Learn me V6 Probes/MX6s

Just curious about these things, i have no real desire for another Ford/Mazda love-child at the moment, but may be something down the road i'd ditch the EGT for, as they seem to be REAL cheap these days. I'll need a new daily driver this coming fall.

They seem to be relatively light for what they are, cheap, and quick....

Any issues on these things that would completely turn anyone off to driving one?

Anyone have them? I saw a couple in reader's rides, but with not much description.

Just looking for anecdotes about them and the like. I never really looked into them, really just because they were called "Probes," and they're the "butt" of many jokes around these here parts.

the v6 they come with is a 2.5 liter dohc that makes about 160hp stock. a popular swap is the klze jdm yO! engine that makes around 195-200hp iirc.

personally i like the first gen mx6/626/probe better, in GT form they had a 2.2 turbo that made 145/160ish stock, but would make 200ish with a chip and boost controller. actually there was a guy in the low 13's a while back with just slicks, boost controller, chip, and a compressor wheel and housing from an ihi turbo out of a thunderbird. the 1gens won a couple autocross stock class national championships in the early 90's as well.

The only thing I remember about Probe's is I have never seen one without a dented body. I came up with that observation some 5+ years ago and all of my friends agreed. We pulled up to a light once next to a Probe that was absolutely minty fresh, right as one of my buds pointed out that we finally saw one without body damage the poor sap got rear-ended!

when you are ready to get rid of the EGT, I will take it off your hands.

P71 wrote: The only thing I remember about Probe's is I have *never* seen one without a dented body. I came up with that observation some 5+ years ago and all of my friends agreed. We pulled up to a light once next to a Probe that was absolutely minty fresh, right as one of my buds pointed out that we finally saw one without body damage the poor sap got rear-ended!

I had a 95 that was spotless.

til I hit that 200lb doe....

Strizzo wrote: the v6 they come with is a 2.5 liter dohc that makes about 160hp stock. a popular swap is the klze jdm yO! engine that makes around 195-200hp iirc. personally i like the first gen mx6/626/probe better, in GT form they had a 2.2 turbo that made 145/160ish stock, but would make 200ish with a chip and boost controller. actually there was a guy in the low 13's a while back with just slicks, boost controller, chip, and a compressor wheel and housing from an ihi turbo out of a thunderbird. the 1gens won a couple autocross stock class national championships in the early 90's as well.

I like the 1st gens better myself.... but if i ever think of getting a probe/mx6 whatever as a daily, i'm going to stay away from them. All of them that i see are just too old, ratty, unreliable, and priced no different from the 2nd gens.

But that's of course just in this area. I had no idea they could be made that fast with that little work.

My friend has owned one of each (both second gens) and they are quite comfortable, reliable cruisers. I have not done any form of motorsports with them but they are very nice for highway cruising.

Why not just put the KL motor into the EGT? They do it into Proteges!

Or, even better, check out the KL-ZE swapped MX-3s.

The power of the KL into the body of an MX-3.

Perfect!

atlantamx3 wrote: Why not just put the KL motor into the EGT? They do it into Proteges! Or, even better, check out the KL-ZE swapped MX-3s. The power of the KL into the body of an MX-3. Perfect!

I almost wish you hadn't said that.... Time to do some research, seems KLZEs are cheap.

Although this was more for a daily driver exercise.... i want comfy. EGT is not comfy. The interior on the thing is a HUGE let down.

i love my '96 PGT, so much so that i just spent $230 at RockAuto.com for a Bosal cat-back and another $175 at TireRack.com for Brembo front rotors and Hawk HPS front pads. (already have Brembos/HPS on the rear).

this car was my $2006 Challenger. fully loaded and 80mph the whole way, averaged 27mpg for the round trip including the two race days. 16th in the autocross bone stock, not even a good alignment, on Hoosier A6s. 15.1 in the drags with a full tank of 87-octane (oops!), but without the hood, hatch, or passenger seat.

It's currently got 206k miles on it and still revs quickly into the red part of the tach. no rattles, no smoke.

Contour and 626 rear bars are bolt-on, so there's lots of variety there.

I've had two PGTs: a bare stripper '94 that weighed 2800 and the loaded '96 that weighs 2830. I really expected the difference to be greater, because the '96 has glass moonroof, power windows, power fore/aft and up/down driver seat, ABS, power mirrors, and a couple other things.

Danny Shields won many ProSolo titles in his MX6.

I have a little experience with these. I won the TTF NASA Championship in one in '07. Shame GRM never published a pic

The engine is nice. Mine felt a little underpowered, but it still rev'd nice and was smooth. It ran hot on the track. I had to keep the revs down for 1 lap after a hot lap to prevent melting it down. I owned it from 105k to 120k. No failures I can recall.

Brakes sucked for the track, but would be ok for ax. Rust seems to be a problem in these, and I wasn't impressed with build quality or the overall not-so-solid feeling it had.

KNB (my buddy and on the board as well) has had one for years.

I have driven it pretty hard, and essentially have been able to feel the car deteriorate over the last 6 years. It's pretty loose these days, suspension bushings are probably shot, same for the suspension itself, it's got ABS so that helps in the corners. Power isn't incredible, but it's got a great powerband, the KL really loves to rev...and it sounds oh-so-good doing it.

Really was the best V6 engine that BMW never built...I personally think they sound better than a VR6 and about on par with a GTV6.

The interior of the probe kinda sucks and it has no head room. At least in that area the MX6 is better, i noticed the same with the protege vs EGT. I remember reading somewhere that the mx6/probe likes to eat rear wheel bearings too. The MX6 used to be a competive autocross car when it was newer too.

Ive had two, a 94 4cyl auto way back in 95 or so (the ex probably still has it) that one was a good appliance car but no juice whatsoever, especially with the a/c on.

A few years back I I picked up a 94 manual GT, that one was FUN. With a chip, some pheno spacers at the intake, and i think i went with a hotter ignition, cant recall, but it was seriously quick. It also had some racing springs in it that really tightened up the suspension nicely. car came with a "need for speed" type body kit and had the "suede" look in partial black primer. I didnt like the sharkish nose so put a stock bumper on. there was a quasi probe club around here then, and I kept getting pulled over as I guess those kids were tearing things up a bit.The officers were generally surprised when they found I wasnt 17, and always let me go with a warning to fix something that wasnt broke...

I ended up selling it to one of the "probe club" kids in the end, they were after it since they couldnt keep up with me on the highway when we occasionally crossed paths, but all came in force when the CL ad went up. I think four probes and eight or nine kids showed up at the same time to check it out, and they came with cash and left with it.. awesome car.

if you look for one, make sure the VRIS modules are there, some seem to think they run better without them, I have found the opposite . mine came without them and when i found a set and out them in, huge improvement. Also the front lower belt tensioner can get beat up and crack , especially if the suspension has been altered.

I took out the turbo's seals on my mom's first generation probe gt. I quietly put it back in the garage and my sister drove it next and she took the blame. oops sorry. Something to watch out for for any old turbo car, though.

atlantamx3 wrote: Why not just put the KL motor into the EGT? They do it into Proteges! Or, even better, check out the KL-ZE swapped MX-3s. The power of the KL into the body of an MX-3. Perfect!

This swap looks like a huge pain in the ass for the EGT. Doable, and once you have all the parts, pretty easy, but MAN, that's a huge parts checklist. Basically need a donor MX3.

Might be something to think about.

I would want a slightly bigger car this time around.

Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming!

Loudes13, was yours a V6 or a 4 banger?

as Pheller mentioned above, I have a '95 GT- V6 5-speed. I got it at 98,000 miles and now she is at 192,000 miles. Never had major issues with it... normal maintance stuff. '93-'94 had some distributor issues so i would avoid those like the plague.

I've been very happy with it. As the age/miles increase, she is starting to show her age.. suspension is shot, engine isn't exactly as peppy as it used to be, and some rattles are showing up. But what do you expect for almost 200k? It will rev to 7000rpm any day and with the right exhaust, it will sound amazing doing it. It handled great when I first got it but with some Eibach spings/Tokico struts, it will be on rails. Aftermarket is fair... not tons of stuff out there but there is some support.

stock 626 rear sway bars bolt up (thicker) and stock Mazda 6 brakes (rotors/calipers) will bolt up and are larger than stock.

I've had it at a few auto-x events and it did fine... has some annoying understeer but I bet the rear bar will aid in the turn in a bit. 28mpg on the highway at resonable speeds- it is geared a bit high so doing 70mph on the highway you'll see about 3500rpms but that makes for easy passing in 5th gear.

I've wrenched on it alot in the past 7 years and have parted out a few so I know my way around them. I wouldn't mind keeping one around for a daily driver... nice, comfy interior, good to travel in. Not tons of power if your a drag guy, but on backroads it's plenty to have fun with and get in trouble. Dunno what else to say... hit me up with any other questions.

The KLZE engine is a nice upgrade and the stock engine takes well to turbo... easy get solid low 13s with a kit and megasquirt. Transmissions tend to crack (the cases) over 300hp. and hard shifting. There are plenty of boosted Probes out there in the 300hp realm too.

The distributer problems knb mentions are true. There is an east fix online for it, though. I sold ours right after I fixed it, so I don't know how long it held up afterwards.

I liked the car alot.

Joey

PHeller wrote: KNB (my buddy and on the board as well) has had one for years. I have driven it pretty hard, and essentially have been able to feel the car deteriorate over the last 6 years. It's pretty loose these days, suspension bushings are probably shot, same for the suspension itself, it's got ABS so that helps in the corners. Power isn't incredible, but it's got a great powerband, the KL really loves to rev...and it sounds oh-so-good doing it. Really was the best V6 engine that BMW never built...I personally think they sound better than a VR6 and about on par with a GTV6.

I hate to bring this up but I am pretty damn sure BMW hasn't built never built a V6 only inline-6.

i think thats the point

93celicaGT2 wrote: Although this was more for a daily driver exercise.... i want comfy. EGT is not comfy. The interior on the thing is a HUGE let down.

Fords of that vintage have the most excruciatingly uncomfortable seats I've ever had the misfortune to sit on. A previous boss had a Probe GT and while it seemed liked a decent car all 'round, the seats were like canvas stretched over rebar. I couldn't ride 30 minutes in that car without aging 10 years. And that was when the car was new!

A friend now has a late-'90s Mustang GT and the seats in it are terrible, too. I get more comfortable support from my broke-ass 15-year-old IKEA sleeper sofa.

knb13 wrote: as Pheller mentioned above, I have a '95 GT- V6 5-speed. I got it at 98,000 miles and now she is at 192,000 miles. Never had major issues with it... normal maintance stuff. '93-'94 had some distributor issues so i would avoid those like the plague. I've been very happy with it. As the age/miles increase, she is starting to show her age.. suspension is shot, engine isn't exactly as peppy as it used to be, and some rattles are showing up. But what do you expect for almost 200k? It will rev to 7000rpm any day and with the right exhaust, it will sound amazing doing it. It handled great when I first got it but with some Eibach spings/Tokico struts, it will be on rails. Aftermarket is fair... not tons of stuff out there but there is some support. stock 626 rear sway bars bolt up (thicker) and stock Mazda 6 brakes (rotors/calipers) will bolt up and are larger than stock. I've had it at a few auto-x events and it did fine... has some annoying understeer but I bet the rear bar will aid in the turn in a bit. 28mpg on the highway at resonable speeds- it is geared a bit high so doing 70mph on the highway you'll see about 3500rpms but that makes for easy passing in 5th gear. I've wrenched on it alot in the past 7 years and have parted out a few so I know my way around them. I wouldn't mind keeping one around for a daily driver... nice, comfy interior, good to travel in. Not tons of power if your a drag guy, but on backroads it's plenty to have fun with and get in trouble. Dunno what else to say... hit me up with any other questions. The KLZE engine is a nice upgrade and the stock engine takes well to turbo... easy get solid low 13s with a kit and megasquirt. Transmissions tend to crack (the cases) over 300hp. and hard shifting. There are plenty of boosted Probes out there in the 300hp realm too.

I had the same car (black), i agree 100% with you. loved it. unfortunately it was stolen and stripped naked by the time cops found it. i wouldnt mind 1 as a daily driver nowadays...

memories, merories, memories

seems a bit late, however, i have and likely will for a long time love my 92 mx6. tons of torque, very comfortable ride, and if you search hard enough, you can find one that was well maintained for a reasonable price. My suggestion though is to either find a GT, or an LX. the GT of course had the turbo and thus far more torque. The LX is a GT sans turbo. the 89 MX6 GT that i sold a bit over a year ago is one of the few cars i truely lamanet having had to sell. unfortunately a baby seat made having a 4 door a bit more practical. higher milage didnt matter with the 1st gens, as many have 200k + miles and show no signs of slowing down. I, in fact, rebuilt one of the 2.2 motors from a 626 to slightly sportier specs, and when I got the pistons out, I found that this 197k motor ( which i had been abusing for 3 years prior to being taken off the road by a buick ) still had the factory hash marks from the cylinder honing! The only thing to really look out for in a 1st gen mx6 is cars that have been beaten on by younger drivers who think they're drag stars. the differentials dont like 5k rpm drops.

zoomin6 wrote: seems a bit late, however, i have and likely will for a long time love my 92 mx6. tons of torque, very comfortable ride, and if you search hard enough, you can find one that was well maintained for a reasonable price. My suggestion though is to either find a GT, or an LX. the GT of course had the turbo and thus far more torque. The LX is a GT sans turbo. the 89 MX6 GT that i sold a bit over a year ago is one of the few cars i truely lamanet having had to sell. unfortunately a baby seat made having a 4 door a bit more practical. higher milage didnt matter with the 1st gens, as many have 200k + miles and show no signs of slowing down. I, in fact, rebuilt one of the 2.2 motors from a 626 to slightly sportier specs, and when I got the pistons out, I found that this 197k motor ( which i had been abusing for 3 years prior to being taken off the road by a buick ) still had the factory hash marks from the cylinder honing! The only thing to really look out for in a 1st gen mx6 is cars that have been beaten on by younger drivers who think they're drag stars. the differentials dont like 5k rpm drops.

Heh.

I'm "concealer404" on MX6.com.

I ended up diving into Mazdas a bit more than i expected. I currently own:

1990 MX6 GT Turbo
1993 Escort GT
1994 MX3 GS

Naturally, the MX3 is the donor for the Escort, which will be KLZE powered in the next few months.

The MX6 is now my DD/Challenge car, and i always keep my eye out for a 2nd gen V6 MX6.

too bad your so far away.. there was one for sale 3 blocks from my house for 1200 bucks.. and in good shape, save for a small dent in the drivers rear quarterpanel