DIY oil pan
09-11-2006, 09:07 PM
#1
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DIY oil pan
Finished this up a month ago. Engine (FE3 or FE-dohc 2.0) is now in the car and the car is running- albeit mechanical boost of 7psi only. Only have about 25 miles of autotuning in. Hard finding time to drive it with work being busy.
So here's what it takes to get a 4.3 quart FE3 oil sump in a Miata without modding the subframe. I went "hot rod" style with the kick outs. Started with a Kia Sportage pan that was chopped for steering rack and subframe clearance, but hung way too low.
First thing I did was mock up some cardboard kickouts with the engine/pan in the car. The started with the sheet metal.
Next was chopping the bottom of the existing sump- 1-1/2" removed. Yellow line shows the kickout location.
With kickouts tacked in place, test fit the pan using the motor mount marks on the side and a 1/8" block between the rack and pan bottom.
Ready to install after some serious leak testing. Drain and temp bungs are horizontal to reduce vulnerability. Raised the turbo oil drain stub up as high as I could get it to keep resting oil in pan away from drain exit.
So here's what it takes to get a 4.3 quart FE3 oil sump in a Miata without modding the subframe. I went "hot rod" style with the kick outs. Started with a Kia Sportage pan that was chopped for steering rack and subframe clearance, but hung way too low.
First thing I did was mock up some cardboard kickouts with the engine/pan in the car. The started with the sheet metal.
Next was chopping the bottom of the existing sump- 1-1/2" removed. Yellow line shows the kickout location.
With kickouts tacked in place, test fit the pan using the motor mount marks on the side and a 1/8" block between the rack and pan bottom.
Ready to install after some serious leak testing. Drain and temp bungs are horizontal to reduce vulnerability. Raised the turbo oil drain stub up as high as I could get it to keep resting oil in pan away from drain exit.
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09-12-2006, 09:57 AM
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Upside down it looks like a moose head. But I'm hoping nobody sees it upside down.
My cheap campbell hausfeld welder is dying after 5 years of duty, but I used my pal's harbor freight $200 115amp 110v ac welder with my wire and gas and it worked great. I can't recommend buy a welder and two of those cheap grinders (one for cutting and the other for grinding) enough. That combined with a drill and you can tackle most jobs. I lost count of how many bracket-type-things I fabricated on this project. - rob
My cheap campbell hausfeld welder is dying after 5 years of duty, but I used my pal's harbor freight $200 115amp 110v ac welder with my wire and gas and it worked great. I can't recommend buy a welder and two of those cheap grinders (one for cutting and the other for grinding) enough. That combined with a drill and you can tackle most jobs. I lost count of how many bracket-type-things I fabricated on this project. - rob
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09-12-2006, 11:08 AM
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I put it in and took it back out after 400 miles. It was a poor engine build. Cylinder walls weren't sonic tested for wall thickness on the overbore, and the main bore wasn't checked for alignment. So besides the number 1 cylinder cracking, the crank was pounding the main bearings. The good news was I could fix all the issues with that install. Sort of like debugging, only with a grinder and welder.
The engine is an FE-DOHC (or FE3) and is a drop in for the first gen Mx6 and Probe guys. It is Mazda's big block 4 cylinder- like the BP only larger - bore, stroke, ports, valves, rods, pistons, crank. The F2T crank drops in bringing displacement up to 2.2 liters, and an overbore will push it to 2.3. What I have in now is the stock 2.0 FE3. The project consisted of big stuff like motor mount adapter plates, the oil pan and a hybrid intake manifold made from the original FE3 sectioned and mated to the top half of a 1.6. Lucky me the runners lined up. The rest of the work amounted to connecting the engine to the Miata and it's associated parts/connections. That was a lot of bracket making, tubing adjustments and so on. The current trans is a Miata with B2000 front section which bolts up to the FE3. I'm using a Miata clutch/pp with a 626 flywheel and a b2000/Miata slave cylinder. As far as swaps go this was fairly simple IMO. And it's a cheap way to get displacement and strength. I'd guess I've got about $1500 in the swap (including the engine). - rob
The engine is an FE-DOHC (or FE3) and is a drop in for the first gen Mx6 and Probe guys. It is Mazda's big block 4 cylinder- like the BP only larger - bore, stroke, ports, valves, rods, pistons, crank. The F2T crank drops in bringing displacement up to 2.2 liters, and an overbore will push it to 2.3. What I have in now is the stock 2.0 FE3. The project consisted of big stuff like motor mount adapter plates, the oil pan and a hybrid intake manifold made from the original FE3 sectioned and mated to the top half of a 1.6. Lucky me the runners lined up. The rest of the work amounted to connecting the engine to the Miata and it's associated parts/connections. That was a lot of bracket making, tubing adjustments and so on. The current trans is a Miata with B2000 front section which bolts up to the FE3. I'm using a Miata clutch/pp with a 626 flywheel and a b2000/Miata slave cylinder. As far as swaps go this was fairly simple IMO. And it's a cheap way to get displacement and strength. I'd guess I've got about $1500 in the swap (including the engine). - rob
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09-12-2006, 11:29 AM
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I should add that I'm by no means a good fabricator. I consider my work adequate- it works, but it's usually ugly. To quote a fabricator on one of those tv shows, "You don't need to be a good welder, just a good grinder." 
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09-12-2006, 11:59 AM
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I think my biggest problem is a cheap 110v welder combined with my impatience of completing the project (or at least driving it). Most of the work happens on the weekend and come noon on Sunday, I was never where I thought I'd be as far as work completed. In hind sight my rushing created half my problems. I hate to continue my reference to tv, but when you see these guys doing all the test fitting, well there's a reason for it. The second time around, I installed the pan on another stripped block and I'm damn glad I did. Turns out the sump isn't square and the intake side kickout was about 3/16" too far forward, which meant no clearance to the subframe. Doh. But then I could just pull the bare block out and fix it. Nice. There's something to be said for pacing one's self on a project like this. Tunnel vision will kill ya in the long run. - rob
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09-12-2006, 04:45 PM
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Actually I've had two engines installed and running. The first one is/was the 2.3 that came apart. The one that's in there now is the 2.0- been in about three weeks, but I've only put about 30 miles on it at this point and only with mechanical boost. I've got an ebc for the link but haven't set it up. I'm losing nearly 2psi somewhere. I'm seeing about 7.5 psi post IC and that used to be very close to 9. I checked my actuator at lunch to confirm it's a 10psi and it's movement stopped right around there. So I've got a leak somewhere. It's a lot easier when the pipes just blow off. There's a pic of the current engine in the car in my VBgarage. I have lots of pics that I just haven't uploaded to my site(s). Neeed to do that. But first I have to install a soft top. - rob
There's a pic of the current engine in the car in my VBgarage. I have lots of pics that I just haven't uploaded to my site(s). Neeed to do that. But first I have to install a soft top. - rob
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09-13-2006, 08:47 AM
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My garage (circa 1925) is 80ft. from the house with only 110v. So rather than run 220v I'm going to build a new garage with 220v installed... I'll need for a bigger compressor, hvac, the welder... and a lift. 
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