The difference between a DE and a ZE? PICS ADDED!

Kenzie · Post by **Kenzie** » October 20th, 2006, 5:58 pm

I'm sure this has been covered before on the board but I'm having trouble pinning down a thread with all the info I need.
Here's the deal, we recently purchased a MX-6 LS from a kid here in AR. He blew the engine at 100k so he purchased a new engine from eBay. In the beginning he told us that the engine came with a ZE IM but it was truely the DE that belonged in the car. Then a month later, when we came back to pick up the car, he said he looked into it more and he's thinking he actually did purchase a entire ZE for the swap.
When we bought the car he said the starter was bad. Not true, it just had a bad ground. (Retard sold us a perfecly fine MX-6 for $800!)
He let the car sit for over a year without being started and unfortunatly when we did finally get it to turn over it was frozen up so badly that we're afraid it's beyond repair.

Now, my question is...
1) How the hell do I tell if this is infact a ZE.
2) If it is infact a ZE do you guys have any advice on rebuilding?

Sorry for the long story but I like to get all the facts out there before I ask a question.

Thanks in advance!
Kenzie

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » October 20th, 2006, 7:40 pm

easiest way to tell if its a ZE is to look between the intake runners on the heads. If the numbers say KL31 1A1 and KL31 101 its a ZE. Otherwise you'd see KL01 101 and KL01 1A1.

Devlin · Post by **Devlin** » October 21st, 2006, 2:31 am

another way is to pull the spark plugs, and check the top of the pistons.
if they are cupped, it's a DE, if they're flat, it's a ZE.

as for rebuilding, depends what's dead about it, which u might not find out till u pull it apart. but for seals and stuff, pick up a rebuild kit for a MX-6 or millenia and it should have most of the stuff

Kenzie · Post by **Kenzie** » October 21st, 2006, 10:49 am

Thanks guys! I'll check it out tonight.

My '94 GS may be getting a ZE after all

PATDIESEL · Post by **PATDIESEL** » October 21st, 2006, 1:22 pm

FYI, if you let a car sit for some time you should put WD40 or some oil down the spark plug holes so that it can lube the piston rings from the top before it is cranked. It will usually save the motor. Maybe to late now, but thought you might need to know. As for rebuilding a ZE it would costmore than a buying another used ZE. Most all of the parts could be bought for a DE, with the exception of the larger metal parts like the pistons, valves and such. You can use DE rods, crank, rings, Millinea seals etc.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » October 21st, 2006, 1:25 pm

If rebuilding.. or just for peace of mind.. replace the valve keepers on the ZE with valve keepers from a DE. The DE Valve keepers are thicker and more resilient than the ZE ones. There have been more than a few ZE's that have dropped valves due to broken valve keepers.

Tunes67

Kenzie · Post by **Kenzie** » December 5th, 2006, 8:53 pm

We've finally found time to start on the MX-6 and here's a few pics I took today.

I still can't tell if it's a ZE or a DE. As you can see on one side of the runners it says KL-101 and the other side says KL-1A1.

Am I looking in the wrong spot?
I guess we'll know for sure next Mon-Tue when we get the engine completly out and torn apart but I'd really like to know now so I can start planning which engine will go back in.

The ZE IM:

mx3autozam · Post by **mx3autozam** » December 5th, 2006, 9:09 pm

Thats a DE man with a ZE manifold

like people posted earlier a DE will say kl101 and kl1a1 while a ze will be kl31 101 and kl31 1a1..the ze will also have square ports just like that manifold does.

hgallegos915 · Post by **hgallegos915** » December 5th, 2006, 10:40 pm

yeah its a de.. didnt u see the ROUND runners? LOL still a good engine tho.

mx3autozam · Post by **mx3autozam** » December 6th, 2006, 12:12 am

Definitlya good engine for sure. A DE witha ze manifold would be quite quick. imop the ze manifold is best thing about the ze engine. Although to get the full benefit from it you need the heads. Also looks like this engine had the themo spacers. Those are supposed to work really well!

XxantwawnxX · Post by **XxantwawnxX** » December 6th, 2006, 12:59 am

mx3autozam wrote:Definitlya good engine for sure. A DE witha ze manifold would be quite quick. imop the ze manifold is best thing about the ze engine. Although to get the full benefit from it you need the heads. Also looks like this engine had the themo spacers. Those are supposed to work really well!

how can u tell it has the spacers, i just see gasket.

PWRD_BY_HKS · Post by **PWRD_BY_HKS** » December 6th, 2006, 2:52 am

mx3autozam wrote:Thats a DE man with a ZE manifold

like people posted earlier a DE will say kl101 and kl1a1 while a ze will be kl31 101 and kl31 1a1..the ze will also have square ports just like that manifold does.

but if what you say is true then what is the code that would be marked on a curv neck ze....kl31 101 would be a kl31 cammed ze STRAIGHT neck....im not saying that block is a ZE because its abvously not because it has round runners ....so i agree with you on that but what would be the numbers on a non kl-31 cammed ZE

mx3autozam · Post by **mx3autozam** » December 6th, 2006, 2:34 pm

a curved neck ze will ahve kl31 on the heads and kl47 on the manifold and kl68 on the throtle body and should ahve kl01 cams

Kenzie · Post by **Kenzie** » December 6th, 2006, 6:31 pm

Haha...thanks guys! I figured it was a DE but when we recently spoke to the kid we bought it from he couldn't remember.
It does have Thermal Spacers, Pacesetter headers, and 3" exhaust. (See sig)
This car isn't going to be a track car or anything...just another daily driver. I was just hoping it was a ZE so I could put it in my '94 GS! Oh well, I guess I'll go with the Supercharger set up after all!

Thanks again!
Kenzie