For all those worried About going BOOM!

IMO its really all about how you treat/drive the car that depends how long it will last you.
 
IMO its really all about how you treat/drive the car that depends how long it will last you.

Agreed... my dad had an 83 FORD F150 that lasted him until 2003. The only reason he got rid of it was because of the rust around the front windshield that allowed water to get in the truck. If it wasn't for that, I'm sure he'd still have it because it ran great.
 
yep, anything will last a long time if its build properly and driven with care
 
Yeah, I agree, it's just all these guys are freaking out
about how long thier motors will last. It's mostly because these guys probably
drive them hard when cold, don't maintain them,
and mod them like crazy. It's nice to see one of these cars with close
to 100k on it
 
Yeah, I agree, it's just all these guys are freaking out
about how long thier motors will last. It's mostly because these guys probably
drive them hard when cold, don't maintain them,
and mod them like crazy. It's nice to see one of these cars with close
to 100k on it

I blew my engine. It always received a good warm up before MOVING, received regular maintenance from MAZDA and had an intake/TBE/BPV/Cobb AP.

I think the most common factor among the blown engines is the Cobb AP or similar off the shelf engine map. I have been running my car with the same mods minus the Cobb AP since I got it back and it has been bullet proof.

I think bolt ons are fine. If you want to make more power/consistent power or add any serious mods, you should find someone who can make a custom tune. Avoid OTS maps at all costs.

I believe that many of the "stock setups" that have blown were either negligence on the owners part (ie: lack of maintenance, etc) or they aren't telling the whole truth. Prove me wrong if you disagree.

In short, I blame most of the blown engines on the after market world, and peoples lack of understanding about how the car reacts to playing around with it. I was one of these people.

Bring on the flaming :)
 
I blew my engine. It always received a good warm up before MOVING, received regular maintenance from MAZDA and had an intake/TBE/BPV/Cobb AP.

I think the most common factor among the blown engines is the Cobb AP or similar off the shelf engine map. I have been running my car with the same mods minus the Cobb AP since I got it back and it has been bullet proof.

I think bolt ons are fine. If you want to make more power/consistent power or add any serious mods, you should find someone who can make a custom tune. Avoid OTS maps at all costs.

I believe that many of the "stock setups" that have blown were either negligence on the owners part (ie: lack of maintenance, etc) or they aren't telling the whole truth. Prove me wrong if you disagree.

In short, I blame most of the blown engines on the after market world, and peoples lack of understanding about how the car reacts to playing around with it. I was one of these people.

Bring on the flaming :)
I agree with you. Most people on this forum do take care of their cars, but I think that the most common recipe for a blown engine is an upgraded ECU. These cars were designed to run 15.6 PSI of boost. Messing with boost pressure is a recipe for disaster. When I talk of car care, I mean, for example, that I have seen a vid on youtube where the coolant temp. isnt even at the C, and the guy is WOT up to 5.5k, thats no good for a car, not to mention a turbo car. Here's the link, look at the temp. gauge when he turns in the beginning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBDjC9QDTw&feature=related
 
I agree with you. Most people on this forum do take care of their cars, but I think that the most common recipe for a blown engine is an upgraded ECU. These cars were designed to run 15.6 PSI of boost. Messing with boost pressure is a recipe for disaster. When I talk of car care, I mean, for example, that I have seen a vid on youtube where the coolant temp. isnt even at the C, and the guy is WOT up to 5.5k, thats no good for a car, not to mention a turbo car. Here's the link, look at the temp. gauge when he turns in the beginning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBDjC9QDTw&feature=related

And then when he blows it, he'll post a thread asking "any one know what happened?, can you point me to the right How-To section?"
 
I agree the tuning is a common denominator of many blown engines. Mainly the AP and its off the shelf maps. I have my AP still uninstalled because I won't use it without a custom tune.


As for the guy in the video above my post . . . he got rid of his car due to speeding tickets :). Figures. I feel bad to the person who picked up that ticking time bomb..
 
I have 68k on my car and am fully bolted minus the manifold. I also have been running the Cobb AP with OTS maps. I have had no problems out of my car at all. I think the problem with the aftermarket ECU tunning solutions and popped motors is due to people being outside the required mod window for specific maps. I mean I have not see a cobb map ( OTS) that calls for a test pipe, exhaust manifold of even an aftermarket BPV for that matter. Stay within the windows, dont skinp on the required parts and maintain it properly and you should be fine with this car. Thats all just my opinion tho as I think people freak out to much about the blown motor issue. ALL TYPES OF CARS HAVE BLOWN MOTORS we are not the lone rangers.


<-- putting on my fire suit!
 
One of the other things is the fact that most people that start these threads are new users. This means that they start the thread after the engine blows to look for advice. That is why it seems there is such an alarming number of people on this forum that have this issue
 
I have 68k on my car and am fully bolted minus the manifold. I also have been running the Cobb AP with OTS maps. I have had no problems out of my car at all. I think the problem with the aftermarket ECU tunning solutions and popped motors is due to people being outside the required mod window for specific maps. I mean I have not see a cobb map ( OTS) that calls for a test pipe, exhaust manifold of even an aftermarket BPV for that matter. Stay within the windows, dont skinp on the required parts and maintain it properly and you should be fine with this car. Thats all just my opinion tho as I think people freak out to much about the blown motor issue. ALL TYPES OF CARS HAVE BLOWN MOTORS we are not the lone rangers.


<-- putting on my fire suit!

I like your fire suit. ;)

fyr.jpg
 
I agree with you. Most people on this forum do take care of their cars, but I think that the most common recipe for a blown engine is an upgraded ECU. These cars were designed to run 15.6 PSI of boost. Messing with boost pressure is a recipe for disaster. When I talk of car care, I mean, for example, that I have seen a vid on youtube where the coolant temp. isnt even at the C, and the guy is WOT up to 5.5k, thats no good for a car, not to mention a turbo car. Here's the link, look at the temp. gauge when he turns in the beginning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBDjC9QDTw&feature=related

That dude whoever it is, is just a plain straight out idiot!! Car not even warmed... camera in one hand.... shifting and steering with the other hand... flying though a neighborhood!!! You can just tell the car is being worked hard just by listening to the RPMs!! But he prolly thought he was so cool after making this video lol.
 
I blew my engine. It always received a good warm up before MOVING, received regular maintenance from MAZDA and had an intake/TBE/BPV/Cobb AP.

I think the most common factor among the blown engines is the Cobb AP or similar off the shelf engine map. I have been running my car with the same mods minus the Cobb AP since I got it back and it has been bullet proof.

I think bolt ons are fine. If you want to make more power/consistent power or add any serious mods, you should find someone who can make a custom tune. Avoid OTS maps at all costs.

I believe that many of the "stock setups" that have blown were either negligence on the owners part (ie: lack of maintenance, etc) or they aren't telling the whole truth. Prove me wrong if you disagree.

In short, I blame most of the blown engines on the after market world, and peoples lack of understanding about how the car reacts to playing around with it. I was one of these people.

Bring on the flaming :)

How did your engine blow? WOT, Partial throttle, Loaded at low RPM, Idling at a intersection, Sitting in the drive turned off? Be honest, it is important to the rest of us.
 
I'd agree that it is the OTS maps that cause some of the blowing up... that and just dumb tuning (tuning for too much boost, not knowing what you're doing, ect). Some people just run Cobb OTS maps with parts that the maps don't call for (catless DP, aftermarket BOV, upgraded TMICs, and other non-cobb parts). The Cobb maps are not set for these parameters and therefore it makes an unstable and unsafe tune. Some people have had luck with these maps and non-Cobb (or "non OTS map") parts, but I believe their cars are ticking timebombs...
This combined with driving situations that put excess load on the motor can be hazardous. That is what I believe blows a good amount of motors. But... there are many, many other factors to consider and that is just a slice of the proverbial pie.
 

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