I have spent the last month in a state of perpetual transition, which I think has finally come to a close.
This is my car, a 1993 Mazda MX-6 LS 5 speed with over 209,000 miles on the clock.
I was experiencing some fairly serious engine performance issues over the last couple of months (years, actually) and it was apparent that I was going to need to do something about it. The engine would burn oil, making tons of smoke, for a few minutes after each startup, until the rings and seals and everything heated up and swelled back into shape to keep oil out of the combustion chamber. Also, I had been fouling spark plugs with oil, as the valve cover gaskets had let go again (they were only about two years old).
Anyway, I don't know if you have priced used cars lately, but I think the economy going south has resulted in people being afraid to commit to buying a new car, especially an American car... The end result being used car prices going through the roof.
Looking around, the best I could do with my new car budget, about $3500, was a mid 90s model import with over 200,000 miles. You see the problem, here?
So, I did some research and found that I could make serious improvements to my car for that kind of money.
Below is a list of parts and the price I paid for them:
Brand new, zero mile engine: $1,675.00
The engine is from a 1997 Ford Probe, which is basically the same. Only a few changes needed to be made to make it work. Step one was changing the front valve cover and getting rid of the big ol' Ford logo on the front of the engine. From factory, this engine is only supposed to make 164 HP, so additional upgrades were necessary to try to squeeze a little more out of it.
Stainless steel headers: $115.00
Also called the exhaust manifold, stainless steel doesn't rust, but it does become an interesting bluish purple color once it has been heated up a couple of times by exhaust gases. These basically allow better, less restricted exhaust flow out of the engine, for a little more horsepower.
Exedy clutch kit: $108.00
Since they already were going to have the transmission separated from the engine, a good time to get a new clutch in there. This Exedy OEM clutch is a surprisingly light touch. I feel very little resistance in the clutch pedal now.
Outlaw ThermoBlock spacers: $105.00
These phenolic spacers allow heat to dissipate out of the air passages inside the engine. They are fitted up in between the throttle body and the intake manifold, and where the intake manifold bolts on to the head. This provides more horsepower and torque, as colder air burns better, cleaner, and more efficient than hot air.
Short throw shifter: $22.00
The short shifter does exactly as you would imagine, it shortens the throw of the shifter, moving from one gear to the next. Less motion in each shift means a more efficient shift... if you know how to drive and stuff.
Shifter bushings (front and rear): $45.00
Hand turned on a lathe by a member of the MX6.com community, these bushings tighten up the space around the bolts that hold the shifter on, and on the transmission side, where the shifter arm connects into the transmission. Before these were installed there was 3 or 4 inches of play, left and right, when the shifter was in gear. Very sloppy and makes it a little harder to find the gear you are looking for. After installing these, there is about a half inch of play one direction or the other.
From the start, with a brand new engine, I have decided to run full synthetic oil, Pennzoil Platinum, with a larger oil filter, one from a 90s model Corvette V8. The larger oil filter has added almost a half quart more oil. More oil means cooler oil and a bigger filter means more filtration for cleaner oil longer.
Also, as part of the process, I ended up replacing the passenger side CV axle (twice), the distributor (four times), and the EGR valve (three times). These part failures and a hard to find grounding issue in the electrical system, added an extra couple of weeks to the process. Time spent trying to pinpoint the source(s) of the weird performance issue(s) after getting the car back on the road.
Now, I should clarify, I just took all the stuff to a shop and they put it all in. I finished ordering the parts in mid-February, then it was waiting around for the parts to get here to drop it all off at the shop. On March 25, I picked it up from the shop for the last time.
The labor total, once it was all said and done, was $1033.00. The parts, all in, including some that I didn't need which I'm still dragging around with me, totaled $2260.00. So, for a total of $3,293 (under budget!) I realized my goal of greatly improving my car owning and driving experience.
Just think, I have saved over $4 in oil just in the month of March!
I will get some pictures up of the completed product when I am not so lazy and it is not so gray and rainy outside.