MX-3.com

Today, I went to the candy store (some people know it as the "junkyard"), and I found a '94 MX3 with what looked like a BP engine (I couldn't see the "BP" in the block, but it was definitely too big to be a B6), but what caught my attention was the fact that it had a plastic valve cover.

Did the BP ever come with a plastic valve cover?

There is a stamping on the head near the disty on the BP, pretty easy to see. I think there was only 2 style valve covers made for them, the 1st gen ribbed style and the 2nd gen smooth style. It's possible someone could have made a custom one, but unlikely with hot metal turning so fast below it, I know I wouldnt trust one. Maybe a 2.0L swap, it would be hard work but not impossible, but it's hard to tell without pics.

Yeah, I know. I'll take a pic if I go back next Monday (and if the engine is still there...). There was a cast number on the head, IIRC, it said "5575" or something like it.
About the valve cover, it looked stock, with "Mazda" and "16 Valve" inscriptions as usual.
Maybe you're right, and it's a 2 L swap.

Thanks for the reply.

Ok, update.

Two things have changed since the other day: first, I went back and took some pictures, second, I realized I'm officially an idiot.

Here's the pics:



And here's the casting on the head:



Now, I still don't know if it's a BP (it looks huge to me), but what made my understand I have the brain of a peanut is that, when I decided to scrape the head with a screwdriver, I found out it was nothing but a regular aluminum head with a flat black paint job.

Oh, well...

That engine is just a 1.6L B6

ya 94 and up I believe came with the b6de and ran obd2 instead of the obd1 plus the interior looks different and in my opinion the seats aren't as cool

I didn't want to reply before, because I don't like to argue when I don't know what I'm talking about. I wanted to go back to the junkyard to measure the bores, because, honestly, that engine looks huge to me, to be a B6.
I know '94 and up came with the B6-DE. I had one up until last June.
They didn't come with OBD II though, until '96.

But I do agree 92-93 seats are way cooler...

ok it was OBD2 in '96 and up I wasn't sure on that part.

I personally owned a mid 95' OBDII RS. It's been discussed a few times. CARB made the OBDII standard a requirement for the 96' model year but Mazda started producing OBDII cars in early 95' and some of the last 95's were OBDII.

I had one. it was a pain in the butt.

Oh, I didn't know that (obviously...)
Thanks for the info.

It seems like Mazda has a tendency to make changes before they're required. I was surprised when I saw my '94 came from the factory with an R-134a A/C system, which up until then I thought was found only on '95 and later models.

But you said the '95 OBD II was a pain. Why? Too many bugs?

It was going to make my BP swap much harder. The car wound up getting written off by a lady in an F350 so I never got to try.

Ouch! Sorry 'bout that...

s'ok. I did well in the insurance settlement and wound up with a pretty spanky SE.

Ok, then let me change my statement to... Congratulations???