The mazdaspeed 3 is an awesome car. It is hard to find another car this affordable, practical, powerful and fun in one package. the MZR DISI engine was rated on the Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 3 consecutive years for 2006, 2007 and 2008. With a 6 speed transmission, a limited slip differential and 263 ponies from stock, it truly is a great car. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without problems. Below are the top five problems with the Mazdaspeed 3, and how you can find and fix them.
1. VVT Actuator
Mazdaspeed 3s made between 2007 and 2010 have had problems with the Variable Valve Timing (VVT) Actuator. Mazda changed the design starting in 2011 to fix the issue, and also issued a recall to fix the issue under warranty. When the actuator goes bad, there is slack on the timing chain, which will cause the chain to slap the valve cover, causing a rattling noise on start up. If not repaired, the loose chain can cause the motor to jump timing. If that happens, you’ll need to start looking for a new motor.
Luckily, Edge Autosport sells a kit with everything you need to replace the VVT actuator and timing parts. Buy the kit and do the job yourself and safe a LOT of money. You can have it replaced at a Mazda stealership, but expect to pay thousands for the job.
2. Blown Turbo Seals
The stock k04 turbo on the Mazdaspeed 3 is fairly impressive with the amount of low end torque it can produce. Unfortunately, once the turbo starts getting some miles on it, the seals can go bad. Adding a high flow downpipe doesn’t help the stock seals, either, causing them to wear quicker. The good thing thing is, there are two tell-tale signs when the seals are done. The first and most obvious effect is a large amount of smoke coming from the exhaust at idle. We’re not talking small puffs of smoke that you see when it gets cold outside – I mean more of a smoke stack effect. All that oil that is getting past the seals gets burned in the exhaust, which causes the oil level to drop. There are a few things you can do to temporaries band-aid the problem (oil restrictor bolt, thicker oil), but you will eventually need to replace the turbo. Learn about the best replacement turbos for the mazdaspeed 3 in my other article.
3. High Pressure Fuel Pump (hpfp)
With a stock mazdaspeed 3, the stock high pressure fuel pump can barely supply enough fuel when you are at Wide Open Throttle (WOT). With any performance upgrades, the stock pump cannot keep up the fuel supply, causing problems maintain the correct air/fuel ratio. It is crucial to upgrade the high pressure fuel pump to keep your mazdaspeed 3 reliable. Unfortunately, the only way to tell 100% sure that a car has upgraded hpfp internals is to disassemble the pump and look. Therefore, I suggest this as as the first thing to do in my article first five power mods for the mazaspeed platform. You can buy hpfp internals from Corksport.com or EdgeAutosport.com
4. Clogged Injectors / Leaky Injector Seals
The mazdaspeed 3 was one of the first production cars to have direct injection, meaning the injectors supply fuel directly into the cylinders. Because of the design, the fuel pressure must be extremely high. Common maintenance for the mazdaspeed 3 should include cleaning the injectors. While you’re in there, you should also replace the stock injector seals. A clogged injector or a leaky injector seal can cause knock. Luckily, there are several companies that offer injector cleaning services, as well as improved injector seals.
5. Bad Motor Mounts
The Mazdaspeed 3 motor is suspended by 3 motor mounts: the rear motor mount, the transmission mount (drivers side) and the passenger motor mount. The stock rear motor mount has a lt of give, allowing the motor to rock forward and backwards. This causes wheel hop and can affect shifts. This is the most common first upgrade for the mazdaspeed 3. The passenger motor mount is also known to leak and fail. There are several aftermarket motor mount options for our cars. Check out EdgeAutosport.com.
