![]() ![]() The wheels for the new MP3 were put in motion in 1999, when Mazda released an all-new Protegé. The suspension was generally a little soft for performance driving, however, which didn't help raise the public's perception of the Protegé. Racers and enthusiasts had to make do with the LX and ES models, which at least featured Mazda's twin-cam, 1.8-liter engine. In other words, no Protegé ever wore a decklid badge along the lines of the GT-S, Si or SE-R. The car has enjoyed moderate success in SCCA Club Racing, but Mazda never released a sport model for the U.S. When Mazda discontinued the 323 in 1994, the Protegé continued as Mazda's compact sedan. A staple of the Mazda lineup since 1990, the Protegé was originally the deluxe, sedan version of the old 323 hatchback. The MP3 is the new, sport-tuned model of the Mazda Protegé front-wheel-drive, four-door sedan. ![]() While this idea is not entirely new, Mazda is setting a precedent by releasing a car fitted with so many designer labels: Racing Beat, Nardi, Tokico, Mazdaspeed, Racing Hart, Dunlop and Kenwood. It comes from the factory will a spec sheet full of parts from various aftermarket tuner companies. The release of the 2001 Mazda Protegé MP3 should change that fact. Mazda just couldn't transform those racing wins into any kind of following, as small cars like the Civic, Integra, Focus, Eclipse and Celica seemed to grab most of the attention-and sales to younger, performance-minded enthusiasts. The nice thing is that the scanner helps take some of the guesswork out of the process and provides documentation.ĭoes anyone know if the TPS is a variable resistance device or a Hall-type device? I can see the variable resistance stuff wearing out.Despite winning a pair of national titles in SCCA Showroom Stock road racing, the Mazda Protegé has never become a player in the explosive compact performance scene. The TPS is supposed to be here today, an aftermarket piece from Rock Auto. This is a SWAG on my part, supported by some evidence. If the Mazda's have that feature in the ECU programming, the mixture will go rich whenever a quick movement of the throttle is made, especially if the movment is exagerrated by the TPS. The rate of change of the position signal can also be used to enrichen the mixture, similar to the accelerator pumps on carburetors. At 60 mph, the throttle is operating down in that sensitive part of the throttle range.Īlso, there is more to some TPS signals than just the absolute throttle position. The on-highway OBDII scan shows a distinct on-off-on of the cruise control, reinforced by a seat-of-the-pants thing again. I already have a diagnosis of 'out of range' MAF from a technician, not necessarily a bad MAF but of something related. The non-linear behavior of my throttle may be part of this. On the Web, there are cases of TPS wear leading to 'out of range' operation of the MAF, basically by exagerrated throttle position signals. Some of these same people complain about poor fuel economy.įrom day one after I got the car, I have noticed that off-idle acceleration is brisk, enough that I need to really feather the throttle once I am at speed, in town or on the highway. Also, I have noticed other posters here commenting about this 'problem', with no apparent resolution. Some of this is seat of the pants, others are bits and pieces on the Web. Several things led to suspicion of the TPS and it's hard to gather the pieces that led me down this path. Think of the behavior as lively acceleration. My car has a very sensitive throttle, say for the first 10-15% of the travel. ![]()
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