It's been a few years since I started a new maintenance thread

This thread is for 'Butch' (aka Junior - which is Andy Bowen's name for it). Obviously renamed by me because I already own 'Sundance'. If you're aged about 4 and haven't seen the film, then you won't get the joke

[img]https://i.imgur.com/NgQY1aI.jpg[/img]

For the record he's a 2.0 V6 ZXi SE with the proper SE interior, including mats. The leather's in really good nick, no tears or rips that I've spotted so far, although it's very dry and needs a good clean.

Andy had him for 10 years as a long-term project and did some fantastic work, including renovating the engine bay, overhauling/rebuilding the engine and starting to add powder-coated parts. Some are fitted, some not, and I'll be sticking to that plan and fitting the rest in due course.

At the moment the car is at my parents' place while I sort out Sundance for an early March MOT. Subject to life's usual curveballs, the plan is then to take Sundance off the road so I can completely overhaul him (no, that doesn't include lowering ), and then I can use the V6 in the meantime.

Unfortunately, at the moment Butch's battery is flat (hopefully just cold weather + alarm drain + me not turning it over for 3 weeks), and also there's no power steering, as Andy took it off as part of his ongoing modding plan. I have all the parts, however, and it's going back on ASAP as I found it extremely difficult to manoeuvre, and I wouldn't like to try to get out of a tight spot in a traffic emergency without it.

I'm planning to refit the PAS next weekend, but as the pump should be sited on the back of the engine, and the engine is currently in the car ...

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8h9tXxW.jpg[/img]

... I might have an interesting job on my hands. I gather it also involves having to remove the other belt, as the PAS belt runs underneath it

[b]Someone please post some photos of a V6 engine bay with the PAS in situ !![/b] If anyone's done this job before or replaced a PAS pump or whatever, please tell me how it's done, what problems you encountered, etc. I've never worked on a V6 engine before, and I'll have nobody on hand to help me, so I need all the advice I can get.

Thanks guys -

S

Be a man and run without power steering

Looks like a tidy piece! Shame you're not bringing it on track at Silverstone, you'd have enjoyed it!

Good purchase

[quote="HughieW"]Be a man and run without power steering [/quote]

I'm happy to sacrifice "manliness" if it means I don't need a gym workout before I get in the car

It will look superb when I've spring-cleaned the interior and given it a polish. There are one or two minor bodywork dings, the mirror covers need attention, and the bumper has a crack, but that's just cosmetic stuff. Ultimately I might get the bumpers resprayed / replace the front one. Oh, and new wheels ... but that's on the shopping list

I am sorely tempted to take it on the track, but probably not this year. Maybe expect me in 2019

S

Wow...she's a beaut Serena!

that SE interior looks well lush, good find! Will be good to see her in the flesh at Japfest...

Steering on these can be heavy at the best of times nevermind without PAS... bet you see a difference in your arms already...lol

I will try and get some pictures up of the pump in situ...might have to wait til the snow clears though... !!

[quote="SerenaJ"]I am sorely tempted to take it on the track, but probably not this year. Maybe expect me in 2019

S[/quote]

go on Serena.....you know you want to! Andy will be on track so there's 1 guaranteed overtake for you XD

I need to get the PAS back on Butch ASAP - hopefully this weekend if the weather holds up - I [b]desperately[/b] need a photo of someone's V6 engine bay please, with a close-up on the PAS setup, and how it's connected up.

Also, how does the pump connect to the car electrics? There's no cable on the pump or anywhere to plug one in, is there something on the engine that fits into the pump when it's bolted back on? Or is the pump operated by the action of the PAS belt?

Cheers -

S

I can help only with this:
http://mazdaepc.com/parts/323F/AEBM02/W1/3240%20B/

I can't get at my BA to help with this Serena sorry I do remember us taking the pump off the engine and leaving it in the bay when we did the KF to Kl swap though :/

If I remember rightly, there's one single wire going to the PS pump, with one single spade connector on it, but I believe that's simply a variable ground based on the speedometer, to stiffen up the steering at higher speed Otherwise I believe it's purely mechanical/hydraulic. That EPC link from maZZda is helpful though, it's fiddly but it does show the plumbing! If you trace the line from the reservoir, through the cooler, to the rack, to the pump, back to the reservoir using the Y and Z circled letters

EDIT: And yep Lee is right, we lifted the engine, unbolted the pump, and left it in the car, but that wasn't for logistical reasons - it was more to save the messy job of draining, refilling and bleeding the power steering system

It should be possible to fit the pump with the engine in place, though you MIGHT find you need to remove the exhaust manifold to get enough space!

[quote="SerenaJ"]
Also, how does the pump connect to the car electrics? There's no cable on the pump or anywhere to plug one in, is there something on the engine that fits into the pump when it's bolted back on? Or is the pump operated by the action of the PAS belt?

Cheers -

S[/quote]

Hi Serena, Looking at the exploded picture posted by Mazzda there is a steering pressure sensor with a wire going to/from it (number 32-230). Everything else is driven by the pulley, as far as I know.
.

Have tried to but very difficult to get a camera with detail down there!



[youtube]rKEhPnLqPDo[/youtube]

Hope it's of some help

Thanks Lee, Hughie, Jinglebells!

Steve - great stuff, everything helps, thank you! I will let you know if I need anything else. That vid might be really useful actually, if you have time!

S

[url=http://s349.photobucket.com/user/brucey76/media/DSC_0016_zpsnn9x3tce.jpg.html][img]http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q400/brucey76/DSC_0016_zpsnn9x3tce.jpg[/img][/url]

left hand drive diagram but i'm sure you get the picture.

[url=http://s349.photobucket.com/user/brucey76/media/DSC_0018_zpscdzuc9sr.jpg.html][img]http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q400/brucey76/DSC_0018_zpscdzuc9sr.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=http://s349.photobucket.com/user/brucey76/media/DSC_0017_zpsnoj5vkzm.jpg.html][img]http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q400/brucey76/DSC_0017_zpsnoj5vkzm.jpg[/img][/url]

[url=http://s349.photobucket.com/user/brucey76/media/DSC_0019_1_zpsvtjqp0a5.jpg.html][img]http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q400/brucey76/DSC_0019_1_zpsvtjqp0a5.jpg[/img][/url]

Make sure to loosen the 17mm nut on both tensioners and spray wd40 on the tensioner adjuster screws. I've snapped 3 brackets due to the screw threads being too rusty

Cheers Brucey - but Photobucket is a dead loss these days Try uploading the images to Imgur? It's free.

S

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Chilton-Repair ... 0011.m1850 very handy amercan haynes manual. covers the v6 engine electrics vacuum etc just the steering wheel on wrong side lol

[quote="brucey76"]very handy amercan haynes manual. covers the v6 engine electrics vacuum etc just the steering wheel on wrong side lol[/quote]

EXCELLENT - buying a copy!

S

Happy to report that after a recharge Butch's battery is now up and running again, and the multimeter indicated a charge of well over 12v, so it's clearly in good nick. It should be, it's only 2yrs old, but you can never rule out bad cells etc.

I'm leaning towards the alarm having drained it - Andy B says the alarm had suffered a wiring fault at some point - so I've turned it off. In fact I had no choice, because as soon as I reconnected the battery the alarm went off and refused to stop going off! The alarm is a problem for another day, though: it's MOT time in 4 weeks, although hopefully any issues will be routine.

PAS is the priority, and of course getting the washer back on for MOT, but for the second time this month snow has ruined my plans ... it will be another couple of weeks at least before I have a chance to get back up to Reading, and get the spanners out. ******* weather, it's late March FFS!

S

Just people like us(car enthusiasts) should consider a home with a medim to large garage.So it makes the work on his/hers car independant from weather.
I know your pain with weather.I live in a 6 story building with just only small basement to keep my wrenches and stuff.working on the cars outside,only small stuff that i can take in could be worked inside the basement.
Happy to hear that step by step you are going there!

yeah I feel your pain with the weather, my ze has been on the drive since june last year for rust killing and full respray, with work running 7 days a week until october wind rain and snow have made this the longest break from driving an F since I bought my 1st one back in 2011. Only good thing about it being stood so long is I can now justify the big brake upgrade as the standard milk bottle tops fitted are rustier than the angel of the north lol

The small garage only an inconvenience. I have the same- a garage I can't put the car in and a carport that doesn't cover the car with rainwater that runs through it.

The snow is only a delay. We have the other end of the stick with late March weather. Here in Oz people are losing their houses, vehicles and livelihoods today
[url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-18/victoria-bushfire-evacuation-alert/9560098]Bushfires[/url]
[url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-18/cyclone-marcus-darwin-destruction-in-pictures/9560134]Cyclone[/url]

I'm lucky. I've only got gale force winds w/ hot temps and a dust storm, few branches down here and there.

[b]Patrick[/b]

The weather calmed down enough for me to work outside on Sunday - so I refitted the missing wash bottle on the V6.

I couldn't refit the original front bottle as the engine bay has been partially smoothed and there's no longer a hole for it to poke up through the wing.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ULrMdU5.jpg[/img]

So I had to use a spare rear bottle. Front and back, spot the difference (and the sh*t condition of the ground after two lots of heavy snow and days and days of rain, meaning I can't easily work on the lawn to get any maintenance done):

[img]https://i.imgur.com/KDOzqkz.jpg[/img]

AndyB was planning to refit a custom bottle on the back firewall, so had moved the washer motor wiring there. The blue thing circled on the back wall is the earth wire tucked away on the firewall behind the various piping, the white plug has to connect to the washer motor (a small thing, built into the bottom of the wash bottle).

[img]https://i.imgur.com/XQYIJqd.jpg[/img]

I might still move the bottle there, but for the moment I just wanted it back where it should be so I can get the car through MOT. Fortunately the rear bottle fits nicely, although I will have to tidy it up by cutting off the original fixing flange which sticks up (fortunately it doesn't stop the bonnet closing). For the moment I gaffa taped it to the side of the engine bay. The problem with it being there is that it blocks access to the back of the headlight housing - so I can't change the bulb if it needs replacing - but I might use velcro as a more permanent solution, so I can temporarily take out the bottle if I need to. Here's the PAS bottle in proper position with the wash bottle nearby before I taped it on:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/HMXgNrK.jpg[/img]

Next job: re-routing the motor connector wire and earth wire back around the suspension turret.

During this process - leaning over the engine & trying to loosen off the earth wire fixed to the firewall - I dropped my 10mm spanner somewhere The car is parked on grass and too low for me to look underneath from any direction (this is another reason why I don't lower cars, folks!!) Turning the engine on & moving the car backwards wasn't an option as I didn't know where (or in what) the spanner might be lodged, so I had to look for it with a torch. When I finally spotted it leaning on the subframe at the very bottom of the car, way out of reach, I had to resort to MacGyvering a tool to get it back. Basically a piece of hooked wire on the end of a dog lead

[img]https://i.imgur.com/3YM1nfF.jpg[/img]

Spanner retrieved, I temporarily tied it to the strut bar so it didn't happen again while I completed the job ...

[img]https://i.imgur.com/5It56Nx.jpg[/img]

Wiring loosened off, I rerouted it as planned, but realised I didn't have any tubing for the wash fluid ... however when I lamented loudly to my mother that I couldn't complete the job, she disappeared into the house and to my amazement emerged with this! And it's the right gauge! Superstar!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/hml4AAF.jpg[/img]

Which resulted in this:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/jOSgisB.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/XwucgWu.jpg[/img]

The final issue, though, was finding somewhere to fix the earth wire. Andy had fastened it to a bolt on the firewall (what I was undoing when I dropped the spanner). Fortunately the PAS fluid bottle bracket was nearby, so I fastened the connector against the bottom of that bottle's retaining bolt, to complete the circuit. Note: the PAS isn't back on yet, I just put the bottle back on for this job.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/3lgUjaa.jpg[/img]

Time to put a little water in the bottle and give it a test!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZEdFO5e.jpg[/img]

Whoop! Job done

S

Great work Serena!

If I can make a suggestion: If you're going to use a Velcro-style (hook-and-loop) fix to attach the water bottle, look for the 3M "Dual lock" stuff. This is like heavy-duty/industrial Velcro, but it's identical both sides with little plastic dumbbells that interlock with each other so you don't need to worry about furring or which side's hook/loop. It's also a stronger and less flexible hold (no wobble), has a more positive lock, is still removable/reattachable, has stronger adhesive and is used in various forms to hold things like headlamp protectors on (14 years on my Mazda 3 in the Oz sun with no probs).

[b]Patrick[/b]

[quote="pitrack_1"]Great work Serena!

If I can make a suggestion: If you're going to use a Velcro-style (hook-and-loop) fix to attach the water bottle, look for the 3M "Dual lock" stuff. This is like heavy-duty/industrial Velcro, but it's identical both sides with little plastic dumbbells that interlock with each other so you don't need to worry about furring or which side's hook/loop. It's also a stronger and less flexible hold (no wobble), has a more positive lock, is still removable/reattachable, has stronger adhesive and is used in various forms to hold things like headlamp protectors on (14 years on my Mazda 3 in the Oz sun with no probs).

[b]Patrick[/b][/quote]

Brilliant, will do that! Was just going to look on eBay for velcro now

Cheers Patrick!

S

EDIT: located and bought

Over the last fortnight I've spent god knows how many hours lying under the V6, putting back the power steering, but that lengthy saga is still not complete and I still don't have a MOT So photos etc. will follow eventually. I'm still hoping to have it all done in time for Japfest, the weekend after next. If I don't, Butch won't be road legal and I'll have to take Sundance instead.

----

Meanwhile, I spent last Saturday in the borrowed corner of a workshop yard with AndyM, swapping the suspensions on our V6s. Butch had adjustable BC coilovers, which aren't much use to me as I don't intend to go on track at the moment; and Minnie had standard shocks with Spax springs. As Andy takes Minnie on track at every opportunity, we decided to swap everything over.

This meant setting up the cars side by side and methodically swapping the parts, first rear end, then front end. There was lots to do, and little time to take photos (we started at 7:30am and finished about 4pm), but mostly it was just hard physical work, rather than being technically complicated.

Working area:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/RUIkfx2.jpg[/img]

Minnie's rears waiting to go on Butch. In fact, one of these legs originally belonged to Sundance! The most awkward thing about removal/refitting was avoiding the ABS sensor wires on the hubs, they are quite fragile and can easily be caught and pulled out when the strut is moved.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/6j17weJ.jpg[/img]

We had soaked the rear droplinks on both cars with penetrating oil beforehand, so hopefully we could unbolt them rather than cutting them off. Fortunately both sets came off, so we didn't have to buy any new ones.

Tools everywhere:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZeteJEL.jpg[/img]

Time to start on the fronts. Note all the stuff thrown into the boots: later in the afternoon the weather became cloudy, and thunderstorms were forecast. Fortunately there was only a brief shower.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/hDgyf1N.jpg[/img]

At this point we had a near disaster: when we took off Minnie's offside front strut, the hub dropped and the driveshaft half-shaft partially came out. We had to grab an axle stand to support it, and stop it coming out completely. I had to support the hub for a while, while Andy crawled under the car to put the back driveshaft back, regrease the boot and seal it up. Not a nice job, and it took a while.

All done. Note the difference in the wheel drop:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/lWvfw57.jpg[/img]

Afterwards both cars had tracking done in the workshop, which is owned by a former race mechanic. Lessons in camber adjustment from a pro!

S

Great stuff Serena, I'm pleased it all went well.
Myself I'm not a fan of lowered suspension, so my BA will stay original height!