MX-3.com

Hey everyone.

I bought a black MX-3 GS (5-speed) in March 2007 and I've been working on it since. It's been a dream of mine to hook up a car for like 5 years and it's finally coming true.



From 2007:




From 2009/05:



My modifications are mainly intended to produce a neutral handling, fun and fast car with a great sound system.

Modifications as of 2009/05/13:

Performance
2.5L KLZE w/Millenia intake
LSD equipped transmission
Clutchmasters Stage-1
Fidanza aluminum flywheel
KL02 VAF
Headers
Adjustable FPR (set to 40PSI)
B&M Short Shifter
Bronzeoil shifter bushings
Mazdaspeed engine mounts
AWR racing polyurethane front & rear engine mounts
NGK copper V-groove plugs
Bosal OE muffler
Eibach pro kit (~1 - 1.3" drop)
Tokico HPs (blue) + new bearings, top plates, etc.
SRD polyurethane control arm bushings
Whiteline 24mm rear sway bar + polyurethane bushings
SSR Comp-C wheels (16x7)
General Exclaim UHP 205/45R16
Wilwood forged superlite calipers
323mm front x-drilled rotors
Braided SS brake hoses
New rear calipers and pads, with x-drilled rotors
Custom 3" intake
Spyder Auto HID projectors
Mazdaspeed front bumper
CF hood
Rolled fenders
20mm wheel spacers (mainly to accommodate larger brakes)
Racing seats
Aluminum crossmember and rear tie bar

Electrical/Audio
26AH SLA battery (trunk relocated)
12->24VDC SMPS power converter/regulator for amplifiers
2ghz VIA C7 w/1GB ram, 120GB disk
USB GPS with accelerometer (for HP estimates, skidpad, etc)
USB OBD-II link
7" double-din SVGA touchscreen
Mini USB keyboard and Logitech SpaceNavigator (volume/track selection)
7 channel homebuilt Tripath 4100A amplifier (6x100 watts @ 0.1%THD, 1x200 watt @ 0.1%THD)
8 channel USB soundcard (Gigaport AG)
USB ground loop isolator with external battery pack/relay activated charger
Accelerometer & GPS
Carputer vehicle instrumentation (speed, tach, pressures, battery voltage, airflow, temps, etc).
Full vehicle data logging
A-pillar gauges (oil pressure, EGT, wideband O2)
Infinity Kappa 60.7CS components (front)
Infinity Kappa 63.7i (rear)
2x10" generic subwoofers (waiting on JL audios)
All new speaker wiring (2x18AWG per side to fronts, 16AWG to rears)
Filter capacitor bank at alternator (4x 15000uF 20V)
1F stiffening capacitor
Alarm system / Keyless entry (driver & passenger side) / Remote starter
Remote trunk release

Later this year
MegaSquirt-II
Dunlop Direzza 225/50R16

Other pictures

Power distribution center in trunk, Infinity Kappa tweeter:


75,000km KLZE:


News
2010/04/16: Body was in such bad shape, I decided to scrap my baby. But, thanks to the efforts of many here, I was convinced to give her another life. I posted a message looking for body shops on montrealracing.com, and a guy named Alexandre in Terrebonne shot me a message. Brought the car up, worked out an excellent deal, and he's already workin on er! Sent me some pics of progress so far. The guy is incredible. If you need bodywork in the Montreal area let me know and I'll get you in touch with him!

2009/05/13: WIth my new CF hood, bumper, and fenders, I've started repairing the crash damage from last year. It's starting to look good again. Next up: installing my big brake kit.

2009/01/12: Swapped my JE50 for a KL02. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! My idle is musical now.. perfectly smooth at all engine temperatures. As it turns out, my PCV system was pumping oil into my intake at an alarming rate, and had filled the resonator half way. It also coated the JE50 and its rebound action was very slow. Could have had something to do with the poor fuel economy.

I also installed an alarm system with 2-way remote keyless entry, car status and remote starter. I had to install a power lock actuator on the driver's side first. Works beautifully.

2008/05/20: Engine swap complete! Signature modified appropriately.

2008/05/16: Engine swap well under way. Journal/pics posted below.

2008/05/05: Ok, engine comes out tomorrow! Not all the parts are here yet, but I can't wait any longer.. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of work on my carputer setup. Details on page 2.

2008/03/31: The swap has begun! I'm currently cleaning up and rebuilding my "new" KLZE. I was lucky and scored an engine in near perfect condition, including a transmission with an LSD! I'll be keeping my stock OBD-II ECU and wiring harness, using a curved neck Millenia intake. We'll see how it works out. If it runs badly, I'll either swap the wiring harness/ECU for OBD-I or go standalone (probably MS-II).

2008/02/15: Ok, so my stereo got stolen some time in December. I've been listening to all the creaks and vibrations in great detail ever since. I'm in the process of building a Linux based carputer with software crossover filters, driven by 8 separate amps. Software crossovers produce no phase-distortion and are infinitely adjustable, and on my test bench it sounds excellent.

KLZE Swap Journal

Day 1:

Spent most of the day getting the garage set up, sorting tools, aligning and lifting the car (tight work space), etc. So far I've pulled out the intake and fuel systems, vacuum lines, about 10 connectors, wheels, control arms, axles, hood, and other odds and ends.

Tomorrow I'll do the A/C, PS, exhaust, radiator, and if all goes well, lift out the cruddy old K8.

Good news is the fuel lines and vacuum hoses I'm missing all look quite decent.

Pics to follow.

Day 2:

Didn't have much time to work today, so couldn't get the engine out. But, I did pull the exhaust, PS lines, clutch line, radiator, shift linkage, more wires and throttle cable.

As it turns out, I don't have A/C. Damn. I'll have to do some research into putting one in because I have a compressor and I really want A/C.

Engine should come out first thing tomorrow.

Day 3:

Engine is out. Had a little trouble with the exhaust (had to tie the flex pipe back against the engine), and it was a tight fit, but after struggling for 20 minutes we slipped it out.

Spent the rest of the day cleaning the engine bay, cleaning and transferring parts from the old engine, and cleaning the work area.

Day 4:

Day 4 is really several days combined. I've been so busy at work I didn't have more than a couple hours each night.

Here's where the problems started.

1. Jackshaft was very difficult to separate from the CV joint bell housing. It took a while, but my friend and I came up with a solution: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=64963

2. Exhaust headers only have 2 O2 sensor holes, but I have 4 O2 sensors on my '96. I'm going to run with two dead until I can get the car to an exhaust shop. I'll have them tap two more holes downstream.

3. Headers had an EGR tap, but obviously there is no plumbing on the Millenia header. I plugged the hole with an appropriately sized bolt, and transferred my old EGR valve to the new engine so at least I can hook it up and stop the code from coming up. I'll run plumbing for the EGR later.

4. Change control rod was completely fused to the tranny. I had to grind out the old bushing/housing to get the linkage off. I wire brushed and rust-sprayed the linkage to extend its lifetime (was looking pretty bad).

5. Took me forever to figure out the vacuum system. I had to transfer over some vacuum chambers and solenoids, and replace all the lines. Also took me a while to understand what the coolant was doing.

6. Don't remove the rubber grommet that the PCV valve sits in. You'll be sorry if you do... impossible to find, and tough to get back in. Mask it off and paint around it!

7. I snapped off a bolt holding the valve cover on (snapped right at 18ftlbs!) Probably best to replace the bolts if they are old (if you can find them). If it leaks, I'll drill into the bolt and use a screw extractor to get it out.

Aside from all these problems, I bolted on the clutch and transmission to the new engine, as well as installing the starter, exhaust headers, and a bunch of other odds and ends.

Engine is almost ready to drop in. Hopefully I'll be able to fire it up on Saturday!

Day 5

Dropped in the engine today. It took a fair bit of struggling as I was alone, but after an hour or so, I had it bolted up. Clearance was fine, even with the headers and millenia intake. Hooked up the fuel system (relocating the fuel filter to a more hospitable place), shift linkage, sensors, charcoal canister, power steering, alternator, axles, and some other stuff.

I fired it up for the first time. Oh ya. No exhaust. LOUD. Sounds great though.

One major issue came up, however. I stripped the clutch hydraulic line where it connects to the rubber hose. Wrong tool for the job.. I should have known better. I went to Canadian Tire to pick up a replacement 30" x 3/16" brake line with fittings pre-installed, and a mandrel bender. It took me a while, but I bent it to the right shape and it hooked up perfectly. No leaks!

Day 6 - DONE!

At long last, I'm done! Today I put in the remaining parts (radiator, intake, exhaust, etc) and added all the remaining fluids. For the exhaust I just cut a 7-8" segment out behind the catalytic converter and used thick exhaust repair foil, gasket maker and 2 clamps to seal it temporarily. It works perfectly and should hold up for a couple weeks while I work out the remaining issues. Then I'll take it to an exhaust shop to get a new cat-back.

My sway bar end links were shot and I had to grind them off (couldn't get them free). Adds another $120.

I had a little embarassing coolant issue on my first test drive. I didn't realize you had to actually add the coolant to the engine; I thought it would suck it out of the overflow tank. I was taking a quick spin around the block when I noticed my temperature gauge rising quickly. I shut it down before it got too hot, and sat to ponder the problem with my friends for a few minutes.

I figured it was a freak bad thermostat (brand new) and was about to rip it open when my buddy asked how much coolant I put in. I said about 2 liters (to the overflow tank). He's like "no.. that's not enough... where did you add it?"

Needless to say, they laughed pretty hard. He was like "I don't get it.. you can swap an engine, but you couldn't figure out how to add the coolant."

The engine drank down a good 4-5 liters and is fine now. Whew.

Right now I'm throwing 7 or 8 trouble codes that I'll have to work through. I must have missed some connectors; I'll look at it tomorrow. For now, I drove it around for about an hour and it's running ok. It pulls hard, and the fidanza flywheel rocks.

It's been a long, hard upgrade but a lot of fun. I'll take some pics of the installed engine tomorrow. Thanks everyone who helped me along the way!

------

Here are some pics (at last). Unfortunately the high-res pics of the engine were all lost.

Before starting:


A little cramped...


Lifting the engine:


Couldn't get the shift linkage off.


Engine almost out (rope holding exhaust flex pipe straight down):




Cleaning engine bay:



New engine almost ready to drop in (tranny not installed):

Somebody stop me! :twisted:

I just placed an order at corksport for a:

B&M short shifter
Bronze/oil shifter bushings + SRD extension rod bushing
Front and rear strut tower bars
Mazdaspeed motor mounts
Urethane control arm, trailing arm and crossmember support bushings

So much for this paycheque...

Someone post the pic of the mods monkey. We all have him on our backs.

Grats on collecting your very own mods monkey

You must have money to blow Have fun modding man, make sure you dont go half assed. Post some pics or make a worklog!

solo_ryder wrote:You must have money to blow :P Have fun modding man, make sure you dont go half assed. Post some pics or make a worklog! 8)

Not anymore... lol. :)

I previously had an escort which has a very similar chassis and suspension to the MX-3. Really light.

It was my plan to turn it into a fast sleeper (~2400lbs @ 250hp BP turbo). I started working on it about 3 years ago, but a couple months after I did my suspension and brakes, some dumbass lost control of his rental grand-am and hit me on the highway. I guess I should just consider myself lucky there were no injuries, but he caused significant damage to the front end.

With some work it was driveable again (more or less) and I actually ended up driving it into the ground over the last 3 years. Ever since that day I'd been dreaming of owning an MX-3 specifically (testdrove a lot of them) because it just felt a car you put on as opposed to drive. Plus the KLZE swap is easy.

It was just a matter of finding the right one... and 3 weeks ago I did. Anyway, so now I have my chance, and god damnit this thing's gonna move when I'm done. :D

nightfire wrote:Somebody stop me!... I just placed an order at corksport... So much for this paycheque...

PATDIESEL wrote:Someone post the pic of the mods monkey. We all have him on our backs.

Indeed, that critter gets around and his favorite food is my wallet too.

Updated.

The KLZE swap is under way... It's fun so far. I can't wait to get to the hard part.

On another note... sorry to get political, but is anyone else really depressed about the state of laws in our respective countries? I want to tinker with my car, improve its performance (both power output and emissions) and learn about complicated systems such as fuel injection and emissions control. But the state is hellbent on standing in my way.

It used to be the churches threatening to kill/excommunicate the scientists for being heretics... now lawyers and politicians have taken on the same role. Who knows how many new Einsteins have passed us by due to the convoluted legal issues involved in doing any kind of homebrew science these days..

For the record: I've been driving daily for over 10 years without a single moving violation.. no speeding tickets, no failure to observe traffic signals... no failing to yield right of way. Maybe 3-4 parking tickets, in total. One accident for which I was found not-at-fault (I was on a highway between two concrete barriers when someone else lost control and hit me). I maintain my vehicles with love and care, operate them responsibly, and try my best to follow all the rules. Yet I just have this bad feeling that I'm going to be targetted by some profiling operation at some point, and they're going to tell me something ridiculous like "your catalytic converter isn't stock."

And no amount of "I've had my vehicle tested and I meet or exceed all of the emissions requirements" will dissuade them. The bureaucracy has spoken.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just feeling down.

Ok I have to make a decision this week. My buddies garage is all mine for about a month. Have got your KLZE installed and running yet? I want to put one in my 96 but may chicken out and put it in my 92 because of the OBD2 issue. Please Post Repy on update soon, I'm chewin my lower lip off ove this.

Daninski wrote:Ok I have to make a decision this week. My buddies garage is all mine for about a month. Have got your KLZE installed and running yet? I want to put one in my 96 but may chicken out and put it in my 92 because of the OBD2 issue. Please Post Repy on update soon, I'm chewin my lower lip off ove this.

Well... I um... encourage you to do it, and let me know how it goes.

I'm still waiting for parts to come in so I probably won't be able to start for another couple weeks.

Very cool. You're going straight for the juggular. No messing with bolt on crap. I'm loooking forward to seeing how it turns out!

fowljesse wrote:Very cool. You're going straight for the juggular. No messing with bolt on crap. I'm loooking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Aaaaaactually... I'm in contact with someone right now who may be able to build me an 1996 OBD-II harness to OBD-I ECU adapter, so I have the option of throwing in a KL-31. If he's able to make one, he can certainly make many. A group buy might be interesting. I'll post an message in the ECU forum if it works out.

Ok I just got a response from hoffman_bmx89 who has already done this swap I heard successfully. He said," hey yeah i did the swap before. All i did was i kept the stock 96 obd2 computer but i changed out the stock maf sensor for a vaf sensor that can be found on any probe or a mx6 or a 626 and this setup worked fine for me keep in mind you will always have a checck engine light but the car will haul a--.
So lets get on with it and see if we can nail this Fu--er. Sorry got a little excited.

Daninski wrote:Ok I just got a response from hoffman_bmx89 who has already done this swap I heard successfully. He said," hey yeah i did the swap before. All i did was i kept the stock 96 obd2 computer but i changed out the stock maf sensor for a vaf sensor that can be found on any probe or a mx6 or a 626 and this setup worked fine for me keep in mind you will always have a checck engine light but the car will haul a--.
So lets get on with it and see if we can nail this Fu--er. Sorry got a little excited.

Nothin' like breaking new-ish ground

But something doesn't add up here because I already have a JE50 VAF....

He might of meant to say VAF to MAF. I've re-Emailed him asking for clarification. My concern is that I can get the engine running reasonalbe well then eventually do the window switch thing or megasquirt. I still have a lot to bone up on. Like I said a lot of this is totally new to me. Anyone care to comment here?