2005 Mazda6 Sport wagon build

[Coredawg]

Hello all. I am usually over in the Protege5 build forum (Laser Blue Protege5 Build), but I am embarking on a new project, in addition to keeping my P5 going. I've had Mazdas for many years and finally got ahold of one I have been seeking. It's rough, but also didn't cost a great deal. It's running and with a tune up and some wear and tear replacement, it will be on the road in Southern Arizona. The paint, interior, suspension and wheels will come after it is running well again.

 

[njaremka]

Subbb

 

[Coredawg]

Started some assessment and testing what needs attention first. #1, the AC compressor pulley bearing is making a lot of noise and that prevents hearing much else going on with the engine. So it is going to be the first repair. I don't intend to pull the compressor, but am trying to make as much room as possible to get to the pulley. I also took a stab at the headlights and it seems they will clean up and polish well.

 

[Coredawg]

Worked the first repair on the Swagon. A/C compressor had a bad pulley bearing. Got a kit with new coil, pulley with bearing and new clutch. A few hours of wrenching and everything was back in place and working well without a groaning pulley. Now I can hear all the other sounds the engine is making. Noticed the deteriorated torque mount underneath and believe the passenger side engine mount may be shot as well, based on sounds and shaking. New mounts all the way around is on the books now. Spark plugs and coils are also on the way. Looks like I have some oil leakage, but not sure on the exact source yet, so that will take investigation.

 

[misnblu]

What mounts are you getting to replace the worn out units?
AWR makes some nice mounts.

 

[Coredawg]

@misnblu Well, for now, I have to just go with a stock dogbone underneath since I can visually see it's shot. I think the engine shake i have though is from a cylinder that's missing, so coils and spark plugs are also going in. Because that involves taking the intake plenum off, I am going to take the valve covers off and check the cam journals for any loosening bolts, since that is of concern with the 3.0 V6. Then, when I put that all back in and the engine is running silky smooth again, I will put a factory dogbone in place. There are not a lot of big performance enhancement parts for this platform that I have found so far, so keeping a solid running stock drive train might be where I land. That is why a $155 dogbone may not be in its future.

 

[Coredawg]

Finished another round of work on the wagon. Pulled intake, coils, plugs and valve covers to check the cam cap bolts and then new gaskets, plugs, and coils on the way out. And the valve covers got cleaned and painted. Definitely runs better. I have a new torque mount on the way to replace the badly worn one.

 

[Coredawg]

New dogbone in, this is what the old one looked like. Also started messing with the headlights. The lenses can be saved, but when I looked to change the bulbs, I saw the wiring inside the assemblies was total crap. Destroyed by years of heat, the insulation is cracked and coming off many of the wires all the way back to the single plug. Got the harness out and thought of rebuilding, until I found them online. $25 is much better than hours of frustration trying to rebuild tiny wires and connectors

 

[misnblu]

Yeah those wires are toast.
Literally.
A little bit of duct tape and they'd have been fine.

That dog bone looked pretty bad.

 

[Coredawg]

Working the oil pan gasket on the 6 today to stop the leaking. Got both in the garage.

 

[Coredawg]

Well, the oil pan gasket job didn't go as planned. I had watched a video that showed it to be very accessible and easy to remove. However, the gentlemen already had the front exhaust manifold/second cat removed. It runs under, and very tight, to the front of the oil pan. It is a lot of work to get out, more than my sore body wanted to do for the day. I cleaned what I could underneath, drained the oil, found the oil filter loose (hopefully the cause of most of the leaking) put a new one on, and filled it up again. Engine is running smooth (my son and I did a Seafoam treatment last weekend) and it seems to drive fairly well, despite still needing more attention to a variety of systems. Here are some pix of underneath, including the new dogbone I put in a few weeks ago.

 

[Coredawg]

This is a peculiar situation in the spare tire well. I have to assume the car was stuck at some point in its life and someone thought to attach a tow chain hook in one of the drain holes in the spare tire well. I don't believe it went well. I am contemplating how to fix this. Anyone with ideas?