<<<FAQ>>> ~LOOK HERE BEFORE POSTING~

[JPMX6GT]

In an attempt to generate a trully diverse FAQ section for this site, I am asking YOU, the members of the board for help. We need you to please supply us with frequently asked questions and answers that you feel would correspond to this specific forum. That way after a while, we can compile this list and generate a HUGE FAQ for MX6.com that would cover every aspect of the MX6 (1st gen N/A and turbo, 2nd gen 4 and 6 cyl, everything). So c'mon guys, lets get some goof FAQ's set up in order to help this site grow.

(Please do not post anything off topic here or it will be deleted. Please only post QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS that correspond to this SPECIFIC FORUM)

LOOK HERE FOR FAQs
The FAQs are now split up so you can look by category.

[deadmeat]

Q How do i test my clutch to see if its good or not?

A start the car, put it in fifth gear, and if it stalls immediately, the clutch is good!

Q what are the best plugs/plug wires to use with my car?

A Most common and popularly used by us are ngk plugs with ngk wires. plugs can be had most anywhere, while the wires can be purchased at your local mazda dealership for around $20-$30.

Q Are all GT's turbo'ed?

A In the U.S., yes! in england, no! Europe have 16 valve 2.0's instead of the 12 valve 2.2's. The 2.0's are not factory turboed.

Q HOW DO I GET THIS DAMNED ALTERNATOR OUT OF MY CAR?!

A the key to the removal and installation is getting the alternator out of the engine compartment. The fastest and easiest means of removal is to remove the carbon canister mounted on the passenger side of the firewall. After unbolting the alternator it can be fairly easily removed through opening left by the removal of the canister. Install is reverse of removal.

Q How do i change my blinker light?! its burnt out/broken and i cant figure out how to remove the houseing!

A http://www.deadmeat.freeservers.com/photo2.html

Q what are stock wheel measurements for a 1990 gt?

A 15x6, 5 on 114.3mm, 42mm offset

ok, anybody else wanna take a turn?

-meaty

[anarchyx34]

Q: What da ECO button fo?

A: The ECO button saves fuel when you use the A/C, by shortening the compressor duty cycle depending on the temperature outside. In other words, it turns the compressor on and off as needed instead of running it constantly. This feature is useful when it's 70 degrees or below out, but any higher than that the A/C wont be strong enough. So when it's hot out, it's best to leave the ECO button off.

[antiSUV]

>1. What is the 0-60/quarter mile times for my car
stock?
Car and Driver tested the MX-6 and got 0-60 in 7.0 seconds, while the
Probe got 0-60 in 6.7. So you can figure 0-60 is in the low 7 to high
6 second range. Quater mile times are in the low to mid 15s.


>2. Can I drop a GT motor in my LX/DX?
Yes, you can, but, you'll need the transmission, driveshafts, and ECU
as well as the engine and turbo to make the swap work. I would be best
to buy a wrecked donor GT and swap all the parts over.

>3. Can I put a GT turbo tranny on my LX/DX motor?
Yes, and it's a good idea since the GT tranny is stronger, but you
can't put an LX/DX tranny in a GT and expect it to last very long.

>4. How do I lower my car?
Buy some springs. Suspension Techniques, Eibach, and Intrax all make
lowering springs for our cars. It is important to change the struts at
the same time, because the higher spring rate of the lowering springs will
tear up old struts in a short time. You'll end up doing the same work
twice if you don't change springs and struts simultaneously.

>5. How much of my Probe is Mazda? How much of my MX-6
is Ford?
Some Probe guys hate to admit it, but most of their Probe is Mazda (or at
least all the important bits are.) The drivetrain, suspension, and floorpan
are all Mazda. The only Ford stuff in a Probe is the body styling and
interior. The exception is the V6 Probe, which use the taurus engine.

>6. What size wheels will fit/what size tires go with
them?
Our wheels are 5 lugs on a 4.5 inch bolt circle (114.3 mm in metric). The
offset is 42mm. GT wheels are 6-jj X 15, DX/LX wheels are 5.5-j X 14.
For GTs, 195/60/15s will fit any year. 205/55/15s will fit post '90 cars.

>7. What's the deal with my lumpy idle?
These cars have lumpy idles to begin with. It's especially evident on
automatic trans cars while sitting still in gear. This happened when the
things were new, and is normal. But if your idle is really really bad, then
you may have a problem with the idle speed control system. Also replace your
fuel and air filters.

>8. What's the deal with my ticking motor (HLAs)?
The HLAs, or Hydraulic Lash Adjusters, adjust valve clearances automatically,
so you don't have to do it during a tune up. However, they sometimes get clogged
with sludge on older cars and collapse. Marvel Mystery Oil has helped some people
to free them up. Otherwise you've got to replace them. Checking and replacement
procedures can be found by searching the board.

>9. How do I install a boost gauge?
Find the vacuum hose with green dashes behind the throttle body, up
near the
intake manifold. Tee into that line for boost/vacuum.

>10. Where can I find a bodykit?
There are a couple older '80s style kits still available. Their asthetic
value is questionable, but you can see them at corksport.com.

>11. Where can I get clear tail lights?
No one currently makes clear tails for our cars...Don't hold your breath.

>12. My car is making clicking noises when I turn, why?
You've got bad CV joints most likely. Replace the driveshafts, as it's
easier and cheaper than doing the cv joints alone. This is a problem
that affects ALL front wheel drive cars.

>13. What about synthetic oil?
Synthetic oil is great stuff. You don't want to use it on a
car with too few miles on it, numbers vary depending on who you talk to,
but, I'd say 10-15K is a good minimum. Your rings won't seat properly as
the oil is too thin. You can use it on older engines (more than 100k), but
expect it to clean the goop off old seals and seep through; this effects the
turbo seals more than any other.

>14. I burn oil, why?
Could be tons of things. Does it burn when you start up? When under
acceleration? If it's when you start up only, it could be either the
turbo
has a bad seal, or bad valve seals. If under acceleration, it could
indicate worn rings or a turbo problem. Do a compression check.

>15. I have (this color) smoke out my exhaust, why?
Bluish gray smoke is oil burning, could be several things. White smoke
<steam> is coolant burning, could indicate a cracked or warped head.
Black
smoke is fuel, you're running too rich for some reason.

>16. What's the ECON button for?
This button cycles your air conditioning compressor on and off to save fuel.
It also doesn't cool quite as well in this mode.

[Blind Freddie]

~HOLD......What is it? How do i use it?

Hold function on Auto Transmisions will alow YOU physicly change gears. Meaning if you wish to hold a gear past a red line you can. To use it, you need to press HOLD button, and move stick to lowest position (1/L) that would be your first gear. As you move through gears you reach D/3 thats your 3rd gear, while our boxes have 4 gears, to swich to fourth you will need to flick HOLD off while in D/3, if you have sufficient speed/RPMs she will switch to 4th.

~Whould this damage my box?
No, if you use it secibly. Our ATX(auto transmission) is very fragile peace of work. Main things to remember:

• 1. Never DOWN SHIFT, unless you know the RPMs/speed at which Auto mode downshifts and can change at EXACTLY that time than you can servive, other ways you will KILL our box
  2. dont be stupid, use your common sence, do not hold past the red line for long. Make changes at acceptible times, dont expect your box go far if you changed from 1st to 2nd at 2000RPM at wide open throtle, that will put too much stress on your box/engine/drive line.

use it but be very CAUTIOS

[2Rusty]

Q. What's the deal with the Addco anti-sway bar endlinks everyone is talking about?

A. When you are cornering in your car, the anti-sway bars press upon their endlinks which are fitted with rubber bushings thus giving your car better handling characteristics. As the cars age, the rubber bushings deteriorate and flatten out from the pressure placed on them over time, thus reducing the effectiveness of your anti-sway bars. Addco manufactures endlinks with polyurethane bushings which are essentially a cheap do-it-yourself bolt on performance upgrade that will greatly improve your car's handling. Polyurethane is a compound that is superior to rubber because it does not compress or deteriorate the way rubber does. Because of the polyurethane bushing's resistance to compression, you are able to utilize much more of the anti-sway bar's potential. It is a good idea to simply replace the entire endlink assembly rather than simply switch the bushings because it is possible for endlinks to break due to wear.

Q. So where do I get these endlinks and how much will they cost?

A. The most common place to find them in The States is at your local Pep Boys but they can be found elsewhere. The part numbers for the endlink sets are 012U and 015U for the front and rear anti-sway bars respectively. An endlink set will contain two enlinks, left and right, one for each end of the anti-sway bar. The sets will typically cost $15.00 USD each. For more information check out http://www.addco.net

[probe this]

Well I posted this yesterday in this spot, but I guess it's not here today, so I'll try to cover everything I said yesterday.

What are some things recommended to upgrade to my 1st gen GT?

1. OK, new exhaust is a very good choice 2.5"-3" is what's recommended, no catylitic convertor if you don't have emissions

2. Air filter next good choice: K&N drop-in or cone-shaped with a Home Aid Cold Air Intake, consisting of some aluminum tubing to the filter.

3. Definately a must have is a boost controller. Turn that boost up for minimal cost.

4. A turbo upgrade is a definate must when you have the money: T-bird upgrade is where you get the t-bird wheel and housing and replace onto the stock turbo, Charles can get you the rx-7 hybrid turbo, or the most popular is a t3/t4 turbo: you can get good ones off of buick grand nationals.

5. Suspension upgrades: I love my Ground Control coil-overs with Illumina 5-way adjustable struts. Very spendy though.

6. If you have a lot of extra money and want the best overall mod other than a bigger turbo you can get the FE3 motor from Jahmarr Bowmann, boostedmx6@hotmail.com, this motor hauls ass up to 7800rpms. They love boost too.

7. Rims are always a good choice to get: General rule of thumb is 17" with 215/45 or 40 series rubber, 16" 215/ 45 or 50 series rubber, most people don't recommend 225s but they can fit with the right offset and a 40 series or 35 series rubber.

How's that? It should be pretty long. hehe

[longboarder]

Okay, here's some pointers for this cheap and simple way to add on some BIZZOOOST!

(Read the dawes instructions carefully. Do NOT install this thing backwards because you rushed into it.)

1) Go to www.performanceprobe.com and go to the upgrades section. Click on the Boost controllers and then check out the diagrams for the fixed boost controller, paying careful attention to the diagram of our turbo. The theory is very similar to what you're doing with the dawe's.

2) The elbow bend of the dawe's has to be attached to the wastegate actuator, (which is hose#2 in the probe diagram). You can find this at the rear of the turbo unit, it's an elbow bend out of a fat little cylinder which is the wastegate. Remember, this is where you tie in the ELBOW side of the dawe's.

3) The other end of the dawe's (for boost source) can be either teed into the manifold vacuum lines up behind the throttle body OR (and most people have done this) simply into the turbo outlet (hose#1 in the probe diagram). This will prevent spiking, and you won't need so much hose. You can find this outlet high up on the turbo's out pipe, to the front of the car.

4) You'll want to cut the third hose ( #3) and cap it. Use a screw and a twistie. This hose runs from the bottom of the solenoid to the Mass Airflow Sensor.

5) It's a good idea to use enough hose that you can secure the Dawe's to the metal bracket that holds the T junction from the intercooler pipes. That's most convienient, I've found. Other people have mounted it somewhere else, but always within reasonable reach.

That'd about do it!
Have fun.

[2Rusty]

Q. I'm looking into getting a set of __________ wheels for my car but I have no idea how much they weigh. Where can I get this info?

A. wheel weight chart wheel weight chart wheel weight chart

[2Rusty]

Q. I want to research aftermarket wheels. Does anyone know of any good english language web sites?

A.
http://www.mackinindustries.com
http://www.konigwheels.com
http://www.dazzmotorsports.com
http://www.teamdynamicsusa.com
http://www.discounttiredirect.com
http://www.wheelwarehouse.com
http://www.wheelmax.com
http://www.precisioninstallations.com
http://www.tirerack.com
http://www.wholesalehyperformance.com
http://www.bsaamerica.com
http://www.wheels-direct.com
http://www.whalentire.com
http://www.voodooperformance.com
http://www.obxracingsports.com
http://www.wheeloptions.com
http://www.washingtontire.com/store
http://www.racesearch.com

[2Rusty]

Q. I have just done an *engine, fuel, air intake, exhaust* modification and I need to reset the ECU/computer. How is this done and why do I need to do it?

A.
1. Disconnect negative battery terminal
2. Press on the brake pedal for about 30 seconds
3. Reconnect battery
4. Start the car but don't touch the gas pedal for one minute!

The ECU is like the brain for your car. It "learns" your engine's fuel and air intake requirements and then sets them into memory. When you do a modification that will affect the way fuel and air are mixed, then you have reset the brain so that it forgets the old requirements and has to learn new ones. This will guarantee that you will get the most from your mods.

[deadmeat]

anyone got any info on the 1990 mx6?
i would like to get more specs on this car as in what is performance is and what it has. all i now it has a IHI torbocharger intercooled, and thats about it.



0-60 in 7.0-7.4 seconds
Top Speed 130 mph

Engine is a 2.2 liter, 12 valve (2 intake, one exhaust, on each cylinder.) Yes it has an IHI turbo, the VJ-11, with a factory boost setting around 9 psi + intercooler.

-meaty

[anarchyx34]

A lot of people seem to think that putting premium fuel in their nonturbos adds horsepower. Here's the scoop.

Putting premium in an LX dosent do anything. Mainly due to the LX's lack of a knock control system, meaning it cant detect the higher octane fuel and adjust the ignition timing accordingly. Believe it or not, the higher the octane rating, the more resistant fuel is to burning. The reason this is beneficial, is that you can run higher compression and a more advanced ignition timing without running into the problem of detionation. That's where the additional power comes in. But the fuel itself makes no difference whatsoever. In fact, on my LX it seemed the car was a little more responsive with 87 octane fuel, than with 93.

On some high mileage cars, the use of premium will reduce knock, but that's just masking a problem the car already has. Usually carbon deposits are the culprit here, either by raising the compression ratio a little bit, or by causing hot-spots in the combustion chamber that lights off low-octane fuel too quickly. The premium fuel dosent burn as easily and dosent get lit-off from a hot carbon deposit as easily.

Now premium fuel on a GT is beneficial, since the GT runs high compression (due to the turbo) and has a knock control system and knows to take advantage of the added burn resistance of the fuel (usually by turning up the boost and modifying the ignition advance curve).

But anyway, the fuel isnt "richer" nor more healthy and not any cleaner either. If the motor calls for regular, use regular, otherwise you're just wasting your money.

Anyway, hope this helps some of you understand how it works.

[Jon]

Q> Where do I find a VAF adapter so I can hook up a cone air intake to my 6?

A: Mazda and Toyota share the same size VAF, so a toyota adapter works fine:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=12745

[fryerjohn]

A. YES! For the last time on the turboing the n/a crap, what has to be done, I am going to set this as a FAQ. I know the tranny has to go but the engine yes can handle boost, the internals infact are so strong they can go for over 200,000 mile without even giving out. This has all been said be a mazda tech at the padre ford mazda dealership in corpus. Cast iron is not a weak metel, the internals can handle boost. The head gasket is a different story, the turbo gasket is different in the fact that it is different in thickness and has 2 holds in the upper left hand corner of it, for what perpose I don't know. Guys with dx/lx 6's, If you turbo the n/a it would be a good idea to get a metel head gasket or a turbo gasket. The internals in my n/a are not stock. the rods are crom moly and the crank is from a gt, so as you can guess it can handle some boost. But this is for the stock n/a, I would not recommend turboing a n/a motor unless you have rebuilt. If you have one with over 100,000 miles, I would not turbo it, I would first rebuild it and have new pistons put in-( mine were $250 for the set but you can get some for about 2 bills) bearings ($50-$150) rings ( $60-$110 $110 for total seals). I would also have a head job done, with new valve guide and seal put in, a valve job done and the head magnafluxed to check the integraty and the amout of pressure it can take. Of course all new gaskets and seal put in as well. A new clutch and pressure plate to handle the boost ( or just be smart and get a gt tranny). The oil and water pumps replaced, along with the idoler and tensioner pulleys for timing belt safety, ohh and a new timing belt aswell, if you have not done all this than you sould not even think of turbocharging the motor, just for safety reasons. Another thing is that the motor will put out way more power than a stock n/a and more than a gt, because of the higher comp. ratios. you can also have the block checked for problem and you can also over bore it, and get even more power. The head can be ported and polished, belive it or not, I think the p and p job is the biggest mod in power standings you can do to an n/a, considering that it is the weak spot in power for the f2. The bottem end of the f2 is very strong, in fact the guy ric from www.racingmazda.com told me that the n/a can very well hold up boost pressure, if a honda 1.8 sohc non-vetc motor can than a 2.2 f2 sure as hell can. So try it, its alway good to try, if you don't you will never know!