High Compression DIY

[chdesign]

This is just a small starter thread I am making to introduce some people on here to what is involved in swapping out your measly 9:1 pistons for the nice 10.7:1 mazdaspeed pistons. I have attached a pic showing all the parts needed with the exception of new rings not shown in this picture. Here are your part #
Rod bearing set - FSY2-11-SE0 $76.60
Oil Sump O Ring - 9954-10-2204 $3.20
Oil Sump Gasket - FS01-14-248 $1.50
Mazdaspeed HC piston Set - 99P-6-509 (Corksport P#) $136
Head Gasket - FS39-10-271 (2.0L) FP39-10-271 (1.8L) $80
Ring Set- BA 0138270 (NAPA P#) $134
RTV copper Sealant - about $5 available at any parts store.

The ring set is listed for a 97 626 2.0L but the motor is the FS motor which has the same ring set as the 2.0 protege actually the same motor just with a disty. This is just the beginning I will do follow ups with install pics comparison pics and instructions to do your own piston swap.

 

[chdesign]

Oh yes almost forgot.
Flex-Hone honing tool 3 1/4" (83mm) 240 Grit 13 1/2" length by Brush Reasearch - 44240 A228 (Mcmaster-Carr P#) $33.53
Honing Oil - around $5 avaiable at any parts store
Motor Oil- 4 quarts price varies
Oil Filter - " " " qty:1
Anti-freeze - Price varies

 

[big_ben]

Rod bearing set - FSY2-11-SE0 $76.60

My dealer sucks major ass! They quoted me $90+ or the rod bearings. Can I get you to order them through your dealer and then ship them to me? I'll cal around here first though. That really pisses me off!

 

[chdesign]

That probably wouldn't be a problem man I actually get them for 68.94 I get a 10% discount cause I buy so many freakin parts there. shipping should only be about OHHH i'm guessing 3 bucks priority mail so what like 75 bucks I guess. Takes about 2 days for them to get to the mazda dealer here then 3 days from me to you prority mail.

 

[njaremka]

why new rod bearings?

 

[big_ben]

When my oil return line got knocked loose by road debris all the oil drained out on the way to work one morning. Thus all the bearings in my motor overheated and were ruined.

 

[njaremka]

if i'm going to upgrade my pistons, why would i need new rod bearings? and i thought the piston set came with new rings?

 

[chdesign]

its always a good idea when putting in pistons to go ahead and replace the rod bearings for peace of mind. if you dont' mark them accurately you can cause all sorts of new problems by installing them in a different spot. If you have a low milage engine then you could probably reuse them if you marked them accurately and made sure you put them back where they cam from but since you have the motor apart anyways why not just go ahead and put new ones in it won't hurt anything.

 

[big_ben]

Because if you have more than 10,000 miles why not do it while you are in there. They are cheap enough to just say why not.

 

[chdesign]

The piston set does not include new rings. They do include new wrist pins but that is all. The cheapest route to go as far as rings are the Beck Arnley ones i listed above. The OEM ring set runs anywhere from $170 to $200 depending on your dealer. But the BA set is OEM quality if not better Perfect Circle also makes a ring set that is 114 that uses a Chrome Ductile top ring the same type that JE uses in their Nitrous applications I believe.

 

[njaremka]

is the wrist pin an interference fit, or slip fit?

 

[chdesign]

it is a floating wrist pin or slip type as you call it. I will explain all this in threads to come in the how to section once I get my notes in order and my pictures in order as well. In the meantime ask all the questions you want i will try to answer them the best I can.

 

[njaremka]

yeah, it all makes sense. i have rebuilt engines before, just not modern ones. i wouldn't be afraid to replce the pistons in my engine, to me it doesn't sound like a daunting task, just time consuming. keep up the good work, and stop posting on this forum untill you get that how-to done!

 

[big_ben]

i have rebuilt engines before, just not modern ones.

Same here. Old V8's are so much easier to work on. And much easier to diagnose when something is wrong.

 

[chdesign]

The how to isn't that bad the worst part to our motors is that on most motors you can just remove teh oil pan and get rod access but with ours you have to remove the Oil pan 1st then remove the block girdle to gain access to all the Rod bolts. The pistons install can be done with the motor still in the car so engine removal isn't nessicary.

 

[Tonpow]

Is the current HP figure you have(135whp) with or w/out the high comp pistons installed?

 

[Equinox]

hmm, I'm wondering how much all this woudl cost if I had a reputable group do it. Maybe if I get all the parts and just have them do labor. Btw, with these pistons what is the best octane to run, 89, 91, or 93? I can get 93 easy, just wonderin'

 

[chdesign]

The 135 is with teh HC pistons but that was taken without my header installed also so that number shoudl have jumped into teh 140s easily. That is also with a stock ECU that has horrible fuel maps and timing maps for high performance sit. which is true in every Protege. When you look at the BEGI on teh 1.8L at 5 psi they made 120whp with my pistons cams, intake, exhaust, cam gear I made 135 whp and I came out cheaper. To get a shop to install these pistons you are talking some major cash cause by their books you have to remove the longblock and dissasemble it so you are talking upwards of 800 bucks install there I did it myself in about 2 days working on it on and off for about 4 hours at a time.

 

[chdesign]

The 135 is with teh HC pistons but that was taken without my header installed also so that number shoudl have jumped into teh 140s easily. That is also with a stock ECU that has horrible fuel maps and timing maps for high performance sit. which is true in every Protege. When you look at the BEGI on teh 1.8L at 5 psi they made 120whp with my pistons cams, intake, exhaust, cam gear I made 135 whp and I came out cheaper. To get a shop to install these pistons you are talking some major cash cause by their books you have to remove the longblock and dissasemble it so you are talking upwards of 800 bucks install there I did it myself in about 2 days working on it on and off for about 4 hours at a time.

 

[Tonpow]

How does it feel in the 2500-4500 range? Or are the biggest gains higher up?

Do you think the job could be done in a day with a helper?