Rebuilding advice?

StayFrausty said:
You grind down the piston rings to the spec you want. If you havent read through Johnnys build thread i highly suggest it, literally has everything you need to know.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I have read through it but there are a lot of posts not related to what I’m doing (casual conversation or about the transmission, etc) and the thread is so long it’s hard to know where to look :)

Isn’t the issue with the default size Manley rings that there’s too much gap already? What am I missing?
 
If I'm not mistaken all piston rings come too tight and need to be opened up. You can either get a ring filer which is about 50$ or let your shop do it. I would probably recommend you let the shop do it. There's some nuances to it such as the rings need to be filed flat and there can't be burrs and you have to grind in a certain direction.
https://www.mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?threads/setting-piston-ring-gap.8714/
Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.


Upon reading JohnnyTightlips thread I'll probably just do the same too. .020 and .024. Jay from the Real st. video said to file only one side, not both. CP recommends .004 - .008 between the rings. https://www.cp-carrillo.com/files/cp_instructionsheet_2019final-web.pdf
 
Last edited:
What is the purple stuff he uses in this video? You can see it at 5:20 and at 5:40 on the bearings.

Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.
 
Well ... I placed a few orders for most of the parts I need (including the Corksport hpfp internals and their Stage II intake). I also stopped by Harbor Freight to get their $62 engine stand.

Does anyone know off hand what size bolts to use for the engine stand?
 
You bolt it to the transmission bolt holes. On mine I used two random bolts that I took off that worked and had to get two new long bolts with washers. Btw I got the stand for like 40 bucks. The bolts were silver and could possibly be the transmission bolts. I think they were 14's. Those two thread on, but the other two are open holes without thread. So you'll prob have to go to Home depot. 20201122_015133.jpg

Here are the bolts. Two are oem( the small middle ones) all are 14mm.
bolt.jpg
 
Last edited:
In this video, around 6:20, are they just using a hose with clamps? Or is that a specialised tool?

Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.
 
Are you talking about this?1.JPG
That's a piston ring compressor. 10$ on amazon or ebay. Or you might be able to rent at Autozone. Before you do this you should have the shop manual for all the torque specs and instructions on how to do things. These videos are more like entertainment.

You need to follow steps like this:
123.JPG
There should be a shop manual somewhere.
 
drew10101010 said:
Are you talking about this?View attachment 16498
That's a piston ring compressor. 10$ on amazon or ebay. Or you might be able to rent at Autozone. Before you do this you should have the shop manual for all the torque specs and instructions on how to do things. These videos are more like entertainment.

You need to follow steps like this:
View attachment 16499
There should be a shop manual somewhere.
Click to expand...

Yes that’s it, thanks! I looked and found the same (or similar) one on Amazon.

I do have all of the shop manuals :)
 
The solid cup style piston installer is great. I use them at work on LS and Ecotec engines. Get a light amount of oil on your finger and coat the top area of the cylinder before you push them in and they will drop in smooth. Never cracked a ring using them.
 
I finally got 4 hours to work on tearing down the broken engine today. Nearly got to the point of getting it out but not quite (I have no engine hoist so I’m disassembling it in place).

Anyway, I saw another hole in the block. I’m anxious to see all of the damage once it’s out (probably Tues).

I also saw that the piston for the rod that broke was rotated and had hit the valves. The head gasket also had coolant all over it.

DC9BE5D9-2BF4-4945-83A5-AF5DACCA9FC6.jpeg
 
An update...

I had been really busy since Dec and worked on the engine in whatever time I had available. Eventually I finished building and assembling the engine as much as I was planning to before installing.

60A1A7EC-05EE-4599-B46D-E67212B62459.jpeg

It was quite a pain to fit the engine/transmission/transfer case into the engine bay and get it positioned properly for the mounts. I had left in as many parts as I could in the bay so there was very little wiggle room:

0D9FB338-2682-4A47-A05F-0F95BFF27714.jpeg


Today I finally finished hooking up everything. It runs which is great(!), though there are some snags. Various coolant leaks (I can hear sizzling) and some smoke coming from the turbo area once it warms up ... I sure hope I don’t have to disassemble too much to figure that out. Not sure what the smoke even is yet! :)

Hopefully getting it running well won’t be too much of an issue.
 
Shouldn’t be too hard to figure out where the smoke from the turbo is coming from. Only 4 possible places really :)

unless it’s just Pb blaster/wd40
 
After spending days troubleshooting some leaks, I got them down to small enough that I felt comfortable taking the car out for a drive.

Finally...!

The smoke from the turbo area is a mystery. Could be something burning off the remanufactured turbo. I’m sure it’s not any of the oil or coolant ports. The smell is not a smell I recognise.
 
Did the drive go well? And just curious if yours happened to be leaking from the hpfp area as mine is still leaking and I am currently about ready to slap a bunch of rtv on it haha
 
StreetSpeed6 said:
Did the drive go well? And just curious if yours happened to be leaking from the hpfp area as mine is still leaking and I am currently about ready to slap a bunch of rtv on it haha
Click to expand...

Yes the drive was ok. Not sure what to expect since I’ve never driven in a properly functioning Speed6.

Sorry if you’ve got a fuel leak! I had that when I bought the car and it ended up being the fuel rail pressure sensor and also where the rail attaches to the high pressure line. I had to get a replacement fuel rail (the threads were toast) and I replaced the seals.

My recent leaks were several places with the coolant. The primary one being the hose which connects to the transfer case from the turbo. That was a huge pain. There is one other coolant leak which I’m hoping only manifests with the coolant pressure tester rather than real world since I can’t find the source :) We’ll see, I’m keeping my eye on it.

My other leak was from my oil pressure sensor. It’s not in good shape and I did my best to seal it and the leak is small but still there so I’ll need a new part.
 
Last edited:
jsilva said:
Yes the drive was ok. Not sure what to expect since I’ve never driven in a properly functioning Speed6.

Sorry if you’ve got a fuel leak! I had that when I bought the car and it ended up being the fuel rail pressure sensor and also where the rail attaches to the high pressure line. I had to get a replacement fuel rail (the threads were toast) and I replaced the gaskets.

My recent leaks were several places with the coolant. The primary one being the hose which connects to the transfer case from the turbo. That was a huge pain. There is one other coolant leak which I’m hoping only manifests with the coolant pressure tester rather than real world since I can’t find the source :) We’ll see, I’m keeping my eye on it.

My other leak was from my oil pressure sensor. It’s not in good shape and I did my best to seal it and the leak is small but still there so I’ll need a new part.
Click to expand...

Gotcha.. I don't have a fuel leak but rather an oil leak there. I know normally you have to put rtv under that bearing cap or something over there and there isn't any im sure. Just been afraid of taking it off as I don't want any head troubles. Probably just going to use rtv where the cap meets the block on the side where the hpfp goes against it and call it a day and hope it stops it.
 
jsilva said:
Had my car inspected today (in PA) and it passed. So I’m pleased.
Click to expand...

There wasn't an option to DM you, so I thought I'd ask here.

Is the machine shop you went to any good? I'm in the Bristol area and I was looking for a machine shop so that I can get work done on my block for my build. How expensive were they? Do you recommend any other shops?
 
RanchShorting said:
There wasn't an option to DM you, so I thought I'd ask here.

Is the machine shop you went to any good? I'm in the Bristol area and I was looking for a machine shop so that I can get work done on my block for my build. How expensive were they? Do you recommend any other shops?
Click to expand...
PMs are tied behind post count, keeps the spam messages out you'll be able to do it soon enough :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top