Mazda MX6 2.5 V6 manual

[Mycroft Ward]

Paul S4 said:

Good to see this thread again...! It's a very good read by the way.

You mentioned that you also have a 159: which one is it? As a fellow Alfisti I am curious !

I have a 2005 156 JTDM 150 ( remapped to about 190) that I have spent an inordinate amount of money on at Autolusso Penrith in the past year to 'rust proof ' the underside, new DMF/clutch, most of front and rear suspension renewed etc etc...
The 159 would be the logical replacement but I so like my 156 ! Especially with the remap !

Thanks Paul, nice to hear that someone is reading.

Yes I'm into my Alfa's too, I've a 159 1.9 JTDm Lusso, same motor as yours I think, I've been tempted by a remap as well. It's my daily driver and is going well, on 166k now. I've done some work on it myself and had to have a bit done at the garage as well.



The last thing it needed was new rear discs and pads. The bolts were a bit of pain to get out, this car never seems to be easy to work on.


I had a 156 2.0 TS previously a few years ago and really enjoyed it, to be honest it was a much better car to drive than the 159, which feels like a bit of a barge comparitively. It looks good though... I've feared needing a DMF/clutch for mine as I know it's an expensive job, I got the car with no history but I'm guessing it must have been done previously to get to this mileage with no problems...

Edited by MX6 on Sunday 4th March 11:26

[Paul S4]

Here's mine...Not the best pic TBH !

I really like the old Teledails...they were from my previous 1.8TS 156, and I do prefer the 16's, : as the OEM GT 17's are prone to deform quite easily. I bought the car 5 years ago with 65,000 and it has now done 152,000, including a couple of Track days at Croft, and more recently a trip to Monaco for the Historic F1 Weekend. It really needs a couple of front wings and the bonnet needs a respray... but the mechanicals are more important to me as it is my main daily driver.


I am sure that you are aware of the 159 subframe issues, and if the rear suspension is anything like the 156, the damper lower cups that corrode ( I know the latter only too well when it shredded a rear tyre ). Forgive me if you know this: I thought I knew most of the Alfa issues but that last one was a surprise to me !


En Route to Monaco 2016

[Paul S4]

Forgot to mention: I had my remap done at about 90,000 miles and the clutch/DMF was done at about 150,000. I got the 'bit of both' remap ie performance & economy so not to aggressive; it's about 190BHP now, and the mpg did not change at all: I get around 42mpg week in week out on a 70 mile motorway/A road commute to Gateshead. I actually test drove a 159 JTDM 1.9 and it did feel quite heavy and less agile( but then I was used to mine !)

[Mycroft Ward]

Very nice on the teledials and similar colour to mine by the look of it (I've had loads of dark blue cars, guess that's a favourite...), my previous 156 was a pre-facelift in a charcoal colour. Good to hear you've put it to some proper use over the years.

I can't really remember what the deal is with the subframe issues, I know the one on mine looks quite nasty with corrosion now when I've been under it. Thought I could take it off and clean it up, though a replacement would be better. I've had some experience with subframe refurb's, did one on an XJ40 last time...

Edited by Mycroft Ward on Friday 19th January 12:57

[Mycroft Ward]

Paul S4 said:

Forgot to mention: I had my remap done at about 90,000 miles and the clutch/DMF was done at about 150,000. I got the 'bit of both' remap ie performance & economy so not to aggressive; it's about 190BHP now, and the mpg did not change at all: I get around 42mpg week in week out on a 70 mile motorway/A road commute to Gateshead. I actually test drove a 159 JTDM 1.9 and it did feel quite heavy and less agile( but then I was used to mine !)

That would be ideal for mine, the 150 horse feels a bit short in it. It might look into it if I hang onto the car.

I know the 159 is a somewhat bigger and heavier car, the controls feel quite heavy too so that seems to add to the feel of weight. I'm not a big fan of the 'box, it's the flakey GM M32 six speed, has quite a stiff shift to it. I had to have the bearing in it replaced last year as it started to whine, found a guy advertising on ebay up north who did the lot for a cheap price. Clutch pedal is heavy on it too.

[Mycroft Ward]

In other news, I'm looking at doing some engine mod's once I've progressed the resto stuff further. After a bit of research I found that a nice modification for the KL-DE V6 is a MAF conversion, from the standard VAF which is restrictive to airflow in the intake tract.

What's needed for this swap is an ECU, MAF and IAT sensor from a Xedos 9 2.5 V6, which has the same basic engine. The standard MX6 ECU goes into open loop fueling maps at part throttle due to the vane in the VAF being fully open, whereas the Xedos ECU and MAF will continuously monitor airflow to optimise fueling.

I've managed to aquire the ECU and MAF from a European seller for cheap on ebay, plus have bought a new IAT as they are a fiver.


In addition to this, I recently picked up a cheap ebay turbo, £83.99 shipped! It's a T3/T4 hybrid, rated for 375 brake so more than ample. Obviously there will be numerous supporting mod's required to get this running so I won't be throwing it on next week, I'm planning to keep picking up the other bits and pieces required as and when over the coming months.


I found this SARD additional injection holder, pulled from a parted out S13. It will mount a Denso injector and I'd probably weld the boss flange onto an intake elbow. I'd like to go down this extra injector route for the turbo fueling, though I'm thinking of using an FMU for starters to get things going...

Edited by Mycroft Ward on Tuesday 23 January 12:27

[Paul S4]

Mycroft Ward said:

That would be ideal for mine, the 150 horse feels a bit short in it. It might look into it if I hang onto the car.

I know the 159 is a somewhat bigger and heavier car, the controls feel quite heavy too so that seems to add to the feel of weight. I'm not a big fan of the 'box, it's the flakey GM M32 six speed, has quite a stiff shift to it. I had to have the bearing in it replaced last year as it started to whine, found a guy advertising on ebay up north who did the lot for a cheap price. Clutch pedal is heavy on it too.

May I ask who did the M32 box bearings: I have a Punto 1.9 JTDM 130 as a 'spare' car and the gearbox is getting very noisy. I know ecoTorque do an uprated modification but 1) they are at the other end of the country and 2) I don't want to spend too much on it !

[Mycroft Ward]

I used this guy, it was £270 when I had it done. Very cheap in the scheme of things, just look what some others are charging to fit you a recon 'box... He was a friendly guy, showed me the damaged bearing when it came out, plus there's even a decent pub over the road to wait in.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-6-speed-Gearbox-re...

[Paul S4]

Many thanks for the link: Halifax is not that far from me.

[Mycroft Ward]

No worries. It was quite a trek from down here in Bedfordshire but it was still very cheap even accounting for the fuel spend, so worth the trip.

[mwstewart]

Be warned about those cheap eBay turbos; unfortunately, more often than not they turn out to be a time bomb.

[Mycroft Ward]

Yes I imagine there is a bit of a risk involved in running this as you say, there are a few horror stories out there. I've also seen guys on youtube and what have you use them successfully without issue.

I'm happy to take the risk on it as it's going on a £400 car/toy and will be run on low boost, probably 5 psi for starters. It's a Toyosports item and supposedly rated for 27psi...

[Mycroft Ward]

I've finished getting the strut assemblies rebuilt, here's one looking black and shiny.


I was keen to have a look at the ride height so I chucked them back in the car and popped the wheels back on, I think it's pretty much settled at this height. Another reason for refitting the wheels and knocking out the centers is that I need to crack the nuts securing the front drive shafts, I'm going to replace all the CV boots soon. One has completely split and is throwing grease everywhere and the others look knackered too.


I took the '6 out for a spin and am pleased with how the front end feels. The ride is more compliant than I thought it would be, maybe there is a slight increase in spring rate but it doesn't feel like a big change, which is good. Having fairly chunky tyres obviously helps it ride well plus I prefer the look to low profiles. Potholes are a bit more noticeable but it didn't feel like I hit a bump stop with it so it seems like there is sufficient travel.

Edited by MX6 on Monday 5th February 12:45

[MX6]

...some more cheap ebay parts have turned up recently so I can get on with fixing some more broken stuff.

I've procured the cam cover gaskets (£13) that I need to sort out the unsightly oil leaks from the top of the motor.


I bought four stretch fit CV boots (£13.97) as one is split and has started throwing grease around the wheel arch and inside of the wheel rim, and the others look to be on their last legs.


I've also got a hold of a used bonnet release cable, from a Mazda 626 (£9.99) as the one on the car has worn through and is hanging on by a thread...

Edited by MX6 on Thursday 1st February 13:29

[MX6]

So I've got the rear springs in now, it was fairly striaght forward. The one thing that was a bit annoying is that on the off-side the bolts that secure the strut to the hub knuckle were fitted the wrong way around, such that the lower one wouldn't pass the caliper, which I had to remove so that the bolt could pass.


Access to the nuts securing the strut assembly in the towers wasn't great but not a problem really.


I'm pleased with the results, the ride is still decent and I feel that the car sits how a sporty road car should now.


The FD wheels are 1" wider than standard at 8", plus I'm running 5mm spacers for a bit more clearance to the struts and make the wheel fronts a more flush with the arches. I've seen MX6's that are lower with larger rim diameters but I'm satisfied with the 16's and a deeper tyre sidewall.


I think the height seems sensible, it's not properly low but it looks much better without the SUV ride height, feels about right to me.

Edited by MX6 on Thursday 8th February 11:01

[dannyDC2]

Nice lunchtime read that. I'm a bit young to remember these but recall seeing the odd one around when younger, one of my neighbours had one of the smaller ones with a 2.0 V6 which I always thought was odd!

Does look a lot better with the ride height drop and RX7 wheels!

[MX6]

Thanks Danny.

Well the MX6 was never that common in the UK even when new back in the day, few left now. The road tests from the time generally say that it was a decent all-rounder, but I guess it never really excelled enough to stand out in the crowded 1990's coupe market and capture a lot of sales.

The smaller version you may be thinking of is the MX3 which is a bit like a scaled down MX6 in some ways, they came with a small 1.8L displacement of pretty much the same KL V6 engine, it was the four door Xedos 6 which had a the 2.0 version of this V6 unit...

[MX6]

I've been thinking about body modifications. I've already got tackling rust and paint issues on the agenda but I'm also planning to dabble with some sporty looking appendages, picked up a few cheapy bits recently.

One thing I think the '6 could do with is a front lip, the standard bumper tucks under and is quite shallow, so the car looks a bit chin-less I think. I'm also not a big fan of the standard spoiler, it's quite a bulky/blobby shape, sits quite far forward on the boot lid and is very curved. I've thought about the spoiler delete look but think that's a bit boring, it's fun to have something sitting out back. So I was looking for something a straighter but still with a bit of shape, that would sit near the back edge of the boot lid. Also for a front lip I wanted with an interesting form but not too over-the-top.

After some lunchtime ebay browsing I found and bought these. I grabbed a rear spoiler/wing I liked the shape of, from a mk5 Escort no less (£20). I didn't want to go down the aluminium/carbon bolt-on wing route, but I quite like the race car-wannabe metal brackets, so purchased a used pair for a tenner. I may shave the three pedestals off the wing and mount it with the brackets at the edges, not sure yet. I'd paint the wing body colour and the brackets either black or a gunmetal shade to match the wheels.


The front spoiler/lip is from an MG ZR (£11), thought it could work (but mainly bought it because cheap). It would need some knife and forking to fit, it has an under-tray area that I would need to cut away so that the part was flat and could be bent around to fit the bumper.


Had a quick go at seeing how it would look. I don't like the central pedestal but the outer two could be re-profiled to mount it, would be lower and more subtle than the bracket approach I guess.

[MX6]

Just a minor update here, I've not managed to do much work on the MX6 recently due to other projects taking priority. I have been aquiring quite a few new parts, I've finally got all the parts together for the cambelt change on the MX6's KL-DE V6 engine. I'll also be replacing the water pump, two idlers, tensioner, plus the power steering and alternator drive belts. I'm trying to keep the cost of this job down to a minimum as per usual, the prices for the parts including postage were as follows:
Water pump - £19.80
Belt idler - £8.99
Belt idler - £11.11
Belt tensioner - £10.50
Power steering drive belt - £8.39
Alternator drive belt - £5.63
Cambelt - £18.99
So a total cost of £83.41 for this job. While I'm working on the engine I'm planning to do some other work I've been meaning to do including refreshing the cam cover gaskets, replacing the thermostat, and deleting off some of the gubbin in there - EGR, VRIS, ICV, and the carbon canister...



One new toy for the man cave that I'm quite excited about, I've managed to get my hands on a pit jack. My garage is a reasonable size for a single and has an inspection pit so this will be great for raising and lowering the cars in there. It's clearly oldy worldy and needs a bit of a refresh, but only cost £20 from the man in the pub so happy with that. I haven't had much of a chance to play on it or install it yet but I've had a quick go and it works nicely, has a scissor action.


I picked up some side skirts, £30 from ebay. They are fibreglass URAS replicas for a 200SX but I'll be able to knife and fork them to fit. I'm not planning to fit them any time soon as there are too many oily bits to sort out and fettle first, but I'd like to give them a try when I get bored of the OEM look and feel like messing about...



I've been changing brakes over the last couple of weekend, some very corroded Alfa front disc and pads last weekend plus the same on the girlfriends Corsa D the weekend before...

Edited by MX6 on Friday 9th March 10:21

[MX6]

I've wanted some kind of ebay backbox/zorst/fart cannon since I acquired the car, happy that I've finally procured one now. One of the reasons for buying an MX6 was for the exhaust sound, I really wanted a V6 as opposed to a 4 pot (and the MX6 is probably the cheapest V6 coupe there is if you can find one). When I first got the car it sounded cool, not particularly loud but it had a bit of sound to it. Subsequently I noticed that this was due to a rust hole in the back-box, when I replaced it and the centre section with OEM items it became much too muted and pipe 'n' slippers for my liking.




There are all sorts on ebay but I decided I wanted one in stainless because why not, and with twin tail pipes to reflect the OEM look and fit the cut-away in the rear valance, plus click-and-collect. So I found this one, twin 3" exits and came with an adjustable hanger, adapter pipe and clamp, £54.99. I'm actually very impressed with the quality for the price, it has a completely unmarked finish and the welds all look solid. It's pretty much unrestricted and straight through, there doesn't seem to be anything inside and one can see daylight through it... It should make a proper row so looking foward to waking the neighbours in the middle of the night...




I believe the diameter on the standard exhaust is 2" so I will use the adapter as the inlet of the backbox is 2.25". I may well have to buy a short bit of extension pipe to get it to sit in the correct position but let's see when I offer it up. I may buy another one of these adjustable hangers as the OEM backbox has two, this one is smaller and lighter though...



I've got quite a few parts to fit on the car now, planning to live in the garage and get a load done while my girlfriend is away for a couple of weeks over Easter. I thought I'd make something of a to-do list of work that I want/need to do to the MX6 before I start putting miles on it from spring and over the summer.

Really good clean of engine bay and under-body with pressure washer
Compression test
Cambelt change, including water pump, tensioner, idlers, and drive belts
Cam cover gasket replacement, repainted cam covers
CV boots, all 4 inner and outer boots replaced on front axle
Rust treatment and body underseal
Stainless aftermarket fart pipe fitment
EGR delete
VRIS delete
IAC delete
Carbon canister delete
Xedos 9 ECU, MAF and air temp sensor conversion
Fix rust, fill badge holes and repair paint on body
Battery relocate to boot

Edited by MX6 on Friday 9th March 11:17