PleaseHelp, Mazda Gs 5sp ZE swap!

[eyesandfruitloops]

I would like to swap my 1.8 with a KL-ZE 2.5. I have found a few on ebay for a range of $650 to $800 imported', are these just as good as the ones at middlemen such as: Corksport.com ($1500); Jspecautosports.com (1235$ w/man. trans. another1650$) and another at Nippon-motors.com ($850 w/man. trans 3 section housing for another 750$) Or would it be better paying more for one from corksport or nippon thinking it would be better condition somehow? (-all- have some warrenty)
Any suggestions?
Also, What else would be good to get besides a 626/mx6 trans.?
I want my mx3 to give me a GOOD punch, (better then what it gives now anyway) I dont go out to race people or compete by any means.
I have no Idea what else I will need to make this swap happen . any advice would be greatly apreciated!
I have read the forms here and at mx-3.com. From what I gather I will need a new Clutch, KL-ZE 2.5 import engine, ECU?, VAF? (Vaneairflowsensor), is this true? And what have I missed, must be alot..?
I would like to do this as soon a posible.
Thanks for any guidence!
My pops said something about a new pressure plate, is this true?
_Brandon

[mx3man]

Yup, you got it. Its really a basic and cheap (in comparison to Honda swaps) swap to do. I did 2 of them myself and I have no mechanic experience whatsoever. I hadn't ever even changed my own oil before at that point.

If you want a peppy car... get a KLZE and you'll love it. I've pulled on all sorts of cars, but the best are the modded hondas with b16a's, b18c's and even h22a's. I even pulled away from a WRX last month, it was awesome.

Now needless to say I did a lot of reserch and asked a lot of questions on mx-3.com, but still it was literally take the motor out, swap over the transmission and put the new one in.

I would suggest filling your motor mounts with urethane. There are many kinds of urethane. very easy to do yourself.

buy some urethane, babybluemx3 and I bought ours from http://www.mcmaster.com/ part number 8644K28

Here's some pics Steve snapped while doing his:

Heres what your setup should look like, with the stuff you get from McMaster.


For the people that dont know what a mount looks like, here they are: These are the front and rear(tranny) mounts.


Make sure to properly clean your mounts inside and out. Rinse them with water and let sit until dry. You can also sand the mount if you want because they are bound to be covered in rust like ours were.


Now, because you're filling the mount from one side, you must block off the other side of the mount to stop any leakage and ensure that the urethane stays in your mount. Here's what Steve did with wasnt a bad idea , however other methods work as well (I used duct tape).



Now follow the instructions (which are not hard, basically empty container A into container B and mix) and mix the urethane. You must act quickly becuase the hardener acts very fast and the mix becomes thick and hard to work with. Dont worry the mixture will become very warm, its normal because the chemicals are reacting.



After you put as much as you can into the cracks, let it sit so that the urethane fills all the crevaces throughout the mount. Add more urethane as necessary. I used the mixing stick to 'push' the urethane into the crack to make sure the whole mount was filled.


Once you're finished wait at least 2 days before re-installing the mounts for the Urethane to properly cure.

--

You're also going to need a higher performance clutch to hold all the new hp and torque from the KLZE, so I suggest checking out someplace like http://www.psituning.ca (located in Ottawa, Canada) for this. There are a few options and the main ones are: Centerforce, ACT, Bully, Xeddy and Clutchmasters.

All of them are good, but if you want to keep the clutch to a stock feel, I would suggest the Centerforce Dual-Friction. The pedal is still relatively soft but it holds the power well. If you're going to the track every other weekend and dont mind a stiffer pedal, go for the ACT clutches.

Onto the flywheel, you can keep your stock 17lb MX3 flywheel, but you will need it to be resurfaced so it doesnt chew up your new 500$ clutch. There are also lightweight flywheels out there by Cutchmasters, Fidanza, and a few others. I had a 9lb Fidanza and loveded it. It cost me $320US

You'll also need an ECU, just so happens that I am selling mine on eBay right now: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...e=STRK:MESE:IT

There are a few options for the ECU as well. The two 'klze' ecu's are the KL31 and the KL36. If you're going with an auto tranny you have to go KL36, if it is manual either one will do.

You can also get your ECU re-mapped with the KL31 specs into your stock K8 (1.8L V6) ECU. This has historically been not that good, and the people I know who did this ended up buying a real ZE ecu. You CAN keep your K8 ecu but you will need to swap over your stock K8 intake manifold onto the ZE. I say you can because it works but you run terribly rich (too much gas in the mixture)

You dont need to change your VAF sensor, as the stock K8 one (code: JE50) will work fine with a KLZE and a KL31 or 36.

The stock engine harness is also fine.

WD40 and a prybar are a must. other than that, thats all I can think of right now.

[eyesandfruitloops]

Thanks,
Helps ALOT.
And what do you mean swap over the transmission with the new one?
what Transmission do I need (626,mx6,mx3..) I find import kl-ze engines without transmissions but the people cant tell me what car they are out of so how do I match them up?
I was thinking about purchasing this ZE which has the curved intake manifold:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1
What do you think? Is it the right one?
If not, I could get this one and put a milleinia intake manifold onto it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1
Or pay around 1000$ from places like http://members.tripod.com/~Asian_E/index-5.html
And put the mill. manifold onto it.
thanks for any help and trans and engine question help!
_Brandon

[eyesandfruitloops]

Also, Do I get the mx6 flywheel and clutch to fit the klze engine when its swapped into my mx3 or do I get the mx3 clutch and flywheel?
Thanks_
Brandon

[mx3man]

Keep in mind that the mx3, mx6, 626 and Probe GT trannies are all the same. The only difference is the mx3 and Probe GT trannies have 4.388 final drive ratio while the 626 and mx6 trannies have 4.11 final drive. This means that the mx6 and 626 run about 400rpm lower in 5th gear. Strength/durabilitywise... they're the same.

The mx6 and probe flywheels weigh 21lbs while the mx3 one weighs 17lbs. Obviously you want tpo go with the lighter flywheel so the stock mx3 one is the best choice. It just needs to be resurfaced before re-installing. A machine shop will do that for 40-50$.

The millennia manifold IS the curved neck one. You need to use the curveneck manifold to have it fit bolt on. The longneck (in the other link you posted) will require some fitting with the Master cylinder and the battery will need to be re-located.

[eyesandfruitloops]

OK great,
-New to this except for changin oil part-}
So, where would you recammend lookin for a mx6 tranny and whats a good price (junkyard, ebay, net shops..?)? Also, I change tranny, then change flywheel to the lighter fidanza (which one? mx3 or mx6) or resurface old, change crutch to which? (mx3 or mx6) I would guess that it doesnt matter on any expect the higher final drive of tranny..
This isnt brain surgery, I think
_This is probaly my last question.
_Thank you for the guidence
Brandon

[mx3man]

I bought mine off of a reputable person from a club in my area... It is really hard to tell the difference between the MX3 and MX6 trannies visually. And it is certainly impossible to know if they're any good.

I paid 200$ CDN for mine but be ready to pay upto about $300 CDN... I would say watch the mx6/626 message boards for someone parting out their car in your area. Lowball them and see if you can score a cheap tranny in decent shape.

For the clutch, go for the MX6 one... I *THINK* they're a couple milimeters bigger and fit fine.

I bought a Fidanza for an MX6, but one for an MX3 is virtually the same.

It really isnt brain surgury at all... Like I said the KLZE is virtually the same motor as the K8. One of the easiest swaps ever.