Mazdaspeed Protege Engine Hesitation

[Alejo_NIN]

HUGE thanks to the members here who I have obtained this information from.


Also, Thanks to TheMAN and his Protege FAQ for the Technical Service Bulletins.

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ATTENTION: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS NOT OFFICIAL IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. IT IS MERELY A COLLECTION OF COMMON PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY THE MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD. YOUR DEALERSHIP HAS THE MOST ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CAR AND IS MORE THAN LIKELY CORRECT IF THEY ARE GOING AGAINST SOMETHING WRITTEN IN THIS THREAD. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DEALERSHIP A HARD TIME IF THEY ARE REFUSING SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU SAW IT HERE OR AT ANOTHER FORUM. TAKE THE ADVICE BELOW WITH A GRAIN OF SALT AND USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT AND THAT OF YOUR DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE ADVISORS' WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR VEHICLE'S SPECIFIC NEEDS OR PROBLEMS.
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Engine

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Issue: Hesitation.
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What: A few of the members here like to occasionally "smash gas" from time to time. If you've ever done that and noticed that while at full throttle the car seems to bog down like it won't go any faster, then you've just experienced hesitation.

Why: Basically, what happens is that when you hit wide open throttle, the ECU switches to an open loop and dumps a HUGE amount of fuel in the mix. The car basically becomes overly rich and "floods" itself. As another member stated: "It is hard to notice an engine that is running lean to a certain point, mostly because it feels very powerful for the most part. Rich mixtures cause the poor drivability and hesitation. When the ECU switches modes it is going from lean to rich basically, which will make that hesitating feel..."

How To Fix: If the hesitation bothers you to the point where you want to drive your MSP off of a cliff, stop by your dealership before you do so. Mazda has released a flash which "cures" this condition. A flash is just a reprogramming of the car's computer and is available for FREE at Mazda dealerships. What it does is advance the timing to a point where the car leans out a bit more and gets rid of the too overly rich condition. Keep in mind that if you plan on adding a boost controller to your car, advanced timing is a bad thing and could lead to knock or detonation. Please think about your future plans before proceeding with the flash. It is *NOT* reversible unless you find another unflashed Mazdaspeed owner who is willing to trade ECU's with you. That is very hard to do, however. Mazda's official Technical Service Bulletin (TSB/M-TIP) is shown directly below:

TSB/M-TIP:
Code:
MAZDASPEED PROTEGE - HESITATION UNDER ACCELERATION
Applicable Models
Model Starting S/N Ending S/N
2003 PROTEGE 00000000 ZZZZZZZZ

Symptoms and Conditions
Hesitation and/or intermittent stumble under acceleration. All Mazdaspeed
Protege PCM's should be reprogramed using the following procedure.

Repair Procedure
1. Verify customer concern.
2. Using WDS B27.4 or later software, reprogram the PCM to the latest
calibration (refer to "Calibration Information" table) by following the
"Module Reprogramming" procedure.

NOTE:
* Always update the WDS PTU first, then install the needed calibration
file that the WDS shows during PCM reprogramming. Go to "WDS
Calibration" on ESI and download the "update" file. If the PTU is not
updated to the latest WDS calibration level, the calibration file will not
install into the PTU.
* It is not necessary to remove any fuses or relays during PCM
reprogramming when the WDS screen prompts you to do so. You may
accidentally stop power to one of the PCM terminals and cause the PCM to
be blanked, or you may receive error messages during the WDS
reprogramming procedure.
* WDS shows the calibration part numbers after programming the PCM.
* Please be aware that PCM calibration part numbers and file names listed
in any RI/Service Bulletin may change due to future releases of WDS
software, and additional revisions made to those calibrations for service
related concerns.
* When reprogramming a PCM, WDS will always display the "latest"
calibration P/N available for that vehicle. If any calibration has been
revised/updated to contain new information for a new service
concern/issue, it will also contain all previously released calibrations.
* When performing this procedure, if the WDS PTU is not docked and
connected to 115V-120V, we recommend that a battery charger be
installed on the vehicle battery and turned ON to a maximum charge of
no more than 20 AMPS to keep the vehicle battery up to capacity. If
you exceed 20 AMPS, it will damage the WDS PTU.
5. Place an "Authorized Modification" label (P/N 9999-95-AMDC-97) with the
new calibration information near the Emission Control Information label
located on the hood or in the engine compartment.
4. Verify repair.

NOTE: After reprogramming a PCM, it is necessary to road test the vehicle
to relearn KAM (Keep Alive Memory) strategy and verify no MIL
illumination or DTC's are present.

CALIBRATION INFORMATION
NEW PCM CAL. P/N FILENAME
3ALU-12A650-MC QOAP4C0

Copyright © Mazda North American OperationsThere's a list of more ECU information, including a list of notified dealerships, that may be found here.

[Alejo_NIN]

Someone Please Make A New Section For This?

[Mindcore]

Very big thanks to Alejo_NIN for the Protege TSB information in this forum

[Alejo_NIN]

thnx...