concealer404

iTrader: (3)

.... or am i?

fooger03

iTrader: (2)

A gallon of oil sitting in the bottom of your intercooler?

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Check your turbo for shaft play and oil in compressor housing and coming out of the chra behind the turbine wheel. Mine used oil when the chra was leaking into the exhaust housing.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

I can't tell from the pics, China charger?

krissetsfire

iTrader: (1)

It's very possible for a "new" or rebuilt motor to have oil consumption issues if the hone wasn't done properly or the rings weren't installed correctly. If the rings aren't seated correctly they won't work correctly.

Even though it's possible this is not your issue I am still gonig to share it because it's a good illustration for learning purposes.

holymolyitsclay

So I tried the "let off the throttle for high vacuum, cruise, then punch the throttle" method. Got a large backfire every time I did it and a puff of smoke. I guess my rings are toast?

thenuge26

iTrader: (2)

Yep, time for some forged goodness and an EFR!

flounder

smoky smoky

Go out to the driveway, startup the car and hold the rpms at 2k for about 15-20 seconds and see if smoke starts billowing out from the exhaust.

When my turbo needed rebuilding, it would smoke real bad if I did that. I was using about a quart of oil every 500 miles. After the rebuild...nothing.

holymolyitsclay

I will definitely try that. I would cry of happiness if it was just a turbo rebuild for $40 instead of my oil rings. Did you have similar symptoms that I have before rebuild? (Puff of smoke after high vacuum)

holymolyitsclay

Not a single hint of smoke holding it at 2k while sitting still. Ugh...

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Definitely don't look at the turbo as I suggested.

holymolyitsclay

I did look at it. There was no oil in the tubing at all. There is no shaft play and the turbo spins freely with my fingers.

supercooper

The Backfire is kindof irrelevant.... I backfire and blow flames and smoke out of the exhaust on a daily basis. lol

But my smoke is black. Black is typically fuel (as im sure you know) white/grey/bluish tinted smoke is more often than not, oil.

Im not too sure i would worry about the backfire, but the smoke instead... or, type of smoke that is.

But, a rebuild might be a little easier than you may think. It always helps to have someone experienced with you, but if you have all your ducks in a row, you can start on a friday night, and have it running by the time you have to get to work monday morning, so long as you dont hit very many bumps along the way.

Do you have a second vehicle you can drive?

holymolyitsclay

Took her on a back road today for some spirited driving, and I could barely breath the smell of burning oil was so bad. I was at or above 5k the entire time and there was smoke, smell, and made driving it not as enjoyable. It is without a doubt getting worse. I think I will take your all's advice on doing the pistons oil control rings, and I think I will do a full rebuild while I'm there. Who knows.

Yes, I have a second car so not a problem. A little worried about taking the motor out, though. Never had any experience with that before. I am good with everything on a car except the motors- just because I've never gotten a chance to crack into one. I guess this is a good time to start and learn something new.

Can you all recommend a rebuilding kit to me? Not really sure where to start.

I would like to make upwards of 300whp eventually.

curly

iTrader: (25)

Then you'll need aftermarket rods. The stock pistons should be fine, but forged ones wouldn't be a horrible idea if they're in the budget.

You'll obviously be changing all 3 ring sets on the pistons, not just the oil control rings. Get the block honed and cleaned. You can get it decked, but as long as the head gasket surface is clean, these cast iron blocks usually don't warp. At the same time, give the machine shop the oil pan, valve cover, oil pump, and any other metal pieces you'd like to be cleaned.

Heads can be machined elsewhere, at least in my area. I send mine to someone who does only cylinder heads. Just recently, I gave him $225, and he cleaned, compression decked, replaced the valve seals, and reground all the valves.

Don't trust any of the cleaning though. You'll need to wash each bore with a lint free cloth and some sort of degreaser multiple times, until the cloth comes back perfectly clean.

Buy ACL bearings from a local vendor on the forums here. Might I suggest TSE, and I believe you can get Manley rods from him too. Doesn't sound like you'll need the race bearings, which require more frequent oil changes.

Sealed Power rings will work fine and are available at Autozone. Sign up for their (or any other auto parts store) online mailing list, and you'll get a 20% coupon code (can be used as many times as you'd like) monthly. You can also buy their Fel-Pro gasket kits. You'll need their "head gasket set" and "lower/conversion gasket set".

Repack the oil pump*, measure and shim the relief spring if necessary.

*if a BE pump is in the budget, buy one.

Pick up a timing belt kit ($56) and water pump ($39) from 949racing. You could also get your bearings and rods from them.

Now assemble everything with a torque wrench in a clean room.

Easy as that!

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

BTW, oil leaks on newly built engines tend to come from either cam seals or rear main seals. I trust Mazda OEM for those parts. I've used others and been burned. At the very least, do the Mazda OEM rear main because that one is a PITA to change after you put the engine back in the car.

NiklasFalk

iTrader: (1)

Don't forget the front and rear of the pan, those half moon thingies need a lot of grey goo to not leak (or just plenty of grey goo and nothing else).
The rear is not that bad, it just leaks out, but the front leaks onto the pulley and gets splattered everywhere...

PaCHeKo!

Thank you Curly for that awesome reply... It made a engine rebuilder noob like me feel way better.