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So a friend has an mx3, 5 speed, that needs a new motor. They're giving me the car for free and it's in really nice shape. I was just wondering since I already have to get a new motor, what would be the best engine to put in. I wouldn't mind getting a faster motor, but that's why I am here.

Let me know!

Thanks!
-Corey.

What model and year is the mx3? GS or RS?

since you posted in the V6 section i would say any V6 from these cars at the pic and pull


KL-DE
1988-1992 Mazda MX-6 GT (E and J spec)
1993-1997 Mazda MX-6 LS (A spec)
1993-1997 Ford Probe GT
1992-1995 Ford Telstar TX5 Ghia, TX5 Ghia 4ws
1993-1997 Mazda 626 ES, LX (after 1994)
1995-2002 Mazda Millenia L


KL-G4
1998-2002 Mazda 626 ES, LX

all have 170ish hp a the crank and are best for boost later on. Also are easy to find and replace....

or a little more harder but more power u could import a KLZE from japan that has 199ish HP at the crank but are not so kind for boost....


as far as 4CYL i have no idea also welcome to the forums bro!

So I just got the car, and they had a mechanic tell them they needed a new motor.

But when I asked why, they said their mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong and just said to replace the motor.

All that's taken off is the timing belt, some pulleys, and tensioners.

The belt isn't broken, and doesn't even look like it's cracking so I don't think it lost timing while running. I'd like to just put a new belt on and check compression and see what's going on with it.

Being that I didn't take this thing apart, I don't know exactly how to put it back together. Is there a book I should grab, or a thread that would help?

pattheriault wrote:http://mx-3.com/manuals/index.php

I couldn't find anything on retiming / replacing the timing belt.

Look deeper.

http://mx-3.com/manuals/showimg.php?fil ... B2-012.gif

ohhh thank you

Should I change the water pump while I'm in there?

Grab the water pump gasket, remove the water pump and check it's functioning properly. The bearings should spin easily and with no wobble. If everything is good, reinstall. If not, grab a new one.

I pulled the distributor cap and it's not at TDC for #1. Once I have that set on tdc, do I just line up the marks on the cam, or is there a way to be 180 degrees out on each cam?

Thanks!

-Corey.

distributor has nothing to do with timing belt.. put your crank at TDC, align cam with mark and place back the belt.

the engine is non-interference so you cant really screw anything

pattheriault wrote:distributor has nothing to do with timing belt.. put your crank at TDC, align cam with mark and place back the belt.

the engine is non-interference so you cant really screw anything

What I am saying about the distributor is that the rotor isn't pointing at the #1 spark plug wire. If it's not pointed at the #1 wire, it's not at TDC. That's why I am asking about retiming the motor.

There's a real good post by a member here named Ryan on how to install a timing belt. I'll see if I can find it. Do a compression test first (well after the timing belt gets installed) if the compression looks good it could just be the ignitor in the disty. Replace the disty or do a HEI mod (see FAQ section). Other than that welcome, oh and thanks for using proper punctuation, gramer and appearing to have a brain. Very refreshing.

5 second search, read this. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=77978&hilit=timing+belt+replace

I got an actual Mazda rebuilt distributor a couple weeks ago. The rotor did not have a "flat" on it that forced it onto one of three angles on the drive for the rotor. I didn't notice until the car wouldn't start so I just put the old rotor (that had about 50 miles on it) back on that had a flat insert to force on one of the three lobes. The car started right up. Otherwise, put everything back together as best you can and determine what is going on.

I bought 2 MX-3's with "dead" engines. One was flooded and fired right up after having it delivered by the previous owner to me as part of the deal and reassembling everything, the other, that I just got last month, needed a distributor.

You are on the right path - get everything back to square one THEN start poking around. Compression is a good start. We just bought a Mazda3 with e "dead" engine and it IS dead. Rotates about 30 degrees and freezes. Won't turn at all. If you get it to turn over you'll know from how it sounds if you have a big issue or not.

Once I get the timing belt back on, Next step was a compression test. Then go from there.

Should I take the gamble of putting a new water pump/timing belt and tensioners on just in case it runs when I get it back together? That way it'll be ready to rock for a while and I won't have to tear it all back apart.

Id hate to put the old stuff on, get it running, then have to tear it apart to put a new belt on.