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1990 MX-6 needs a head gasket?

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    1990 MX-6 needs a head gasket?

    To save this MX-6 it is going to require pulling the head according to the previous owner. He said he pulled the spark plugs and got water out of the cylinders. His wife was driving it when the engine got hot so she parked it. No sign of water in the oil or oil in the coolant.

    I am trying to round up tools to pressure test the cooling system and run a compression test.

    It is going to be a daily driver, naturally aspirated with an automatic transmission.

    Any tips for crappy parts to avoid or easy mistakes to make on this car? Maybe fragile little breakable stuff you don't see until it is too late? Common problems to look for?
    1988 SOHC 5-speed Mazda 323 SE Hatchback
    1990 MX-6 (in repair)

    #2
    I own a 91 626 5 speed and it's a great car so far. Love it to death.

    To avoid **** parts, avoid dealing with unknown companies. I would recommend Rockauto as the #1 source of all your major parts required (moog, mevotech, beck/arnley, valeo, kyb, victor reinz brands, raybestos for example) then for the smaller, delicate or complicated stuff go see Mazda for factory parts (they're very reasonable for this chassis!) I've gotten odd body/interior/engine pieces from then to complete my car.

    Definitely start with a compression test though and see what your comp numbers are at, don't bother with the coolant test yet if you have to gather up parts for that, compression gauge is dirty cheap lol.
    -Jack

    ONTARIO MAZDA CLUB! Join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/500055016671733/

    91 626 LX - basically stock and pretty slow still
    http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/sho...my-GD-626-LX-)

    01 E53 3.0i - FOR SALE! pm if interested

    91 USDM Protege LX - SOLD! turbo/manifold up for sale!
    http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46606

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      #3
      I wish this one was a five-speed.

      It leaks out pressure from the cooling system. I rented a pressure tester.

      It has low compression on all four cylinders. Also has water in all four. Good news is the cylinder walls look clean where I can see them. Was told the overheat was about three weeks ago so I am hoping the rings aren't stuck.

      I ordered a Fel-Pro gasket kit. The kit has exhaust manifold gaskets but doesn't have the exhaust manifold heat shield. Does the shield form part of the seal between the head and manifold? Should I order one?

      I am hoping to pull the distributor, thermostat housing, timing belt off and pull the manifolds to the side and pull the head. Is this doable or do I have to pull it apart more?
      1988 SOHC 5-speed Mazda 323 SE Hatchback
      1990 MX-6 (in repair)

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        #4
        There should only be on gasket between the cylinder head and the exhaust manifold, some have the pre-formed upper part, and some don't by the looks of it, no difference on function, just looks really.

        Careful when removing the exhaust manifold though, the F2 apparently has issues pulling threads out...so my advise would be to LIGHTLY tighten all the nuts before you go removing them. That and PB blaster are your best friends.

        Also you will want to take a straight edge and feeler gauges to the head to make sure it's not warped from overheating as it is aluminum lol.

        Good luck and keep us posted!
        -Jack

        ONTARIO MAZDA CLUB! Join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/500055016671733/

        91 626 LX - basically stock and pretty slow still
        http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/sho...my-GD-626-LX-)

        01 E53 3.0i - FOR SALE! pm if interested

        91 USDM Protege LX - SOLD! turbo/manifold up for sale!
        http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46606

        Comment


          #5
          Slow going but I almost have the head off. I crushed the nut on the EGR pipe and have to buy a new pipe, going well otherwise.
          1988 SOHC 5-speed Mazda 323 SE Hatchback
          1990 MX-6 (in repair)

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