Blown head gasket

[MrSomebody]

Hello everybody! I have a huge problem. It seems that my head gasket has been blown.
I was thinking what would be cheaper- replacing it(considering that there may be a crack in the block),or make straight swap to mx-6 2.5v6?
My car has K8 1.8v6 so the repair costs are very big.
Any ideas?
besides- what do I need,if I want to make this swap happen? I thought about gearbox,mx-6/ford probe ECU(are they different and will I be able to connect it via my stock wires,that are in my mx-3? Or I'll have to put all electronic wires from mx-6/ford probe?
What about driveshaft? Help would be appreciated!

[marcdh]

Swap the engine to a KLDE/ZE 2.5 v6. There are many MANY posts about this, so have a search Use your k8 gearbox if you like and driveshafts, but use a 2.5 clutch. You don't have to swap wiring harness either. Have a look through other peoples worklogs, there's so many about doing exactly this. Good luck and have fun, best thing you do to this car is 2.5 swap

[MrSomebody]

Swap the engine to a KLDE/ZE 2.5 v6. There are many MANY posts about this, so have a search Use your k8 gearbox if you like and driveshafts, but use a 2.5 clutch. You don't have to swap wiring harness either. Have a look through other peoples worklogs, there's so many about doing exactly this. Good luck and have fun, best thing you do to this car is 2.5 swap

I don't know if the 2.5 will be in better conditon. Besides I don't know how to check if that engine is running well. All engines here are already out of cars,so there is no chance to check. Month ago I did complete service maintenace on my engine so it's kinda a pity that it has come to this.

[mikeinaus]

just try and get a low milage one that looks pretty clean. if theres no sludge under the valve cover its probably in decent shape. all you need is the mx6/probe or whatever you get it from motor, ecu and airflow sensor to do the swap.

you can also do a leakdown test to check compression with the motor out http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/11 ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[davmac]

I'm not discouraging the swap. I think you should go for it. Either replacing head gaskets or engine swap is a lot of work but at least with the swap you've got a big upgrade at the end. But:
- a swap is more expensive and more time / labor - do your homework and plan all the parts you'll replace (minimum recommended water pump, timing belt, tb tensioner, clutch kit, resurface k8 flywheel and exhaust)
- you know the devil you have (K8) and its condition - very doubtful that engine block is affected (how badly did it overheat? how much water mixed with oil?) but you should have the heads checked and decked at a machine shop before installing head gaskets.

Last summer I replaced head gaskets, but on an already installed and recently rebuilt klde.

[MrSomebody]

I have a question to all of you.
Does mazda mx-3 1.8v6 head gaskets comes only from metal,or there might be different material used? I bought(at least I though) metal head gaskets,but the technician tries to tell me,that they weren't metal. In the shop the guy looked upon parts cataloge and told- ''Yes,you'r mx-3 have metal head gaskets and only''. Now I have got into a fight with technician who claimes that I didn't bought metal gaskets. Any info would be very useful! Thanks!

[mxmikey]

A lot of used engine stores have equipment to make an engine run outside of the car, just got to a reputable place that offers a warranty as well as run the compression test. If thats good its a good engine.

[MrSomebody]

A lot of used engine stores have equipment to make an engine run outside of the car, just got to a reputable place that offers a warranty as well as run the compression test. If thats good its a good engine.

You may not believe it,but in my country there are no such places/workshops with such equipment.

[davmac]

The head gaskets for the K8 and the KL engines are metal. MLS to be specific (multi layer steel).

MLS head gaskets are excellent at sealing combustion gases but the head and block surface must be very smooth to get a good coolant seal. When I did mine I had the heads checked for cracks and decked (sealing surface machined smooth). I did not remove the block so I did my best to clean it up without scratching (no sandpaper - just dull scraper and fiber pad like scotch bright). I also used a product called Hylomar blue racing formula aerosol. It is made to help seal MLS head gaskets. You simply spray it on the head gasket and let it dry a bit before reassembling the engine. I also purchased and used new head bolts. The head bolts stretch when they are torqued correctly so should be replaced. Lots of people on this forum have successfully used ebay gasket sets. For the head gaskets though I recommend Mazda OEM or a name brand like FelPro. This is not a job you want to do 2x.

[-eunos-]

I blew my head gasket too... (K8 also) getting a KLDE conversion very soon.. she's drivable atm, but not for long at all...

was gonna cost me $2500 AUD for the heads repaired... gonna cost $3500 for a new motor (with installation) and my choice of clutch... so it'll be worth it... (hopefully)

[Ryan]

Holy s---... I've built two cars for $3500.

Another test for a pulled motor is to remove a cam cap and run your fingernail across the bearing surface. If it has any ridges in it, it indicates s--- that has gotten into the oil, or lack of regular oil changes. That combined with the sludge build up and general oily condition of the exterior, you be the judge. Plugs can tell you a lot about how it was running, too.

to the guy who says our headbolts stretch, they don't. You can re-use OEM bolts as long as they're in spec (found in manuals) but I have NEVER found a bolt out of spec.

Just get a plane jane MLS head gasket. No need for anything fancy on stock application. Copper seems to be all the rage right now if you want to feel 'aftermarket'.

[davmac]

to the guy who says our headbolts stretch, they don't. You can re-use OEM bolts as long as they're in spec (found in manuals) but I have NEVER found a bolt out of spec.

Yes mazda says you can reuse if they are within a certain specified length. Our head bolts are TTY = torque to yield. These bolts definitely stretch slightly when you install them. It is the way they are designed and it is built into the tightening sequence. If these bolts are coming out of a high mileage engine I would not reuse them, but that is up to the mechanic. I guarantee no shop will reuse TTY bolts. A streched bolt may not hold up to the same load as before and you could be left with a leaking head gasket or (unlikely but possible) a broken bolt.

These folks are getting work done at a shop so they won't be choosing just paying.

Kudos to you, Ryan for building 2 cars for $3500. Obviously you're resourceful and do all your own wrenching. When you installed used head bolts you stretched them a second time and that's probably OK. If you're building a special engine you intend to abuse or use a very long time get some new bolts. They are cheap insurance.

[Ryan]

They are NOT TTY. Not in the conventional sense at least.

Sheesh.

Need I find several references?

http://www.mx-3.com/manuals/showimg.php ... B2-101.gif" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is the manual giving you a spec to measure against, as well as the turn-to-torque procedure.

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article ... angle.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is an excellent article everyone should read.

If the bolts are in spec, just re-use them. People on here, and on PT have been re-using headbolts for a very long time. I haven't even ever heard of a single case of headbolt failure. I can't speak for premature HG failure. Plus you could never accurately blame this exact issue. Improper torque-ing is MUCH more likely.

If you read that article, you'd see that all bolts stretch, and every time you torque them(enough), they stretch some more. Thats the reason for this spec given by Mazda. Once the bolts have stretched beyond that point, THEN they are no longer safe to use. Instead of telling us to "use them 6 times" (which would be stupid, who could ever keep accurate track of that) they give you a measurement that will reflect the number of times it has been torqued, and of course, the root idea, the safe stretch limit of the bolts.


If you have an extra $150 to throw at headbolts, then sure, do that, but I sure don't, and wouldn't.

The spec in the manual is given for a REASON. If Mazda wanted you to replace the bolts, they'd tell you to use NEW ones, and REPLACE, and make it all bold and obvious like they do for all parts they do want you to replace...

If you're building a high performance motor thats going to be putting down much more power via higher compression/boost/NO2, then I would suggest ARP head studs, as they are far superior in the fact that they are not twisted on installation, and therefore torquing them does not put on as much stress as friction is much much less. Just open your pockets.

Edit, here's a neat BITOG article. Thats a neat site...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... 932&page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;