joew

I've got an '02 MP. I just bought it with only 5k miles. My dad owned it and took excellent care of it over the last year and did not drive it hard.

My concern is that there is noticable surging and/or hesitation spots throughout the powerband. From 2,500 all the way to 6,000 RPM I can feel short spurts and drops in power.

I tried to reset the computer by disconnecting the battery overnight. I thought it helped the next day but soon it was back to the same problem.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there a TSB for updating the ECU?

Thanks for any help.

binssejw

i am pretty sure i know what you are talking about and i think i have the same problem also. at night does it seem like your liights dim also? lemme know if you find any solutions. thanks

BaLa

still under factory warranty?..
you spoken to anybody @ teh service dept at your local ford/mazda dealership?

ibanez78

i've noticed it too, mostly when i'm second gear doing a roilling stop, i hit the gas to get going and for a few seconds nothing happens, then it kicks in

gcs118

If you've seen a baselines dyno on a Protege, it is definitely not linear! There are hesitations and surges as you call them in the dyno plot. I'm not really sure why, but I've seen them before and it has been discussed earlier.

binssejw

great thanks as long as it is normal i try to look through all of the post but ther are so many. there are like thousands arent there? sorry to be an annoyance

joew

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding the dyno, I would expect some dips and surges, but these are pretty surprising for a 2002 car from Japan. I had a Sentra for 9 years with less power but a much more linear power curve. I also had a Neon ACR that was smoother than this.

I probably need to take to a dealer. I'm a bit hesitant because it was purchased new from a dealer in another state and I'm not sure how well I'll be treated. I'll touch base though.

Thanks again, folks. Maybe a piggy back with the right turbo will do the trick....

Installshield

The fuel maps during wide open throttle are the culprit, as long as the surging is minimal, the dealer will probably tell you it is normal...

The OBD-II ECU for the FS-DE (assuming your pro is a 2.0L) has been notorious for running very rich at the rpms your mentioned...The large "buffer" of fuel gives a pretty inconsistent expansion, and combine that with the FS's breathing problems you get a stock power curve that looks like a trail-map for ascending Long's Peak...

Depending on where you live and other various conditions, it can be worse for others...It won't hurt to have it looked at by the dealership, but chances are they will tell you to live with it...

Emerald99ES

Hi guys -- maybe someone can give me some idea of what might ail my '99 ES. The symptoms include noticeable hesitation and a vibration/sound after letting out the clutch in first and second gear, after which the power seems to kick in. The vibration/sound feels like it is right beneath my footwell (kind of a growl/grunch sound, hard to explain in words but definitely noticeable in person) and is apparently audible to passers-by (who crane their neck expecting to see a tuner car!). Haven't been under the car yet, but people I describe this to have mentioned clogged catalytic converter, hole in the exhaust system or clutch problems as possible culprits. Has anyone else had similar symptoms, and/or a possible solution? Thanks...

Installshield

Sounds like clutch problems to me...Could be a combination of the clutch disc, and pressure plate all giving in, possibly a glazed flywheel as well...This sounds like normal problems that occur with a fatigued clutch system...if you notice clutch slippage when the pedal is fully released, the clutch is completely dead and in need of replacement...

Astral

Is this related to the Mazdaspeed hesitation problem?

Mazda just released an ECU fix for MazdaSpeed Proteges that removes a lot of the hesitation, see this msprotege.com thread.

Is this something that applies to non-MS Pro's as well?

Installshield

yeah sort of...

The MSP utilizes I guess a similar ECU reprogrammed for the forced induction...It was a very noticable problem for almost every MSP owner from what I read...the rest of the 2.0L crowd sometimes gets hesitation and sometimes doesn't...IMO the engine runs so rich at WOT that it opens the door for some quirky behavior...Sometimes everything runs fine, sometimes people notice power surges and hesitation...Personally I haven't noticed it more on my P5 than on any other stock OBD-II economy car, but others claim they do...

Also I think this thread is blowing it out of proportion a little...The thread starter may have clutch problems, and that is where the hesitation is coming from...Not many 2.0L pro owners complain about the hesitation, and again it only comes with very precise conditions...so it is not a everyday thing...

JAL1639

OK, so you know our problem, is there a fix?

Mine is an everyday thing. If I accel hard with the clutch fully engaged, I can feel it, and it's not a slipping it is a definite engine prob. I thought it was the injectors or something in the fuel delivery system. Anyway. Is there a correction for it?

Installshield

Some dealerships are equipped to deal with ECU problems, but again I can't easily define what is "normal" and what isn't...Some owners do experience it everyday and some don't. It depends mostly on the climates and conditions of your area...Take it to a large Mazda dealer, especially one that carries and has sold a few MSP's...The problem is much more noticable with an MSP, but if the dealership has the equipment to re-calibrate the MSP's ECU most likely they can any FS ECU...But don't be suprised if they tell you it is normal, or that they didn't notice anything...Also every OBD-II economy car I have driven experienced surging and minimal hesitation in some conditions (such as a really humid day, or when raining, or when really hot)...

And in my experience, my P5 was very incosistant when I purchased it almost 2 years ago...but has considerably "smoothed" out over the past 40,000 miles...