MX6 Newbie
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MX6 Newbie
Hi folks, Newbie here. I'm about to buy a '93 Mazda MX6 and have questions. Excited about this car, as I've always owned Honda Preludes. The MX6 is the closest I've gotten to my cherished Preludes, which I've driven for over 20 years. I was pretty upset that my last one died on me and didn't think I'd find anything even close to it. Then I found this little MX6!
She's a black, two door coupe, 5 speed, V6. Although I haven't driven it yet, I can only imagine it will be as fun as my Preludes, with a little more punch!
Any info about the '93 MX6 willl be appreciated. I do know it has problem somewhere in the clutch/shifting area. Current owners thought it was the slave cylinder, but my buddy Fish, who is a true Mazda Man went to check it out for me and believes it's the throw out bearing. Trying to find out what's involved in replacing that~as in labor and parts. Of course, anything else I need to know, too.
Thanks! Looking forward to driving and learning about these cars.
She's a black, two door coupe, 5 speed, V6. Although I haven't driven it yet, I can only imagine it will be as fun as my Preludes, with a little more punch!
Any info about the '93 MX6 willl be appreciated. I do know it has problem somewhere in the clutch/shifting area. Current owners thought it was the slave cylinder, but my buddy Fish, who is a true Mazda Man went to check it out for me and believes it's the throw out bearing. Trying to find out what's involved in replacing that~as in labor and parts. Of course, anything else I need to know, too.
Thanks! Looking forward to driving and learning about these cars.
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From: Manor, TX (Outside of Austin)
RE: MX6 Newbie
I was shopping for an MX6 about 12-13 yrs ago. I loved the way they drove, even over their sister 626 models, which I also drove.
The MX and Ford Probe are related under the skin, but w/different goals and drivers in mind. I also drove some Probes and really felt the Mazda was more sure footed, lightweight andrefined.
Now the V6's (I was shopping the 4-cyls.) are said to be a mom and popsedan engine and that Mazda never felt there would be too many requests to mod this engine. Not much you can do w/them. My source for this was a Tech Correspondence article I once read in R&T... probably nearly 10yrs ago. The question asked was how about modding the V6? The answer was, not much out there, and that was then. The AM support will be even less now, I'm sure. You will no doubt have to use your own head to think of ways to "improve" on it.
That said, I love the 2nd/3rd generation MX's and it could make a lovely DD for you.
If you're going for a TOB, do the entire clutch while you're at it. You might also find a machine shop to fly-cut the backside of it to reduce some of the rotating mass (lighten the flywheel) as well asreface the front.That should improve the engine's ability to rev faster, but will likely hurt the mileage just a bit.
Be careful about going too far w/it though.Too much off and you could weaken the flywheel too much. Depending on the design and factory weight of it, 2-4lbs should be enough and still afford a slightimprovement w/o sacrificing daily driveability and mileage. Consider a Stage1 clutch if you can find one to fit too. That will offer a higher, tighter clamping force, again w/o sacrificing pedal feel or pressure.
Let us know how this all turns out for you, and welcome to our lil' Mazda world here!!
The MX and Ford Probe are related under the skin, but w/different goals and drivers in mind. I also drove some Probes and really felt the Mazda was more sure footed, lightweight andrefined.
Now the V6's (I was shopping the 4-cyls.) are said to be a mom and popsedan engine and that Mazda never felt there would be too many requests to mod this engine. Not much you can do w/them. My source for this was a Tech Correspondence article I once read in R&T... probably nearly 10yrs ago. The question asked was how about modding the V6? The answer was, not much out there, and that was then. The AM support will be even less now, I'm sure. You will no doubt have to use your own head to think of ways to "improve" on it.
That said, I love the 2nd/3rd generation MX's and it could make a lovely DD for you.
If you're going for a TOB, do the entire clutch while you're at it. You might also find a machine shop to fly-cut the backside of it to reduce some of the rotating mass (lighten the flywheel) as well asreface the front.That should improve the engine's ability to rev faster, but will likely hurt the mileage just a bit.
Be careful about going too far w/it though.Too much off and you could weaken the flywheel too much. Depending on the design and factory weight of it, 2-4lbs should be enough and still afford a slightimprovement w/o sacrificing daily driveability and mileage. Consider a Stage1 clutch if you can find one to fit too. That will offer a higher, tighter clamping force, again w/o sacrificing pedal feel or pressure.
Let us know how this all turns out for you, and welcome to our lil' Mazda world here!!
Joined: Jun 2008
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RE: MX6 Newbie
Hi there- I owned 2 96 Mx6 V6s. The firstwas an automatic and was so handicaped by the trans. I got rid of it after 3 months. The second one, a 5 speed, I kept for 9 years.
The only inherent problem with the 93s was a tendency toward excess carbon deposits on the pistons. A slightly different piston design in 94 solved the problem. As for the clutch - what are the symptoms? I replaced 2 slave cylinders on mine over the years. The first time the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there while thesecond time was a more gradual failure with the clutch disengaging closer and closer to the floor and finally refusing to disengage at all. The slave cylinders are not to difficult to replace but I didn't have the time so I farmed the job out to a local Mazda specialty shop. It cost about $180.
If the throw out bearing is worn it will be noisy when the clutch pedal is held in and will, of course, require you to pull the transaxle to replace it.Of course youshould replace the clutch and related parts at the same time.My advice is to take it to a good shop if you are going to replace the clutch. It's a bitch to do and requires some special tools. Much better to spend the $700 or so and save the hassle.
A word on the engine........
The V6 used inthe Mx6is anything but a mom & pop engine. Mazda raced these engines and pulled as much as 400+ horsepower out of them using the stock lower end. The engine is a short stroke design and came stock with a forged crank, main bearing girdle and a very robust valve train. With the short stroke, at7,000 rpms, piston speed was less than the four cylinder at 5,400 rpms.The only weak spot was the top edge of the pistons around the valve relief which didn't hold up to much turbo boost.Unboosted, the engines were good to 8,000 rpm. They were redlined at 7,000 for the street to keep the accessories in one piece and to give a little cushion for missed shifts, etc. Mine was chipped with the fuel shutoff set at 7,800 although I never took it quite that high.
There are plenty of hi-perf parts available for the car as well. Forged pistons, headers, racing catalysts, exhaust systems, larger throttle bodies, turbo kits (be sure to use the forged pistons), and computer chips are readily available. For all the info. go to any of the Mx6 sites on the web.
The 2.5L V6 was and still is my favorite engine of all time. I've had Mazda turbos, monster V8s and numerous small block Chevys but none of them were as satisfying as the V6 in the Mx6. Not only was it the most rev-happy engine I ever drove, but it had a soundtrack worthy of a Grammy award. After 12 years and 135K miles, mine still had the same compression on every cylinder that it had when I bought it and would still spin past 7,000 rpms anytimeI felt the need. My Mazda 3 (2.3L) is tighter, handles better, andhas better steeringbut pales next to the Mx6 for sheer fun. The "6" put the hurt on a good many sporting machines andthose I couldn't beat in a straight line I could almost always take in the turns. The icing on the cake was the mileage - 21-22 city, 26 highway (at80+mph). My '3' can't match those figures driven the same way.
Good luck with your 93 -
The only inherent problem with the 93s was a tendency toward excess carbon deposits on the pistons. A slightly different piston design in 94 solved the problem. As for the clutch - what are the symptoms? I replaced 2 slave cylinders on mine over the years. The first time the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there while thesecond time was a more gradual failure with the clutch disengaging closer and closer to the floor and finally refusing to disengage at all. The slave cylinders are not to difficult to replace but I didn't have the time so I farmed the job out to a local Mazda specialty shop. It cost about $180.
If the throw out bearing is worn it will be noisy when the clutch pedal is held in and will, of course, require you to pull the transaxle to replace it.Of course youshould replace the clutch and related parts at the same time.My advice is to take it to a good shop if you are going to replace the clutch. It's a bitch to do and requires some special tools. Much better to spend the $700 or so and save the hassle.
A word on the engine........
The V6 used inthe Mx6is anything but a mom & pop engine. Mazda raced these engines and pulled as much as 400+ horsepower out of them using the stock lower end. The engine is a short stroke design and came stock with a forged crank, main bearing girdle and a very robust valve train. With the short stroke, at7,000 rpms, piston speed was less than the four cylinder at 5,400 rpms.The only weak spot was the top edge of the pistons around the valve relief which didn't hold up to much turbo boost.Unboosted, the engines were good to 8,000 rpm. They were redlined at 7,000 for the street to keep the accessories in one piece and to give a little cushion for missed shifts, etc. Mine was chipped with the fuel shutoff set at 7,800 although I never took it quite that high.
There are plenty of hi-perf parts available for the car as well. Forged pistons, headers, racing catalysts, exhaust systems, larger throttle bodies, turbo kits (be sure to use the forged pistons), and computer chips are readily available. For all the info. go to any of the Mx6 sites on the web.
The 2.5L V6 was and still is my favorite engine of all time. I've had Mazda turbos, monster V8s and numerous small block Chevys but none of them were as satisfying as the V6 in the Mx6. Not only was it the most rev-happy engine I ever drove, but it had a soundtrack worthy of a Grammy award. After 12 years and 135K miles, mine still had the same compression on every cylinder that it had when I bought it and would still spin past 7,000 rpms anytimeI felt the need. My Mazda 3 (2.3L) is tighter, handles better, andhas better steeringbut pales next to the Mx6 for sheer fun. The "6" put the hurt on a good many sporting machines andthose I couldn't beat in a straight line I could almost always take in the turns. The icing on the cake was the mileage - 21-22 city, 26 highway (at80+mph). My '3' can't match those figures driven the same way.
Good luck with your 93 -
Joined: Oct 2008
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RE: MX6 Newbie
Hi, I personally drive a 94 V6 Mx6, definitely faster than a stock prelude... As for the clutch problems, I have had to replace mine and the cylinder, however that was around 75k miles and I don't exactly baby the car. One thing I don't like much about the car is the gas mileage, but that's to be expected for the performance.
Joined: Jun 2008
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RE: MX6 Newbie
I have a 94LS v6 5spd which I am currently selling with 124k. It is a great car!!!
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