and ends. there awesome over there, makes me wanna stay with them forever since i haven't heard of one person having good luck with their warranties at other dealerships.

mazda (first)

 

[Rush]

Aaah, to have still had my warranty when my radiator was punctured a couple months ago. That would've been so lovely. But good for you, for having that covered under warranty! My dealership bitched when I threw a CEL back in the day (from a loose gas cap), and they tried to blame it on 'that silver pipe' -- which, at the time, was my Injen CAI. Idiots.

Anyway! Like people have been saying, coolant is always something of an 'issue' with the MSP. The day I drove mine home, one of the clamps gave out, hose popped off, and there went all my coolant into a big puddle in the driveway. Just make sure to keep an eye on all your coolant lines, the clamps on said lines, and your resevoir tank.

I run a Greddy Type RS BOV. I have no problems. Then again, I also have a relocated MAF. If you relocate your MAF to the previously mentioned location (between the throttle body and the cold intercooler pipe), you can pretty much install whatever BOV you want. You just might have to make some adjustments on the BOV itself, if that.

I noticed that you have just the front motor mount. You might want to consider getting a rear as well, to even things out. Our stock mounts pretty much suck -- so if you replace one, you tend to have to replace the 'opposite' mount, otherwise it deteriorates faster than normal. However, be aware that if you upgrade the rear mount, that you'll be getting some cabin vibration.

If you're going to pick up a Unichip, I highly suggest you having it tuned by either someone on the forums (JDM Sam did mine), or from an authorized Unichip dealer if one's located near you. I've noticed that the people who have Unichip problems don't seem to have tuned their maps specifically for their car.

Whatever you do, RESIST the tempation to turn up your boost before you have some type of EMS!! That is THE fastest way to blow up your MSP.

Welcome to the forums!