Engine has been sitting, car has been sitting. Let's do it!!

[rccardude04]

So I have a project. I have a truck to drive on a daily basis so I'm not exactly pressed for time.

I have pulled a KL-DE from a Ford Probe GT (1994). I will be using the ECU from that car as well as the VAF and the 5-speed transmission. (My mx-3 is already a 5-speed).

Thinking I should probably change the timing belt since it's out of the car, and easier than if it was in the car. I'm also looking at headers. I've seen a few threads about the eBay headers. Some places are selling them for about $70USD now, with about 30 bucks in shipping so $100 for headers to my door? Am I missing something? Will they actually fit? Obviously they're PGT/MX6 LS headers, but will they hit the crossmember or anything? Nobody else seems to mention it but I want to make sure before I throw a whopping 100 bucks at it. :p

Also, is there anything else I should do with/to/for this engine before I bolt it in? Do I need to pull the valve covers off and check the valves? Kerosene flush? What should I do? Any seals on the transmission? ANYTHING that I could possibly check/do would be nice. I'm trying to decide what to do here and am rather inexperienced.

Thanks in advance from a relative noob.

-Eric

[Nd4SpdSe]

You don't need to use the Probe trans, it's the same as in the Mx-3.

Pop open the valve covers anyway to see the condition of the motor

Timing belt and waterpump would be highly recommended. But really, the more you can do the better.

Headers have fitament issues depending on which one you get, and even then, they vary between each. Just search around for ebay headers in the V6 section and you'll find alot of information about them, but all will require you to move the cat back several inches
search.php?keywords=ebay+headers&terms= ... mit=Search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rccardude04]

You don't need to use the Probe trans, it's the same as in the Mx-3.

Pop open the valve covers anyway to see the condition of the motor

Timing belt and waterpump would be highly recommended. But really, the more you can do the better.

Headers have fitament issues depending on which one you get, and even then, they vary between each. Just search around for ebay headers in the V6 section and you'll find alot of information about them, but all will require you to move the cat back several inches
search.php?keywords=ebay+headers&terms= ... mit=Search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm using the probe transmission because my clutch is garbage (thanks to brother), and has possible water damage. Plus, I remember my 2nd gear and 1st gear synchros were garbage. I'm pretty sure his were good.

I'll go ahead and pop the valve covers just for safe measure. Should I pour some oil down there before dropping it in there? Anything else I should do while I'm there?

Timing belt I'm doing for sure. Water pump I'll probably do also. Just in case. At under 50 bucks, it's cheap enough.

I'd seen the threads on the PGT headers and I'm going to do a 100% custom-bent exhaust anyway so it doesn't really matter about length. I'm just hoping I can get something that'll fit without having to re-bend or otherwise mutilate the headers themselves.

This is a bit of a budget project so I don't want to spend $500 on this engine, but $300 doesn't really bug me too much. That looks about where I'm sitting right now.

Thanks for the reply! Any other input also welcome. I would like to get this right on the first try if possible.

Edit: Another option I suppose is to pass on headers for now and go ahead and do what I can to the engine itself, to promote longevity. Then if I feel like it needs more power, I can go ahead and drop in some headers later. They're not that difficult to pull on/off it doesn't seem like. Would make a good weekend project after she's up and running. Thoughts?

Also another random thought...

Is it possible to put my front K8 valve cover gasket on the 2.5L Probe engine? One less thing to spot if someone wanted to look under the hood. Adds to the sleeper aspect.

-Eric

[Nd4SpdSe]

Edit: Another option I suppose is to pass on headers for now and go ahead and do what I can to the engine itself, to promote longevity. Then if I feel like it needs more power, I can go ahead and drop in some headers later. They're not that difficult to pull on/off it doesn't seem like. Would make a good weekend project after she's up and running. Thoughts?

Also another random thought...

Is it possible to put my front K8 valve cover gasket on the 2.5L Probe engine? One less thing to spot if someone wanted to look under the hood. Adds to the sleeper aspect.

Ya, that's definitely a good idea. I ran my K8 exhaust for a while, than that went after a few months after the ZE swap, so i upgraded to 2.5", than the next year I did my headers. Unless you have a welder, you can't do them yourself since you need to modify the headers to fit more likely, and you'll have to cut your exhaust and move the cat back several inches.

You can swap the valve covers on between the K8 and KL's, so do what you wish. IMO, Ford valve covers look weird in a Mazda, lol.

[rccardude04]

I guess I might hold off on the headers then for now. I don't have a welder but I have access to one so that's not a huge concern. I just don't want to cut/weld the headers themselves. It'd be nice if they fit.

Moving the cat is not a big deal. It's going to be straight piping anyway.

This is going to be more of an autocrosser, not really a daily driver. I'll drive it when I feel like it just because it can't help but be a huge amount of fun to toss onto and off of the highway. I should probably leave the cat but I most likely will yank it off. I hope it's not too loud without a muffler. If it is, I'll find something for that also. We'll make it work.

-Eric

[Daninski]

I bought Ebay headers and they fit just fine. I did have to space them down a little for more clearence from the oil pan. You'll need to chop your exhaust back about 9". Stay away from any Kerosene flush IMO. Buy engine flush and use as directed. Additionally, change the fuel filter and any hoses you can afford to change since it's so much easier with the engine out. What about the clutch? With the engine out that's a real easy job to do as well. And finally, replace the valve cover/intake manifold gaskets using silicone on the valve covers as directed in the manual. Remember to Torque everything to the proper specs, very important. Finally, enjoy the increase in power,,Zoom Zoom.

[Daveb]

Since you have it apart I would do the cam seals and also the front & rear crank seals, can save u a lot of grief down the road for about 20 bucks.

Often when a motor sits the above seals can dry out and are a major pain to change with the motor in the car.

good luck

[rccardude04]

The clutch is less than 10k miles on this setup I'm pretty sure. I got the engine from a friend of mine so I remember most of what he did to it/changed. Heck, I did his distributor when it finally let go.

Which eBay headers did you buy? I'm trying to be cheap but also don't want to buy it again. I'm reasonable.

Should I basically get a full set of seals I guess? What about the Friction gears or whatever causes the ticking? Is that easy to change while doing the timing belt and the cams are exposed?

-Eric

[marcdh]

What about the Friction gears or whatever causes the ticking? Is that easy to change while doing the timing belt and the cams are exposed?
-Eric

You need to take the cams out to change it, requires a massive socket/spanner! Not particularly hard task though IMO. Do as much as you can! I replaced nearly all my seals. Glad I did the awkward ones like the main seals and tranny axle seals.

[rccardude04]

How massive?

That's not super important though. The noise never really bugged me.

I'll just do the seals that I can find. Where are the cam seals? I haven't even looked...

-Eric

[96mx-3]

i would suggest header when u have the motor out the rear one is a pain in the a--... and also maybe engine mounts.. i have a built de and the engine rocked like crazyy i wish i did mounts when it was out to save a hassle aswell... just a suggestion ... if ur lookin for some more power maybe ze cams with it out.. again i wish i did that too

[rccardude04]

Ah yes. Engine Mounts. I was planning either on doing the whole window weld thing or finding some poly inserts or otherwise.

Any suggestions on that?

Now that I think about it more, I will probably go ahead and get headers before I throw it in there. It'll be easier to modify them if necessary with the engine out. And for the price (<$100 in some cases), it's hard to pass up.

-Eric

[Daveb]

Definately get rid of those ford valve covers or you will be jinxed for sure. You dont want to have crappy handling, continuos front end problems & need a wheel alignment every month. FORD= found on roads dead.

Last time I drove up the rockies there were 11 dead cars on the side of the road, 10 fords & a hyundai (true story)

[_-Night-Shade-_]

Also, FORD = Fix Or Repair Daily

[Daveb]

Formation Of Rust Deposits