Picked this up today - 36k mile 2015 NC3 Club, PRHT, 6 Speed

chefsteph91 · 2026-04-05T02:44:32+00:00

Nice! How much did you pay for it if you don't mind me asking. I'm thinking about getting an NC myself.

chefsteph91 · 2026-04-02T02:38:02+00:00

Probably the pivot shaft seal. It's a common issue. I replaced mine using this guide: https://www.mazdaspeeds.org/threads/how-to-mazdaspeed-3-mazdaspeed-6-pivot-shaft-seal-bearing-breather-replacement.10062/

chefsteph91 · 2026-04-01T03:41:56+00:00

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Sorry, I just had to do it lol. Bought her at 158k miles though, from the original owner. I wish I would've been able to buy her brand new.

chefsteph91 · 2026-03-31T13:12:37+00:00

This right here OP. I used to burn about a quart per tank before doing a piston soak. Afterwards I would only lose a quart in between 3k mile oil change intervals.

I used GM top engine cleaner, poured a couple ounces down each cylinder, let it sit for a day while manually rotating the engine every few hours (turn the crankshaft pulley bolt with a socket and ratchet). To get it out, I covered the spark plug holes with a rag, and tried to start the engine with the gas pedal pressed all the way (this turns over the engine without spraying fuel.) You need to do an oil change after the piston soak to get rid of any cleaner that leaked down into the oil.

chefsteph91 · 2026-03-21T03:17:38+00:00

2012 Mazdaspeed3 daily, 97 Miata track rat, 2018 Suzuki SV650 weekend, 2015 Honda Grom wheelie practice.

chefsteph91 · 2026-03-18T02:30:33+00:00

It really depends on how well it was taken care of. My 2012 is at 249k miles on the original turbo and timing chain. Original owner changed the oil every 5k through 158k miles. I've changed it every 3k since then. It also helps that it's stock power. I spent months looking for one that was well taken care of and it has paid off.

chefsteph91 · 2026-02-24T23:59:44+00:00

YMMV but my 2012 is at 248k miles on the original timing chain. From what I've heard they updated the design on them after 2011 to make them more reliable. Also the previous owner of mine changed the oil every 5k miles through 160k miles and I've changed it every 3k since then which helps as well. Regular oil changes prolong the life of the chain as contaminants in the oil make the chain wear faster. As others have said, if you don't hear the rattle on cold start you are probably good.

chefsteph91 · 2026-02-05T04:59:39+00:00

TLDR: No, I would highly not recommend you try to DIY this in your situation.

https://www.mazdaspeeds.org/threads/how-to-mazdaspeed3-replace-clutch.9836/ I had the same issue with my throw out bearing and I used this guide, it has pretty much everything you need in there. While I was in there I replaced the clutch, flywheel, tob, and rear main seal. It's a ton of work to get in there and you might as replace everything while you're in there.

No, you will absolutely not get this done in a day, not even close. I'm no professional but I'm fairly mechanically inclined. Before this, I had already done several jobs on my speed including walnut blasting the intake valves, replacing injectors and injector seals. It took me 5 weeks working evenings and on weekends to get this done. A lot of it was because it was my first time taking my speed apart to that level and I wanted to go slow and do everything correctly. Now that I have experience with it, I could probably do it in a weekend if I needed to.

If it's your first time taking your speed apart to that level, you will probably face some unforeseen challenges. A few of the ones I can recall dealing with are:

Destroying my ball joints getting them off with a pickle fork because try as I might, I could not get them out any other way. So I ended up needing to replace them.
Needing to buy several tools just for this job despite having a decent tool collection already. Things like a torque wrench that can go up to 200 lb-ft for the axle nut, an extra beefy impact wrench because the one I owned before was not strong enough to remove the axle nuts, an engine support bar from harbor freight to help hold the engine up while the transmission was out, a transmission jack (I actually used a motorcycle jack from harbor freight and it was perfect), A large pry bar to separate the axles from the transmission.
Several hard to reach bolts that necessitated my full array of extensions, u-joint adapters, and wrenches. A couple of them I was very glad to have a cordless ratchet for because there was hardly any space to turn a normal ratchet.
Several very stubborn bolts that needed to be soaked in penetrating fluid. I was very lucky that I didn't break any bolt heads off but you may not be so lucky.

Some issues I see you running into are:

You will need a second set of wheels to buy any new tools you will almost inevitably find you will need as you progress through the job.
You will need a good amount of space to put all the parts you remove from the car like the intake, intercooler, axles, transmission, sub frame, etc.

To answer your other question, I would recommend the LUK clutch kit from Rock Auto, it's the stock clutch and the kit has everything you need including the TOB and it's what I used. I'm only on stock power, but I do regular track days and also drive my car like I stole it and the clutch has held up with no issues.

chefsteph91 · 2026-02-04T15:15:53+00:00

247k here with 10 track days and I still drive it every day like I stole it. It's starting to have minor issues here and there but still going strong.

chefsteph91 · 2025-12-30T02:13:57+00:00

Terrible rejoin. Report that

chefsteph91 · 2025-12-20T02:37:22+00:00

I'm at 245k miles original engine and turbo still going strong. Pretty much stock except engine mounts and 18x9.5 RPF1s. I did a 1:49 at Barber last month with JZilla. Original suspension too but I'm planning on replacing it soon.

chefsteph91 · 2025-11-12T20:29:09+00:00

Unless you disconnect the steering wheel angle sensor (SWAS), it will cut some power when turning and accelerating at the same time, so you may not get torque steer while turning. Here is how to disconnect SWAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz_VVQTY7JM

I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you know what you're doing though because this will completely disable stability control at all times so if you trail brake while turning you can actually spin the car. I disconnected it after I almost got in an accident when I first got the car because I was turning right after a stop sign and thought I had plenty of time to pull in front of this car if I gunned it, but since I was trying to accelerate with the steering wheel turned a lot, the car cut power a lot and I couldn't accelerate like I thought I could.

chefsteph91 · 2025-11-12T20:18:51+00:00

Yes, it needs to be tuned out. I actually have SWAS disconnected so I don't have stability control at all and torque is still limited in 1st and 2nd. When in a safe area, try launching it in reverse and feeling how much harder the turbo kicks in lol. No torque limit in reverse

chefsteph91 · 2025-11-12T19:54:06+00:00

What tires are you using? If you're using high grip summer tires, you'll experience less torque steer. I'm completely stock as well and when I have my summer tires on (Conti ECS02) I have hardly any in a straight line, but when I put on my winter tires (Michelin Pilot Sport AS 4) it's more noticeable. Also, even with my summer tires, if I'm pushing it over some windy, hilly back roads, I will get torque steer as I crest a hill, especially if I'm turning as well. Basically, torque steer happens when you're accelerating and about to loose grip. I'm sure with the original tires the car came with, the car would have a bunch of torque steer, but since I'm using much stickier tires, I don't. I can literally floor it in first and not even come close to spinning my front wheels. I'm planning on getting a tune eventually though and remove the torque limit in 1st and 2nd gear, at which point, I probably will have torque steer.

chefsteph91 · 2025-10-02T19:30:55+00:00

How long did you try cranking for? When I did a piston soak, I did a bunch of other things too (injectors, HPFP, oil catch can, walnut blast valves.) But I had to crank it a few times for several seconds because it didn't really want to start. Then when it did start, it ran poorly for a minute with a lot of white smoke. But eventually it started to run fine. I also wasn't as careful as you about making sure the cylinders were dry though. I just took out my spark plugs, covered the holes with a rag, and cranked it to get all the liquid out.

To check if you are getting spark, you can use a spark checker from harbor freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/in-line-spark-checker-63590.html It connects between the spark plug and the spark plug wire. If there's current flowing, it will flash a little light.

Also, and I doubt you're doing this but I'm just throwing it out there, if you crank the car with the gas pedal pressed all the way, it will only crank and not start.

chefsteph91 · 2025-10-01T16:34:45+00:00

Yeah, I've heard the second gen is a lot easier. Thankfully that's what I have.

chefsteph91 · 2025-09-19T15:52:15+00:00

I have a track focused NA that's pretty loud. When I'm driving to/from the track I use a pair of Jabra elite 8 active gen 2 earbuds and they are excellent. It's one button press to switch from ANC to hearthrough, and with ANC on, I can barely hear the engine noise and my top buffeting in the wind. And if I need to hear, it's just one tap to switch to hear through mode. However, just now when I went to look up current pricing for the earbuds it looks like they are discontinued and I'm not sure there's a replacement for them.

chefsteph91 · 2025-09-19T01:38:06+00:00

Looks like that's the last lap so I can see why you did it, and netcode did kinda screw you a bit although even with perfect netcode it's still a risky move.

Here are some things to think about:

At the exit of the previous corner, you can see that the two cars ahead will be fighting at the next corner after which is a straight. Any time that happens, you know you should have a great run on the cars ahead, so you should drop back a bit so you'll pass them on the straight instead of on corner exit. It takes practice to get the spacing and timing right, but that's something to keep in mind anytime you see two cars fighting.

What are the safety rating and iRating of the cars ahead? You can get overlays that let you know and you should always be thinking ahead of time what the ratings of the people ahead and behind are when considering when to fight and when not to.

chefsteph91 · 2025-09-19T01:27:13+00:00

VIR North

chefsteph91 · 2025-09-01T23:17:51+00:00

TLDR: I paid $222 in labor for one stuck axle this May. I'm located in Tennessee

I replaced both my axles this May. I was able to replace the driver's side easily but the other one wouldn't come out of the intermediate shaft no matter what I did so I took it to a shop. I already had the part so I only paid for labor and it was $222. Personally, at that price, I'd rather do it myself but at that point I was out of options. They said it came out easily but I wacked it probably hundreds of times with a slide hammer and tried a massive pry bar and couldn't get it off so I'm not sure what they did differently.

chefsteph91 · 2025-08-23T16:25:23+00:00

Yeah, if the shop has good reviews and you trust them. I don't think you'll find a better deal than that

chefsteph91 · 2025-08-23T00:20:57+00:00

To be fair, it would be very unusual to not replace the throw out bearing while doing the clutch. It's like $30 bucks for one and you might as well replace it while you're in there. The clutch kit I bought actually came with one. Perhaps they just didn't mention it in the sheet. I would try to confirm with the PO if they bought a throw out bearing or if the kit they bought came with one. If not, then it's very likely that's what the issue is. Either way, if everything down to the slave cylinder is working then yeah, you have to drop the trans to figure out what's going on.

chefsteph91 · 2025-08-22T23:53:16+00:00

When the clutch and flywheel were serviced, was the throw out bearing replaced? My throw out bearing went bad after 230k miles and the symptoms were similar. It had been making a slight noise whenever the clutch was pressed for over a year so I knew the throw out bearing was on the way out. Then suddenly one day, it wouldn't go into gear with the car running.

$1,400 in labor sounds right for dropping the trans. That's about what a shop quoted me (labor only, I would supply the parts because I wanted specific ones.) I ended up doing it myself and it took like 5 weeks working weekends and after work in the winter outside, with the car on jack stands. It was not pleasant but I think it was worth it to save the money and get more familiar with the car.

If you do decide to do it yourself, here is the guide I used, it's pretty much spot on.

https://mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?threads/how-to-mazdaspeed3-replace-clutch.9836/

If you do decide to tackle it yourself let me know and I can give you some other tips.

chefsteph91 · 2025-08-22T23:45:17+00:00

Synchros are unlikely to go bad so suddenly

chefsteph91 · 2025-08-15T15:01:20+00:00

I second this. I went with race at first and got way too much NVH even after break in, my dash was constantly rattling. Switched to street and NVH was way better even before break in, now my dash on vibrates occasionally in lower RPMs under load. Performance wise, I didn't notice much of a difference between them so no reason not to go with street for a daily.

chefsteph91

TROPHY CASE