Anyone know anything bout Probe GT's/Mazda MX-6 LS

[entity]

I test drove a manual today noticed the transmission is unusual, was wondering if this is normal for Ford/Mazda's. The clutch was very loose and engaged towards the bottom, which wasnt that big of a deal. When I popped the clutch it didn't catch as hard as I'm used to, but it didn't seem to slip at all. What caught me as unusual was that the shifter had alot of play in or out of gear and shifting into gears was extremely imprecise. There was so much play that the location of the gears was confusing. When I first started driving it I could barely tell if I was in gear or not, but I got used to it after a few minutes. Is this normal for these cars or is the transmission about to take a dump?

The CEL is also on..bad catback?

[MR2NER]

As for the CEL it's prob just an O2 sensor problem. My buddy had an MX6 LS, quick car with good torque as well, as for the clutch thing probably just engages differently than a 240. Most cars have very different clutch feel, I dorve VW and engaging took all my leg strengh, I had leg cramps after driving the damn thing.

[WeldingHank]

the shifter having all that play is from worn out shifter/shift rod bushings. $7 fix. if you have any questions at all, IM me. i have owned almost every incarnation of the probe. including the 1st generation turbocharged versions. which,IMHO have more potential than alot of other cars on the road. i had my PGT into the 13's on the stock IHI at 16psi. was a blast to drive. the 2nd gens are a little harder to get power from, but you can get it. they can handle a 150 shot of direct port N20.

[entity]

Ah..how reliable are they? Alot of my friends have had bad experiences with Mazdas/Fords.

[WeldingHank]

they are some of the most reliable cars there are on the road. and i am not joking. what you have to realize is that almost 60% of people that bought probes new were women. so you know what that means in terms of maitenence. change the oil regularly with some good synthetic. get it comression checked. also check the VRIS system by sticking a peice of paper in the VRIS soeilinoid on the back of the intake manifold and taking it on a WOT run and see if its there when your done, if its gone, the VRIS works. and pull the codes for the ECU. what year is it? if its 93-95 its OBD 1 and you can pull the codes yourself. after that, its obviously OBDII and you need to get a scanner for it. they are much faster stock for stock than a 240sx. I/H/E a good clutch can get you easily into the 14's. its also very good on the top end. from there, get a ZE intake and ZE camshafts (ZE is the designation for the JDM engine found in JDM MX-6's) and some fuel tuning and you can find yourself in the 13's and a VERY nice top end. easily pull straight to 7800ish RPM.

is it a GT or an SE? go on over to Probetalk.com and you can get these questions ansewed more detailed. as i haven't set my hands on a mazda engine in almost 9 months.

[Jesda]

I owned a 1995 Mazda 626 2.0 with the same engine and transmission. Lots of good torque for a midsize car. I sold it with 250,000 miles.

The clutch action you describe is normal.

A common problem on these cars is an oil pump design flaw that results in a lot of lifter noise at high mileage. The noise only persists at idle and lower RPMs and goes away on the highway.

When I sold mine, the only problems were the lifter tick and a minor oil leak. It was otherwise rock solid and clean as a whistle.

I wouldnt mind having another one, or an MX-6. Theyre among the most reliable cars on the road with average maintenance. And the shifters are just so snickety-slick. Only the Miata surpasses it.

-Jesda

[entity]

I looked at 2 of MX-6's, LS & M edition. Besides the leather cracking and normal wear and tear, I found myself liking them. Just considering my financial options now heheh..

Thanks for the help, if I can get one I will.

[Jesda]

Also... I'm not too keen on the automatic transmission used in those cars (Probe, Contour, 626, MX-6). Its derived from the Contour and has a habit of hunting around for the right gear and has some major reliability issues.

The 5-speed is so slick you'd regret having an auto anyway.

[krazy skwerel]

The Auto is complete and total crap in the 4cyl. models. I had a 93 wih 112,000 and on it's 3rd transmission. Loved the way the car looked. Hated the transmission. I wouldn't mind a GT with 5 speed. Be warned though the interior is cheap. Will break and squeek. Other than that nice cars.

[jdmfreak]

tHE MR-2 AND S14 AINT ENOUGH?

pWNED BY THE CAPS LOCK AGAIN.

[entity]

tHE MR-2 AND S14 AINT ENOUGH?

pWNED BY THE CAPS LOCK AGAIN.

Never!! Need more! Must feed addiction!:help

[WeldingHank]

yes, steer clear of the auto's. they are the only ford mechanical part on them. with an auto, its not a matter of if, but when the transmission is going to fail. another thing, they sound AWSOME with a borla cat-back, headers and testpipe.

[Megaseth]

i love the way the MX-6 looks. i wouldnt mind slapping a 3FE-T in it

[WeldingHank]

i love the way the MX-6 looks. i wouldnt mind slapping a 3FE-T in it

you mean the FE3. it never came turbo, but you can of course always install one. an FE3 with a T-72 and a standalone gets you into the 11's. and it revs to about 8000RPM.

[Megaseth]

http://members.aol.com/solomiata/FE3info.html

[WeldingHank]

yeah, it only really drops into a 1st gen PGT/MX6. but it can go into the 2nd gen. there is a guy right now dropping a FE3 into a 2nd gen. all that info from that site was done by a guy called JayB, who up untill he disapeared was a 1st gen PGT/MX6 god.

[Megaseth]

i smell an X file....

[audtatious]

Watch out for the '93 PGT's (1st year of 2nd gen). I had a lot of issues with mine and finally got rid of it at 120k. Issues revolved around spark plug wires constantly going bad, rear calipers, 5sp only lasting 65k, timing belt is a bear to replace, etc...etc....

A plus is it's a fun car to drive. Not the fastest and 1st gear revs too fast, but it is easily controllable with no torque steer at all. Handled great.

[WeldingHank]

yes, the rear calipers are known for freezing, if its a pre-95, get 96-97 calipers. and 5 speeds are stong, i haven't heard of many peolpe having trouble. as for plug wires, get a set of MSD 8.5's and you'll never need another set.

[audtatious]

Yes, the late model calipers are the best. As far as the transmission, mine blew a main bearing that took out all the gears. Luckily, it was still under the extended warranty and only cost me a hundred bux...The dealer plug wires suck. I had two sets of those and another set of Beckers which lasted appx 4 years, but eventually went bad as well.

From a speed perspective, the '93 model was the quickest. In '94 they added a passenger side airbag which slowed it down a bit due to the extra weight...

[hannibal]

My sister had a 94 Probe GT. I managed to wreck it twice. First time, not my fault and insurance fixed it. My sister moves to NJ, I go to visit, and wreck it again (totalled this time).My other sister has a 97 Mazda 626 4cyl. Back in college, I took it on a road trip. In the middle of NC, it starts spraying transmission fluid all over the place. I fill and keep going stopping every couple of miles to add fluid. Finally the car had enough and wont go into drive. Towed the car home and ended having the transmission replaced under warrenty. The dealer's diagnosis: major transmission failure. NO SH!TThe 626 is still going strong, even in Minnesota weather.

[UncleBen]

I LOVE the way the 24v v6 sounds w/ a good exhaust, soo clean sounding. But, they are slow and un-powerful for what they are I have obliterated a 5spd v6 mx6 about 3 times, yet he keeps coming back for more. I have it on tape if anyone wants to see it, haha.

[Mr1der]

Never!! Need more! Must feed addiction!:help

Go buy one of the first gen turbo GT's:D They're cheap as hell when you find them.

[krazy skwerel]

Make sure it's a turbo model though. No reason to get a V6 model 1st gen. booo

[WeldingHank]

i had a 1st gen turbo GT. i had it into the 13's on the stock turbo with $1200 in mods. 16 psi was so damn fun!

[krazy skwerel]

Nobody suspects the probe. I would like to find one of the 1st gen turbo MX6's I like the body styling of them more. Boxy cars rock, and it kinda looks like a mini R32