k8 head upgrades
k8 head upgrades
i plan on parking my 92 gs this winter and replaceing the timing belt, water pump, tensioner and pullies. i'm considereing yankin the heads off and rebuilding them. do they make a complete kit with valves, guides, hla's, and springs. or do i have to get all these seperate? also i would like to install a more aggressive set of cams, do they make a set for the k8? if i put cams in this will i have to retune the engine or will the ecu compensate and adjust itself accordingly? final question. do i need to swap out the pistons with the different cams or should they be fine with the stock bottom end.
ps. i'm staying naturally aspirated and i only want to gain a little more power. nothing extreme. is this all worth it?
ps. i'm staying naturally aspirated and i only want to gain a little more power. nothing extreme. is this all worth it?
Re: k8 head upgrades
short answer: probably notban985 wrote:is this all worth it?
long answer: you can do all that to a klde for less money and gain more power. ze might be costly and hard to find but klde engines are everywhere it seems - as they were used in probe, mx6, millenia etc etc. I once saw a post on craigslist that basically offered a klde for free.
- sk8erdude802
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The car may not be as important but what hes really talking about is money. It could cost the same if not more (time and money wise) to do what your doing to your engine vs. getting a de with low miles and putting that in there. But in the end its your decision. were just here to help you when you have questions.
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There is no point into rebuilding your K8 heads and going through all that trouble. Unless you got a bad head gasket, ok I could understand. But at the same time you can get a low-mileage KLZE for cheap or just get a KLDE engine. Replace head gasket if you want, In the end you will have more power
The K8 engine is a weak POS
The K8 engine is a weak POS
2008 Mazda 3
1993 MX3 GS
KLZE, Fidanza flywheel, KL31 CAMs, South Bend Stage I Clutch, Pacesetter STS, SS AutoChromes, Magnaflow muffler, 2.25' Exhaust, CAI, Blaster Coil HEI, KLDE Valvetrain, 5 Speed Swap
1993 MX3 GS
KLZE, Fidanza flywheel, KL31 CAMs, South Bend Stage I Clutch, Pacesetter STS, SS AutoChromes, Magnaflow muffler, 2.25' Exhaust, CAI, Blaster Coil HEI, KLDE Valvetrain, 5 Speed Swap
- mx3autozam
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ze heads will not fit on a k8. cams will fit in but probably won't do much for it. Pistons..LOL bore is waay to small. The manifold is the only thing that might benefit from.2fazed wrote:Well, if you only want to upgrade your K8, instead of swapping it out. Just upgrade some part with the KLZE, like cams, pistons, heads, and IM. You can get these part here or Ebay.
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I think the point everyone is trying to make for you is that since you are doing the work to rebuild the heads and install new water pump, timing belt, tensioner etc...it is about exactly the same amount of work (presuming you are planning to pull your K8 to do this work) and probably cheaper (because the DE is more heavily supported than the K8 ) to do those same things to a DE, which will literally go straight in with practically zero modification.
It's almost no more work for a significantly greater gain and in the end you'll have a better, more reliable engine, which has better support in the aftermarket.
But it's up to you.
It's almost no more work for a significantly greater gain and in the end you'll have a better, more reliable engine, which has better support in the aftermarket.
But it's up to you.
Last edited by wytbishop on November 16th, 2007, 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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93' GS SE, the Black Beast, the former love of my life...soon to be gutted and crushed.
94' GS, black on black, now in several small pieces...and one large crushed piece.
2007 Mazda3 GT Sport --- super fun
2004 Honda RC51 --- Lost forever to some theavin' bastard
My Worklog
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Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.