What to do with the Mazdaspeed?

[John V]

Well the turbo version fixes the power issue

Though I think the new version with a turbo is only available with an auto

[Plaz]

Originally Posted by John V

Well the turbo version fixes the power issue

Though I think the new version with a turbo is only available with an auto

{sad trombone}

[John V]

Originally Posted by Plaz

{sad trombone}

Hence why (well, one reason why) I'm still driving around the one we bought new in 2009.

[John V]

So my trusty Mazdaspeed might not be so trusty after all. It just rolled over 220,000 and recently it has been going through oil at quite a rapid rate yet it doesn't smoke out the exhaust and it doesn't leak. I needed to get it on the lift to swap to the winter tires and change the oil so I gave it a quick checkover. Plugs look good and it's not leaking anything. No oil in the charge pipes, so that's a positive. I did a quick leakdown test and came back with 2% leakdown on cylinders 1, 2 and 4, and 16% on cylinder 3. With pressure applied to number 3 at TDC I can hear air coming out the hole for the oil fill cap. So, that's rings (or more likely a cracked ring land, pretty common on the 2.3 DISI engines).

As crappy as this car is, I kind of like driving it and my wife is a bit attached to it. I also can't easily replace it without spending a pile of money. It still runs fine, I just need to keep an eye on the oil level. I'm seriously contemplating swapping out the 2.3 bottom end for a 2.5 (like I have in the RX-8). They're pretty robust and the local salvage yard has a pile of low mileage units they are happy to sell me for $275 a pop. It would just be a weekend job to yank the 2.3, swap the cylinder head and accessories over to the 2.5, and drop that in. Even in its current state, the 2.3 is worth around $500 so I'd be roughly neutral on cost... it's just a lot of labor.

Decisions...

[SARAFIL]

Originally Posted by John V

So my trusty Mazdaspeed might not be so trusty after all. It just rolled over 220,000 and recently it has been going through oil at quite a rapid rate yet it doesn't smoke out the exhaust and it doesn't leak. I needed to get it on the lift to swap to the winter tires and change the oil so I gave it a quick checkover. Plugs look good and it's not leaking anything. No oil in the charge pipes, so that's a positive. I did a quick leakdown test and came back with 2% leakdown on cylinders 1, 2 and 4, and 16% on cylinder 3. With pressure applied to number 3 at TDC I can hear air coming out the hole for the oil fill cap. So, that's rings (or more likely a cracked ring land, pretty common on the 2.3 DISI engines).

As crappy as this car is, I kind of like driving it and my wife is a bit attached to it. I also can't easily replace it without spending a pile of money. It still runs fine, I just need to keep an eye on the oil level. I'm seriously contemplating swapping out the 2.3 bottom end for a 2.5 (like I have in the RX-8). They're pretty robust and the local salvage yard has a pile of low mileage units they are happy to sell me for $275 a pop. It would just be a weekend job to yank the 2.3, swap the cylinder head and accessories over to the 2.5, and drop that in. Even in its current state, the 2.3 is worth around $500 so I'd be roughly neutral on cost... it's just a lot of labor.

Decisions...

If it comes down to a weekend of labor and you like the car, what do you have to lose? It’s probably less effort & stress than you’d put into finding a replacement car right now.

[JST]

How come a 2.3 lower end with a cracked ring land is worth the same as a 2.5?

The 2.5s have the same bore, just a different stroke?

Seems like a no brainer to do the swap if you’ve got a free weekend.

[clyde]

I think the answer writes itself

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by clyde

I think the answer writes itself

Yep. Especially considering the state of the auto industry currently.

[John V]

Originally Posted by JST

How come a 2.3 lower end with a cracked ring land is worth the same as a 2.5?

The 2.5s have the same bore, just a different stroke?

Seems like a no brainer to do the swap if you’ve got a free weekend.

I think because there are orders of magnitude more 2.5s out there than there are 2.3 DISIs. The 2.3 DISI also has a forged crank and the block is set up with an oil drain. But really, I don't know?

2.5 is a larger bore (89mm vs 87.5mm) and a larger stroke (100mm vs 94mm).

[JST]

Larger bore but the 2.3 head bolts up?