msp died! help!

[Maz-de]

So my 03.5 msp just hit 100,000 miles on Friday. And on Sunday I afternoon I noticed like a tapping sound consistent with engine speed. It sounded like it may have been in the area of the turbo but I saw no exhaust manifold cracks. When I was on my way home the noise was consistent and the higher the rpm the more loud it got and more like a grind/ tap. Then my car would not idle at all once the clutch was pushed all the way in. Then I came to a stoplight and I was trying too rev it to be able to get in 1st.. But when I revved to about 5k white smoke poured out exhaust only not any in engine bay and will not restart. Any ideas? No cel btw and temp never went up past normal.

 

[tweety2300]

Sounds like a headgasket

 

[mazdaspeedp]

did you check the oil? have you ever done the timing belt and waterpump?

 

[Maz-de]

Had plenty oil and it looked good but never had those replaced

 

[jdwk]

Why did you need to rev it to 5k rpms to get it in first? When you are stopped, the transmission and engine will meet at 0 rpms. Anything higher will require the clutch to slip.

The white smoke is a bad sign though. Tweety is probably right, sounds like you blew the head gasket and you have a combustion leak which makes the tapping of the valves audible and dumps coolant into the chambers creating the white smoke you now see.

This is easy to verify with a compression check. Most shops will charge about $80 for a compression check, but remember everything in this world is negotiable so call around. If they think they are going to get a head gasket job out of it, they may even check it for free. Or you can go to Harbor Freight and buy a compression kit for about the same price and check it yourself. The white smoke is a tell-tale sign though, so don't get your hopes up.

It's not a hard job to do yourself though. These four bangers do have their advantage in simplicity and accessibility so don't rule out doing it yourself.

 

[Maz-de]

engine dead

My mechanic has said that my engine is toast, so I was wondering how hard it it is to do an engine swap or rebuild. Any suggestions?

 

[gangstagangsta]

My mechanic has said that my engine is toast, so I was wondering how hard it it is to do an engine swap or rebuild. Any suggestions?

I would say it would be difficult if you were to do it yourself. Your mechanic should be able to perform the process without much issue IMO. If he cant then you might want to get a new mechanic.

I am building a motor right now and dropping it in myself, I am no mechanic, so it all comes down to your level of knowledge. This is not my first engine swap rodeo so I feel confident in my abilities. If you have any questions I would be happy to help.

A used motor can be sourced from a salvage yard for $500-$1000 in running condition. It is used so take that in to consideration but if you call mazda for a long block you will be very sore in the wallet.

 

[tweety2300]

What exactly is wrong with the old motor? A lot of mechanics will bs people and say they need a motor when it's just a head gasket or warped head or spun bearing, they then charge you a s*** ton of labor, make money off parts, then take your old motor fix it and sell it for what they paid for the one that went in your car. And yes I have seen this done

 

[Maz-de]

I am not sure what exactly is wrong but I don't want to pay for them to rip it apart. I'm going to get it home and take the head off and see if I can rebuild

 

[Installshield 2]

in general...if its an internal problem with the engine, spend a weekend doing a lot of research...and do it yourself...but, if you just want to source a used engine from a good wrecking yard, that you're sure needs no internal work...you can have a shop just swap the engine...Swapping an engine yourself is not hard by any means, just time consuming, and will require a hoist/crane (can be rented, or bought new for around $150 for our little engines)...and a good list of various 'normal' tools.

having a shop do an engine removal AND overhaul though...85% of the cost is going to labor, and when you're dealing with a few hundred dollars worth of parts...be ready for a bill in the couple thousand plus range. The hardest thing to do it yourself is simply the proper space and the time to do it. if you're really inside the engine, you'll be running various parts back and forth to a machine shop at least a couple times...not having expensive crazy work done, but its all things the normal home mechanic won't have access to.

if you're seriously considering doing this yourself, locate the factory shop manual online (forget the link, its on this site somewhere)...and go buy the Haynes 93-98 626/mx6/probe manual for $10 (they never made one for the BJ chassis proteges, but 95% of the 4 cylinder information is accurate for our cars)...and it gives MUCH better descriptions and tools to use for the home mechanic for removal and overhaul procedures, where as the factory manual will throw a special service tool number at you ever 3rd or 4th line. you'll need both, but its cheap and you'll learn a lot.

 

[Maz-de]

update

I am in the process of trying to get my msp indoors... However I have removed the intake and exhaust manifold and oil pan and I can see my crankshaft. From what I can see piston 3 has broken in half but all other cylinders are fine. I think my problem was a bad waste gate actuator that constantly over boosted my engine. I have yet to take off the head after I remove some coolant lines... Timing belt and cams.. But any suggestions at this point or advice?

 

[ccrunner2011]

I am in the process of trying to get my msp indoors... However I have removed the intake and exhaust manifold and oil pan and I can see my crankshaft. From what I can see piston 3 has broken in half but all other cylinders are fine. I think my problem was a bad waste gate actuator that constantly over boosted my engine. I have yet to take off the head after I remove some coolant lines... Timing belt and cams.. But any suggestions at this point or advice?

Might as well pull it and do a full rebuild. Is the piston broke or the rod broke?

 

[Maz-de]

Piston broke not rod, I was planning on doing forged internals, all gaskets and timing belt at this point. Is that what you were suggesting?

 

[hornsfan10609]

That block is most likely done. You won't know until you take it to a machine shop but it would be a safer bet to find a block that hasn't blown up.