I finally took the plunge and bought another 2nd gen on eBay (my third one). I picked the car up today, seeing it in person and driving it for the first time. Almost everything is as I expected, typical 2nd gen fixes necessary - like dash logicon, wiper switch, etc. - except for one thing:

Depressing the throttle, at almost any speed or in any gear, causes an insane amount of vibration throughout the car. Enough to make your voice waver if your try to talk. Hell, my girlfriend could get herself off by just sitting on the seat and pushing the gas. (Pardon that.)

Anyway, I've never heard of or dealt with this problem before. Anybody have any ideas for possible causes and/or fixes? Anything you can think of I should look for?

It's an '89 GXL . . .

Thanks,
UtahRX

 

does it vibrate or does it jerk back and forth when you let off the gas?

 

When I let off the gas, everything quiets down to a nice idle. Back and forth motion isn't affected at all. From outside the car, I'm sure it looks just fine sailing along the highway. But inside, it's only fine when coasting. As soon as I depress, it's washboard time . . .

 

check the driveshaft for play. That was my main problem.. I'll bet yours is worn. Your best bet (if it is), is to get an aftermarket one from mazdatrix.com, as it has replaceable u-joints, unlike ours..

 

Thanks a lot - I'll look into that.