Maxx Mazda
Contributor
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- Stock P5
It's in the instructions for the motor mount (AWR's anyways) that you knock off that lower stud for better access. Any pics of your hone job?
Massive smoking issue & crappy idle - after major "improvement" 2003 Mazda Protege :(
- Thread starter LostinCanada
- Start date
LostinCanada
Member
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- 2003 Mazda Protege5
I bought Mazda parts and I doubt they condone butchering their hardware - lest they admit their mistake. No pictures better than what I posted... besides, any constructive criticism is a moot point at this juncture because the rings are getting seated with the surface they were given! I took the advice I read here, what I heard from the machinist and the lessons I learned from the most credible videos I could find on Youtube and then applied them the best that I knew how. So hopefully it will be good enough.
Boy I'm getting tired of doing the timing over and over and over and over and over.... again! (rant) I don't want to see that damn timing belt for another 80,000 km or so.
Boy I'm getting tired of doing the timing over and over and over and over and over.... again! (rant) I don't want to see that damn timing belt for another 80,000 km or so.
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Looks awesome! May i ask what the machining cost you in the end? I might still rebuild my old engine and sell it on. or swap it back in if this engine goes bad.
So far shes running strong, had the brake vacuum hose installed incorrectly to start with, so it was a scary first drive with no power brakes.
So far shes running strong, had the brake vacuum hose installed incorrectly to start with, so it was a scary first drive with no power brakes.
LostinCanada
Member
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- 2003 Mazda Protege5
The machining was only a couple hundred - I didn't get a complete rebuild on the head (ie valve grind etc.). I'd have to add up all the parts but I should come in at a few hundred less than your used engine, although not sure if you bought parts as well. And of course I haven't run mine yet!
Interesting comment about the brake booster - there seems to be a check valve inside because I was able to blow air one way but not the other when I removed the hose. I carefully marked both ends - one is more of a 90 degree bend, the other more of a 45. Stupidly I removed both labels before installing because I was thinking it was "obvious" and then promptly got distracted away from the install. Never do that! Pretty sure the nearly 90 degree end goes to the brake booster, but installed it looks different somehow. Don't suppose you could post a picture of your booster/hose?
Have to get myself over to Mazda today (by bus.... UGGGGHHH) and get another valve cover gasket. Mine was new a month ago but is already disintegrating from repeated removal/install and the hot oil (likely due to continuous loss). Thought about enhancing it with silicone temporarily but decided against it.
Other than that I'm down to tightening belts, adding oil and coolant, torquing the passenger wheel lugs and then the valve cover and all adornments. Once that's complete, I'll do a brief run on jacks to check for leaks and then (hopefully!) go break in my new rings. The machinist mentioned not to idle it for very long lest I ruin the seating process.
Interesting comment about the brake booster - there seems to be a check valve inside because I was able to blow air one way but not the other when I removed the hose. I carefully marked both ends - one is more of a 90 degree bend, the other more of a 45. Stupidly I removed both labels before installing because I was thinking it was "obvious" and then promptly got distracted away from the install. Never do that! Pretty sure the nearly 90 degree end goes to the brake booster, but installed it looks different somehow. Don't suppose you could post a picture of your booster/hose?
Have to get myself over to Mazda today (by bus.... UGGGGHHH) and get another valve cover gasket. Mine was new a month ago but is already disintegrating from repeated removal/install and the hot oil (likely due to continuous loss). Thought about enhancing it with silicone temporarily but decided against it.
Other than that I'm down to tightening belts, adding oil and coolant, torquing the passenger wheel lugs and then the valve cover and all adornments. Once that's complete, I'll do a brief run on jacks to check for leaks and then (hopefully!) go break in my new rings. The machinist mentioned not to idle it for very long lest I ruin the seating process.
LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
Well, glad you mentioned about the brake booster Bentaylor... it was already bugging me... so I undid both ends and re-examined them - I think the angle of the ends are actually pretty similar - it's the downstream bends that are different. I turned mine around and once installed that way it looked right. Of course I tested it in the driveway to be sure!
Anyway aside from a few strange noises that went away and a delay for fuel on the first start, the engine started/ran and didn't seem to have any leaks. I only ran it very briefly on the stands so I could check underneath and then away I went and seated those rings... that was FUN!
Thankfully I didn't get arrested - hard to find clear stretches of road for acceleration/loading on a weekend around here... so I made some.... 
Anyway probably put on 100 km this afternoon/evening and so far the engine is running smoothly at idle and under power - no codes. I'll know more tomorrow when I put it up on jacks and check fluid levels, then run it again. Fingers crossed no more smoke!
Anyway aside from a few strange noises that went away and a delay for fuel on the first start, the engine started/ran and didn't seem to have any leaks. I only ran it very briefly on the stands so I could check underneath and then away I went and seated those rings... that was FUN!
Thankfully I didn't get arrested - hard to find clear stretches of road for acceleration/loading on a weekend around here... so I made some.... Anyway probably put on 100 km this afternoon/evening and so far the engine is running smoothly at idle and under power - no codes. I'll know more tomorrow when I put it up on jacks and check fluid levels, then run it again. Fingers crossed no more smoke!
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LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
YAH BABY!!!!! (cheerbanana)
No leaks, no smoke, no more hemorrhaging oil and no codes! Smooth idle, lots of jam! ZOOM ZOOM!!!!!
No leaks, no smoke, no more hemorrhaging oil and no codes! Smooth idle, lots of jam! ZOOM ZOOM!!!!!
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LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
Thanks! So far so good, and in the end the work was worth it - finally got to the bottom of the problem! Did the post ring-seat oil change yesterday and am now running clean oil/filter with no issues. Plus, my fuel economy has improved noticeably! So, I guess if I put less gas, and less oil in the car, over time the savings will offset some of the cost.
LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
Of course I don't mind... this is just related to the on the car ring job and 2 oil changes (pre-post ring seat), plus the gear oil I lost and a new air filter: $750 incl. taxes.
Parts List:
Parts List:
- Head clean/machine (no valve grind or rebuild) - $200
- head gasket (aftermarket);
- head bolts (ajusa);
- intake gasket (aftermarket);
- exhaust gasket (Mazda);
- throttle body gasket x 2 (1 for spare) (Mazda);
- piston rings (NPR);
- valve cover gasket (Mazda);
- cat gasket (Mazda);
- water jacket gasket (Mazda);
- oil pickup gasket (Mazda);
- oil filter x 2 (Mazda)
- air filter (Mazda);
- spark plugs (NGK);
- 2 camshaft seals (Mazda);
- silicone for the upper/lower oil pans;
- 2 jugs Pennzoil 5W30 - dino;
- 2 cans throttle body cleaner;
- 5 cans brakeclean;
- 1 litre Pennzoil 75W90
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- Protege5 2003
It might be useful for others if you were to summarize in one post what the actual problem(s) turned out to be, what steps were needed to fix it, and what it all cost. That is, knowing what you do now, provide information that will help the next person get to a fix as efficiently and inexpensively as possible.
LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
Thank you for your comments. I actually spent a lot of time and energy documenting and photographing the process of sorting out several problems, and including links to additional information as did people who provided input and suggestions. I think it's all useful. I don't anticipate that everyone will be as excited to review the information as I was to share it, however I hope that some or all of what was included here will help at least one person with one or more similar issues.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Did you reuse your old connecting rod bearings?
LostinCanada
Member
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- 2003 Mazda Protege5
Yes, the machinist said they looked fine.
LostinCanada
Member
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- 2003 Mazda Protege5
I just wanted to resurrect this thread to proudly state that I have driven over 15,000 km since doing my quick-and-dirty-ring job and MY CAR DOESN'T USE ANY OIL!!!!! Other than two post-ring replacement oil changes, I have not added a single drop of oil nor has there been any loss whatsoever. To anyone that is experiencing excessive oil consumption - this is THE fix! Car goes like stink and I LOVE it!
jonathan62019
Member
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- 2003 mazda protege5
Mine is the EXACT same everything as your car lol im getting ready to do do a ring job. Glad you figured it out
... and MY CAR DOESN'T USE ANY OIL!!!!! ... I LOVE it!
My car still uses oil !!!
How did you get yours to run with NO oil at all ???
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LostinCanada
Member
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5
@jonathan62019 good luck! You'll have some "fun" with some of the phases but overall it is totally worth the effort. I'll have to check the mileage against the date I did my maintenance but I'm at roughly 30-40,000 km since the job with no oil consumption. I'll check the engine cold tomorrow - when I checked it hot a few days ago it looked like it might have come down a bit finally so I guess it won't last forever. Maybe it's worth doing the ring job every few years to keep the performance up.
@pcb... very funny. (rolleyes)
@pcb... very funny. (rolleyes)
LostinCanada
Member
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- 2003 Mazda Protege5
For Ractive
Hi there,
Twice I tried replying to your pm but for some reason it's not sending and I don't see a copy of it in my sent items. In case you're still wanting to know, you're after 2 x 10mm bolts and you'll need deep socket/extension (I think it was 6" I used) for a 1/4" drive - anything else is too fat and will require greater separation. The guide MrGiggles posted was very helpful, but I posted some corrections to the information based on my project that I suspect will be applicable to you as well. I just did the separation only to the extent required to get at the bolt, and you may need to give a little pry to get the socket out/in. As well, in my case the transaxle popped out of the axle seal, enough to make an odd sucking/pop kind of sound and dump transaxle fluid all over the ground. I was lucky and it pushed itself back into place on the reinstall with no leaks so it must not have come all the way out. You'll want to watch that as I think the seal can tear easily - also check the fluid when you're done.
Good luck and let me know if you have other questions! As it stands it seems I can receive messages but not send them - at least to you so I'll see if there is some way to report that
"I found a topic from you about massive smoke. I too am in the same boat as you where before. Replaced valve seals 2 times because of smoke issues and oil consumption. But the 2nd time I've reconditioned the cylinder head and after 30-50 or so miles I encountered massive smoke. I suspected the rings may have been worn out at 130k miles. Cylinder head is off and now I'm tackling the windage tray that won't come off. I've read that there are 2 bolts hidden that is still bolted to the tray once you separate the transmission is that correct? Do you remember what size bolts they where? How much separation is needed? Just don't want to go too far as in removing the transmission if not needed to. Thanks for your help."
Hi there,
Twice I tried replying to your pm but for some reason it's not sending and I don't see a copy of it in my sent items. In case you're still wanting to know, you're after 2 x 10mm bolts and you'll need deep socket/extension (I think it was 6" I used) for a 1/4" drive - anything else is too fat and will require greater separation. The guide MrGiggles posted was very helpful, but I posted some corrections to the information based on my project that I suspect will be applicable to you as well. I just did the separation only to the extent required to get at the bolt, and you may need to give a little pry to get the socket out/in. As well, in my case the transaxle popped out of the axle seal, enough to make an odd sucking/pop kind of sound and dump transaxle fluid all over the ground. I was lucky and it pushed itself back into place on the reinstall with no leaks so it must not have come all the way out. You'll want to watch that as I think the seal can tear easily - also check the fluid when you're done.
Good luck and let me know if you have other questions! As it stands it seems I can receive messages but not send them - at least to you so I'll see if there is some way to report that
"I found a topic from you about massive smoke. I too am in the same boat as you where before. Replaced valve seals 2 times because of smoke issues and oil consumption. But the 2nd time I've reconditioned the cylinder head and after 30-50 or so miles I encountered massive smoke. I suspected the rings may have been worn out at 130k miles. Cylinder head is off and now I'm tackling the windage tray that won't come off. I've read that there are 2 bolts hidden that is still bolted to the tray once you separate the transmission is that correct? Do you remember what size bolts they where? How much separation is needed? Just don't want to go too far as in removing the transmission if not needed to. Thanks for your help."
