37 replies to this topic

[Turbo Cary]

Recently picked up a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 from an ex coworker for 800 dollars. 2.3l turbo 6 speed manual transmission. Stock they have decent power and torque.

The car originally was traded into my dealership with a blown engine. Sat around for a few months until they decided they weren't going to put a motor in it or try and flip it at auction. My co worker had picked it up for around 2k dollars. Didnt do anything on the car for a year and a half then calls me out of the blue. Says "You want this thing or not? Give me 800 and I will tow it to your house."

I blue booked the car, value is around 7-10k in good condition. Body is straight, few scratches and the interior needs detailing. Sure why not. The car already has a 3" TurboXS exhaust and downpipe, AEM intake, 3 port boost solenoid and I'm sure it has been tuned to some extent. The engine threw a rod so I am not sure the quality of tune or if the PO went ham on some boost causing it to blow.

Either way I got another complete engine for 2100 dollars. So far around 3k in the hole which isnt horrible. The motor I got already has a Damond Motorsports PCV/catch can plate and an EGR delete plate. I'm going to do a basic reseal of the pan and rear main as well as any other hard to reach components.

I'll upload some pictures soon.

[Turbo Cary]

And of course my helper Lola. She isnt doing much.

Edited by Turbo Cary, 28 July 2019 - 11:42 AM.

[tsi_tom]

That’s a lot for an engine.  Power Nation  had an episode on that car I believe.

[TexasQuest]

Fun little cars. Basically the Focus ST before the Focus ST.

[Turbo Cary]

 tsi_tom, on 28 July 2019 - 12:05 PM, said:

That’s a lot for an engine.  Power Nation  had an episode on that car I believe.

Actually it is fairly cheap. That was at cost of how much my dealership could get it for and I didn't have to pay shipping. Plus it has a warranty on it. A new long block from Mazda was 4500 our cost not including any gaskets or other things I would need. I should be able to get the car on the road for less than 3500 including the cost of the car itself.

[Preludedude]

what is the eyelet below the passenger headlight?

[Turbo Cary]

 Preludedude, on 28 July 2019 - 03:50 PM, said:

what is the eyelet below the passenger headlight?

A screw in tow hook.

[87redcat]

Get it running, flip it, dump cash into quest money pit.lol

[Preludedude]

 87redcat, on 28 July 2019 - 07:40 PM, said:

Get it running, flip it, dump cash into quest money pit.lol

he's already dumped the quest and got a miata

[Turbo Cary]

Made some progress. Motor and trans are out. Turns out cylinder 4 threw the rod through the block. When I took the trans off the engine there was about 3 inches of clutch disc powder. The PO most likely was doing dumb burnouts and blew it up.

I ordered an ACT Street Clutch, Prolite flywheel, a Cobb Access Port and a few other things. Turns out this car has an upgraded turbo on it. The stock KO4 has been machined and has a larger wheel on both the compressor/turbine.

Here are some more shots. I took the whole front end off to just pull it forward from the car. It was easier and allowed for more room. I expect to have the car together by the end of the week.

Edited by Turbo Cary, 10 August 2019 - 09:25 PM.

[Turbo Cary]

Update! I got the car running and on the road. It took me a while because I ran into a few issues. The axle seals were no good and my idiot parts department couldn't get me the right ones so I ended up finding them myself.

The car wouldn't start, it was a trade in/repo from my dealer and there was a Past time box on the ignition so they could disable it from running. Removed it and still wouldn't run. Found corrosion on the ECU connector and had to re pin it with new terminals.

The clutch line had broken at the slave. I went to the junk yard and they had a regular 5 speed mazda 3 which has the same slave but different line. I ended up splicing the two together with a compression fitting.

The car was incredibly dirty. Inside and out. Washed it at a car was but haven't done the inside. I still have to wire the wideband gauge in and mount the Accessport.

[tsi_tom]

 Turbo Cary, on 29 September 2019 - 12:19 PM, said:

The car wouldn't start, it was a trade in/repo from my dealer and there was a Past time box on the ignition so they could disable it from running. Removed it and still wouldn't run. Found corrosion on the ECU connector and had to re pin it with new terminals.

Damn!  How does that happen?  What it getting wet?  I know a Mazda I was working on had the BCM blow because the hood cable was causing a leak.

[Turbo Cary]

 tsi_tom, on 29 September 2019 - 07:41 PM, said:

Damn!  How does that happen?  What it getting wet?  I know a Mazda I was working on had the BCM blow because the hood cable was causing a leak.

The Mazda engineers and their infinite wisdom decided to put the ECU next to the battery.

I took the car for a drive and it is fast. Broke tires loose when I punched it in 3rd doing 40. I have to calibrate the wastegate solenoid because I'm over boosting. I'll get some photos soon.

[Turbo Cary]

Long time since I made an update to this but I have done quite a few things.

Turns out it only came with a 3" TurboXS downpipe and a stock exhaust that had it's resonators cut out. Basically a straight pipe. I didnt notice it at first because I never really got under the car to look. Needless to say it was insanely loud. Replaced it with a TurboXS 3" system with race pipe. No longer loud and has a nice sound to it.

Replaced the pivot shaft housing/seal for the shift linkage. It is a common problem on that style transmission. I was losing quite a bit of fluid from it and making a mess.

Installed a CX racing front mount intercooler kit. My BAT (Boost Air Temperature) was getting pretty high at idle and heat soaking badly. Now my temps are stable and hover around the 105-100 degree range and drop quickly once moving.

Replaced the BAT sensor with a higher range sensor. The BAT doubles as a MAP/IAT sensor mounted to the intake manifold. Turns out the stock one only reads to about 22 psi. Once I replaced it and calibrated the tune for the sensor the car was able to run 24 psi without issue.

After doing research for the high pressure fuel pump upgrade I'm 99 percent certain that I already have mine upgraded. The stock HPFP only goes to about 1600-1700 Psi peak pressure. I'm seeing pressures around 1900-2200 on my AP. However my next purchase will be the HPFP internals. My co worker bought a 2010 MS3 so I figure if I already have mine upgraded, I will just give him the used parts for his.

The car came with a horrible single DIN unit that someone hacked up into the harness. Bought an android style unit that fits perfectly into the location and looks factory. It has GPS, hands free calling etc.

Installed 4 new Continental tires. Went from 215/50ZR18 to 235/40ZR18. The tires were all mismatched and one of them had a slow leak. Got all 4 for 600 total so not too bad.

The LF hub bearing had been failing from the start of this project. It groaned so incredibly bad it shook the whole interior once the car hit 60mph. Got that replaced.

Other than that I have been enjoying the car. It's a decent ride and I am happy with the progress.

Edited by Turbo Cary, 28 March 2020 - 05:15 PM.

[Turbo Cary]

New update and actual pictures! Replaced the horrible turbo manifold with an upgraded one. I couldn't install the external wastegate due to needing an extension to route it properly. The car sounds nice and pulls well.

[tsi_tom]

Looks good!

[Turbo Cary]

New update. I got the external wastegate installed about a month and a half ago. The car is running well at about 22 psi currently. On Virtual Dyno it's showing around 400 wheel horsepower but I'm sure it's probably really around 350.



I also installed solid passenger side motor mount, solid torque mount, and poly transmission mount insert. The torque steer is reduced quite a bit and vibration isnt as bad as before. Here's old vs new.





Also installed Corksport solid shifter plate bushings and short throw shifter.



I could use some help identifying the compressor wheel on the turbo. It is a K04 housing but it has been machined larger.

[Turbo Cary]

Another update. On the way to work this morning I hit a piece of heat shielding or trans tunnel. I dont know what it was but it bent my intercooler. Scratched the oil filter canister cap and a hose but didnt puncture.

I was doing a 3rd gear pull onto the highway and it was at the end of the on ramp. I was looking to merge so I didnt even notice. I hit redline and shifted to 4th then heard a loud metallic noise. Thought "o crap I blew my engine" but as i slowed and let it idle i heard a dragging sound.

I ordered a new intercooler once I got to work. A Treadstone TR8. Slightly bigger than my CX racing core and I'm sure it will flow better.

[TexasQuest]

Wow you've come a long way with it. Congrats on the project success so far!

[Turbo Cary]

TexasQuest, on 15 August 2020 - 02:00 PM, said:

Wow you've come a long way with it. Congrats on the project success so far!

Thanks! I appreciate the comment. I know it's not a Conquest but I enjoy being a part of this community because the people on this site are great.