New MSP owner here..

[Suerto]

Hello all, was just given a black 2003 MSP, here's the story..

My brother (who fancied himself a tuner/racer) got the car back in 2008.. Blew the engine, and had it re-built in Cali somewhere.. Drove it back to texas in 09 and overheated the engine again.. Car has been sitting in his garage ever since. 90k miles but immaculate interior condition (rebuilt engine only has roughly 20k or so)

From what he tells me, the tranny mount broke, torquing the engine, which then broke a couple of exhaust bolts, which then melted the radiator fan, which then led the car to overheat

He took the radiator/smic assembly and cooling fans out, says car runs

I grew up in a mech shop and used to race corvettes and motorcycles, converted my jeep to propane, and tuned/modded my deisel trucks, so am familiar with turbo engines.
For some background on me

I plan on using this as a winter ride and grocery getter, once I get it running, I planned on pepping it up with proper mods (exhaust, alum air intake piping, boost controller, programmer, guages, etc)

The stock kenwood deck is long gone, replaced with a non-functioning pioneer deck and rear speakers are gone as well.

This car also has a cheesy "alarm" system (flashing light on console) with a wire running to fuse box like the way we did it back in high school when we were broke lol

My questions;
The smic.. It has one.. Is this factory?
It looks like a factory setup, but from what I've gathered from reading here they did not come with intercoolers..

Until I get it running, that's really all the questions I have for now, I plan on dumping the cheesy alarm system and installing a clean deck and speakers for cruising, also replacing the tranny and motor mounts

Thanks again
Forum has a lot of info..

 

[Natey]

The car has a factory SMIC that sits next to the radiator. It's a little fella, but yes. It belongs there.
Check the motor mounts. They're infamous for failing. I'll bet that's what led to the tranny mount chain reaction that killed the car in 09.

 

[Suerto]

Yes, it was established that the tranny mount failure created the myriad of damages to rest of car, actually, probably saved the car from being totaled at some point in it's life by the operator.. Cars never fared well under my brothers utilization.. Lol

I put it all back together this morning, got the radio working, the cheesy red wire going to fuse box under good was for a hidden toggle switch under dash, which I presume was to operate the autozone neon light/washer pissers that someone thought would be a cool addition to the car..

If oriellys had motor/tranny mounts in stock, I woulda just got some today, but if I gotta special order them, I'm gonna go ahead and get some good ones recommended here (corkers I believe)

My current issue preventing me from turning the car over appears to be the Mazda alarm system, turn the key on and the horn flails and ALL lights are flashing (headlights, flashers, turn signals, interior dash).. A lot of wiring harnesses were disconnected and I was hoping that would be the issue for the alarm freaking out but it would appear not)

Turn the key to attempt to turn over and nothing, can hear a relay on passenger floorboard click and that is all.. Didn't have time to investigate further

My brother didn't have the original keys available to me when I picked up the car, so I had a locksmith make one, he told me they were not transponder keys. I have the key fob (unlock/lock/panic) but the battery in it is dead or it needs to be reprogrammed..

Soooo..
Guess my next question is;
How do I bypass or reset the factory alarm system?
I found the black box plugged in under dash, had to shut down to go run errands with wife for rest of day
Thanks again

 

[Suerto]

Until I get motor/tranny mounts, another radiator fan, and such, I just wanted to get it to start and run so I can begin to troubleshoot other issues it probably has from sitting up for 5yrs
lol

It probably had a blown head gasket I'm thinking.. Being as how it was run hot at some point

 

[Suerto]

Well..
Ripped the factory alarm system out, car started right up with no issues..

Now, I see that I am missing a few hardware parts under the hood, related to the turbo assembly and exhaust manifold..

Would anyone happen to have a digital service manual to share?

 

[Valk]

tranny mount doesnt usually fail.. usually the front or rear mounts. i guess its not unhead of but that would be pretty unsafe to drive if it was the case lol. you can get a full set of mounts from awr, or you can get solid front and rear mounts and inserts for the side.
I think the awr solid tranny mount is the most expensive by bar so it is something to consider. a silicon/insert filled side mount would be just fine with solid front and rear mounts. to eliminate wheel hop you absolutely need the rear mount most of all but for general daily driving where your not dumping your clutch at lights all the time, just the front three and filled oem rear is fine.

http://www.mazdaspd.com/manuals.html

is the manual we use to service the car. the turbo parts are an additional leaflet but doesnt really go into details of stuff. just an exploded diagram ect.

welcome to the club though. Its not a fast car but it is very rare now. please take good care of it.

 

[Suerto]

thanks valk

Yeah, just looking at using it as a grocery getter for winter (1 ton and bike equally suck for this purpose, in their own special way)..
I planned on replacing all mounts, just to be on the safe side.

Just trying to get it back to decent operating condition..
Need a few bolts, heat shields, brackets, hoses, radiator fan, etc, etc..

Might upgrade some stuff along the way, but wasn't looking at trying to make it a money pit racer, just a clean zippy little car.

 

[polaris]

I hope all goes well with your project. Not only are these cars rare, but they handle like a dream when they work right. I hate to think of any MSP that's designated as a "grocery getter".

 

[Suerto]

LOL

By "grocery getter'', I mean..
Dependable and fun/sportily economic..
With having a baby, wife said anything I got had to have a backseat, and this one was a good price (free-ish.. with some assembly required)
I have no intentions of blowing it up or making it a money pit project car, just want something clean, zippy, economic, and mostly dependable for running errands and such..

Here's my current list of parts needs;
Stock turbo to SMIC / "Y" pipe (bypass valve tit broke/melted off)
power steering pump mounting bolt
stock exhaust manifold heat shield
stock radiator fan assembly
motor and tranny mounts
LH inner fender well plastic
all front undercarriage plastic, under engine / and front bumper etc
downpipe to engine brace/bracket
exhaust manifold oxygen sensor or hole plug
headlight assembly - headlight housings are atrociously faded/yellowed

I'm prolly gonna "upgrade" the following parts as I am needing to replace them anyways;
motor and tranny mounts - prolly go with AWR mounts
airbox - prolly go with injen CAI fender well kit
SMIC pipes - prolly go with some aftermarket alum pipes

If anyone has any further recommendations, I'm all ears
thanks again

 

[Valk]

heh.. heat shields lol. DELETE.

as long as your not driving it like a 16 year old it will be perfectly reliable. enjoy the boost at a roll, not at a dig.. that will break it. i wouldnt bother with smic pipes unless yours are cracked/leaking or you are upgrading the intercooler.
you should look at the ebay fmic thread. you can do it pretty cheap and it works great for this car. the most expensive part is honestly the blow off valve heh.
intake would be low on the priority list for me. msp intake is pretty good and quiet. if you upgrade to fmic you can just cap the bypass, or run your system recirculated as per factory with an aftermarket valve.
$250 for a pipe with a filter on it is a hard sell in a turbo car that doesn't actually get much of a gain from it.
definitely get a ssafc though. that will make the single largest difference in the cars operation.

most of the bolts are easy to get from a parts store. you can polish your headlight lenses or sand them and clearcoat them. that worked well for me. if its just a grocery getting, no need to look for reasons to spend money on it lol.

 

[Suerto]

true dat valk..
lol

I tend to get caught up and over-think things.
especially when its raining outside and I am bored


thanks for the tips..
Will probably go that route

 

[Valk]

the msp headlights are a little different form a standard protege light. as are the tails. the rears ahve a tint to them where the fronts have a darker bezel inside. you could simply paint a regular bezel by opening the light if you wish but to straight buy msp lights might be difficult. THUS you should try to save them as best you can. on a rainy day, a couple hours with some wet 600/800 sand paper and good 2k clear will bring them back to near new condition.
another alternative is to find some p5 headlights. they look really good with the msp.

but as with any car, dont modify anything until your sure the car works properly. obviously if somehting needs replacing, its sensible to upgrade it in the process.

these cars ahve pretty much been figured out over 13 years though. aside from going totally custom, there is no need to reinvent the wheel on anything.

 

[Suerto]

Good to know..
According to some that I've read on here, the MSP is a stock protege til it hit the states and then they dropped a turbo in it.
I was just gonna order so protege lights and be done with it.

I went with some baking soda and toothpaste for a test patch on the headlights, looks like it'll get the job done, on those rainy days when I am bored to tears and itching to spend stupid money on something.. lol


Referencing the "upgrade when replacing" comment.. lol
the airbox is cracked, and the upper SMIC hose is as well, as to my thoughts of upgrading those parts..
On all my vehicles I have gotten in the past 15yrs, thats the first thing I did, exhaust/intake/programmer.. old habit..

I did read up on the SSAFC's per your recommendation, I'll probably get one, sounds like a good investment..
Although, with having an OBD2 system, I woulda thunk somebody would have come up with a cool PNP touchscreen display system.. The ss piggyback/splicing wires dealio seems pretty retroly antiquated to an OBD throwback..

I figured I'll probably enjoy this car, as, I had gotten a beater miata a couple years ago for $2000 (220k miles) just to zip around houston.. And it was a fun car. I only wished it had a turbo to give it a little more ooomph for onramps and such..

thanks again for all your input
I'll be ordering parts tonight and should be firing it up for road testing mid week

 

[Valk]

if you wanna get a little more spendy, pope sells unichips tailored to our cars. that would give you datalogging, timing control, boost control a bunch of other stuff and popes support for tunes. think he quoted me around $350 usd for the Q+, data cable, Boost control module.

I have his manifold and downpipe, a $1000 combined investment when i preordered and more now lol. definitely worth it though.

if your gonna buy lights, buy p5 lights. they a little unique on a sedan. stock in japan.

injen intake is standard fare, but assumes the use of recirculated setup with stock piping. if you upgrade to fmic and VTA you would have to plug it anyway. most people running aftermarket FMIC are running VTA and use a SRI of some sort to save space. if you dont mind cutting the front frame a ltitle, you can fit an fmic and run the pipes straight back, saving the hole in the side for the usual CAI.
you would definitely need an exhaust as well as a downpipe to see the gains from intake/fmic/programmer but it will totally transform the car. even at a petite 8psi, its gonna be awesome.

i think for the money spent, it is hard to get more car for the money. even with all the mods we do to get them up to comparable hp of a stock wrx, the s*** grinning good times you will get are just not available in anything else for the same monies.

 

[Suerto]

yeah.. was looking at popes page, he's got a few goodies there that would be nice if I were really looking to go balls out and make this a fun car.
But... I must restrain myself from such coolness, lol

This is suppose to be an economobile.. lol

I think I'll just get it running stock and reliable, at most get pope's unichip and support, a boost gauge, and go from there..
lol

 

[Suerto]

Well, it's been a little over a month, and I've spent about $2800 on this "free" car and still haven't driven it more than 2 miles, but that will prolly change today..

Just wanted to give an update on the progress for everyone who helped me out with parts and questions.
Here's what it needed;
New radiator
Radiator fan
Blown head gasket
Hot pipe/bpv tit broken
Alarm sensor malfunction
All engine mounts blown
Factory kenwood and amp gone, broken pioneer deck in place

Here's what I done so far;
Ripped alarm system out
Replaced radiator
Replaced radiator fan with junkyard protege fan and modded housing accordingly
Replaced stock IC with used aftermarket SMIC
Replaced IC pipes with WR setup
Moved MAF
BPV vents to atmosphere
Replaced head gasket
Head shaved and valve job
CS short ram, then modded to CAI in fender well
Modded inner fender lining with stock protege liner to cover intake
Added SSAFC
Replaced all mounts with AWR 70's
Installed AEM A/F ratio guage in pocket near drivers door
Installed WB O2 sensor for A/F ratio guage
Installed prosport boost and oil press guages in custom guage bezel (made myself)
And lastly, no true ricer is complete without some autozone parts, so I put a $60 boss deck to replace the broken pioneer

Today I should be finishing up the guage bezel sorround and putting it back in, change the oil again (2nd time.. Had water in oil from blown head gasket) then I'm gonna take it for a spin on some backroads

Stuff I need to attend to;
Clean the yellow headlight housings

ABS & emergency brake lights are on, I've checked fluid level and pad wear, had to top off fluid but pads are fine so I am assuming it's a sensor issue as it brakes fine

Center cap for rim

Delete the cats.. They are rattling, and the wife says it's annoying so she gave me the nod to get rid of them (as if I needed an excuse)

Paint the rims.. Paint is peeling on some of the rims, so we are prolly gonna black them out (car is black pearl)

That's all I can think of unless anyone has any other recommendations?

I want to thank lively jay for sending me the extra complete ssafc package, that was super nice of him
And also wanted to thank the guys who responded

I probably would have taken much longer to get this project completed, had all the information not been on this forum

If any of y'all ever need any advice on deisel trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, corvettes, guns, or drilling for oil, I'd be more than happy to help y'all out anytime

Thanks again

 

[hornsfan10609]

Good luck man, the future of the MSP depends on people like you that are capable of restoring them

 

[Suerto]

Well, just to give some updates on the MSP shakedown..
I noticed WGA issues and had low boost (max 2psi).. thread is here, not really exciting stuff http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123852586-Waste-gate-and-BPV-troubleshooting

So, yesterday I needed to finalize some items;
1) relocating the air temp sensor (just had it dangling in engine compartment) ended up drilling a hole in the hard pipe and coupling where it mates up to the re-located MAF housing (not drilling through the MAF housing

2) I had deleted the EGR pipe (capped exhaust side and plugged intake side, which then caused a CEL as the EGR was sensing no "adequate airflow"), so I cut the mani side egr pipe and stuck a mini air filter on it and plugged it back in while I had the intake pipe off and could get in there..

3) Went ahead and changed out the horn.. I have train horns on my truck, and wife got a good laugh when we tooted the horn in the MSP, so we put one of them compact air horns on it to make sure we can be heard in traffic
lol

Soooo while there, I noticed all the couplings on all the piping needed re-tightening, so I snugged everything up..
Going back to the house from the shop about a mile, I found BOOST!!! lol

got into 2nd and just floored it to goof off and I saw my boost needle move, and fast, blipped up to 12psi when I let out of it
So I went down the road to check it out, and it would appear that with all the leaky couplings, all the boost was just blowing out everywhere.

Although its REALLY fun seeing and feeling 10psi or more of boost, I suppose to protect the dainty little stock engine from myself, I will still install the ATP WGA when it comes in.

Even after reading all the recommendations about making sure everything was tight, and I made sure it was all tight when I put it together, I suppose after finally running the car and warming everything up it snugged in. Never experienced that with the diesel trucks, so thats a new one on me.