10/22/06 - Time to prep the car for the engine swap! A couple of the guys from the local Miata forum are coming over to help so I need to prep things. Wife & kiddo were gone for the day so that means no pictures were taken. Didn't want to get my camera all nasty/greasy.
Disconnected the battery, electrical cables, gas lines, and vacuum hoses. John, a.k.a. HudsonHawk, came over and we put the car on jack stands.
Next the transmission was drained, wires disconnected, and the propeller shaft (Miata terms for "drive shaft") was unbolted from the differential and slid out from the back of the transmission. Once this was done the power plant frame was unbolted from the transmission and partially from the rear differential so it could be swung out of the way.
Next came time to drain the radiator and remove the fans/hoses and pipes. Once this was done, the hood was removed, the front sway bar was unbolted, and the engine hoist connected.
About this time Chris, a.k.a. Icepenguin66, came over to lend a hand. The motor mounts were unbolted and the engine/transmission was lifted out as an assembly.
The spare engine came on the front subframe so it had to be unbolted and lifted up by the hoist. New Mazdaspeed motor mounts were installed. Here's what the old ones from the replacement motor looked like. Can ya tell it was in a wreck? Think the bent motor mounts give it away?
WOW. The pipe on the side of the replacement engine that feeds the heater core was rusted badly. I replaced it with the pipe from the old engine.
What a *(#@$) to put this back in! We had to unbolt one of the motor mounts and support the transmission with the floor jack to get it squeezed in. Took FAR longer to put this one in than to remove the old one. Once it was in, everything was plugged in, radiator fluid added, and the transmission was filled with oil.
Time to crank! WIRRrr..rr..rr.. *(#@!@ dead battery. It's dark now, time to punt.
10/26/06 - After work I put the charger on the battery and left for several hours.
10/27/06 - Now she cranks over with ease but she's not even trying to start. Hmmm... Fuel, Air, Spark...
Plug wires are on good, coil pack is a known good one from the old motor, all the wires from the harness are plugged in correctly.... AFM is plugged in and was working fine on the old motor... Time to check the fuel lines.
DOH! They were reversed.
When removing the fuel lines the manual says to depressurize the system. Heh. How much pressure could it have in it? Well, I removed the clamp from the return line and slid the hose off. When I removed the clamp from the high pressure feed side and slid the hose off it went PSSSSHT! Fuel shot from the middle of the engine bay and hit the garage door which was 7 feet away from the front bumper of the car. WOW! Barely any came out but it was still a shocker. ;)
With the fuel lines on right she whirred for about 3 seconds, caught, then started right up! WOOHOO! I have to go get the clutch bled, an exhaust leak fixed, and then get her inspected/plated so I can take her over to get the roll cage installed.
Went back out tonight before dinner to bleed the clutch. Five minute job, right? Wrong. Nothing would come out of the bleeder. Took the bleeder out and the tip was covered in goo. Seems that the crud all settled down into the cylinder and clogged up the bleeder port. Used a vacuum bleeder to try and unclog it. No luck. Swapped the slave cylinder with the one from the old transmission and used the pressure bleeder to suck new fluid through the system. After that I had the kiddo help me bleed it.
11/11/06 - The #($*&#$@ thing has a coolant leak from the water pump. Drained all that new coolant out. Swapped out the water pump, timing belt, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, and the thermostat. Filled it up with new coolant and checked for leaks. Hrmmm... Leaks around the thermostat housing top. Stupid silcone stuff doesn't seal for jack.
11/12/06 - Picked up some good old fashion Permatex #2 gasket compound and a new gasket. Now there are NO leaks from that thermostat housing. Topped off the radiator & ran the car until the coolant reached full operating temp. Looks like the stupid drain plug on the radiator isn't sealing and the auto stores don't have a replacement to fit. It's a silly cheap aftermarket radiator and not OEM.
11/18/06 - Drained the coolant yet again. Installed a new PWR all aluminum racing radiator and a new hose to the overflow tank. The new radiator has a slightly smaller fitting for that overflow hose so I had to also put a hose clamp on it. Filled it up with new coolant and checked for leaks. Took the car over to the inspection station and now she's inspected again and ready to take to the cage builder's!
