What did you do to your BJ?

[FE3-323]

i would say yes. with the ebrake down adjust the gear so there is ever so minor drag on the rear wheels (while each corner is jacked up) then slightly back it off/or don't. its a preference at that point. i usually leave a cunthair of drag.

[meGrimlock]

tried rear calipers again. got 2 new ones from napa.

this time around is seems to be catching. took a temperature reading with the previous calipers before/after a couple hard stops, didnt change temperature; ~100 degrees F. after the 2nd round of calipers took a temp reading again after a couple hard stops and it was ~130 degrees F.

only thing we did differently was we disconnected the battery, hoping it might reset the ABS and flush any air it might have in the unit. could've been that or just got the crapshoot with 2 bum calipers. gonna monitor it this week. from this point if there are any problems i'm bringing it to a dealer. all this cuz of a leak

word of advice: napa calipers suck. 1st pair we got, the adjustment gear had stripped teeth. theyre all painted black which looks nice and im sure helps with rust...except they also painted the bolt holes....i got 4 new bolts from home depot (m10 - 1.25 pitch x 35mm) for fear that we stripped the OEM bolts trying to install them.

[meGrimlock]

a while ago on iMazda, theman had a post about using BG109. informative description of the procedure he used. pour the BG109, run the engine for about 20 minutes at 1500 rpm (i think). drain the oil, replace the filter, pour 3 bottles of 5w-20 and run that for another 20 minutes and then drain that again. then replace the filter and oil and go about your merry way.

the sludge that comes out of the first BG109 drain is pretty nasty, smelly, and pours out like water. the product is billed as a compression restorer and i have yet to recheck the compression, as it was low but within spec the last time i checked. we'll put that claim to the test soon.

[goldstar]

Yes, BG makes an extensive line of engine cleaning products. For more information, go to:

http://www.bgprod.com/products/engineoil.html

Happy Motoring!

[meGrimlock]

just finished replacing 1 motor mount, and "fixing" another. i replaced the #3 engine mount (right side) with a mazdaspeed protege #3 mount. this is based on suggestion by theMAN in the FAQ and goldstar's testimony. the entire procedure was easy peasy however as usual the toughest part of the job was cracking the nuts and bolts. using a ton of PB Blaster multiple extensions and a 2' metal pipe for extra leverage i was able to break loose everything but it wasn't without a fight. i thought i could leave the thin metal bracket on the body and swing it out of the way but it just got in the way of removal. i couldnt get the old out and new back in without scratching up the valve cover and stretching the hoses some. but you may be more graceful than i.

after tightening all the bolts and nuts by hand, the factory service manual instructs you to torque the bolts in a particular order. its hard to explain in words so they included an illustration with the order alphabetized. similar to torqueing the lug nuts on your wheel in a star pattern.

the other mount was the #2 engine mount (front of car) which had torn. this is the 2nd mount that has broken on me. i have no clue why this always breaks on me, i dont race, i dont peel out the car...intentionally, on occasion when i am gently launching the car the front wheels will chirp but i immediately back down on the power. it has more to do with the surface and tires than me pretending to be vin diesel. and i've been babying the car since the 1st engine mount broke.

this #2 mount was the cause of my difficulty shifting the gear lever. the rubber was torn and had sunk into the gaps/voids in the rubber, tilting the engine downward and causing problems with the piston in the slave cylinder. i reused this mount but filled it with the RR-Racing polyurethane inserts. the inserts were a good fit except i had to cut one of the rubber tabs to size. for whatever reason mazda decided to have a rubber tab extend a couple cm. i'm sure it has to do with alignment and what not but the mount fits in any direction. and thanks mazda for supplying a crappy mount for our cars.

[FE3-323]

glad you came to a fix! how is the feel of the car now that the mounts are sorted again??

[meGrimlock]

when the first poly insert went into the rear motor mount, the difference was spine shockingly noticable, i assume because that mount is right up on the firewall and all the NVH got transferred into the cabin. after about a week or more it finally settled to near-oem NVH. the new mount and front inserts were even less noticable and felt about the same. of course the front mount was nicely tore up so that probably plays into the effectiveness of the insert.

that feeling you get when the engine lurches back and forth during shifting/acceleration was managed by the rear mount quite well and with the new mounts it almost wasnt there anymore. however its been 2 days now and that engine lurching is coming back ever so slightly, so i suspect the poly insert on the front is settling as well.

by the end of it, my theory is the car will feel very close to OEM but wheel hop will be much more manageable, which is all i really want anyway. as i stated in my other shifting issue thread, there are other options for a more solid mount. i'd still recommend RR-Racing even though their website is stuck in the 90s, Rafi is still in business and quick to reply.

[meGrimlock]

not sure if this warrants a separate thread or another thread has already addressed this:
the day after i did an oil change. used a 5.1 qt jug. after the drain and filter install, i poured 3 qt and decided to check the level and then top it off. i checked the level and it was at F on the dipstick. i left the engine off for another 5-10 minutes and checked again, and then today and it was still at F. the capacity is 3.7 qt, and i usually empty 4x 1 qt bottles. i usually let the drain drip for a lot longer than necessary so let as much oil out...is there another .7 qt lying around the engine somewhere, or did i do something during the above mentioned mount install that is affecting the reading on the dipstick?

[goldstar]

According to the FSM for the FS-DE engine
Engine Oil Capacity (approximate)
Total dry engine: 3.9 US qts (3.7 L)
Oil replacement: 3.5 US qts. (3.3 L)
Oil and oil filter replacement: 3.7 US qts. (3.5 L)

I don't know why the dipstick would read full if you only put in 3 qts after changing the filter (I assume the new filter was dry when you installed it?).

I don't see how the engine mounts could affect the oil level reading on the dipstick.

Happy Motoring!

[meGrimlock]

we had to jack the engine up a roughly 10mm to get the bolt thru the front mount, or else the mount and the bolt wouldnt fit. my fear is after that and installing the new side motor mount maybe the engine is raised or tilted too far another way? i'll keep monitoring but curious because other than that anomaly everything else seems ok.

[goldstar]

New Front Brakes

Replaced my front brakes with Power Slot slotted rotors and Hawk brake pads.

[FE3-323]

i love powerslot rotors! did you buy the cryotreated version?

[goldstar]

No, I had been thinking of buying the cryotreated rotors but concluded that the regular ones would be adequate for my purposes. Yes, they really are a great product.

Happy Motoring!

[goldstar]

Engine Oil and Filter Change

I had a free day today so I decided to change my engine oil and filter. First, it was off to the local speed shop where I bought 4 quarts of Red Line SAE 5W-30.
Cost:
4 qts Red Line @ US $10.95 ea. = $43.80
State theft = $3.07
Total = $46.87

Next, I drove to my local, friendly Mazda dealer to buy an oil filter, part # G6Y0-14-302-P1 (the longer length 626 V6 type). Incredibly, the dealer had none in stock and offered to order one to be in tomorrow morning. As I needed to change the oil today, I declined and returned home to my local PEP BOYS where they maintain a supermarket of oil filters. With trepidation, since I never used anything but a Mazda filter in the Protege before, I selected a Mobil 1 type because it consistently gets good reviews. The Mobil 1 filter medium is constructed of a blend of synthetic and natural fibers and is said to have a long life suitable for extended interval oil changes made possible by synthetic oil. I purchased part # M1-110 as this is the model listed to fit the 626 V6.

Cost:
Mobil 1 oil fiter = US $13.99
State theft = 98 cents
Total $14.97

Grand total (oil + filter) = US $61.84

BTW, PEP BOYS had the new Purolator synthetic media oil filters in stock - first time I've seen them - and yes they had one for the Protege and the 626 V6.

The Red Line oil is recommended for ILSAC GF-5 and is API rated SN/SM/SL/SJ/CF. Right up to date is the nectar of the gods.

Happy Motoring!

Comparison of OEM with Mobil 1

[firelizard]

Wrote it off and bought a GS300.

Sort of sad, sort of glad. Looks like I'm out of the Protege game for a while, unless I pick up another cheap one to turn into a corner carving beater.