new guy here.. (MPS3)

[350gtz]

Hi, Im new here. I picked up my 2006 MPS3 a couple of weeks ago.. what can i say? im impressed! The closest thing i have driven to the MPS3 is a GTiR pulsar.. The GTiR in the past has been a car that i always dreamed of owning. To start with the draw back was price... Over the years, price became less of an issue but was taken over by age.. They're getting old these days (20 years).. So the interior and equipment etc is just not up to scratch anymore..

The last car i had was a V35 coupe (awesome car).. Before that ive had a S15, S14, SP23, N14 pulsar Q (sr20) x2, mixed in with a few boring family cars..

The thing i love about the MPS is the raw power!! For the money, you get a very quick, modern car with all the latest fruit you would come to expect these days along with awesome looks and handling. My car has just ticked over 50,000km. It has full service history and im the second owner.. As you would expect, its pretty much immaculate..

There is however a couple of things that are bugging me that i want to ask you guys about.. just to be sure that its "normal" for these cars..

The gearbox. When i take it out of 2nd to shift up, theres a bit of a thud feeling just before i chuck it in 3rd.. Its the same between 3rd and 4th... I read that these gearbox's arent the best, but is that consistant with the "normal" problem?? or is it something that i could be improved and i should get it checked out..?

The engine mount. With so much torque, combined with talk about mounts breaking and recalls, im a bit worried. My question is, how much better does an after market mount feel? and has anyone heard of an engine mount breaking after the factory recall fix has been installed? Mine was changed by mazda. Am i safe?

Lastly, turbo lag / blow off valve.. The turbo lag combined with above gearbox problem = slow shifting and passengers with sore necks.. will a aftermarket BOV improve the shifting?

Thanks for reading..

[Toddy22587]

Hi Mate and welcome,

Seems like you've had a few interesting cars in the past. I'm not 100% sure about the problem your having with the gear shifts but its possible that an aftermarket rear engine mount could help. I've heard other say its the best value for money mod they've done.. other dont like the extra vibrations it causes at idle. I know it made my gear shifts better but i think it had more effect on the 3mps

I dont remember anyone breaking the stock rear engine mount but i could be wrong. I was under the impression that to fix the problem Mazda dailed back the boost in 1st-3rd gear to reduce the torque on the mount.

Its been a while since i drove an mps with a stock turbo but i dont remember turbo lag ever being a problem. If anything it was too responsive and always wanted to be on boost. I dont think changing the BOV will help with lag. Buy a WOT box and then you can just shift at full throttle... problem solved

[mickyj]

to the forum.

[rogwick]

Hello mate and welcome, as Toddy said perhaps a mount might be a solution to your shift problems and perhaps reduce motor flex under power/load. Don't quote me on it but I think Sam (Sarcasticone) may have broken a stock mount on the drag strip? Perhaps ask him. Yeah, pros and cons with a new mount as Toddy mentioned.

Re: Turbo lag, I think there is little turbo lag in the MPS due to the small K04 turbo. That's what makes these cars so quick. I know what you mean though, at low revs there seems to be nothing, then everything around 2,500RPM. I highly doubt a aftermarket BOV would make much of a difference in this. From what I know the only solution (other than improving response) is to get a bigger turbo as they don't spool as rapidly. Or try change your driving habits to bring the revs higher slowly rather than punching the throttle.

Nice car!

[guitar69]

Welcome.
Hope to see you on or next cruise.

[SarcasticOne]

Hello mate and welcome, as Toddy said perhaps a mount might be a solution to your shift problems and perhaps reduce motor flex under power/load. Don't quote me on it but I think Sam (Sarcasticone) may have broken a stock mount on the drag strip? Perhaps ask him. Yeah, pros and cons with a new mount as Toddy mentioned.

Re: Turbo lag, I think there is little turbo lag in the MPS due to the small K04 turbo. That's what makes these cars so quick. I know what you mean though, at low revs there seems to be nothing, then everything around 2,500RPM. I highly doubt a aftermarket BOV would make much of a difference in this. From what I know the only solution (other than improving response) is to get a bigger turbo as they don't spool as rapidly. Or try change your driving habits to bring the revs higher slowly rather than punching the throttle.

Nice car!

3500rpm clutch dumps are bad m'kay
mount wasnt in the best shape to begin with... then i completely ruined it

[RED3VIL]

Hello and Welcome

[kmh001]

Welcome to OzMPS. The stock MPS does not have much turbo lag compared to other turbo cars. Barring a problem with your car, it could be a simple matter of adapting your driving style to the characteristics of the DI engine. Hope to see you at the next cruise.

[Caffeine Fiend]

Welcome


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nexus]

Hi, Im new here....
...
The gearbox. When i take it out of 2nd to shift up, theres a bit of a thud feeling just before i chuck it in 3rd.. Its the same between 3rd and 4th... I read that these gearbox's arent the best, but is that consistant with the "normal" problem?? or is it something that i could be improved and i should get it checked out..?
...
The engine mount. With so much torque, combined with talk about mounts breaking and recalls, im a bit worried. My question is, how much better does an after market mount feel? and has anyone heard of an engine mount breaking after the factory recall fix has been installed? Mine was changed by mazda. Am i safe?
...
Lastly, turbo lag / blow off valve.. The turbo lag combined with above gearbox problem = slow shifting and passengers with sore necks.. will a aftermarket BOV improve the shifting?

Welcome!

Re: the 'box : 2nd to third does tend to be a bit noisier. After-market engine mount helps - the clunk, is - I think - engine and 'box slapping around under changing torque loads, which if you think about it, is happening as you pull it from gear...there are other noises that are not things slapping around, there is a bit of a bump noise sometimes, make sure you've got the clutch in properly, and that there's not a bit of extra throw that you could/should be using. I am aware that often if I get a clunk, I'm being a bit lazy with the clutch - this has bearing on how torque is loaded against the drivetrain and therefore how things slap around...

Short shift plate improved things for me as well. Engine mount, Solid shifter bushings, and short shift plate are what you might want to consider. I'm happy without solid bushings at the moment, so I don't know what I'm missing out on there...

You might want to try Penrite SIN75W90 gearbox oil - it's a GL5+/6 that meets the spec needs for the box. There's some debate about whether it erodes synchro's etc; I don't believe it does. It was in mine for 80,000K and there's no degradatiuon of anything that I've noticed - I'm back to GL4 now and am considering going back to the GL5+/6 Penrite for smoother gearbox operation. The Penrite is specifically specced as having good compatibility with brass alloys (synchro bits), and also meets LSD needs. Mazda put it in mine as warranty service in response to excessive cold start LSD chatter. This is again, one of the penrite oils advertised gains.

Re: mount - do it. CPE 60 or 75 duro seems to be the pick - there's others. I've a 75 and the vibes are noticable with the aircon on at idle, not so much with it off. Helps shift holding everything a bit tighter...

And last reason to do it is because it's a good precautionary mod. Here's what my OEM mount looked like coming out of mine when the CPE was installed.



Split and ****ed. From what I've read, that's pretty much what they tend to come out looking like.

Lastly bypass valve - OEM one holds pressure from testing I've read of. There doesn't really seem to be a good reason to replace it in terms of performance. Theres some feedback that certain aftermarket tunes perform better with the OEM valve.

[350gtz]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
Lots of good info here..Turbo lag is not really a huge issue.. KMH001 you probably hit the nail on the head.. Its probably just because ive been driving a lot of auto's before i got the MPS so its possible im just used to seemless shifting.. The V35 especially had a very good auto box (plant foot, sit back, enjoy the g force).. Ive had to make a few change in the way i drive the MPS even compared to any other manuals ive owned because its my first 6 speed (the s15 was auto.. hated it!). Anyway i think im getting more and more comfortable with the MPS everyday. The engine mount sounds like it could be a really worth while upgrade for the piece of mind as well as the improved performance/driveabilty. So im going to start by picking one of them up as well as doing a gear box oil flush (give the Penrite SIN75W90 a go, thanks Nexus) as see if i get any joy.. I love this car though.. Its sort of a sleeper, most people on the road just throw it in the same bucket as any other hatchback until you leave them in your dust!!

I wish i had more time to play with my car!! Cant even scratch my ass these days.. Anyway hope to catch up with some of you at the next cruise.. Will keep you all posted on how i get on with these teething issues.. Thanks all

[kelviN]

Welcome ! When i bought my car , the gearbox was so clunky and noisy. Like u couldnt shift gears without hearing the synchros fall into place. A gearbox oil flush fixed the problem

[MadAussie]

Do it!

[AlTee]

I've had my MPS3 for about 15 months and at first thought the gear box was shocking... Now it doesn't feel to bad at all, I think it was a combination of me learning how to use the clutch to suit the box (I have driven a manual for 20 years) and installing short shift plate. I still hate the noisey thrust bearing though ..

[350gtz]

i finally got around to changing the transmission oil today! changed the engine oil and filter while i was at it... Its already a big difference in shifting.. 2nd is still a bit funny but it seems to pop into all gears a little more easy now. Also the winey noise is almost completely gone.. I just noticed today when i was checking for the fluid capacities etc that although the transmission oil is meant to be changed every 100k, there is also a 60 months component.. I thought i was changing the trans oil early since my car has only done 50k but as it turns out its bang on 5 years so it makes sense that the factory oil wasnt up to scratch anymore.
Tomorrow will be the big test.. a mate has invited me down to the RAC airport skid pan day thingy so ill be giving my car a good run. Will hopefully post a vid. Stay tuned..

[TheJunglist]

welcome to the forum. sounds like u having a blast with the mps. enjoy