silverpro5

Maybe I was thinking of the Probe - its on the list from wikipedia. Is that Ford taking from Mazda, as in the MZR?

Edit - the probe had a FS engine from 93-97, and if they are using whp in the article, then it made more ponies than our P5s do. It looks like they were Mazda engines (and chassis) being used on Ford cars.

KrayzieFox

The 93-97 Probe used the FS-DE engine (a Mazda engine) which is also in most 3rd gen Proteges.

_Kansei_

They aren't using WHP, that's BHP. And yeah, it's the MX-6 chassis (itself a derivative of the 626 chassis if I recall correctly). Mazda engine, Mazda for most of the eletronics, mazda for the chassis, butt plug for the styling.. I wonder why it wasn't a successful replacement for the Mustang as it was meant to be?

macdaddyslomo

Because the the FS is a turd, it was FWD, the FS is a turd, it didn't have a V8, and did I mention the FS is a turd ???

They never should have dropped the F2T from the 1st gen MX-6 GT...Tough engine, Torque monster

_Kansei_

Don't forget about the KL though. Only the crap Probes didn't have the KL-DE I was just saying that jokingly, because the obvious reasons are what you listed.. no V8, FWD, MADE IN JAPAN, etc.

macdaddyslomo

I thought Probes were getting the crappy Vulcan, not the KL ???

I still stand by my statement about the F2T...if anything they should have put the FE3 in there instead of the FS....still a DOHC 2.0L Mazda motor, but better revving, stronger, and more horsepower than an FS

_Kansei_

The FE3 makes me sad because it's so significantly better than the FS. It makes me want to buy a Kia Sportage (they had one but with a few changes). Rods stronger than SR20DE rods!

And nah, Probes had the KL. An old buddy blew something on his and swapped to the KL-ZE, it was sex.. in the butt, because of how horrifically ugly that car was. That was probably another reason it didn't succeed at replacing the stang.. it was called the probe and looked the part.

msp03

ok as this is my first car with a turbo. like you said its not turbo lag, do you have an answer for why a stock engine would have that sudden drag (loss of power) at high rpms? it usually does it at like 4500-6000, but then at 6000-6500 it gets a big boost of power. it feels wierd when it does it. if i get on it hard, you can really feel it. if i get on it easy, you dont notice it at all.

_Kansei_

Sudden loss of power at high RPMs? It isn't a loss, it's just that there isn't much of a boost of power (vs a non-turbo Protege)

And yes, I only notice it when I'm on it hard.. my answer? It's the ECU and it's really horrible fuel maps at full throttle. It just DUMPS fuel at full throttle, which is why I can get 36mpg highway and 10-12 at an autocross. At full throttle, my air/fuel ratios just sit right at 9.2-9.4:1 .. that's a LOT of fuel in the exhaust, 12:1 would be a much better place to be, I don't know why it just dumps fuel like that.

I've heard the service bulletin ECU reflash for the mazdaspeed fixes that.. it's called 'hesitation'. If you are under any warranty they should be able to do that for you.

I can't get it done because well.. my car isn't even a mazdaspeed Protege so they'd get confused.

_Kansei_

Edit: I just turned my boost controller up 1 click (1 click = 1/16th of a turn, the **** can turn 3-4 times between min and max) and it fixed that loss of power :P

if only my boost gauge hadn't broken.. then I'd know if that 1 click brought me back up to the 7-8psi I had when I first set my boost level back in January (when it was -10F and snowy). I know in April/May (40-50F) it was only getting to 5.5psi

Jackelope

i can actually watch the boost drop off a little above 5 grand..

couldnt tell you how much, considering my guage reads in mm/Hg or something.

_Kansei_

But then there's an explosion of power around 5500rpm.. I can see how it corresponds to the air/fuel ratio. I don't know if it's because the injectors are maxed and can't maintain the horrible 9.1:1 ratio at that RPM or what.. but it drops to a more reasonably 12 at high RPM.

_Kansei_

p.s. here's a dyno of a totally stock mazdaspeed protege:

msp03

ok, if the fuel injectors cant maintain the 9.1:1 ration. do you think upgrading the fuel injectors would help this problem.

name that noise: i only hear when i go over bumps, it sounds like something banging around in the trunk. i thought it was my spoiler, but its not loose and my tunk is empty.

_Kansei_

It's "the clunk".. your rear swar bar bushings are worn out. You can replace them (they'll wear out again, and it doesn't even take that long) for a few bucks (might be covered under your warranty) or spend ~180 dollars on a true solution to the issue, which is that the swar bar chassis mounting points are not spread apart far enough so the bar tries to bend instead of just swiveling.

www.autoxracing.com is the source for the real fix, the "clunk fix brackets"

As for the fuel injectors.. well as you can see, on that dyno they were able to maintain at least a 10:1 air/fuel ratio at all times. If only that chart went down to 9 for air fuel so we could really see what is going on.

I almost forgot, the sudden surge of power around 5500rpms could be the VICS system, which deploys the second set of intake manifold runners at that RPM. It basically just changes the length at high RPM to optimize the power without killing it down at low RPMs.

Anyone want to chime in on whether the Mazda 'hesitation fix' ECU reflash cures the flat spot of power msp03 and myself feel? From what I've read people say it leans out the mixture a bit which would definitely help things.