94RX74me

Hi guys,

I'm getting ready to order/install a new engine in my 94 RX7. I'm trying to think of everything I need so I can order it all at once. Here's the list I have thus far:
Exhaust gaskets
Intake gaskets
Turbo gaskets
Lower Intake Manifold Gasket
Upper Intake Manifold Gasket
Oil Metering Pump O-ring
Oil Level Sensor O-ring
Oil Neck O-ring
Water Pump Housing Gasket
Water Pump Gasket
Upper radiator hose
Lower radiator hose
Alternator & air pump belt
Power steering/AC belt
Air filter
Oil filter
Clutch
Antifreeze (9.2 quarts 50/50)
Motor oil (3.9 quarts)
Manual Transmission Oil 75W-90 (2.6 quarts)

Any constructive input would be appreciated.

kensin

iTrader: (22)

i highly recommend new engine harness and new charge harness

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil. Spray the exhaust bolts a few hours before if you can.

Flashlight, mechanic's inspection mirror, and mechanic's magnet tool. Hope you won't need them.

Lots of strong (freezer) ziplock bags, plus masking tape & permanent marker so you can bag & label all the hardware you'll remove. This is especially helpful if you have another person helping with the reinstall. Even if they're not familiar with the car, you can tell them which bag of hardware goes with the intercooler / airbox, and which bag goes with the throttle body / upper intake manifold. Cardboard boxes for storing parts, it can be helpful to stack things vertically to avoid tons of clutter on the floor or workspace area. If you somehow have more helpers than you need, get them some cleaning supplies (simple green, shop rags, gloves) and let them help with degreasing simple parts they aren't likely to break.

Long pliers and/or angled pliers for squeezing tricky hose clamps, and pliers with circular ends for helping remove tricky hoses like fuel lines.


Load-leveler attachment for the engine hoist / cherry picker. Double-check the lift points are still on the engine, some people remove them because of looks and weight. Also be sure you can get the car high enough off the ground if you're planning to remove the engine & trans together before separating them. I was lucky enough to have access to a lift, I think we lifted the chassis about 1-2 feet off the ground to get the right angle.

Powerful impact gun, and correct size socket if you need to remove the flywheel. Without a powerful impact gun, you'll need a flywheel stopper and very large breaker bar. Also should use some threadlocker when reinstalling the flywheel nut. Clutch Installation

I had my flywheel resurfaced, it wasn't expensive. You might need to warn the shop that it's a dual-plane flywheel, not just a single plane. I don't know how common or rare that is (also not sure I'm using the correct term for it), but I've seen it mentioned here on the forum it so I assume not everyone is familiar. The shop I used said it was no problem for them.

Spare pilot bearing and puller tool, in case you smash the original while aligning the transmission and engine. Relatively cheap insurance if you're on a tight time schedule.

New coolant lines for the stock twin turbos. The originals get pretty hot, and it's a good while-you're-in-there thing to swap out. Also new engine-to-throttle coolant line, the one that connects to the rear iron is really tough to access with the engine in the car.

New Rear Main Seal and rear stationary gear O-ring, if you're installing a used engine. These are cheap enough that I cursed myself the entire time I was pulling the transmission to replace the old ones that leaked after I had just swapped in a used engine. Pulling the rear stationary gear sounds scary, but an experienced friend helped me and he made it look really easy.


It's been about 10 years, but I think it took me one long (13+ hours) day to go from a running car to removed engine & trans. I did most of that myself, with occasional help from experienced mechanics when I was ready to remove the driveshaft, pull the engine, etc. I didn't track exactly how long it took to transfer parts to the new engine, or reinstall it... it was probably longer than removing but I split it up across a few different days.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Label and take pictures of EVERYTHING. What seems obvious today won't in a few months when you put the motor back in.

Rotary Resurrection has a good step by step how-to on removing the engine.

Try to remove as much of the engine as possible in one piece. I've seen guys spend hours removing all the manifolds, turbos, etc. while the engine is in the car. This is SO much easier to do when it's out of the car. Also, if you don't have an engine stand and Pineapple engine stand adapter, get it. Working on the engine on the stand is a joy, so easy to get to everything, you can flip it upside-down to install the oil pan, and it's very safe and sturdy. I use a cheap 3-wheel Harbor Freight stand with the Pineapple adapter.

Good luck!
Dale

AE_Racer

iTrader: (1)

As scotty305 mentioned, I would definitely replace the coolant lines if they haven't been done recently. I had to do those turbo coolant lines and the rear housing to throttle body hose in the car. It was a huge pain. I ended up buying 3 different types of needle nose pliers before I found a set that would get into those clamps on the turbo lines and even then it was a struggle. You should be able to replace every coolant hose under the hood with OEM Mazda for less than $250 or so. I know that's adding up to your already very expensive list, but it's worth it. My indication to change them was a heater hose exploding on me, leaving me stranded on the side of the road.. Luckily I saw indication of it quick and was able to shut it down without any damage.

teebeekay

iTrader: (4)

What I like doing is using cheap fold top sandwich baggies and zip ties to manage all the bolts. All the hardware for a part gets bagged and then zip tied to the part. When you install all you do is grab the part with the bag attached. No labeling and no photos necessary.

If you don't want to get an engine stand/adapter I've done all my swaps fine by setting the engine on a 5 gallon bucket. Once you get most the accessories off all you need is a friend to help lift the keg onto the bucket.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

For years I used 2 sawhorses and a piece of plywood. I had holes drilled in the plywood that the front of the E-shaft and the front studs could fit through so I could sit the front iron face-down on the plywood to build/stack the engine, then pick it up and set it on the plywood "table" and attach other stuff to it.

Does it work? Yes. But doing it on a proper engine stand is a HUGE difference. Not having the engine swaying from a hoist, being able to easily and safely get to all sides of the engine, and the big one is flipping the engine upside-down to install the oil pan.

I think we're getting a little off-topic, the big thing OP was curious on was consumables and what is necessary when swapping a motor.

When I do a rebuild, I break the process into 4 stages. If things go well I get everything done in a month, 4 weekends.

Stage 1 - remove engine and fully break down to the rotors. Do a REALLY basic clean on some parts to see what is good and what isn't good. Have a notebook handy and document what parts you need - gaskets, bolts/studs, water hoses, etc. Get all the parts ordered.

Stage 2 - clean and inspect. Clean EVERYTHING, inspect things, check everything out. Will probably discover some other odds and ends to order.

Stage 3 - assemble. I typically spend a morning putting the rotors together and clearancing side seals, then get all the components out and get the motor stacked. Then start assembling the long block - manifolds, turbos, clutch, etc.

Stage 4 - motor in. I like to have as much assembled on the long block as possible, When it's in the car, it's just bolting the motor down and attaching the things that connect it to the car's systems.

Anyhow, the big takeaway here is every car and engine swap is going to be a little different. If a previous owner just replaced all the coolant hoses and they are in great shape, no sense buying a whole 'nuther set. Same goes for gaskets, a lot of the metal gaskets last a very long time with multiple uses and there's no need to buy new ones.

You also need to be prepared to stop and either learn more about something or order parts. If something isn't fitting right, stop and look it up. If you are close to having things together and break a solenoid, stop and get one coming. Trying to rush through it or hack together parts from some junk from the Help! aisle at AutoZone is going to lead to problems. The FD doesn't tolerate sloppy workmanship.

You also have to make a limit to "while you are in there" stuff. "While I'm in here, let's get that down pipe ceramic coated. And paint the engine housings. Hey, let's repaint the engine bay. Oooh, these twins have cracks, let's get a single turbo!" This can lead to either an out-of-control budget or a project that stalls and never gets done to be sold in 5 years as a rusted out parts car. It's happened MANY times. Keep things within a realistic grasp of your skills and budget. Don't cheap out, but you also don't need to fork a fortune into it.

Dale

Blk 93

If your new engine is from a rebuilder, please disregard the following.
But if by "new engine", you mean a 0 mile Mazda shortblock, many (from the mid to late 2000's at least) were tested by Mazda techs in Japan after builds without the use of 50/50 coolant, and lower coolant passages became clogged to varying degrees with rust ... and resulting overheat issues.
Yes, blocks were drained before storage, but by design, it's impossible to get all coolant out, which is why using only water for testing was extremely short sighted of Mazda techs.
If bought from Mazda, (depending on purchase date of course), I would recommend flushing it using 50/50 coolant before install, draining outflow into a clean white 5 gal container, preferably at an authorized Mazda service dealership. If any rust is in the bucket, ask for a refund or free rebuild.
It sounds like a hassle, but trust me doing it at home without a witness, will potentially complicate your life more than you could ever imagine.
I did all of the above on my own, at home, and although Mazda was entirely to blame for condition issues described,
Mazda USA did not stand tall, they just walked away, claiming it was not installed at an authorized Mazda repair facility, within 1 year.
I should have received that warranty info, but did not receive anything other than the block and shipping container and invoice.
I had heat issues within 1st 5 minutes of the 1st startup of the new burped short block. I had to pull, disassemble, clean and re-assemble the new block.
I still haven't re-installed it. It was clogged with rust along all bottom cooling passages, and no, it could not all have been flushed out.
It's too bad purchasers of these problem short blocks never organized to file a class action lawsuit against Mazda.
I suspect blocks installed or disassembled for port work shortly after purchase, were settled quietly, but some shortblock buyers were left high + dry.
If Mazda had any idea of the hardship caused for some unsuspecting buyers, without the benefit of local Mazda recognized rotary rebuilders, Mazda would hopefully have handled things differently. Many of the $1500 in support parts purchased for long block assembly can't be re-used. That makes the entire experience doubly infuriating, for those with empty wallets after purchase, on top of all wasted labor.
With any other car company, or shortblock, 100% of buyers would have enjoyed their car for the past 12 years, but my FD has been parked for 12 years and me out about $6000* US and 100's of hours of labor. The unused parts obviously have value, but time and effort lost pulling + installing block twice exceed that value, all because of a Mazda coverup. The 1995 block this new shortblock was supposed to replace, was entirely rust free in all cooling passages.

I sincerely hope you have better luck with your project !

94RX74me

OK, 9 months later and I am finally in a financial position where I am going to order the short block from Mazda. Based on the prior posts in this link, I have compiled the following list:

· Engine mounts (assuming they don’t come with new engine)

· Exhaust gaskets

Turbo to downpipe

Downpipe to catback

· Turbo gaskets

· Lower Intake Manifold Gasket

· Upper Intake Manifold Gasket

· Oil Metering Pump O-ring

· Oil Level Sensor O-ring

· Oil Neck O-ring

· Water Pump Housing Gasket (should not be needed as shortblock comes with water pump installed?)

· Upper radiator hose

· Lower radiator hose

· Oil lines

· Coolant lines for turbos

· Rear housing to throttle body hose

· Thermostat (does this come with new engine?)

· Spark plug wires

· Alternator & air pump belt

· Power steering/AC belt

· Fuel pulsation dampener

· Clutch (will check condition)

· Pilot bearing

· O2 sensor (car has 99,000 miles – likely needs to be replaced?)

· Air filter

· Oil filter

· Antifreeze (9.2 quarts 50/50)

· Motor oil (3.9 quarts)

· Manual Transmission Oil 75W-90 (2.6 quarts)

Reliability upgrades:

· Performance downpipe and highflow cat are both “reliability mods.” The “pre-cat” can collapse, plug the main cat, and destroy the engine.

· Upgrade the radiator

· Upgrade the intercooler

· Oil pan brace

· Silicone vacuum lines

Services:

· Resurface dual plane flywheel

· Get injectors cleaned

· Get downpipe ceramic coated

· Rebuild turbos

Other stuff

· Masking tape

· Ziplock bags

· Sharpie

· Deep creep penetrating oil

· Blue Loctite

Tools

· Powerful impact gun

· Torque wrench that shows inch pounds

I'd appreciate any additional constructive input as I am about to order the short block and the parts listed above.

TomU

iTrader: (11)

If stock, port the turbo wastegate

Also, an engine stand pan is nice to have if you plan to use a stand, unless you don't mind cleaning your garage floor

And heat check all your solenoids and actuators

RXSpeed16

iTrader: (41)

Recently went through this with a new block doing it on the cheap side with unknown condition parts. I considered part cost vs difficulty of fixing it later.
Agree with your list and my comments below.+Oil pedastal o-rings
+Fuel Injector o-rings
+Omp line crush washers. @ OMP and injector ends.
+Turbo oil and coolant line gaskets/crush washers
+Coolant hose under the throttle body and hose from water pump to hardline
+FC thermoswitch
+oil proof sealant for motor mounts
+assortment of spring clamps for coolant, turbo hoses
+small zip ties for vac lines
+Longnose pliers with straight, 45, 90 degree and hose ends
+at least 4-8 cans of carb cleaner

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Since the PPF and drive shaft are (or will be) dropped, good time to order up and change the fuel filter. IIRC Dale Clark has a thread with helpful steps. Some will recommend relocating it. I think there’s a few threads on the subject...that’s a call you can make. Personally I’ve never felt the need.

94RX74me

Thanks very much for the constructive input!!!!