MX-3.com

hi there, im the proud owner of a 1994 1.4L 5 speed mx-3. ive had it for 9 years now, bought used, it ran
from the 130k i bought it at to 204k with literally no problems. i changed the timing belt once, replaced a
muffler, and replaced a radiator in that span of time, thats it. this has been the best car ive ever owned, ever.

make a long story short i sprung a leak in the radiator hose a while back and overheated it. i tried to be gentle
with it, stopping, adding more water, but i guess it wasnt enough and by the the time i made it home it was
dying, so im pretty sure the engine is seized.

my question is, do any of you know a reliable, trustworthy dealer either online or in person
so i can replace my engine? and at reasonable costs? im open to suggestions, but im not looking to spend
1,800 on a used engine. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)

it would probably help if you said where you lived... you can pick up a KLZE pretty cheap if you live in Japan...

did you want to upgrade your engine? or just replace it?
if your looking to just replace it you could to go the junkyard and find nice one and pick that up

i live in the states, Tennessee to be exact, and im just looking to replace the engine, no upgrades
or anything like that, and ive tried junk yards around here, but that model car is hard to come by
in this area for some reason, no luck with junk yards yet

btw, i did spend some time in Kagoshima and Niigata some years ago, id love to go back!
i loved japan

First, just to be clear it's a 4cyl 1.6L engine, not 1.4L. Some engine guys might look at you sideways if you said that.

I think the problem you'll have is that very few people replace the B6 engine so most engine shops that carry any inventory will not keep them in stock. The 90-94 Mazda 323 also had the B6-ME, you might try looking for one of those. All of the internals are available from the aftermarket. It might be easiest for you to have the engine rebuilt.

you can remove the head and have it resurfaced for about 100 dollars if you've warped the head.

Does the bock also need to be surfaced after an overheat, or is the cast iron pretty immune?

Anyways, my roommate has a 94 1.6l and his had a busted radiator and belt and headgasket, we did what you did, run it lightly, add water when possible, etc... and even though it technically did overheat, it's still running like a champ.

If you want a B6D (the same engine you have), it came only on the '94-'96 MX3, and on the '91-'94 Mercury Capry.
Or you could just upgrade to a BP, which you can find in '90-'94 Mazda Protege LX, '92-'93 Ford Escort LX-E, '91-'96 Ford Escort GT, '91-'96 Mercury Tracer LTS, '95-'97 Kia Sephia LS or GS, or '97 Kia Sephia RS.

Anyways, I'm with SuperK in that you probably don't need a new engine. Normally, on newer ECU controlled engines the worst that can happen from an overheat is a blown head gasket. The iron block is actually very resilient to warpage, and in most cases will keep the head in decent shape. I'd take a good look at the engine first, before thinking about replacing it.

Inodoro Pereyra wrote:If you want a B6D (the same engine you have), it came only on the '94-'96 MX3, and on the '91-'94 Mercury Capry.
Or you could just upgrade to a BP, which you can find in '90-'94 Mazda Protege LX, '92-'93 Ford Escort LX-E, '91-'96 Ford Escort GT, '91-'96 Mercury Tracer LTS, '95-'97 Kia Sephia LS or GS, or '97 Kia Sephia RS.

Anyways, I'm with SuperK in that you probably don't need a new engine. Normally, on newer ECU controlled engines the worst that can happen from an overheat is a blown head gasket. The iron block is actually very resilient to warpage, and in most cases will keep the head in decent shape. I'd take a good look at the engine first, before thinking about replacing it.

first off, thats a sound idea, im no mechanic, and a friend told me that once you warp the head on these cars, its over.
having it rebuilt is sound advise, but can an engine BE rebuilt if it is seized? (dont know for sure if that is the case)
this is what happens if you try to start it......you hear a weird humming sound like the starter is running in circles, but it does not click,
so i dont think its the starter, maybe a belt? someone did suggest that i may have snapped the timing belt.

and this engine was put into all of those makes you listed? those models would have different motor mounts tho eh?

OK, you CAN get a B6 1.6L from a Kia Sephia, select models, 95-97.
It's the same exact B6 as yours.

Where are you located? Atlanta currently has several B6's you can choose from.

These engines are the same engine as yours. You can pull or purchase an engine, and use your current engine and swap everything needed if you decide to do so.

Check the timing belt... I just find it hard to believe that, unless you ran it HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT for a long time, that it'd seize. stupid i before e rule.

you can try turning it by hand, go to the crank pulley, it's a 21mm socket, get a larger socket or breaker bar. with the car in neutral, try turning the crank by hand.

if it turns, I think you might still have a winner.

briareos wrote: first off, thats a sound idea, im no mechanic, and a friend told me that once you warp the head on these cars, its over.

Not at all. Modern engines in general are very strong, but the B6 is just bulletproof. I highly doubt your engine has a warped head, but in the odd case it does, you'd just have to get another one.

briareos wrote:having it rebuilt is sound advise, but can an engine BE rebuilt if it is seized? (dont know for sure if that is the case)
this is what happens if you try to start it......you hear a weird humming sound like the starter is running in circles, but it does not click,
so i dont think its the starter, maybe a belt? someone did suggest that i may have snapped the timing belt.

I don't quite understand what you mean. Get somebody to look at the engine while you try to start it.
Do the belts (in the passenger side end of the engine) move when you try to start?
If they don't, does the starter sound like it's straining and can't move, or like it's spooling up with no load at all?

If the starter sounds like it's straining and can't move, take the spark plugs off (yes, all 4 of them), and try again. Do the belts move now?

If the starter was straining, and taking the spark plugs out solved the problem, your engine was hydralocked. That means probably water got into one or more of your cylinders, and your timing belt is broken.
If taking the spark plugs off didn't solve anything, maybe your engine is seized.

If the starter sounds like it's spooling up with no load, your starter solenoid is busted.

If the belts move when you try to start the car, your engine is NOT SEIZED.

briareos wrote:and this engine was put into all of those makes you listed? those models would have different motor mounts tho eh?

The B6D (the engine you have right now) was only used on the MX3 and the Mercury Capri.
However, if you're dead set on replacing your engine, I'd strongly recommend you switch for a BP, not only because it's much easier to find at a junkyard (it came in a whole bunch of different cars), but it's a more powerful engine, much easier to upgrade later on, and much easier to find parts for.
And also it's a direct bolt on in your car.

Inodoro Pereyra wrote: The B6D (the engine you have right now) was only used on the MX3 and the Mercury Capri.
.

AND THE KIA SEPHIA.

The kia has EXACTLY the same engine, same intake mani and exhaust mani.

SuperK wrote:

Inodoro Pereyra wrote: The B6D (the engine you have right now) was only used on the MX3 and the Mercury Capri.
.

AND THE KIA SEPHIA.

The kia has EXACTLY the same engine, same intake mani and exhaust mani.

I may be wrong, but to my knowledge, the Kia Sephia used the 8 valve B6.
If I am wrong, my apologies...

Select models came with B6DE.

Believe me you, sir, I was just at the pull aparts, pulling apart a B6DE Kia Sephia for my friend's B6DE Mx-3, and I also own a B6DE mx-3.

It looks EXACTLY like our B6DE's with the same valve cover and everything... Just says Kia.
It's a carbon copy, all the way to the cat.

I do believe you.
My bad then.

Whew, I thought I'd have to travel two hours back to that pull apart just for a picture.

Oddly enough, you can't find ONE picture of the engine in the kia on google. I know it can be hard to believe. Sorrie.