MX-3.com

So im going to swap a kl-de into my mx3. I was wondering if tou guys had any sugjestions.
I got my motor from jdm depo in jersey i have a kl02vaf and kl01ecu along with a f1 stage1 clutch kit.
They claim there motors are nothing higher then 60k miles. So i was thinking timing belt, water pump and a good clean up and some powder coating. But any sugjestions from prep to install please feel free to share:)

Buy intake manifold gaskets, youll need those when you remove it to reposition the knock sensor on the passenger side. New Oil pump if you can afford the scratch.. much easier out of the car . Verify which coolant temp sensor set up you have (1 or 2 on coolant pipe) and buy new o rings if you have to swap it out. And predo all your vacuum lines on the back of the intake manifold before putting it in and just leave an extra 2ft on the canister purge solenoid on the firewall for when you put it in(the de diagram has it as the middle solenoid on the intake mani). Oh and reuse your mx flywheel and have it resurfaced while your at it. Also make sure you have a cai sorted out as youll hit the battery location with the factory mx bits.

Thats all

Don't use that F1 clutch kit. There crap. I used a F1 stage 3 and it boggled at startup. Use a good brand name like Exedy, Act, Clutchmasters, Spec.

^Never used the F1 clutch kit but can endorse the Clutchmasters clutch kit as being solid quality over the last 20K miles for me.

IMO engine dress up w/ powder coating is after it is running sweetly. But if you can do this for little money then go for it.

I agree the oil pump is easier to replace with the engine out, but then where exactly do you stop? If the engine is really 60K miles then the oil pump is good for lots more. Unless you're rebuilding just refresh timing belt kit, water pump, valve cover and intake manifold gaskets. If there are signs that other seals are dry or leaking (camshaft, crankshaft, etc) then replace those. Otherwise try to replace one big part with another and do only what is necessary.

The gotcha bits are vacuum lines, swapping coolant pipe, modding the throttle body spring return (assuming DE intake and TB), throttle cable and occasionally crossing the fuel lines. If you have the entire DE intake manifold with everything attached it will take the guesswork out of many connections. Swap the TB return spring mechanism from your K8 to the DE throttle body and remove the extra post from the DE throttle body so it will easily clear the brake fluid reservoir. Sort out vacuum lines before you install. You will also need to shorten your throttle cable or make a bracket to hold the cable further from the DE throttle body (again assumes you use DE intake).

Out of curiosity for myself, davmac why mod the throttle body and throttle cable/mount? I recently swapped a KL-DE into my 94 RS without any space issues. Is the GS brake booster larger than the RS or does the throttle cable/spring return cause issues in the MX-3? I have been chasing a high idle and hesitation issue for a while now and am waiting on parts to rule out my intake tube.

yeah i believe the gs booster is larger. it needs to move more fluid for the calipers in the rear so it makes sense.

tbondo wrote:Out of curiosity for myself, davmac why mod the throttle body and throttle cable/mount? I recently swapped a KL-DE into my 94 RS without any space issues. Is the GS brake booster larger than the RS or does the throttle cable/spring return cause issues in the MX-3? I have been chasing a high idle and hesitation issue for a while now and am waiting on parts to rule out my intake tube.

People swap it because they dont feel comfortable putting it in that close to the resevoir. I have the DE intake mani and throttle body as it was in the probe in my car (92 GS) with no issues at all. I dont like that I have a 90 degree in the CAI to avoid the battery but such is life

davmac wrote:^Never used the F1 clutch kit but can endorse the Clutchmasters clutch kit as being solid quality over the last 20K miles for me.

IMO engine dress up w/ powder coating is after it is running sweetly. But if you can do this for little money then go for it.

I agree the oil pump is easier to replace with the engine out, but then where exactly do you stop? If the engine is really 60K miles then the oil pump is good for lots more. Unless you're rebuilding just refresh timing belt kit, water pump, valve cover and intake manifold gaskets. If there are signs that other seals are dry or leaking (camshaft, crankshaft, etc) then replace those. Otherwise try to replace one big part with another and do only what is necessary.

The gotcha bits are vacuum lines, swapping coolant pipe, modding the throttle body spring return (assuming DE intake and TB), throttle cable and occasionally crossing the fuel lines. If you have the entire DE intake manifold with everything attached it will take the guesswork out of many connections. Swap the TB return spring mechanism from your K8 to the DE throttle body and remove the extra post from the DE throttle body so it will easily clear the brake fluid reservoir. Sort out vacuum lines before you install. You will also need to shorten your throttle cable or make a bracket to hold the cable further from the DE throttle body (again assumes you use DE intake).

I powdercoat things I run a small shop so whats not an issue. But im going to being useing a curved neck mani so none of that sure be an issue

But ive never heard anything bad about f1 clutches? mybe ill shop around for a centerforce

Thefez wrote: im going to being useing a curved neck mani so none of that sure be an issue

I hope you plan on port matching then unless your dropping in a milli DE. Otherwise Ive read some power issues when running the missmatched ports b/c the de is oval runners for the de/G4 mani vs the ZE/milli are square ports

Sleeper6 wrote:

Thefez wrote: im going to being useing a curved neck mani so none of that sure be an issue

I hope you plan on port matching then unless your dropping in a milli DE. Otherwise Ive read some power issues when running the missmatched ports b/c the de is oval runners for the de/G4 mani vs the ZE/milli are square ports

thats right sir. im gunna have it extruded honed as well and p&p the TB

Quick question on the vacuum lines...how exactly do you hook them all up for the DE? I was under the impression you just left it all as is. I'm in the process of dropping the KLDE into my GS too and would love to not have to mess with vacuum lines with it in if I don't have to. Is there a write up somewhere you could direct me to?

A couple of other questions if anyones knows off the top of there head. Is it beneficial to bypass the throttle body coolant lines? I've read mixed reviews. And I can block off the egr if I have the jdm ecu correct?

Thanks

Gods Father wrote:Quick question on the vacuum lines...how exactly do you hook them all up for the DE? I was under the impression you just left it all as is. I'm in the process of dropping the KLDE into my GS too and would love to not have to mess with vacuum lines with it in if I don't have to. Is there a write up somewhere you could direct me to?

A couple of other questions if anyones knows off the top of there head. Is it beneficial to bypass the throttle body coolant lines? I've read mixed reviews. And I can block off the egr if I have the jdm ecu correct?

Thanks

The vacuum lines are pretty simple if you print off the mx3 diagram from the manuals page and search for the 2.5 one either here or probetalk (although it should come right up in search as I asked about a few months back). Just compare the two and run the lines as needed the only tricky bit is the mx purge solenoid is firewall mounted not on the motor like the probe. Yes you can block off the egr. And leave your coolant lines on the TB as you live in boston and will see cold weather as you dont want your throttle plate frosting over, otherwise on cold days your idle will be screwy as well.

Don't change the oil pump. The only people who have oil pump issues are the ones who do actually change it for some supposedly "high performance" brand and that fails. Haven't heard of many/any people screwing up their stock oil pumps.

Just the basics will do, if the engine is in good condition:

- Clutch kit, flywheel can be your old one or the DE one, get either one machined. I know everyone says use the MX-3 flywheel but the DE will give more torque...
- Timing belt kit with water pump
- New hydraulic tensioner for timing belts
- Thermostat + coolant hoses is a good idea
- Spark plugs + Leads
- Fuel filter
- Oil + oil Filter
- Intake manifold gaskets and vacuum lines on intake
- Valve cover gaskets maybe optional, but if the engine has been sitting a while and the gaskets look brittle, change them. You should get a good look at the engine condition with the VC's off. 60,000k miles is a bit of mileage - with good servicing it can still be light golden in colour. Don't buy one that is dark brown or brownish in colour on the inside...

Ebay has some good gasket kits, I used one by eristic, which is the same as the cns auto parts kit. Everything fit well and I've gone about 16,000kms now since rebuilding.