Powerloss when i snatch 3rd

Ok, tried a web search but couldnt find too much in the way of my problem, so thought some brains on here might be able to shed some light.

Ive got a MPS 3 2008 with only a 2XS Maf housing and Pod filter, no tune, no exhaust or other mods etc etc, so its fairly stock engine mod wise. When taking off, 1st and 2nd seem to have plenty of pull but when i snatch 3rd, the pull seems to dissapear. Im still accelerating but not to the same effect as i was in 1st and 2nd. Ive tried day and night conditions and its the same outcome. Its almost like ive lost boost pressure.

Any ideas on where to start looking? There has been talk of resetting the ECU by disconnecting the Batt but i havent tried this just yet.

Thoughts/Ideas welcome,.............

Any lights flashing on the dash when this happens? Just thinking it could be the traction control kicking in...

Have you tried shifting into 3rd? Rather than snathcing it? :p

If it's a slight hesitation feeling - almost like a missfire- my MPS6 does it too going into 3rd gear. There's a bit of discussion around the place, from what I gather it's an ECU thing that might be there to protect the drivetrain under heavy load into the higher gears? Some dashhawk style OBD tuners have a setting to turn the hesitation off...

Either or, borrow someones Ultragauge/Dashhawk and check for error codes?

Sounds like you'e met the evil force of aerodynamic drag :D

I had a similar issue once and cleaning the MAF seemed to fix it up. Good luck :)


Sent from my evil apple using TapaCrash

Thanks guys for the replies. I wouldnt say its like a missfire, but certainly feels like a long hesitation and no pull compared to 1st and 2nd gears that shouldnt be there. I would have thought the pull should be fairly consistent in all gears.

Will try cleaning MAF housing, and will see if i can get my hands on a dashhawk.

I havnt noticed any lights on the dash from loss of traction.

No need to "snatch" 3rd anyway. Even less sense to do it in 1st and 2nd if you want to prolong drive-train life. The gearbox will thank you for taking it easy and your synchro and CV's will last better. Fast shifts do not necessarily denote a good driver and most of the time just make the car sound as if it is being flogged. These cars will catch almost anything else on the road in 3rd gear and the millisecond you save in a snatched shift ain't going to make a whit of difference, unless you are on a circuit.

Thanks for the advice in driving styles, but to me 'snatch' and 'shift' (not to be confused with scratch and sniff), are the same things when talking car talk. I dont trash my cars with hard/fast shifting, and ive owned alot of Hi-Po cars the in past 20 years of driving.

so in layman terms and getting back on track, i have little power when snatching/shifting/changing (or any other term you feel you want to insert here), into 3rd gear compared to the power i have in 1st and 2nd gears

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Doug_MPS6

No need to "snatch" 3rd anyway. Even less sense to do it in 1st and 2nd if you want to prolong drive-train life. The gearbox will thank you for taking it easy and your synchro and CV's will last better. Fast shifts do not necessarily denote a good driver and most of the time just make the car sound as if it is being flogged. These cars will catch almost anything else on the road in 3rd gear and the millisecond you save in a snatched shift ain't going to make a whit of difference, unless you are on a circuit.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EX-XR6T

Thanks for the advice in driving styles, but to me 'snatch' and 'shift' (not to be confused with scratch and sniff), are the same things when talking car talk. I dont trash my cars with hard/fast shifting, and ive owned alot of Hi-Po cars the in past 20 years of driving.

so in layman terms and getting back on track, i have little power when snatching/shifting/changing (or any other term you feel you want to insert here), into 3rd gear compared to the power i have in 1st and 2nd gears

---

Right, time this thread was useful:

- What RPM are you shifting at?
- Are you going WOT immediately after shift?
- How are you measuring this "power" and its lack thereof?
- Is the power in 3rd gear lacking on the whole or just immediately after shifting?
- Is the clutch slipping?
- Is the power better in 3rd to 4th shifting?
- Have you had another MPS owner drive or be a passenger to get another opinion / perspective?

Ah, I see. To most of us here, I believe, a reference to "snatching" would suggest a fast shift, possibly flat-shifting, and with little regard to synchro delay. 2XS obviously had the same misunderstanding when he asked "Have you tried shifting into 3rd? Rather than snathcing (sic) it?" Cheers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Doug_MPS6

Ah, I see. To most of us here, I believe, a reference to "snatching" would suggest a fast shift, possibly flat-shifting, and with little regard to synchro delay. 2XS obviously had the same misunderstanding when he asked "Have you tried shifting into 3rd? Rather than snathcing (sic) it?" Cheers.

---

All good Doug, i guess we all have different ideas in meaning for several words out there.

Ok, il see how i go with this:

What RPM are you shifting at?- APPROX 5500RPM
- Are you going WOT immediately after shift? - I WOULD SAY MORE LIKE 3/4 THROTTLE
- How are you measuring this "power" and its lack thereof? - DONT HAVE ANY INSTRUMENT OTHER THAN THE PULL I 'FEEL' IN 1ST & 2ND, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY SOMEONE RECOMMENDED A DASHHAWK OR EQUIVALENT.
- Is the power in 3rd gear lacking on the whole or just immediately after shifting? - BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT WOULD BE 3RD GEAR ON THE WHOLE
- Is the clutch slipping? - GOOD POINT!! WILL LOOK CLOSER INTO THIS ESPECIALLY SINCE AFTER SOME RESEARCH IVE FOUND THE MPS LIMITS TORQUE IN 1ST & 2ND
- Is the power better in 3rd to 4th shifting? - BY THE TIME IVE HIT 4TH IM ALREADY REACHING THE SPEED LIMIT SO HAVNT PUSHED IT FURTHER
- Have you had another MPS owner drive or be a passenger to get another opinion / perspective? - NO, NOT YET

There is a compensation in the ECU for 1-2 and 2-3 high rpm/load shifts to soften them. Presumably to prevent damage to the drivetrain or to the engine from boost spikes. It's referred to as shift stutter. VersaTuner can eliminate this.

Can you meet up with another local for "show and tell"?

It may be easier to describe your issues that way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EX-XR6T

All good Doug, i guess we all have different ideas in meaning for several words out there.

Ok, il see how i go with this:

What RPM are you shifting at?- APPROX 5500RPM
- Are you going WOT immediately after shift? - I WOULD SAY MORE LIKE 3/4 THROTTLE
- How are you measuring this "power" and its lack thereof? - DONT HAVE ANY INSTRUMENT OTHER THAN THE PULL I 'FEEL' IN 1ST & 2ND, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY SOMEONE RECOMMENDED A DASHHAWK OR EQUIVALENT.
- Is the power in 3rd gear lacking on the whole or just immediately after shifting? - BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT WOULD BE 3RD GEAR ON THE WHOLE
- Is the clutch slipping? - GOOD POINT!! WILL LOOK CLOSER INTO THIS ESPECIALLY SINCE AFTER SOME RESEARCH IVE FOUND THE MPS LIMITS TORQUE IN 1ST & 2ND
- Is the power better in 3rd to 4th shifting? - BY THE TIME IVE HIT 4TH IM ALREADY REACHING THE SPEED LIMIT SO HAVNT PUSHED IT FURTHER
- Have you had another MPS owner drive or be a passenger to get another opinion / perspective? - NO, NOT YET

---

Ok then maybe look at your clutch, otherwise - and not to be rude or anything - as you go up through the gears you WILL feel less acceleration. as the gears get taller the 'pull' is always less apparent...

There is a marked difference in the "feel" of acceleration between 1st and 2nd and 3rd. I've always reckoned that Mazda should have a taller 2nd, as there is too small a step from 1st to 2nd. This is why the MPS3 has power limited in the two lower gears. But that said, if you feel "more power" in those gears, and allowing for the MPS3s torque limiter in the two lower gears, and your clutch isn't slipping, then it is unlikely your clutch is slipping in 3rd which puts far less load through it. I''m wondering if you are expecting the 1st & 2nd blast to be repeated in the higher 3rd gear too. The engines have enough torque to permit 3rd to be used as a much taller gear to give a sustained acceleration to much higher speeds. It could scarcely be called wanting as it will run the legs of most things. Tried a mates car in the same configuration?

I attach a Word file showing the graphed speeds in each gear showing the small step from 1st to 2nd.