New Owner! Need advice

sean_mx3 · Post by **sean_mx3** » May 8th, 2005, 10:29 am

Hey there folks. I'm a new MX3 owner from the UK. Must say I love the car and look forward to getting it as good as some of the cars on this site. I have a few questions about the car.
1) I'm looking for an induction kit (or panel filter). Any recommendations?
2) How long do the cars last? Mines has 86k miles on the clock but still seems to be going strong.
3) What other peformance products are there for my car.

The car is a 1.8 V6, thanks in advance.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » May 8th, 2005, 12:13 pm

1) There are Cold Air Intake kits availble that with minor modifications will fit your engine.. Do a search on CAI kits and see what comes up. Or if you would prefer to just put in a new filter in your air box.. go with K&N.

2) With proper maintenance and oil changes every 3000 miles you should see that 86k triple without too many problems. Preventive maintenance is the key to the longevity of the car. Depending on how well the previous owner took care of the car, you probably wont have to do much for a while.. but.. if you dont have maintenace records for it, I would recommend having mazda or a good shop inspect the car to give you an idea of what is wearing and will need replacing. If you can.. replace parts that are worn before they fail. For example.. if you dont know how many miles are on your water pump, its best to change it for a new one rather than to let it go bad and risk overheating your engine. Should your engine overheat then other problems can result.. gaskets & seals can start leaking.. you could blow a head gasket.. etc.. Best to avoid that sort of thing.

3) Best to use the search function and do a bit of research.. there are lots of threads on this forum that show what people have done to their cars, there is so much that people have done.. tough to condense it for one posting.

Best of luck

Tunes67

mitmaks · Post by **mitmaks** » May 8th, 2005, 4:53 pm

I can say that k8 wlll go up to 300k miles with proper maintenance, timing belt/water pump, plugs/wires, oil.

Smokin' Joe · Post by **Smokin' Joe** » May 11th, 2005, 11:05 pm

Okay, What did I do now?
I too am a new owner of a MX3 V6, and was truly impressed with its handling, agility and illreputed throttle response, however last Saturday, in attempt to beautify my new ride, I sprayed under the bonnet with some degreaser and then sprayed her down with the pressure hose..... now, I seem to have not only lost the throttle response but the speed and fuel economy suck. Where do I begin my search to find that power I lost?
Any words of wisdom ( other than not to ever open a pressure wash under my hood) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in advance,
Joe

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » May 11th, 2005, 11:20 pm

First thing I would check Joe.. would be any and all vacuum lines.. including the flex hose that goes from the airbox (assuming you are running a stock setup) to the throttle body, check for cracks and air leaks. Next.. make sure you didnt get any water in your distributor cap. Check any and all electrical connections and make sure they are dry (they shouldnt get water in them.. but steam may have caused condensation inside the plugs). The pressurized water could have knocked any adjustable thing out of proper adjustment, including but not limited too, your TPS & Distributor. Once you have made sure water & condensation isnt an issue and that you have no vaccum leaks.. either crack open the online shop manual and start reading on how diagnose various system components.. or take it to a shop and have them put it on a analyzer. Hope this helps.

Tunes67

Smokin' Joe · Post by **Smokin' Joe** » May 12th, 2005, 9:35 pm

Hey , Thanks Tunes67!
Sure enough , Vac line on underside had minute splice.
I guess all of that grime and undercoating were caked on thick enough to keep the leak somewhat at bay.
I must confess that this is my first import car.
I have owned over 30 cars (and trucks) and seven motorcycles.
All of which have been North American product.
But with todays rising gas prices, decided to go smaller in attempt to maximize fuel and cost efficiency, & I must say.... I am impressed with my MX3. 102,000 Km (60,000 mi) Fully loaded GS. (glad I didn't go with the Sunfire GT)
This forum board is not only informative but interesting to say the least
Most of all it is the generousity of sharing useful information and coming to the aid of your fellow MX3 community that is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for assitance and most of all ... Thanks for the reception received from your timely response.
Looking forward to exploring and better understanding my commutor toy.
Who knows, Maybe a few mods myself.
Respectfully,
Joe

sean_mx3 · Post by **sean_mx3** » May 14th, 2005, 12:03 pm

Thanks for your reply guys. I've decided to go with a HKS filter. Should have it by next weekend. Should be getting it lowered at the end of the month too. Would I need uprated shocks if I lower the car or would lowered 40mm on springs with standard shocks be ok?

quicksliver · Post by **quicksliver** » May 14th, 2005, 12:54 pm

sean_mx3 wrote:Thanks for your reply guys. I've decided to go with a HKS filter. Should have it by next weekend. Should be getting it lowered at the end of the month too. Would I need uprated shocks if I lower the car or would lowered 40mm on springs with standard shocks be ok?

- Yes, you will need upgraded Struts. I recommened doing the ZX2 conversion (see 'Suspension FAQ')
- No, a 40mm drop on standard struts is not a good idea.

sean_mx3 · Post by **sean_mx3** » May 14th, 2005, 4:09 pm

Those parts are in America, I'm in the UK. I couldnt find uprated shocks here anywhere!

DamoV6UK · Post by **DamoV6UK** » May 14th, 2005, 4:53 pm

I have lowered mine just with springs in UK. I used Avo/Chassis dynamics springs (40mm lower)

Handling is slightly stiffer but overall no better or worse (as expected with springs i suppose!)

Looks much better though so would still reccomend it.

If you look on europerformance.co.uk and search for mx3 you should see them. Also some adjustable koni shocks on there but no idea how good they are mate.

Hope that helps

Damo

sean_mx3 · Post by **sean_mx3** » May 20th, 2005, 11:57 am

OK. I've just fitted a HKS Air Filter to the car. The car doesnt seem to be idling right? It also seems to be holding back a bit on power? Any ideas?

mitmaks · Post by **mitmaks** » May 20th, 2005, 8:34 pm

dont expect lots of power from intake, you shouldnt even notice it actually but only your engine will breath bit better

sean_mx3 · Post by **sean_mx3** » May 21st, 2005, 4:08 am

I've had to take the filter off. The car kept cutting out and it was running crap. Suppose I'll either have to go for a Green cotton filter or a panel filter. What a waste of £60!