350,000km FE3

[sry_not4sale]

Hi guys,

Just purchased for the princely sum of $200NZ a 1989 Mazda Capella with an FE3 and 5-speed. Yet to check if it is a high comp motor or not, but damn does it go well.

I have a question tho - the car has done 350,000km - what sort of maintenance should I be doing to this engine to ensure its survival? I twill be rebuilt at some stage but I would like to put that off as long as possible...

Thanks for your help,
Aaron

[fredio54]

mate, you are still around. good to hear. nice buy :-)

clean oil and filter and 33% concentrated glycol, no more, no less.


personally i'd put in some nulon brand lifter cleaner (not other brands) to help soften the likely sludge that awaits you inside.

that and a flush before changing the oil and it should see you right.

if the plugs have been in a long time and you are going to work it hard, change them as having a porcelaine fall off will ruin your rings and bore.

an old motor is a loose one, and one with more available hp :-)

hope all else is well with you :-)

fred.

[aussiegold1]

Great score there Aaron I am envious, 350,000 km sure tells you how strong these motors are. Follow Freds tips and you will be ok. Good Luck, 200 bucks you can;t go wrong.

[fredio54]

virtually any conventional jap motor will do much higher than that if maintained. NON will tolerate an improper mix of coolant and water for more than a very short time. NON will tolerate even a moderate overheating (except cast iron head diesels). the only reasons they die are runs out of oil, runs out of coolant, gets thrashed cold, and corrodes away inside.

the bodies always die before the engine if maintenance was reasonable :-)

they are strong though. in a physical sense.

fred.

[carcenomy]

Runs out of oil? We ARE talking about Japanese cars here, right?

It's not runs out of oil, it's having oil that's never changed. Black tar-like residue left over from what was probably OEM oil doesn't lubricate much.

Active engine flushing would be the best way to go in my opinion - far better than putting a bottle of Nulon in it and adding to the ooze. Your local engine flusher is Universal Trucks in Lower Hutt.

[fredio54]

as much as i always forget that process, and it is superior, dont knock the nulon, its good sh|t indeed. jap engines run out of oil too. esp when they smoke and leak alot because of aforementioned cold thrashing and lack of changing of oil. but yes, when the only thing left of the old oil is a pile of solid carbon, the small amount of liquid left is also considered "running out" :-)

is there one of those businesses near jafa land nick? post it here if so, and i'll keep it in mind in future.

fred.

[sry_not4sale]

What sort of money am I looking at for an engine flush - and presumably they do it with the motor still in the car?

Had a closer look - FE3N cams, performance HT leads and a sports exhaust. No smoke what so ever and I believe the alt is [fizzle]ed and its making alot of noise.

Thanks for all your help so far.

[fredio54]

fe3n cams on both sides? is it a 4:1 header or 4:2:1 ? its a jap one though ey? so that sh|t all goes out the window...

alternator at your nearest pap. or rebuilt by your nearest auto sparky.

imo all leads that dont produce a miss are performance leads ;-)

fred.

[sry_not4sale]

Yup FE3N both sides... will check out the headers today sometime when it daylight. Its definately a Jap import.

Does anyone know if any other motors exhaust manifolds are close to matching up? Considering get some extractors froma similar motors and getting them modified... (have access to an engineering shop)

[fredio54]

the stock exhausts are both quite nice. i wouldnt bother if i were you unless you cam up aswell.

fred.

[sry_not4sale]

Forgot to check headers... looking for some FE5n cams - will I need a different spec engine management computer to utilise them best? If so what code am I looking for?

Picked up another capella for free, exactly same from the outside, but had an FE 12v and auto. Has mint versions of all the not so perfect panels on mine, and an almost spotless black interior (mine is brown). Alternator should bolt right up too as mine is stuffed.

[aussiegold1]

Lucky lad Aaron, nothing like being in the right place at the right time.....:>) I would have thought a stand - alone system would be the best way to utilise the cams to maximise performance.

I cannot wait to get my motor out and check out the cams etc, FE5n's would be nice, though will settle for 3's if I have to. Finally stopped raining here, engine hoist due Friday night, so Saturday looks like the day to finally get it out and onto an engine stand to start the strip down.

Barry

[fredio54]

no such thing as fe5n, only fe5a and fe3n and the sh|tty ones...

its airflow metered, so any ecu will give it the correct performance. you will get more by richening up with ms or another standalone as its a conservative lean emmisions tune stock.

fred.

[sry_not4sale]

Given the car/motor a big service - runs alot better now! Accellerates like crazy at from 3700rpm... gets some chronic vibrations at around 6000rpm however.

Looking around for some 2nd gen struts and front seats now - and some of the grey/black interior i am missing...

[sry_not4sale]

Work done:

New plugs
New oil + filter
New air filter
New trans fluid
Begun swapping in grey interior
Swap bootlid
Swap rear struts
New brake pads
Replaced bulbs
Swap headlights
New tires
Fixed exhaust
Installed stereo

To do:

Install dr CV
Swap all four doors
Fix window wipers
Fix lights behind dash
Finish swapping interior
Get warrant / reg