BIG project 1g '89 2.2l Turbo

You should have no issues with the engine rebuild, clean the rusty block deck with scotch bright pads, clean the pistons with degreaser, pull the valves and clean them on a wire wheel on a bench grinder, lap the valves, make sure the head surface is flat and reassemble everything. You should helicoil the head stud holes for the exhaust manifold, they like to strip or break during metal expansion from heat. Coil thread inserts prevent both from happening.

As far as imports go it's about the least import Japanese car you can buy, yours was probably built in flat rock Michigan. The only way to get a 2.2L 12V F2T Turbo in Japan was to buy a Ford Probe GT built in the US.

These are very simple motors and systems to work on.
A bolt is a bolt and torque specs are torque specs.

Turbo's, look them up they work the same on every combustion engine.
The principal is when you want to make more power you have two options, increase engine displacement or increase the amount of air going into the engine. We live at 1 bar atmosphere pressure (+- 14.7 psia), If we had a sealed sphere and pressurized it with compressed air to 1 bar above atmosphere (14.7 psig) the sphere would hold twice the air it held at atmospheric pressure in the same space. Picture your mouth as an engine intake valve and your lungs as a cylinders displacement. If you took the same size breath you do at atmosphere inside the sphere at 14.7psig you would inhale twice the air. For an engine twice the air means twice the gas and twice the energy generated (power), because energy is heat twice the energy means twice as much heat will be radiated into the engine during combustion and twice the friction heat on the oil. (Different fuels (alcohol, E85, nitromethane... )can generate twice the power without twice the heat of gas, some cool cylinder temps drastically and or burn at lower temps...)


The important things with a turbo are changing the oil when or before it needs to be, once the motor oil is passed it's usable life span and starts to break down it happens really fast with the added heat generated by forced induction.
Keeping/making sure the cooling system is functioning properly and never letting the engine overheat.
There can be no air leaks between the air flow meter (bolted to air filter box) and the head where the intake manifold bolts on, not a crack in a hose, not a loose or weak hose clamp, not a vacuum hose leak, not a tiny hole in the intercooler...
Think of it as one long airtight system made up of a bunch of pieces and parts, all of it needs to remain airtight and handle pressure.

1989 Mazda MX6 GT.

Mazda Carnage said:

You should have no issues with the engine rebuild, clean the rusty block deck with scotch bright pads, clean the pistons with degreaser, pull the valves and clean them on a wire wheel on a bench grinder, lap the valves, make sure the head surface is flat and reassemble everything. You should helicoil the head stud holes for the exhaust manifold, they like to strip or break during metal expansion from heat. Coil thread inserts prevent both from happening.

As far as imports go it's about the least import Japanese car you can buy, yours was probably built in flat rock Michigan. The only way to get a 2.2L 12V F2T Turbo in Japan was to buy a Ford Probe GT built in the US.

These are very simple motors and systems to work on.
A bolt is a bolt and torque specs are torque specs.

Turbo's, look them up they work the same on every combustion engine.
The principal is when you want to make more power you have two options, increase engine displacement or increase the amount of air going into the engine. We live at 1 bar atmosphere pressure (+- 14.7 psia), If we had a sealed sphere and pressurized it with compressed air to 1 bar above atmosphere (14.7 psig) the sphere would hold twice the air it held at atmospheric pressure in the same space. Picture your mouth as an engine intake valve and your lungs as a cylinders displacement. If you took the same size breath you do at atmosphere inside the sphere at 14.7psig you would inhale twice the air. For an engine twice the air means twice the gas and twice the energy generated (power), because energy is heat twice the energy means twice as much heat will be radiated into the engine during combustion and twice the friction heat on the oil. (Different fuels (alcohol, E85, nitromethane... )can generate twice the power without twice the heat of gas, some cool cylinder temps drastically and or burn at lower temps...)


The important things with a turbo are changing the oil when or before it needs to be, once the motor oil is passed it's usable life span and starts to break down it happens really fast with the added heat generated by forced induction.
Keeping/making sure the cooling system is functioning properly and never letting the engine overheat.
There can be no air leaks between the air flow meter (bolted to air filter box) and the head where the intake manifold bolts on, not a crack in a hose, not a loose or weak hose clamp, not a vacuum hose leak, not a tiny hole in the intercooler...
Think of it as one long airtight system made up of a bunch of pieces and parts, all of it needs to remain airtight and handle pressure.

1989 Mazda MX6 GT.

Click to expand...

Wow excellent response, thank you very much for it! So my first question is, the barbarian before me that attempted the headgasket job totally ripped the whole plug out from the air flow meter and I want to replace the whole air flow meter, where would be the best option to get one from? I looked at rock auto and they have them on there, but not in stock.

Second question is turbo, I took it off to check it out and clean it up, turbine spins freely and has no grinding, anything other than cleaning it up that I can do while it's out?

Also, I'm kinda nervous to take the whole intake off because of the amount of hoses everywhere 🤣 but I kind of want/have to, any suggestions? I'm thinking different color paint pens to sorta color code them. I also don't want to break brittle connections of sorts but suppose if they're brittle they should be replaced anyways 🤔 guess I answered my question there lol but feel free to respond to that too.

jz23 said:

Wow excellent response, thank you very much for it! So my first question is, the barbarian before me that attempted the headgasket job totally ripped the whole plug out from the air flow meter and I want to replace the whole air flow meter, where would be the best option to get one from? I looked at rock auto and they have them on there, but not in stock.

Click to expand...

Do you mean the wire harness connector on the air flow meter?
If Rock auto doesn't have any F2 AFM's in stock they probably wont in the future either.
I have lots of air flow meters and would sell you one for 50$ + shipping. But I would like to confirm it's in good working order, I do have a complete 626 GT 5door that runs, the guy I rent my shop from had it running last summer and moved it, then removed the key from the ignition, it's not the right key for the car and only my ex shop partner could get it to unlock the column and start the car. The best I can do is sell you the one that's on the 5 door, if there are any issues I will ship another one at your shipping cost. I am in Canada and shipping costs add up fast, the AFM's usually don't have issues but if it gets damaged in the mail or corroded or something...

jz23 said:

Second question is turbo, I took it off to check it out and clean it up, turbine spins freely and has no grinding, anything other than cleaning it up that I can do while it's out?

Click to expand...

Yes you can replace it with a Garrett T3 45trim or larger, otherwise reinstall it as is, after cleaning it.
Try to resist spinning it, it's a sleeve bearing shaft (like the rod and crank bearings) it spins on a layer of oil acting as a hydraulic bearing, without oil pressure it's metal on metal spinning.

jz23 said:

Also, I'm kinda nervous to take the whole intake off because of the amount of hoses everywhere 🤣 but I kind of want/have to, any suggestions? I'm thinking different color paint pens to sorta color code them. I also don't want to break brittle connections of sorts but suppose if they're brittle they should be replaced anyways 🤔 guess I answered my question there lol but feel free to respond to that too.

Click to expand...

-There are 3 firewall solenoids that have vacuum lines going to them, remove them from the firewall and disconnect them from the wire harness and let them hang by the vacuum lines.
-Disconnect the rubber hose at the bottom of the charcoal canister, disconnect the firewall vacuum hose and rest the canister on the fuel rail.
-Label the vacuum hose going to the air filter box (masking tape and marker) and the vacuum hose going to the bypass valve and disconnect them at the filter and bypass valve.
-Remove the head with the intake.
-Remove the intake from the head.
-Do what you need to on the head.
-Reinstall the intake. reinstall the head.

The one thing you will have to address is the rust on the cam end, that is where the cam seal sits, if it stays as is it will burn out the seal, it you take any metal off the cam the seal will leak.
Your best bet is to get some plumbers grit cloth, rip or cut a 3/8" strip about 12" long. Loop the grit cloth flat around the cam end, spray the grit cloth with canned lubricant, hold one end in your left hand and one in your right hand, pull left to right and work it forward and backward, keep it wet with lubricant and it should polish right up. Wipe it clean and cover it in fresh oil.

Your dad is pretty cool but I don't think he knows what he bought you, although there is some assembly required you have a wolf in sheep form, Right now you have a 145hp 190ft lbs car that will get you tickets, @ 15psi boost (requires a chip and premium octane fuel) the car will make about 190hp and 250ft lbs torque, with a bigger turbo (T3 45trim or larger) and extra fuel you can make about 300hp and over 400 ft lbs torque, with stand alone and or water meth or E85 it can make (T3 60trim or larger) 400hp and close to 500ft-lbs reliably.

The only engine mod required is gaping your rings for higher boost, there are no downsides to gaping the rings more, rings seat upwards on the piston and require cylinder compression to get behind them and hold them there, some new car pistons have holes in the crowns so pressure can get behind them and seat the rings, this will not help keep the rings from locking in the cylinder during head expansion and these holes will eventually get block with carbon. Gaping the rings also makes them seat better, keeps them from locking (closing) under extreme heat and won't get blocked by carbon build up, stupid fancy engineers who never pulled a head off an old block or imagined someone would drive the car passed the oil change date. On paper it's a brilliant idea, in the ideal environment with perfect air pressure and moisture, where all gas station tanks are clean, new and moisture free, where all fuel is delivered as advertised and the oil remains like new this is a really good idea but in the real world it's a fail, especially if the rings require the piston holes to seat them.

You've already got the head off the car, that's 50% of the work involved in gaping the rings.