Mazda MX6 2.5 V6 manual
Discussion
I needed some new wheel centers as they didn't come with any. Measured the wheel and found the hole was 62mm so got some badgeless generic £4.99 ebay ones. May stick some Mazda logo badges on these, not sure yet.
As the RX7 wheels are 16x8" and an inch wider than the standard wheels I needed to fit a small spacer so that they would clear the rear struts by a few mm's. Had a set of 5mm ones already so dug them out and put them on, clearnace is okay with those.
I'm pleased with the wheels, I think they look great. The dark grey suits the dark blue on the car I think. I will take some better pic's once the '6 leaves the garage.
As the RX7 wheels are 16x8" and an inch wider than the standard wheels I needed to fit a small spacer so that they would clear the rear struts by a few mm's. Had a set of 5mm ones already so dug them out and put them on, clearnace is okay with those.
I'm pleased with the wheels, I think they look great. The dark grey suits the dark blue on the car I think. I will take some better pic's once the '6 leaves the garage.
Edited by mx-6 on Monday 20th February 12:41
I also adjusted the clutch pedal as they was an annoying amount of play on it. I've got a hand on the pedal to take with the slack here so you can see the gap between the green end stop and hex bolt head. Wound it out with a spanner, access wasn't the best...
I still need to adjust the throttle cable as well...
I still need to adjust the throttle cable as well...
Thanks for the comments David. The MX6 is enjoyable to drive, it doesn't weigh too much for a V6 car really at around 1.25 tons so is quite light on its feet. I'm looking forward to putting in some lowering springs and hopefully fresh dampers too in the next month, I think that will tighten up the handling nicely and be a definite improvement in appearance.
Yes it was a shame with XJ40, the reality was that the condition had detoriorated too much really. Unfortunately I wan't able to garage it so it was suffering badly from rust and ageing, and with 174k on the clock various end-of-life issues. I enjoyed owning it and keep it going for a few years and tried to keep it looking okay, but it was used and abused and was never a good example like yours is.
Yes it was a shame with XJ40, the reality was that the condition had detoriorated too much really. Unfortunately I wan't able to garage it so it was suffering badly from rust and ageing, and with 174k on the clock various end-of-life issues. I enjoyed owning it and keep it going for a few years and tried to keep it looking okay, but it was used and abused and was never a good example like yours is.
Edited by mx-6 on Wednesday 22 February 11:38
That's a very nice picture of the MX6 there, I will get some decent ones of mine once it makes it out of the garage. That's an unfortunate demise, did the washer trash a valve or two then? I will heed the warning and be very careful if/when I attempt the cover gasket change! I've seen that the leaked oil can fill up the spark plug wells and cause issues.
The rarity of MX6's now was part of the appeal of getting this car as you just don't see them any more.
I agree it's a nice mix of comfort and performance, I've seen that reviews of the time say that it's was a good all rounder, though perhaps didn't excell in any one area. Kind of in the coupe middle ground between sports car and GT maybe...
The rarity of MX6's now was part of the appeal of getting this car as you just don't see them any more.
I agree it's a nice mix of comfort and performance, I've seen that reviews of the time say that it's was a good all rounder, though perhaps didn't excell in any one area. Kind of in the coupe middle ground between sports car and GT maybe...
Nice to hear from another current owner, please do post up some pictures here I'd certainly be interested in seeing those. I dabbled with the idea of an aftermarket 'zorst but didn't really find anything that was cost effective so went for an OEM spec system, where did you get your stainless backbox from? The KL-DE V6 in these sounds the business doesn't it.
I've been having a think about replacement springs and shock recently. Coilovers don't make sense to me as there's not much choice, and the ones that are on the market cost like twice what I paid for the car, plus in my opinion they aren't great on a road car the spring rates are too high. There's quite a few established brands doing -35mm lowering springs from about £100, there doesn't seem like much to choose between them so I will probably roll a dice to determine which ones I go for...
I did come across these the other day, I've not really heard of the brand much before but it's a set of German made FK uprated dampers and springs for £280, seems a cheap price that lot.
http://www.madmotors.co.uk/lowering-kits/mazda/maz...
I've seen on the MX6 forums that some report good results with the OEM spec KYB gas dampers, "Excel-G" matched with lowering springs, they are around £50 a corner.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361516275645?_trksid=p20...
I found these super-cheap dampers as well, made by another German outfit called GH Parts. They are actually gas ones as well rather than just your standard oil filled, £56 for a pair of rears!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181870990495?_trksid=p20...
I've been having a think about replacement springs and shock recently. Coilovers don't make sense to me as there's not much choice, and the ones that are on the market cost like twice what I paid for the car, plus in my opinion they aren't great on a road car the spring rates are too high. There's quite a few established brands doing -35mm lowering springs from about £100, there doesn't seem like much to choose between them so I will probably roll a dice to determine which ones I go for...
I did come across these the other day, I've not really heard of the brand much before but it's a set of German made FK uprated dampers and springs for £280, seems a cheap price that lot.
http://www.madmotors.co.uk/lowering-kits/mazda/maz...
I've seen on the MX6 forums that some report good results with the OEM spec KYB gas dampers, "Excel-G" matched with lowering springs, they are around £50 a corner.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361516275645?_trksid=p20...
I found these super-cheap dampers as well, made by another German outfit called GH Parts. They are actually gas ones as well rather than just your standard oil filled, £56 for a pair of rears!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181870990495?_trksid=p20...
Edited by mx-6 on Thursday 2nd March 13:27
R400TVR said:
Nice machine! That's a lovely engine in those. I had an MX3 with the K8 version. I had a decat pipe and a cat-back exhaust with twin AMG tips built by Longlife for around £400. Sounded lovely as the video shows. Keep going with it, it's great to see another 90's coupe being saved. https://youtu.be/i7CcEcWRdWI
Yes they are very nice engines aren't they. I watched the video sounds good with the aftermarket exhaust that's tempting me to get a non-standard backbox for mine, though I've not had a proper drive in it with the new OEM spec sytem yet so need to see how that is...Edited by mx-6 on Thursday 2nd March 14:13
helpneededplease said:
Thanks for the coilover / spring info will have a look at those.
My back box is from a longlife company in Watford did a top job and really comes into its own over 4K revs. Loves a Tunnel!
Must get those photos taken.
Yeah get those pic's taken, and get a tunnel video with sound if you can too!My back box is from a longlife company in Watford did a top job and really comes into its own over 4K revs. Loves a Tunnel!
Must get those photos taken.
Well a little update on what I was messing with this week. When I was driving the MX6 previous and assessing what needed sorting with it I noticed that the engine felt a bit hesitant at low revs but seemed to pull well at high revs. After having a check over things in the engine bay while I was in there I noticed that there was a problem with the VAF, the vane airflow meter that these things have. This differs from a modern MAF (mass airflow meter) in that instead for having a heated wire it is mechanical with a spring loaded vane that moves in and out according to the air flowing through the meter. This movement of the vane causes a change in the signal sent to the ECU to help it determine the correct fueling for the engine.
Anyhow the issue with my VAF is that the cylindrical vane doesn't move freely so was stuck in the fully open position, so the spring wasn't forcing it back to it's starting position where it should be when the engine is off or idling. I removed the VAF from the intake piping and attempted to clean the vane with carb cleaner so that it moves freely, also tried WD40 and a light oil but this didn't improve matters. So I decided to dis-assemble the VAF so that I could remove the vane from it and sand it back to the point where it has a smooth surface and moves freely again. The plastic body of the VAF has three pieces glued together so I used a hacksaw to separate them! This was the only way I could get to the nut holding the vane in the body of the VAF. This is as far as I've got with it so far, I will hopefully complete the repair to it this weekend and get it nailed back together soon...
In other news I trial fitted the air filter and it's a good fit for the VAF intake.
Anyhow the issue with my VAF is that the cylindrical vane doesn't move freely so was stuck in the fully open position, so the spring wasn't forcing it back to it's starting position where it should be when the engine is off or idling. I removed the VAF from the intake piping and attempted to clean the vane with carb cleaner so that it moves freely, also tried WD40 and a light oil but this didn't improve matters. So I decided to dis-assemble the VAF so that I could remove the vane from it and sand it back to the point where it has a smooth surface and moves freely again. The plastic body of the VAF has three pieces glued together so I used a hacksaw to separate them! This was the only way I could get to the nut holding the vane in the body of the VAF. This is as far as I've got with it so far, I will hopefully complete the repair to it this weekend and get it nailed back together soon...
In other news I trial fitted the air filter and it's a good fit for the VAF intake.
Ha, I only just noticed that my MX6 was made Readers Car of the Week on the 24th of Feb!
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/re...
Thanks PH and Nik Attard.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/re...
Thanks PH and Nik Attard.
No major progress but a few updates none the less.
After dismantling the VAF into three parts previously I was able to get around to fixing the issue with the vane. It is spring-load and supposed to move in with airflow with the spring returning it out, but it was very sticky and not moving freely. I guess after 20 years and many heat cycles the plastic had deformed and expanded. I basically just sanded it down to the point where it moved freely.
I've re-assembled the vane into the housing now, so the next thing is to get some suitable adhesive to stick the whole VAF assembly back together.
After dismantling the VAF into three parts previously I was able to get around to fixing the issue with the vane. It is spring-load and supposed to move in with airflow with the spring returning it out, but it was very sticky and not moving freely. I guess after 20 years and many heat cycles the plastic had deformed and expanded. I basically just sanded it down to the point where it moved freely.
I've re-assembled the vane into the housing now, so the next thing is to get some suitable adhesive to stick the whole VAF assembly back together.
I deleted off the aftermarket Cobra alarm system last night. I've only one key and no alarm fob so no way of using the system, I wanted to get rid to simplify things and vanquish a potential reliability issue waiting to happen. Plus I've saved some weight 
Took a little while to pull the wiring and find where it was spliced in. The starter still spun with it disconnected, I think it was hooked into the line that swtiches on the fuel pump.
Ominous black plastic lump.
The offending wiring.
I just twisted the wires to get it working but I'll solder and heat shrink them another evening.
Fully removed and crawling it's way towards the bin.
Took a little while to pull the wiring and find where it was spliced in. The starter still spun with it disconnected, I think it was hooked into the line that swtiches on the fuel pump.
Ominous black plastic lump.
The offending wiring.
I just twisted the wires to get it working but I'll solder and heat shrink them another evening.
Fully removed and crawling it's way towards the bin.
Edited by mx-6 on Wednesday 22 March 15:04
Okay, I finally got around to re-assembling this VAF (other miscellaneous projects have been taking up my time recently, you know how it is). Having sanded down the vane so that it moved freely I was able to put it back together again, I had chopped it into three pieces so these had to be glued back together again.
I bought a strong hard plastic glue for the purpose and squeezed this liberally onto the mating surfaces. I used some special support apparatus to hold the parts firmly toether whilst the glue cured.
This VAF should be all sorted and working correctly now so I'm going to drop it back in the car shortly together with the new air filter, hoping it hangs together okay and doesn't soil the bed. I've also soldered up the wiring after ripping out the alarm now, so I can finally start it up and run it up and down the road to check everything is behaving itself...
I bought a strong hard plastic glue for the purpose and squeezed this liberally onto the mating surfaces. I used some special support apparatus to hold the parts firmly toether whilst the glue cured.
This VAF should be all sorted and working correctly now so I'm going to drop it back in the car shortly together with the new air filter, hoping it hangs together okay and doesn't soil the bed. I've also soldered up the wiring after ripping out the alarm now, so I can finally start it up and run it up and down the road to check everything is behaving itself...
Edited by mx-6 on Sunday 26th March 23:36
Another annoying fault on the car has is that the heater only worked on full, with the slider control on position four. Having had a read around online I discovered that this issue is caused by a failed blower motor resistor. The resistor element is mounted inside the blower so that it is cooled by the airflow.
I had to pull off the plastic panels under the passenger side of the dash to get at it. As there are a few different resistors with different parts numbers fitted to the MX6 I decided to pull the existing one out to check it before buying a new one, haven't found the correct one yet...
Not a particularly exciting last few posts but I'm getting there with seeing off the broken stuff, looking forward to get into some mod's and cosmetic improvements soon.
I had to pull off the plastic panels under the passenger side of the dash to get at it. As there are a few different resistors with different parts numbers fitted to the MX6 I decided to pull the existing one out to check it before buying a new one, haven't found the correct one yet...
Not a particularly exciting last few posts but I'm getting there with seeing off the broken stuff, looking forward to get into some mod's and cosmetic improvements soon.
The MX6 is now back together and it runs and drives again though still obviously a work in progress, I've had it out of the garage and on the street so please with that. I got the repaired VAF back in along with the new foam air filter last night and the engine seems to run better now at low rev's.
So to recap, the completed work done on the car so far:
new Ramair foam air filter
new cat-back OEM spec exhaust system
new RX7 16x8" wheels with 225/50R16 tyres
new wheel nuts and wheel centre badges
repaired VAF
adjusted clutch pedal
removed Cobra aftermarket alarm system
removed rear spoiler
removed front and rear badges
Jobs still in progress:
Heater resistor replacement
number plate replacement
refitment of interior trim planels
The MOT expired in February so it needs a new one, can't see they'll be any issues for that. I'm planning to book it in next month once I've finished buttoning down a few of the little outstanding bits and pieces.
Plans for what to do next:
Tidy up bodywork/paint/sort surface rust
Full service - engine oil change, plugs, etc.
fit lowering springs
Fit sporty looking black leather steering wheel in place of OEM plastic one
The ride height is too high and the standard spring rate feels a bit low. Needs a good clean, she's dusty from being sat in the garage...
So to recap, the completed work done on the car so far:
new Ramair foam air filter
new cat-back OEM spec exhaust system
new RX7 16x8" wheels with 225/50R16 tyres
new wheel nuts and wheel centre badges
repaired VAF
adjusted clutch pedal
removed Cobra aftermarket alarm system
removed rear spoiler
removed front and rear badges
Jobs still in progress:
Heater resistor replacement
number plate replacement
refitment of interior trim planels
The MOT expired in February so it needs a new one, can't see they'll be any issues for that. I'm planning to book it in next month once I've finished buttoning down a few of the little outstanding bits and pieces.
Plans for what to do next:
Tidy up bodywork/paint/sort surface rust
Full service - engine oil change, plugs, etc.
fit lowering springs
Fit sporty looking black leather steering wheel in place of OEM plastic one
The ride height is too high and the standard spring rate feels a bit low. Needs a good clean, she's dusty from being sat in the garage...
Edited by mx-6 on Friday 7th April 10:43
Another exciting update here, I know you've all been waiting with baited breath!
I got around to cleaning the '6 yesterday, for the first time since owning it, lovely weather.
The body and paint are good for a 20 year old car but I've some surface rust around the rear arches and sills to sort.
Got the new heater blower resistor fitted, a cheapo secondhand ebay one (£10) from a Mazda 626 I think. Not quite the correct part no. and is a different as can be seen but it fits in the hole and the blower works on all four levels now so satisfied with that.
I fitted the new front plate, having previously binned off the ugly plastic mounting for the old rectangle plate. Interestingly, underneath in the bumper there a recess for a square plate (must be for over-seas markets) so got one of those (£7.69) plus some new fixings.
I got around to cleaning the '6 yesterday, for the first time since owning it, lovely weather.
The body and paint are good for a 20 year old car but I've some surface rust around the rear arches and sills to sort.
Got the new heater blower resistor fitted, a cheapo secondhand ebay one (£10) from a Mazda 626 I think. Not quite the correct part no. and is a different as can be seen but it fits in the hole and the blower works on all four levels now so satisfied with that.
I fitted the new front plate, having previously binned off the ugly plastic mounting for the old rectangle plate. Interestingly, underneath in the bumper there a recess for a square plate (must be for over-seas markets) so got one of those (£7.69) plus some new fixings.
Edited by mx-6 on Monday 3rd April 16:07
The leaking cam cover gaskets seems a really common issue on the KL-DE, most old V6 Probe's and MX-6's probably need it doing. I will tackle it at some point though it's not a priority at the moment as the engine seem to be running okay. A had a look into it and it looks a bit involved, to get that back cover off you need to pull the intake manifold and other asorted gubbins. How did you find it, run into any issues?
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