Valve Cover Gasket Issue for 1994 Mazda MX-3 GS
 

Hi, I posted this in the General trouble shooting part of the board, but haven't gotten any replies. I really need ppls opinions and help with this issue. Thanks


Hi, I'm new to this board, so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong area.

I have a 94 Mazda MX-3 GS 6 cylinder DOHC, automatic. It sat for a while while some work was being done to it, so the fluids were old in the car. I drove it around a bit and then drove it around 5-miles to get my grandson and it ran perfect. When I left, the car would only "chug" it took me forever to get it moving, and when I did it seemed ok as long as it was in first gear, when it went to second, it would start chugging again and die. The car is an automatic btw. It took me forever to get it home and I'd say it died at least 10-times on the way, but it always started for me.

The next day after I had gotten it home I went out to start it and it wouldn't start, but it would crank. When it was in the shop it was at a transmission place, and they said the transmission was fine (it was another problem they had to correct) and they also gave me a new battery. So, knowing how a car can chug if it is missing I decided to check the spark plugs. In one of the spark plug wells there was a pool of oil. After talking to several people at auto parts stores or friends that are mechanics the overall opinion is that I need to replace the Valve Cover Gasket.

Ok, so here's my questions: First: Do you think that is truly the problem, if not, what do you think it is.

Second: The value cover gasket looks huge on this car (backside plugs), and very complicated to remove. Can anyone direct me to an exploded view of this so I can see just what I'm looking at when I attempted to perform this fix.

I have worked on cars and I'm very good at following diagrams and instructions from books, so I'm going to attempt the fix. Plus I'm unemployed at the moment and don't have the money to put it in the shop. I am NOT going to give this car up, I love this car when it runs correctly and my desire it to fix it up and have a very nice little sports car.

Off the subject. The wiper arms for the windshield wipers are rusted and I'd like to replace them. I can't find replacements anywhere. It can't be that hard to find wiper arms, is it? If you know of any generic ones that work, let me know.

Thanks a lot, I'm hoping to be a regular contributor in this board and learn a great deal.

Valve cover gaskets need replaced, but that isn't the problem with it running like it is. How long ago was it tuned up? I'd suggest pull a couple spark plugs, that will tell you what is a possible issue, i.e running rich ect. If it has been awhile replace plugs, and wires, as a start.

How old is the gasoline? Sounds like water in the dgas.

I got it in 2008, and I never give it a tune up or oil change (it sat for a long time because I became unemployed and eventually homeless). The gas in the car is at least 6-months old. Thanks for your input

Actually I agree with the need to replace the valve cover gasket. The oil inside the spark plug tunnels contains carbon which is an excelent electrical conductor. That is why you get tons of misfires and no-start conditions.
Try this: remove the plug boots and dry the plug wells and the boots as much as you can with shop towels. Put it back together and start it. If it starts you found your problem.

Wiperarms: I would go to a "pull-a-part and try the wiper arms of mazda protege, 626, ford escort, Kia accent, hyundai and similar small cars. Take your rusty wiperarms with you, have them marked as you go in and try to find the closest match.

It looks like you have to take the intake manifold off in order to get to the rear valve cover.
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-co...-engine-V6.jpg




This might be worth $10:
http://www.autorepairmanualdownload....-manuals.html/

Lots of great information so far, thanks a lot! In doing some research from the links you have given me, I'm even more happy to own this car. I bought it in 2008 for $1700. This is definitely a car I want to fix up and keep for many years (maybe forever).

I'll let you know how I'm doing with the repair and i'll be in touch with any additional questions. I'm glad I found this forum!

You have a gem, and I am glad you realize this.
I looked at the picture again and the angle is a bit deceiving. The rear bank should be almost a mirror image to the front bank. I don't think the intake manifold has to be removed. I am thinking the hardest part is getting to the far back bolts on the rear valve cover.

Hi, I'll be able to start on my car soon, and I appreciate all the information I have gotten so far. I bought a Chilton's Manual and $300 in parts for the car. I was already to take it on when I had chest pains and went into the hospital. I just came home yesterday after undergoing a Quadruple bypass surgery.

This will now take me a longer amount of time, and I may need more precise instructions. let me know I you are up to this challenge

Brad

Woah!!!
Quadruple bypass! No more coffee and do-nuts for you, Brad!!!

The Chilton's should be your rescue it contains the torque information you need for tightening the bolts.
Here is what I do when I take on a task that is new for me:
1. Don't count the hours. It is all about the learning.
2. have a large place to put the parts that come off. I like a sheet of styrofoam and I put the parts on it starting at the top left as if writing on a sheet of paper. Once I get to reassembly I start at the bottom and go reverse.
3. Label electrical connectors and vacuum connectors: A-A, B-B, a-a, b-b etc.
4. Have Throttle body cleaner and MAF sensor cleaner so you can clean and inspect every part before it goes back. MAF sensor cleaner is easy on plastics.
5. Have some clean rags to put over the cylinder heads to keep dirt and dust out.
6. Use plastic or wood and rags moistened with cleaners to remove all remains of the old gasket from the mating surfaces. Don't use nay metal tools for this cleaning job.

You could divide it into two separate jobs: Do the front first. The back should be the mirror image of it. However, it will be harder to get to some bolts. It should boil down to turning screws. The cover is just that: a cover.

Take your time and take breaks with fresh fruits and vitamin drinks. Your health is most important! Speedy recovery!
$300 for parts. You must have bought more than the gasket set.

Good advice and I really appreciate it.

Yes I got more than the gasket. I figured since I'm going to be in there I might as well turn it up. Got plugs, plug wires, distributor cap air filter fuel filter, air filter, etc

This might take me a while, but I have a feeling it will be a sweet ride when I'm done. I'll have to post some pictures step by step as I'm working on it

Help
 

OK, so your about to get into a job that without doing it before will take you the better part of a day, and that is granted that you have all the parts/tools/ consumables (sealants/gasket removers) required.

Doing both valve covers DOES require you to remove the Intake Manifold (IM), there is a IM stay bracket on the back side of the engine and you cannot see it until you remove the wiring harness bracket off the back off the IM. No manual shows you where it is, you have to LOOK with your hands and find it.

I decided to leave the throttle body connected to the IM and pull it all off together, hindsight being 20/20, I would of unbolted the throttle body (make sure you have a replacement gasket), and left it in the car with the hoses and wires plugged into it.

Make sure that you label every wire and vacuum line you remove. There is a hose on the back side that is part metal and has brackets; those brackets need to be unbolted from the IM in two locations.

The main locations for elec connectors to be removed is on the top rear portion where there are two 10mm bolts that hold on wiring harness offshoots for the VRIS Solenoids. The fuel lines need to be removed from the fuel rails, the vacuum line off the top that goes into the brake booster, the throttle cable needs to be unbolted in three locations and moved out of the way. The IM is bolted down via 12mm boltsand nuts 10 in total.

After you remove the IM wad up shop towels and shove them in the intake holes so you don’t drop anything inside and you need to clean that surface too,so it will prevent particles from getting in.

That’s about all I can think off atm for the valve covers, as far as the stalling in second gear, its probably your distributer. That is a symptom of a failing distributer for these cars which is quite common, usually no-start/hard-start is confirmation :). Change it with a distributor from the JunkYard ($30), you can get one off any other V6 mx-3 or V6 MX-6, v6 626, or v6 millenia as well as a v6 ford probe.

Caveat: Some off the newer 626’s have a KLG4 engine with a coil pack insteadof a distributer, these obviously are not compatible. Hope this helps.

Oh, one more thing. Since its been sitting, before you do the fuel filter I would change the strainer on the fuel pump and suck as much of the crap in your tank out you can. I was thinking about the distributer thing again, you can pull a plug and have someone turn the car over and just ground the plug to the valve cover, if you see spark I would suspect fuel pump. My MX-3 sat for 2 years and was so nasty on the inside of the tank I removed it and put a new one up there, as well as a new fuel pump and strainer, not fun.

Thanks, MazdaMech, for clarifying the process!

Np, I love these car and plan to own at least 2 more, a 94 GS like he has and a 92/93 Presso/30x/AZ3 (foreign specs of a MX-3) Bengal, If you get stuck PM me your number and I will call you.

I will do Mech. I'm recovering from the bypasses pretty well. So hard to believe it was slightly over 3-weeks ago. Think I'll be ready to tackle part of the job next week with my son's help.

You have me thinking now. I can't remember how I came up with the conclusion that I needed to replace the valve cover gasket. I have oil in one of the spark plug boots. I have bought a new distributor cap and spark plug wires along with spark plugs (of course). It would be sweet if that was all I had to do to get it running again.

When I get ready to work on it I will PM you my number.

BB

The thing is that the oil contains carbon from the combustion and carbon is an excellent conductor of electricity. In other words your brand new spark plugs will misfire.

This^^^

Tanprotege is right, if you are wanting to get this thing to 100% without causing problems in the immediate to extended future, I would change the valve cover gaskets, Intake Manifold gasket, Throttle Body Gasket, plugs, wires, the cap I would just check first honestly, the oil, coolant, fuel pump w/strainer, fuel filter, ALL the old gas, I'd bleed the brakes (pretty much pump them with the bleeder valve open unitl it comes out clear), check the pads, bleed the clutch slave cylinder (same, until clear), replace the lost brake fluid from the bleeds, take a small sanding disc to the rotors and clean them up, all four since you have a GS.

So, I noticed in another thread someone mentioned the engine codes and the "paper clip test". How do I perform the paper clip test?

Locate and open the"Diagnostic" box under the hood. It's by the firewall. The pins labelled "TEN" (which stands for "Test ENgine" by the way)and GND (ground) are the pins of interest. Make sure the ignition is OFF and use a paperclip to jumper the TEN and GND pins together. Turn on the ignition (do not start the car) and watch the CEL. After about 4-seconds, it will begin to flash any codes that may be stored. If there are no codes stored, the CEL will not flash (it will go out.)

Malfunction codes are generally 2-digit affairs although Mazda decided to get tricky. They include 2-digit codes that involve '0' (zero)as a digit. Code 02 is one example. Code 10 is another. The codes are broken into a 10s digit and a 1s digit. The 10s digit is flashed first, followed bythe 1s digit. The digits are distinguished by the length of time they flash the CEL. 10s digits flash the CEL on for 1.2-sec while 1s digits flash the CEL for 0.4-sec. Digits that are '0' (zero) flash the CEL exactly zero times.

List of codes and what they correspond to:
02 'NE2' crankshaft position sensor
03 'G' camshaft position sensor.
04 'NE1' camshaft/crankshaft position sensor
05 Knock sensor
08 Volume Air Flow sensor (VAF)
09 Coolant temperature sensor (CTS)
10 Intake air temperature sensor (IAT)
12 Throttle position sensor (TPS)
14 Barometric pressure sensor
15 LHO2S (Left Hand Oxygen Sensor) inactivation error
16 Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system
17 LHO2S inversion error
23 RHO2S inactivation error
24 RHO2S inversion error
25 Fuel pressure regulator control solenoid
26 Canister purge solenoid
28 EGR vacuum solenoid
29 EGR vent solenoid
34 Idle air control (IAC) solenoid
41 VRIS #1 solenoid
46 VRIS #2 solenoid
67 Electrical Cooling Fan Relay #2
69 Water Thermosensor (fan)

Ok, I found the TEN and the GND area and inserted a paperclip into them, but I have no idea where you read the codes at. Help!

CEL = Check Engine Light

Watch the CEL to see how many times it flashes.

a long flash means 10, a short one means 1

long +long + short +short + short=23

ok, I had code 46 which is VRIS #2 solenoid. I have no idea what that means, but I'll look it up and as always I could use your input.

Edit: So, now I know what it is, and I figure it's just something that should be replaced, right? Also, I can't find any for sale. Anyone know of a website where I might find a VRIS #2 solenoid valve?

replace or repair?

so is that the VRIS solenoid valve #2 that I need? I haven't had a change to look at it yet, I just got the code and looked it up in chiltons. I'm having a HARD time finding one on the web! When I take it out and examine it I will have a better idea. In the meantime is it the same as this?

MAZDA PROTEGE 626 MILLENIA EGR VACUUM SWITCH SOLENOID VALVE K5T49091 FS05

I do not know. I posted the video in the hope you might be able to fix the solenoids you have.

Vris
 

Tanprotege, that problem is usually caused by carelessness when removing the solenoid off the Intake Manifold. Or knobbing the backside of the IM, "looking" with your hands.

Bengal, If the code popped points to the VRIS #2 solenoid then simply try moving the actuator arm first, sometimes they stick after sitting for extended periods of time. But if not, be very careful when removing the old vacuum lines from everything, they are all going to be brittle and cause damage like you saw above if removed incorrectly. Since your going to be taking the IM off anyway, I would wait until then to remove the VRIS solenoid.

Thanks Mech/Tan, The solenoid is in one piece and I don't see any breaks. I'm going to do some more work on it today and then do the gasket on Wednesday when my son can help me. I am doing very well considering what I went through just 5 weeks ago, but not at 100% yet, and the heat can really get to me. But like you said Tan, there is no rush and just take my time and use this as a learning experience.

You both have been a great help (and I hope you continue); I really appreciate it.

BB

HELP!!!

Ok, I've got a few things done, changed fuel filter, air filter, distributor cap. Going to remove the manifold either today or tomorrow (prob today) .

However, I can not find a #2 VRIS solenoid to save my life. I'm hoping to be driving my car by the end of the week if all goes well.

I've got the overall job done, thanks especially to mazdamech. NOW, I have some antifreeze leaking from beneath the Throttle Body and I have some white smoke coming from the back of the engine. Anyone have a clue? Also, can someone remind me how to do the "paperclip test".

Thx

There should be a coolant passage that helps prevent icing of the TB and intake. Lower Intake Gasket failure?



Quoted from an older thread:
Ok the paper clip trick is when you bridge out a pin in the 17 pin dlc plug under the hood. It will not work for OBD-II, sadly you will have to connect it to a diagnostic tool.

UNCLE!!!!!!!!!!!

haven't been on for a while, still working on my car.


I found in a repair manual how to adjust the timing by rotating the distributor cap, and then fine turning it using a timing light. The instructions for rotating the cap was: Losen bolt, rotate cap until engine runs smoothly. Anyone guess what's wrong with this? Losen BOLT! it actually has 2-bolts. So I losen the one bolt and it wouldn't rotate. The car is 20-years old on so I thought it was just stuck so I took a ratchet extension and a rubber hammer and tried to loose it. The car was running at the time because I was trying to hear it running better. I hit it and hit it and it wouldn't budge. I ended up giving it one good WHACK and it stopped running. This was 2-months ago (or more). Been so damn cold here I couldn't work on it for a while.


I damaged the distributor cap. One of the screw holes the cap split, I knocked off a hose that goes to the Air filter, and broke off a nipple on the air filter housing that held a hose. I have replaced all of them and put them back on the car.


Still doesn't run. I'm at a loss finally. I don't even get any codes telling me what is wrong. I'm sure the spark plug wires are attached properly to the distributor cap. I did put the old cap back on and it's slightly corroded on the contacts inside of the cap. But it did run before when I had that cap on.


Any suggestions? Please give me any ideas you have that I can test out and get to the bottom of this. Remember, I am not working because of my health and have zero income, so buying something else, or taking the car to a repair shop is not an option.


Ideas?

There you are, nephew!
I knew you were in hibernation. Imagine, we had about 70 F today!

Bengalbrad:
Can you verify that you have good spark at the plugs?
If so we should move ahead and deal with the water leak. It probably made the plugs already wet and keeps it from starting. Good thing too, because you don't want antifreeze mess up your catalytic converters.

ok, got back out to work on it again, and took the distributor cap off to check the connection of a few things. Was going to put it back on and then do the spark test when I noticed something. The part that goes between the cap and the actual distributor has 3 cracks in it. Could this possible be the problem, does it matter if I replace this part? The cracks are encircled in red.

Could be.
What strikes me is that these cracks are at perfect 120 degree angles. I wonder if the spark voltage found a way along these tracks or cracks. Do you see any deposits, burn marks or something else indicating electrical activity? If you have a spare part try it.
It looks like a dust cover. So you may try a test without it installed.
Also look at the shaft going from the rotor back to this cover. Are there any traces?

Ok, did the spark test, holding the #1 spark plug cable to a metal part, and zero spark. So, I'm thinking distributor cap, right?

Not exactly. There are 2 separate circuits involved and they interact in the ignition coil. Look at this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...system.svg.png
There is a large coil fed by the battery and inside of it is a tightly wound coil that creates the spark voltage. Form there that spark voltage gets distributed to an individual spark plug. In your case the points have substituted by electronics.

Starting with your test you can only say that there is no spark voltage at the Nr. 1 cylinder. How about the others?
Once you have checked the others and lets say one of them fires then you know the coil works and the distribution does not. If you get no spark anywhere you don't even know that. It could be the coil or the cap and rotor or the distributor itself.

Knowing the story I have the feeling the distributor itself is bad. But hopefully the coil creates the voltage but that voltage runs via the cracks in that dustcover to ground.

Here is what I would try: put it together without that dust cover. If that cover acted as a conductor than you might get a spark now.

Obviously you use your best cap and rotor.

Check the secondary circuit, the one that gets battery voltage. For testing you need some specs, like resistance of primary and secondary coil. I don't have those. I think you have a Chilton shop manual.

To better understand ignition systems study this: Ignition system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia