Darkmx-6's Budget E85 build

[darkmx-6]

Hello all,

I just wanted to make a thread for keeping track of what all has and is going to be done to my car.


I just bought my car last month and so far I love it. I picked it up for $3,100 with 172,000 miles on it, driving all the way from Texas to Florida to pick it up. Fun road trip by the way!

When I got it I knew it had codes but didn't care since it was so cheap. (could have been a big mistake!) I checked the codes once I got it home and it had a temp low and EGR low flow.

I changed out the thermostat which was more involved than I ever thought, But thank the Lord that took care of that code right away.

The EGR ,on the other hand, has been a problem and I'm not going to get into it here because I already have another thread about it here if you are interested.

EGR code Not going away, brandnew EGR valve


Stuff I've bought so far.

2017-08-07 - rear motor mount $116.80
2017-08-13 - Turbo Inlet Hose $48.19
2017-08-15 - Black Shift knob $9.79
2017-08-19 - Cold Air intake + filter $37.99
2017-08-21 - "Carbon fiber" short antenna $9.99
2017-08-21 - Greddy type s Flange & blocking Plug $30.00
2017-08-21 - Rockauto EGR valve $166.78
2017-08-23 - Keyless remote FOB $19.49
2017-08-27 - 10pcs Mazda emblem 4 key $3.55
2017-08-27 - domed 6 speed shift decal $8.99
2017-08-27 - Front Mount Intercooler $307.80
2017-08-27 - Keyless Remote FOB $11.99
2017-08-27 - Knock off Hella Horns $11.75
2017-08-27 - Replacement key $1.14
2017-08-27 - Turbo Timer Silver $19.99
2017-09-12 - Star Tron Fuel Treatment $27.90
2017-09-12 Mazdaspeed Forums VIP $25.00
2017-09-13 - Edge Autosport Fuel pump internals $349.96
2017-09-13 - Freaktune Accessport +2 tunes $825.00
2017-09-14 - CorkSport downpipe withCAT $632.75
2017-09-14 - Greddy type RS recirculation adapter $12.99
2017-09-14 - 4x NGK Iridium IX Plug Spark Plugs $27.37

Total Spent? --- $2,705.21

That is the stuff I bought but a lot still needs to be installed. LOL right now I'm such a poser I might as well have an interfooler.


First oil change looks like this... :/



Great.
I called up the previous owner and he told me he always took it to Firestone. The plastic cap was hard to take off so they probably were afraid to break it and just changed the oil and left the filter because the oil looked ok.



I am getting a clunking sound going from first to 2nd and sometimes 3rd if I'm pushing it. So I installed the rear motor mount.

I thought it would fix the problem but hasn't yet. I read on here somewhere that it could be the transmission mount. I'm not sure if they were talking about the rear mount or the mount above the transmission. If it's that one then I have something else I need to buy.

While trying to fix the EGR I broke the nipple on the top of the stock turbo inlet hose and made a how to to fix it. you can see that here:

Got a broken Nipple on your Stock intake? Lets fix it.

But the Day I get it done my new ebay intake came in so I never installed it.


My stock shift knob was literally falling apart and just in really bad shape so I ordered the black shift knob. I really wanted one that had the r and the 6 gears in the right place but settled on a round black ball because I didn't want to spend $50-$150 on a shift knob.


I took the gear emblem off my old shifter and epoxied it on to the knob using the same epoxy I used for the intake nipple. It looks ok. I'll probably revisit this in the future.


I ordered the Cold Air intake + filter because it is was the cheapest option. I really just wanted the MAF adapter. I installed first as it should be and it didn't fit right and everything rubbed. The MAF was a super tight squeeze and it cut a small piece of of the rubber o-ring when I installed it.

I ended up cutting it down and making a "ram" air intake out of it.
but after all that it seems to be just fine. I wish it had some support though. It is currently kinda hanging. Doesn't look like it is going anywhere but it could be better.

The guy before me ran the car though a car wash and it ripped off his Antenna luckly I was able to unscrew the stub that was left behind with some vice grips and put this "carbon Fiber" "Mazdaspeed" antenna on. It's worth 30hp Right??


More to come...

[Fstrnyou]

I sometimes get a clunk going into 2nd. I think I've read somewhere that it could be an issue with the dual mass flywheel. I'll be changing my clutch/flywheel within a few weeks, so I'll see if that was my clunk or not.

[Fstrnyou]

Nothing conclusive yet. I grabbed the old flywheel while it was still attached to the crank and wiggled the crap out of it. Felt like it was broken. However, that's just the nature of the dual mass. My new one felt the exact same way.
I've only driven on the new clutch & flywheel for a few days now. Too soon to tell if the clunk is gone because it was a rare occurrence to begin with.

[Cheapspeed]

Originally Posted by darkmx-6 Hello all, I just wanted to make a thread for keeping track of what all has and is going to be done to my car. I just bought my car last month and so far I love it. I picked it up for $3,100 with 172,000 miles on it, driving all the way from Texas to Florida to pick it up. Fun road trip by the way! When I got it I knew it had codes but didn't care since it was so cheap. (could have been a big mistake!) I checked the codes once I got it home and it had a temp low and EGR low flow. I changed out the thermostat which was more involved than I ever thought, But thank the Lord that took care of that code right away. The EGR ,on the other hand, has been a problem and I'm not going to get into it here because I already have another thread about it here if you are interested. EGR code Not going away, brandnew EGR valve Stuff I've bought so far. 2017-08-07 - rear motor mount$116.80 2017-08-13 - Turbo Inlet Hose$48.19 2017-08-15 - Black Shift knob$9.79 2017-08-19 - Cold Air intake + filter$37.99 2017-08-21 - "Carbon fiber" short antenna$9.99 2017-08-21 - Greddy type s Flange & blocking Plug$30.00 2017-08-21 - Rockauto EGR valve$166.78 2017-08-23 - Keyless remote FOB$19.49 2017-08-27 - 10pcs Mazda emblem 4 key$3.55 2017-08-27 - domed 6 speed shift decal$8.99 2017-08-27 - Front Mount Intercooler$307.80 2017-08-27 - Keyless Remote FOB$11.99 2017-08-27 - Knock off Hella Horns$11.75 2017-08-27 - Replacement key$1.14 2017-08-27 - Turbo Timer Silver$19.99 2017-09-12 - Star Tron Fuel Treatment$27.90 2017-09-12 Mazdaspeed Forums VIP$25.00 2017-09-13 - Edge Autosport Fuel pump internals$349.96 2017-09-13 - Freaktune Accessport +2 tunes$825.00 2017-09-14 - CorkSport downpipe withCAT$632.75 2017-09-14 - Greddy type RS recirculation adapter$12.99 2017-09-14 - 4x NGK Iridium IX Plug Spark Plugs$27.37 Total Spent? --- $2,705.21 That is the stuff I bought but a lot still needs to be installed. LOL right now I'm such a poser I might as well have an interfooler. First oil change looks like this... :/ Great. I called up the previous owner and he told me he always took it to Firestone. The plastic cap was hard to take off so they probably were afraid to break it and just changed the oil and left the filter because the oil looked ok. I am getting a clunking sound going from first to 2nd and sometimes 3rd if I'm pushing it. So I installed the rear motor mount. I thought it would fix the problem but hasn't yet. I read on here somewhere that it could be the transmission mount. I'm not sure if they were talking about the rear mount or the mount above the transmission. If it's that one then I have something else I need to buy. While trying to fix the EGR I broke the nipple on the top of the stock turbo inlet hose and made a how to to fix it. you can see that here: Got a broken Nipple on your Stock intake? Lets fix it. But the Day I get it done my new ebay intake came in so I never installed it. My stock shift knob was literally falling apart and just in really bad shape so I ordered the black shift knob. I really wanted one that had the r and the 6 gears in the right place but settled on a round black ball because I didn't want to spend $50-$150 on a shift knob. I took the gear emblem off my old shifter and epoxied it on to the knob using the same epoxy I used for the intake nipple. It looks ok. I'll probably revisit this in the future. I ordered the Cold Air intake + filter because it is was the cheapest option. I really just wanted the MAF adapter. I installed first as it should be and it didn't fit right and everything rubbed. The MAF was a super tight squeeze and it cut a small piece of of the rubber o-ring when I installed it. I ended up cutting it down and making a "ram" air intake out of it. but after all that it seems to be just fine. I wish it had some support though. It is currently kinda hanging. Doesn't look like it is going anywhere but it could be better. The guy before me ran the car though a car wash and it ripped off his Antenna luckly I was able to unscrew the stub that was left behind with some vice grips and put this "carbon Fiber" "Mazdaspeed" antenna on. It's worth 30hp Right?? More to come...

CAI's are dumb anyway. I hated mine.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[darkmx-6]

I've been busy with more stuff but haven't updated.

I installed the HPFP and I was running lean on cyl 1 & 2 so I sent all my injectors off to get cleaned by precisionlinefuelinjectors

So it's going to be a while till they come back from canada.

My passenger side headlight was leaking and looks like it fried the ballast. I have the new one in from ebay and I'm out $30. Which is much better than $400 from the dealer. I haven't installed it yet so who knows it might not even work. lol I got a good feeling that it will though.

The parts I needed for my 3" exhaust cutout are in so it is time to start welding stuff!

once the injectors are figured out it will be time for initial tuning by freaktune.

The exciting part is once the 93 tune is done it will be time for the e85 tune! Which with my setup may not mean much since I don't have extra injectors...

But I'm excited regardless.

[Thor Hammer]

E85 will net you 40-50 whp. That means a lot!

I need to send out my injectors as well. What did they quote you on lead time?

[speed23]

How did you know you were running lean in 1&2? spark plugs?

[Fstrnyou]

Originally Posted by Thor Hammer E85 will net you 40-50 whp. That means a lot!

Very true unless he has no fuel headroom as it sits.

Going E85 will jump your inj DC up a bit.
If you have room to spare there, do it and roll some timing in...but not too much without a dyno handy.

[Thor Hammer]

Originally Posted by Fstrnyou Very true unless he has no fuel headroom as it sits. Going E85 will jump your inj DC up a bit. If you have room to spare there, do it and roll some timing in...but not too much without a dyno handy.

If he's staying on the K04 the difference between a 91/93 tune will net him that amount. How can he run out of fuel headroom on a stock turbo and pump gas?

I don't know about an MS6 as I'm not quite there yet, but an MS3 on a K04 will put down:

Stock Mazdaspeed, no bolt-ons, stock tune: 220-230/240-250 @ the wheels
AP, Internals, Intake, Testpipe, ethanol-mix tune: ~300/350 @ the wheels

[Fstrnyou]

Doh. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I forgot he was K04. All of 7 posts in. Ha.

Thinking back when I was fully stock, I was just shy of 220whp on a warm day.

Add intake, racepipe, and an 18psi 93 tune...I was only around 250-260whp maybe. Didn't want to push more psi thru my old motor. And knock was keeping me from adding more timing. This is where an E85 tune could have come I handy.

Even today, now with the CS turbo and catless DP, still running 93 and 18psi, I'm only at about 290-300whp. I did mix 2gal of E in the hot summer months. Didn't tune for it. Just did it for anti-knock.

Never had it on the dyno, so all those numbers are vDyno make believe magic figures. And I'm self tuned. Prosauce tuners can do better.

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by Thor Hammer E85 will net you 40-50 whp. That means a lot! I need to send out my injectors as well. What did they quote you on lead time?

I didn’t ask, I sent them as cheap as I could from Texas and it cost me $15 with tracking to the border. Once in Canada I found I can track it using Canada post. It just got delivered today.

Originally Posted by speed23 How did you know you were running lean in 1&2? spark plugs?

Yes I melted cyl 1 spark plug twice and cyl 2 kept running a code for misfire.

Originally Posted by Fstrnyou Very true unless he has no fuel headroom as it sits. Going E85 will jump your inj DC up a bit. If you have room to spare there, do it and roll some timing in...but not too much without a dyno handy.

I’ll be careful and go with whatever freaktune suggests.


Thanks for everyone's comments.

[darkmx-6]

Looks like injectors are actually being delivered today, they got stuck in the post office. I had to sign for them. Hopefully I can get it installed tonight or tomorrow.

[darkmx-6]

update, injectors are now installed. Car is running good no codes. No more misfiring. but I went through this to get there...

The seals he gave me all got cut when I put the fuel rail on and leaked gas all over the garage floor. I think it was because I didn't lube them enough when i put the rail on.

I ended up taking it all apart again and used the original seals lubed with clean oil and the new cut washers since the old ones that were on the car were so brittle the broke when you bent them a little.

I primed it again and no gas on the floor, good!

But when I hit the starter, I got nothing.... not even a click, just normal dash lights.
So I started looking for loose connections and grounds. I found a ground mounted to a bracket on the front of the transmission. It looked ok but I took some sand paper and sanded both surfaces. Car started right up after that but ran like a turd with tons of codes going off!

After more looking around I realized that I didn't connect the ECU all the way. Connected it up and boom codes and running problems gone!


But then....
I was showing a friend the car and Busted an axle when I was doing donuts. wow.


My cousin and I already replaced it. But It has been a crazy adventure....

Currently it sounds like it has a boost leak so I got to track that down.
Tuning should begin soon.

[Fstrnyou]

Originally Posted by mister.speed3 Glad it worked out for you

Can you please post in my build thread? I think it would be cool to have a banned member in it.

[darkmx-6]

Am I missing something? did you post in the right thread?

[Fstrnyou]

His post got deleted. So it's moot now.

[darkmx-6]

Ebay parts FTL!!

It made my stock pipe fail right on the weld. I guess that second flex joint was important LOL

FOR 07-13 MAZDASPEED3 MPS STAINLESS STEEL TURBO EXHAUST TEST CAT PIPE DOWNPIPE
Sold by dptmotorsport
https://www.ebay.com/itm/401429885508

I had to go back and forth with them a bit but they decided to refund my money. I used that to buy a flex pipe and got a local shop to install it.

I don't have the boost response I had with the open DP, but my car no longer gives me head aches lol

Can't wait to install the exhaust cut out and only be loud while racing or when messing with people



Edit:
So I was looking around at other stuff and noticed that the Ebay test pipes look almost exactly like the name brand ones, So it's a design flaw in most of them or my exhaust just wasn't welded well from the factory? Either way it has a flex pipe in there now.
I may take some pictures next time I'm under the car.

[darkmx-6]

For those of you who are curious I updated an older post with a picture of the axle I broke a while a go.

I mentioned that this part burned out on me because my headlight was leaking and a heavy rainstorm came and got water inside of it.


I replaced it with this one by searching by the part # in the bottle right. That helped me find one so much cheaper and on top of that it was new.


My cousin and I also resealed it the headlight with red silicone. Which you can barely see when the hood is closed. If I was to do it again I would use grey clear or black. It took forever to take out the old sealer!



This is the boost leak tester I used to check for leaks on in my intercooler piping. cost me about $20-30 and worked great!
It would hold 25 psi for only about a 30sec to a min before leaking down. Not sure if that is normal or not.

But when I first put it on there it sounded like a first grade music concert!

There was air and whistles coming out of everywhere!

[darkmx-6]

Just got my car back from the body shop yesterday, man does it look good!


No I didn't have a wreck. The car just had a lot of oxidation and rock chips so I wanted to clean that up. I had the front end and spoiler resprayed. I think it looks beautiful. If you have a car in the DFW area I would totally suggest going to them. They also paint and do body work the police cars and city vehicles here for the City of Forest Hill, and the paint job never peels or cracks.

random pictures from the body shop.

[Cheapspeed]

Originally Posted by darkmx-6 Just got my car back from the body shop yesterday, man does it look good! No I didn't have a wreck. The car just had a lot of oxidation and rock chips so I wanted to clean that up. I had the front end and spoiler resprayed. I think it looks beautiful. If you have a car in the DFW area I would totally suggest going to them. They also paint and do body work the police cars and city vehicles here for the City of Forest Hill, and the paint job never peels or cracks. random pictures from the body shop.

How much did that cost you I need the same kind of work on my car.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[impossible]

Do spin on conversion on the oil filter housing and I recommend removing oil pan and having it professionally cleaned out with baffles removed...That resued oil filter looks like a spun rod bearing waiting to happen. Also at 170k miles I doubt the injectors have ever been cleaned and flow tested so I would also do that (Injector RX in houston) and get some Corksport injector seals, also media blast the intake valves and get some kind've oil catch can setup to prevent further contamination. Get caught up on the maintenance and stop throwing flow mods at the car on a tired high mileage engine. I'm also curious if this car is on it's first motor at that mileage, if it is it's a big feat for these motors with this type of neglected maintenance lol.

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by Cheapspeed How much did that cost you I need the same kind of work on my car.

This is the shop I used. Tell them Steve that works for the city of Forest Hill sent you. He gave me a good deal so I'm sure he would do the same for you.

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by impossible Do spin on conversion on the oil filter housing

I would love to do this mod but other things took priority. It is on my list though.

Originally Posted by impossible and I recommend removing oil pan and having it professionally cleaned out with baffles removed...

Seems like a lot of work for oil that wasn't that bad. it's not like it had sludge in it. Oil looked normal.
Remove baffles or just clean it with Baffles removed? If your suggesting removing the baffles altogether, Why?

Originally Posted by impossible That resued oil filter looks like a spun rod bearing waiting to happen.

Actually I found out that the oil filter really does look like that after it is used. I think it was a cheap oil filter that looks so different from the wix oil filter.

Originally Posted by impossible Also at 170k miles I doubt the injectors have ever been cleaned and flow tested so I would also do that (Injector RX in houston)

.
I did, it is in the thread. I wouldn't suggest Injector RX though. I think the guy in Canada does a better job. But there are threads about this topic already.

Originally Posted by impossible and get some Corksport injector seals,

Why when the Toyota ones work so well? On top of that they are so much cheaper! I just see that as throwing money away. I would get the corksport seals if my injector ports were all screwed up but mine were clean and looked brand new.

Originally Posted by impossible also media blast the intake valves and get some kind've oil catch can setup to prevent further contamination.

While I had the manifold off for the injectors I did it with b12 and 12 gauge bronze brush with a drill. It could have been done better but at least I was able to knock some of it down.
Oil catch can is also on the list.

Originally Posted by impossible Get caught up on the maintenance and stop throwing flow mods at the car on a tired high mileage engine.

Are you suggesting to never upgrade it? What's the point in that? might as well go back to my honda....

The car is great right now. yes it has high mileage, but I guess it's a risk I am taking, car feels great,was adult owned, bone stock when I got it, and still had the stock exhaust. The only thing that looked like he messed with was the stock intercooler. I think it was popped off and on (for spark plugs may be?) . When I removed any other part it was like factory, oh and he was having EGR problems so that was messed with.
There are lots of other guys with high mileage on this site too, So I'm pretty confident in it's longevity.

The maintenance is pretty much up do date.
I got the transmission fluid and besides that the only other thing I can think of is Power steering fluid and brake/clutch fluid.




Question/suggestion for you guys, you do know you don't have to quote the whole post right? its funny when two guys quote a long post just to say a few words then everyone ends up scrolling for 3-4 pages. Is it just that people are doing quick reply's?

Either way it's no big deal, Quote yourselves out.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

[Spectrix]

Hello, your car is looking great and I think you've achieved quite a lot in the short time that you've had it. Well done.
Thanks for sharing your build dramas and resolutions.

[darkmx-6]

Just updated my tune with one sent from Freektune. Boosts to 20psi now. I think it may be spiking. I need to look at what he set it to.
I still need to install the Corksport downpipe and exhaust cut out. That will for sure make a difference when I do some data logs.

Yes I did update Freektune with my changes so they would give me a correct tune.

on a different note I wanted to buy this.
Corksport Downpipe that replaced both CATs

but it was on back order back in september. No problem I told them. They said it would be ready in late October.
Late October came.

got an email that said something along the lines of "sorry but the downpipe is still on back order. it will be ready late november..."

REALLY??

So I told them to forget it, and send me what they have instock. So Now I have the short DP that comes off the turbo.

I haven't been able to install it yet, but I'm actually happy this happened because it works better with the plan I have.

Here is my idea that just might work.

I want to be able to pass inspection. and since the o2 housing (downpipe) is so hard to get on and of, It would be hard to put the CAT back in.

So I figured I would use the 2nd CAT instead and just extend the Wires from the 2nd o2 sensor so that it will see the exhaust after the CAT

That may have been confusing so let me say it differently. My car will have the corksport short DP and race pipe installed most of the time. Then when I need to pass inspection, I'll install the 2nd stock cat in place of the race pipe with the o2 sensor behind it so it will detect it.

Makes sense? I think it will work.

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by Spectrix Hello, your car is looking great and I think you've achieved quite a lot in the short time that you've had it. Well done. Thanks for sharing your build dramas and resolutions.

It's been fun, frustrating, and expensive!

But I guess that is always how builds go. When I watch these shows that are like $3000 turbo upgrade! I'm like, ya right. That was what it cost for the hardware it's self what about everything to make the hardware work? A simple example of this I've found fluids clamps and hoses some times to get into the hundreds when rebuilding an engine or whatever. But they never include those costs in the build. Before I even started making more power I was already in for about $3,000. Even Now with all the money spent I'm just making a bit more power for a lot of money spent. I guess that is the real cost of upgrading that everyone just casually leaves out.

end rant that's not really a rant lol

[darkmx-6]

So some of my post are out of order and if that is confusing let me know, because I post things as I think about it. So Saturday night I was heading home at about 10 p.m. I was probably driving about 10-15 miles on the freeway and got off. Driving on the streets I decided to push it for a second just to feel the turbo and the the car kept revving uncontrollably. almost made me hit the people infront of me, I changed lanes turned the car off and coasted into a parking lot. No idea what happened. Waited a bit turned the car back on and all was fine.

What just happened. It wasn't that cold out but could the throttle have froze for a sec then after it sat it warmed up enough to close? Or did one of my injectors get stuck open?

Whatever it was it was freaky! Any ideas? It shouldn't be the injectors since they were just cleaned, but who knows.

Here is what the weather was like on Saturday night in Burleson, TX

-----------------------------------------
Saturday, December 9, 2017



Actual
Temperature
Mean Temperature 43 °F
Max Temperature 60 °F
Min Temperature 26 °F

Moisture
Dew Point 23 °F
Average Humidity 57
Maximum Humidity 80
Minimum Humidity 22
Precipitation
Precipitation 0.00 in - - ()
Sea Level Pressure
Sea Level Pressure 30.26 in
Wind
Wind Speed 3 mph (WNW)
Max Wind Speed 18 mph
Max Gust Speed 25 mph
Visibility 10 miles
Events
Averages and records for this station are not official NWS values.
T = Trace of Precipitation, MM = Missing Value
-------------------------------------------------------------------


I didn't think it was below freezing when it happened but according to this it looks like it was.

[Spectrix]

That's scary.
Throttle icing is more likely under prolonged vacuum, and while it's a rare occurrence, it doesn't actually require the ambient temperature to be below freezing point.
The air travelling around the throttle plate is expanding and cooling right at that point, so ice can form if there is sufficient moisture in the air and other conditions are met.

For this reason there is a narrow coolant line that circulates hot coolant through the throttle body. Check that the coolant lines to the throttle body are connected and free from debris & blockage.
Also check for a possible build up of carbon / sludge around the throttle plate itself.

[darkmx-6]

That probably is the case then. Since I live in Texas I didn't think it would be cold enough for that to happen. The coolant lines are bypassing the throttle right now, others have done it without ill effects. I guess in the summer it's ok, but in winter it is a no go.

[darkmx-6]

I noticed the Business card photo is gone is that against policy?

If so sorry about that.

[Fstrnyou]

Originally Posted by darkmx-6 That probably is the case then. Since I live in Texas I didn't think it would be cold enough for that to happen.

I would have thought there's enough radiant engine heat and warm'ish air coming through the radiator to keep the throttlebody from freezing. Even driving around, my BATs are decently above ambient. Granted those are manifold temps, but the throttlebody should see similar temps...even with the coolant bypass.

[impossible]

Originally Posted by darkmx-6 I would love to do this mod but other things took priority. It is on my list though. Seems like a lot of work for oil that wasn't that bad. it's not like it had sludge in it. Oil looked normal. Remove baffles or just clean it with Baffles removed? If your suggesting removing the baffles altogether, Why? Actually I found out that the oil filter really does look like that after it is used. I think it was a cheap oil filter that looks so different from the wix oil filter. . I did, it is in the thread. I wouldn't suggest Injector RX though. I think the guy in Canada does a better job. But there are threads about this topic already. Why when the Toyota ones work so well? On top of that they are so much cheaper! I just see that as throwing money away. I would get the corksport seals if my injector ports were all screwed up but mine were clean and looked brand new. While I had the manifold off for the injectors I did it with b12 and 12 gauge bronze brush with a drill. It could have been done better but at least I was able to knock some of it down. Oil catch can is also on the list. Are you suggesting to never upgrade it? What's the point in that? might as well go back to my honda.... The car is great right now. yes it has high mileage, but I guess it's a risk I am taking, car feels great,was adult owned, bone stock when I got, and still had the stock exhaust. The only thing that looked like he messed with was the stock intercooler. I think it was popped off and on (for spark plugs may be?) . When I removed any other part it was like factory, oh and he was having EGR problems so that was messed with. There are lots of other guys with high mileage on this site too, So I'm pretty confident in it's longevity. The maintenance is pretty much up do date. I got the transmission fluid and besides that the only other thing I can think of is Power steering fluid and brake/clutch fluid. Question/suggestion for you guys, you do know you don't have to quote the whole post right? its funny when two guys quote a long post just to say a few words then everyone ends up scrolling for 3-4 pages. Is it just that people are doing quick reply's? Either way it's no big deal, Quote yourselves out. Thanks for everyone's feedback.

Yes my injectors were cleaned by the guy in Canada since that's who my builder uses but just suggested the guy in Houston since he's closer. I had the Toyota seals, they are junk and under any real boost fail as bad as OEM and can actually damage the injector bore with the amount of torque they require to somewhat seal. Cheaping out on this platform always ends in a bad time but just my opinion. Good luck on your ms3

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by impossible Cheaping out on this platform always ends in a bad time but just my opinion. Good luck on your ms3

I agree that cheaping out can have some negative consequences. In my build I have cheaped out where I can that's why it is a budget build. I try not to cheap out on stuff that could be negative.

I heard good things about the toyota seals so I thought it was a great deal. Only now that I have it in am I hearing about how it didn't work for others. Some people swear by them others curse the day they put them in.

As for me I made sure it was clean and I didn't torque it down to the specs for the toyota seals, I torqued it down to the highest mazda recommends
I figured if I went anymore it would start to strip stuff and it could be a bad day.

So far they seem to be holding well so I guess we will see.

[Fstrnyou]

Toyota seals for nearly a year at 18psi (2.1 load). No issues.

Building a motor now for upper 400whp. It's extremely unlikely that I will put toyota seals in that build.

[darkmx-6]

So I have the usual tear in the front drivers seat. I'm looking around at different upholstery shops and got one quote so far For $150 they will replace the two pieces in of leather/ pleather that are messed up.

Seems kind of high but not considering the cost of a new seat.

What do you guys think. I searched in the interior forum and didn't find anyone who has done this yet.

[darkmx-6]

I think I found out what the stuck throttle problem was.
I hooked up the AP and started monitoring the Throttle Pedal position. It did it to me like 3 times yesterday and finally on the last one I was able to catch it with the AP. Looks like the stupid rug was moving and getting stuck on the throttle. So I removed it to the back seat for now.

[darkmx-6]

Edited my post about my ebay test pipe adding something I've noticed.

[darkmx-6]

I got with my brother on Wednesday to help him with his exhaust cut out. Basically the same job I'll be doing on the Speed3.

We will probably try to tackle it this next Thursday.

here is a picture of his, terrible welds and all but it looks like it will hold and not leak.
It's our first time welding stainless. We used stainless filler rods, but we didn't clean up the metal with Rubbing alcohol before starting.



Any welders on here want to give some advice before I do mine?

I'll try to get a better picture of the welds tonight.

[Spectrix]

I am of the believe that the MS3 exhaust flows very well after the catalytic converters.
So my advice is to leave it as it is. Suffice to say I am old and intolerant of loud noises.

If an occasional run with an open dump pipe makes you happy, go for it. It's a far better plan than permanent straight pipe.

In regards to the crack you observed on the test pipe, it is likely a welding defect. You'll notice that the stock pipe has spring loaded donut joints at each end rather than a flex joint.

[darkmx-6]

Originally Posted by Spectrix I am of the believe that the MS3 exhaust flows very well after the catalytic converters.

I noticed a huge difference in the butt dyno. But what do I know. May be I'll get it on a dyno one day and actually test this.

Originally Posted by Spectrix If an occasional run with an open dump pipe makes you happy, go for it. It's a far better plan than permanent straight pipe.

I agree, I don't like it loud most of the time. It got on my nerves for the few days I drove it around with the busted dumped exhaust. I was so happy when it was fixed. It did make people more interested in racing me though so that was fun!

Originally Posted by Spectrix In regards to the crack you observed on the test pipe, it is likely a welding defect.

There was no crack on the test pipe. It caused my stock exhaust to fail. I fixed it by adding a flex pipe so it should be ok now.