hey,

I bought a 88 GXL abit ago from a junkyard Striped down $250. I was talking to a guy who know the old owner (the car has lot's of stickers and silver glitter strip down the finders) the guy I talk to is the one I bought my 87 GXL off of. now he said that the former owner of the 88 was rebuilding the car and ran out of money so he junked it but the engine is a rebuilt 0mil from madza. but looking at it the header is all rusted and so is the oil pan it's been sitting for about 1 to 2 years from what I've been told. so how can I tell if it's a rebuilt engine with out haveing to install it in the car? o did I forget to say it's in the hach area of the car hehe.


thanks.
Mage

 

i dont think u can man, unless u take the motor apart, that might be the only way, but even then only a professional can notice that.

 

IIRC beleive they have a sticker on the oil pan.

 

obviously i dont know jack ****, haha

 

If it's been sitting for more then a year or two, rebuild it regardless.. t6hngs tend to get ' sticky' when an engine has been sitting for a long time unused.

 

Are the engine housings really clean or painted? Remove the leading (lower) spark plugs and take a peek inside. The rotor should not be black and have junk on it. If its clean/somewhat shiny, its been rebuilt OR cleaned VERY well to fool you, in the past.

 

Thanks for the info, the out side is simi-clean but then it was sitting in the hach for 1 year in a junkyard dont know how it could stay lean on the out side sitting that long. I'll check the inside via the plugs like wan said

thanks again.
Mage

 

If it is a Mazda rebuild, there may be a stamping mark at the left front of the engine, near where the 'Mazda' logo is cast into the housing. It should be on top on the first housing. At least, that is where mine is.

The sticker on the oil pan may be missing or damaged. I have the sticker, but did not know it had to do with the rebuild. Many factory replacement parts have stocking stickers, so I just assumed that's what it was.

One of the other things to look for, since he may be wrong about where the rebuilt supposedly came from, is a tag or id plate that is not a Madza mark. Quite often a reputable rebuilder or one that provides a warranty will place a tag or id plate with a serial number, so they can confirm it is one of their motors if there is a problem.

Also, look at the tensioning bolts at the back of the motor. You may be able to tell if they have been removed, which would indicate the motor has been apart for some reason. Look for scrapes, gouges, slight rounding of the corners of the flats. Anything that would indicate wrench marks. If you don't find any telltales, it might mean they replaced the bolts with new ones. So, marred bolts = it's been apart, no mars = who knows?

 

Also you Better pull the dipstick and checkout the oil , then stick a battery in it and crank it over till you get some type of a compresion check ??

Sorry in the dictionary is between Sh** and Simpathy

 

I'll check that too thanks.


Mage

 

Seems you have a direct link to the guy who junked the car. Why not ask the guy you know who he is.. phone, etc. and see if he will share info on the car. He junked it and has nothing to loose by being honest with you.

 

yah, deff contact him, id rebuild anyway if i had the money, just to make sure there isnt any HP loss......

 

It's kinda hard without opening the engine, but the Mazda engines come with the gray Mazda sealant from the factory - check the "joints" to see if there is anything other than the gray sealant.&nbsp It's obvious on the oil pan too...

I would be suspicious of ANYONE claiming "0 miles" on a rebuilt engine and trying to sell it.


-Ted