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You know the long metal plate that covers the knock sensor cavity on some motors (as pictured in this thread). Well, I just unbolted it and was going to clean out the rest of the cavity (had coolant spilled in there), but it won't come out because the freakin' heads are in the way. I tried sliding this plate out, tried tilting it and turning it every which way, but no luck. What a stupid design. I don't want to remove the heads just for this, but I can't see how else to do it.

I can't believe that! There must be a way. My engine doesn't even have one, if it doesn't want out just cut it out

Yeah, it seems cutting it out might be the only way.

NOOOOO!!!!!! take a crow bar and smash into the center of that plate. bang it down into the middle the edges will curve up. you have to smash it out lol its shitty i know but thats the only way.

also afterwards you can not re-use that plate....

and kl's 93 and older have those plates.

Yup, I bent mine to get it out.

So was the valley just open and without a cover on engines built after 93?

Whew, got it out at last. What a pain. Had to bend it AND cut it... Crap design on Mazda's part. I've come across a few other poor design choices, like all the things that lie in the path of taking out the damn coolant neck. Kind of puts the simplicity of my 1st gen RX-7 into perspective.

lol i just replaced that coolant neck AGAIN on my car, this time the engine was in the car. has it running then had to take the intake off again to replace the thermostat housing plus the lines under the intake.

and yes after 93 they just produced the engine without that plate. infact the newer ones dont even have the threaded holes to bolt that plate down.

apparantly they collected too much crap and were taken out for corrosion problems.