Sometimes you want to just scream...

[ADaughen]

Back in February, I popped a P0011 code. Timing issue. No problem, dealership was literally right across the street (and I knew no one else that would work on my 2.3L).

They tell me I have a busted rod and they want $$$$$. I told them it sounded like valve chatter.

I take it to a family friend. He swaps some things out, sends it back. I get 50 miles down the road and it starts chattering again. P0012 code. Pretty much VVT will not engage.

I take the valve cover off, the intake cam is visibly out of alignment with the exhaust cam.

I send it back to them since it is a royal PITA to time this car.

He says the timing is fine and tells me it is the oil control valve Mazda had replaced is bad, says to come pick it up and take it back to them.

1st he leaves my keys in the tail pipe and doesn't tell me. :confused::mad: I TOLD him to leave them in the glove box. I searched the whole car and couldn't find it. I figured it's in the garage, or in his pocket still. Couldn't get a hold of him to find out where they were at. So I drive off, since I have no other ride home at this point... Yeah, keys are GONE.

2nd I'm driving my car home and the timing loosens up to the point I barely get it home. I take the valve cover back off and I can almost pull the chain off the car. :mad::mad:

So 3+ months after my car breaks, my engine STILL isn't working. GRRRRRR.

Anyone willing to look at this car? I lined the cams back up and and tightened the exhaust back down, but it is still chattering bad. I can't drive it like this.

My "loaner" is the one with the chassis mounts that are gone and a leaky gas tank (in the welder thread). :(

[ADaughen]

Now the mechanic says the keys are in his shop. :/

I guess that is one plus out of all the crap I had to deal with yesterday.

[ADaughen]

Anyone able to pick up my car, pull the head, do a valve job and get it back on the road within a month?

3rd mechanic said my valves are probably shot due to the 2nd mechanic's lack of ability to time the engine. :mad:

I had a shop that was supposed to do it, but the mechanic there isn't returning my calls.

[cstreu1026]

Give Matt at Dayton Performance (396-2946) a call. He's worked for a couple of road race teams over the years that ran imports. I am pretty sure he should be able to help you out.

[ADaughen]

Give Matt at Dayton Performance (396-2946) a call. He's worked for a couple of road race teams over the years that ran imports. I am pretty sure he should be able to help you out.


I called yesterday at 1:30 but didn't get an answer. Left a message, but didn't get a call back.

I'm going to have to find my way over there on Monday.

[Ranger50]

Damn, that blows.

How in the world can you fuck up timing an engine? I have to work on 2.4's in PT Cruisers that don't have any good way of setting timing, due to zero working room. If people saw what I have to do, they would faint.

Brian

[ADaughen]

Damn, that blows.

How in the world can you fuck up timing an engine? I have to work on 2.4's in PT Cruisers that don't have any good way of setting timing, due to zero working room. If people saw what I have to do, they would faint.

Brian


There aren't marks on the cams. You have to lock them in place when you remove the head or you're f*d. I told my mechanic that, but, like everything else, he didn't listen. :rolleyes:

[ADaughen]

Spoke to Matt today. He said he hasn't worked on one before but he said it wouldn't be too hard.

*crosses fingers*

[ADaughen]

Well, Matt said the intake cam journal was trashed. Dunno why mechanics #2 and #3 didn't see the metal filings.

[02mingryGT]

Glad to see at least your getting somewhere.

[ADaughen]

Glad to see at least your getting somewhere.

Yeah, it was looking up until I woke up this morning. Now the kid in Tampa I'm buying the head off of wants a money order because he doesn't want to wait for the check to clear, when he already has my check in hand. :eek1:

I had offered to save this guy $$ by just having my dad pick it up before he heads home next week, rather than have this guy worry about shipping it, but his dicking around is going to cost him shipping and cost me another week of waiting for my car. :mad:

[ADaughen]

Well, I finally got my head, over a week after I had expected it delivered.

Hopefully Matt can work his magic and I can get it out of his shop and back on the road where it belongs. :)

[ADaughen]

Well, the car *should* have been back in my hands Monday.

However, Matt found a problem from the first mechanic that still has to be dealt with. Big props to Matt and Dayton Performance. I'd have hated to driven off in the darn thing, only to eat another head/intake came actuator.

The block I had sourced was a "late model 2.3" and didn't have the oil feed hole from the galley to the intake cam actuator like the original. So now he is going to try to get the hole tapped and I'll be back in business soon.


Also, if you haven't stopped by recently, they have two nice new frame lifts in their bay. *Drools* What I wouldn't give to play in their shop.

[cstreu1026]

I heard about this a couple of days ago. It sounds like the Mazda 2.3 must be like the so-called modular motors the mustang.

[ADaughen]

I heard about this a couple of days ago. It sounds like the Mazda 2.3 must be like the so-called modular motors the mustang.

Yeah, it's a pretty f*d up system. Reminds me I have to let the guy I bought it off of about the difference.

[ADaughen]

Not only do the blocks have differences, the intake cams have differences. I'm crying, inside, right now. Trying to figure out WTF I'm going to do with this stupid car.

[facemelter71]

Ok,ive tried to read through this thread about 6 times now.Im still kinda confused on what your problem is.

I did a very quick search for a whole motor assembly for this Mazda-3 you have.Dont know if its an auto or not,but any way with the rate your going I would be lookin at another motor.Just an easy swap.Used Motors roughly run about 2k or so with about 50k miles on them.
If it were my car,I would have said screw it and bought another motor.

And as far as I can tell from being at Volvo,the VVT solenoid actuates the cam variable valve timing via oil passages.If it was out of time,it should have been as easy as lining the cam back up on the camshaft pulley and swapping out for a new VVT solenoid.
Some times the oil passages in these cars get clogged from nasty oil and screw the VVT up,or the VVT flat out takes a crap.
I have never torn one apart,but have seen it done on plenty of volvo engines.Which should be pretty close to yours since its a ford product with the same parts on it.
If you have any questions please feel free to gimme a hollar.Ill do my best to help in anyway I can.Also just took another look.A used head will run you about 250-400 bucks.

[ADaughen]

facemelter,

I already have replaced the block ($900), the head ($250), the intake cam gear, twice ($800), the intake cam ($50).

I got shitty advise from Mazda techs at Castrucci.
Took it to a family friend to get a second opinion. "Family friend" gave me the same advise and screwed up the engine worse. Who then told me go f* myself and take it back to the dealership.
Took it to Dayton Performance after some good advise on here, and Matt has been undoing the other guy's repair job.

I am already into the car for as much as it is worth. I can't afford another engine ($6k from Mazda, $4k from junk yard, if you can find one). I still have the original, good, short block sitting in my garage as it is.

[ADaughen]

Mazda is back home now. :)

After trying to rely on my co-workers to get me over there two days in a row... I finally got my car back.

I got it washed and I need to get the snow tires off it (tell you how long it has been gone?). Everything seems to be working OK. SO far, so good. I'm running it through it's paces though.

Thanks for suggesting the shop. I have a few more projects for them once I recover from the bill.

[NXcoupe]

thanks a lot for the business and the opportunity to serve you! I was there helping Matt get the oil delivery problem solved, we were tracing it down when we discoverd no oil hole where there should have been one. Started tracking down the info, got some good information and now you have a quiet running car. The problem was never really explained above, when the short block was replaced, it wasn't matched up with the old one and it would have easily been swapped for the correct one, since it was obvious there was a hole missing on the front. The lack of oiling caused the front cam journal saddle to self destruct and wipe out the cam as well. We get another head, turns out wrong intake cam, swap that, make final adjustments and viola! Car runs. Matt was patient and took his time trying make sure everything was right. Remember we stand behind what we do, so any problems call us. Thanks again!

[ADaughen]

thanks a lot for the business and the opportunity to serve you! I was there helping Matt get the oil delivery problem solved, we were tracing it down when we discoverd no oil hole where there should have been one. Started tracking down the info, got some good information and now you have a quiet running car. The problem was never really explained above, when the short block was replaced, it wasn't matched up with the old one and it would have easily been swapped for the correct one, since it was obvious there was a hole missing on the front. The lack of oiling caused the front cam journal saddle to self destruct and wipe out the cam as well. We get another head, turns out wrong intake cam, swap that, make final adjustments and viola! Car runs. Matt was patient and took his time trying make sure everything was right. Remember we stand behind what we do, so any problems call us. Thanks again!



It was definitely a cluster F*.

Thank you for helping him out.