hey all newb here... looking at motor options

If you use the stock computer and the wire harness I dont see why you would need a megasquit system. And by the looks of that truck its body droped and from what i have seen the carb on the stock motors does not clear the hood.

I thought so.It is not just a simple bolt in,there are clearance issues and that truck used a Megasquirt.Major bucks.Stick with the Maz to Maz swap if u r on a budget-if $ is no problem u can do whatever u r wallet can stand.BJ

as far as i understand, the oil restrictor is like a freeze plug, so it can be removed, if not mazdatrucking.com has a write up explaining how to clearance the oil restrictors in the head, which should work on the block as well....either way care must be taken as you could get in a pickle & either starve the head for oil, or have it pooling up & neither one of those have a good out come.

swaping in a kia engine or modding a truck engine with a turbo aren't the easiest swaps when you take in account rewiring the truck for the efi or turbo setup. you can sink a ton of cash into any engine in a short amount of time, but for simplicity purposes the easiest thing to do would be keep the 2.2 engine with the 2.0 head, you dont' have to mess with the engine mounts & the existing wiring doesn't have to be messed with either, more or less a "plug & play" swap if you will.

as far as the money end of it, yeah i have a fairly good idea, & if i had to do it over again, there are a few things i would change, but as we all know hind site is 20/20. the best investment is time in researching what you want to do to the engine, look for the parts, & any helpful tips about the process, also look for a good reputable machine shop to to any machining you need done, or if nothing else, someone you can call on for their knowledge.

for a basic rebuild kit you can get a felpro kit that has all the gaskets for
@ $300 look around you can even find them cheaper on occasion.

a good set of main & rod bearings from ae-clevite will run @ $100
oem piston & ring kit @ $200
*forged piston & ring kit @ $400
*forged rods $750
oil pump @ $100, or hi-vol $150
water pump @ $75
valve guides, seals & springs @ $200
new oem valves @ $100
*comp valves @ $200
*custom re-ground cam $250-300

*items can be substituted in lieu of oem

weber carb @$425
pacesetter header @$200
elect. fan anywhere from $100 for a basic to $250 with controls
fidanza flywheel $300
centerforce dual friction clutch kit $300
accel, mallory, or taylor ignition $200
elect. fuel pump @$100
cryo-treating the engine $500 (strengthens all componets treated)

turbo setup from a 626gt or a probe from a junkyard should be able to be had for under $500 with the wiring harness and all other applicable parts needed, double check the turbo shaft for excessive play/wear.


be sure to check the main caps & crank bearing surfaces, & also the cylinders for scoring or scratching, if so they will need machining or
honing. also need to have the head check for warping or cracking as
they are proned to do so..... more or less to figure @ $2k total ($1k in parts, $1kin labor) for a solidly rebuilt engine that you won't have to
worry about for a long time, sure you can go cheaper, but if your gonna
do something do it right the first time & it will save you many headaches
in the long run......

I am the owner and builder of the KIA powered b2200 truck- the red body dropped one.

KIA is the way to go man. If you are looking for some good power, and reliability of fuel injection, and the versitilty of a vehicle with an aftermarket standalone fuel management system!

The Kia swap is do- able with the stock kia harness and computer/ intake and all- you'd have a kia 140 hp motor under the hood. Remember- Kia bolts right up to the stock mazda b2000/b2200 trans- must use he kia flywheel though- but mazda clutch and starter work just fine.

Note: If you need more info on the swap- and what interchanges- let me know- I have an entire essay pre written to describe the process.

On a Bdropped truck like mine- the intake goes through the hood. On mine- I did a custom intake. My new intake is a sheet metal style intake using a ford 4.6 liter 65mm throttle body. If you are not bodydropped, the 89-92 ford probe/ mazda mx-6/ 626 upper intake will almost bolt rightonto the stock sportage lower intake- giving you a better intake and a bigger throttle body.

I ultimately chose megasquirt standalone fuel injection because- it's cheap and easy!

Why mess with trying to pull a shitty ass harness out of a KIA (which all of them are plagued with shorting problems in the main engine harness- trust me- I've researched them)and using a restrictive kia fueling computer?

MS -II my fuel injection computer, cost 410 assembled and ready to go. Then add a little more for a preaasembled wiring harness, 50 bucks, and you are ready to go.

Most people pay 400 bucks for a weber carb- So MS is 460 for a COMPLETE standalone fuel management computer- one that is completely programmable and can run ANY engine- N/a supercharged or turboed.

Now the wiring is not hard- it's easier with a standalone system because they are LESS sensors and everything can be calibrated to work with MS. It's not going to be picky like a kia harness and computer that will go into retard mode if one sensor is out/ not operating.

If you can wire up a stereo in your truck, you can wire up a standalone fuel management system- it not even that hard at all. Plus- with a custom harness- you cut and fit all the wires to length and run them where you want, no trying to hide a phyton of wires under your dash from a damn kia.

If you want more info on MS, go to the site, or ask me- I have specific information on this swap for our trucks, and I will go into detail for those interested, plus guys, I have ready to go msq loading files for you- my truck is tuned and running. I will stop discussion here to stay on topic.

You now you've decided to pull a low mileage kia sportage engine- which is originally a mazda engine- the infamous FE3- the beast of mazda- with a dohc cylinder head that flows greater than many other cylinder heads. Just do a little search on power upgrades on mx6.com, probetalk, or 626.net- the upgrades are unreal VS theold mazda fe 2.2 or 2.0 hands down!

So you take your readily available kia motor- unsuspecting to the junkyard attendents- they have no idea that you have a bad ass mazda engine with a kia valve cover- pay nothing for it because"it's a kia!" nice! You aren't going to find a 20k mazda motor at your local junkyard!

So now you get it in with standard parts and fuel injection with megasquirt- you have just laid the foundation for HP guy.

Now you have a turn key pump gas 150hp right out of the box, high reving, low mileage boneyard- fuel injected mazda motor- with a fuel management system that can handle anything you want!

Now what do you want to do- the possibilities are endless guys. Let me tell you, I'm running my truck right now just a boneyard kia with MS and a miata header, making 150 horse- (est) And the throttle response is amazing! Power is unbelievable. I own 4 mazda trucks, the red one is the only one with the kia motor- it is night an day getting out of my other trucks and getting into this one. And I'm just getting started.
Turbo , intercooler on the way- this thing is going to be nuts. Imagine if I build a bottom end for this--- some of these mx6.com guys are running over 400 hp out of their fe3's. Check out louis lima's bad ass 323 truck- something crazy like 1000 hp from an fe3. Aint' no b2000 motor going to do that!

2003 GMC sierra 4.8 single cab short bed
1997 Honda Odyssey LX
1993 Mazda b2200 single cab short bed, bagged
1989 Ford Probe GT
1988 Mazda b2200- FE3, bagged bodydropped, rx7 irs
1986 Mazda b2000 cab plus, lowered on eskies
1986 Mazda b2000 single cab short bed- stock

I like the kia swap.

But for dead simple and cheap, I'd look into a carb'd chevy 4.3. Especially if you can weld.

I'll add the following to the list:



I've been working on my swap for 5yrs now. Not because it's taken that long, but because I've learnd lots on the way and had to fix mistakes! LOL

Currently I am rewiring it COMPLETLY. When I started I didn't care and I didn't know and it got hacked together.

Lots of ground has been covered in the last 5yrs not only on this swap but on the motor and its abilities. It has been proven that the stock KIA crank/flywheel will support 400HP. Intend to put 290 or so to the wheels with my setup running 550cc injectors. With the turbo I have I could turn the boost up to 15psi or more and up to 700cc injectors and be knocking on that 400hp mark!

What madlowmazda has acomplished with his swap is sharp, cheap and easy. I got my motor from a junk yard for $700! And with teh Megasquirt I bet you could tune some of the performance back and get 30mpg! Then when you want to have fun, load the performanec tune and bust ass, then reload the MPG tune and away you go! 2 trucks in one!

oddball,

Thanks for your props on my truck- I've been a fan of your truck's build for awhile now- you helped me whether you knew it or not, to get my kia swap done. I wanna see your truck burnin rubber man! Where are you at on your progress?

does the miata header bolt to the kia head or were modifications required?

madlowmazda: Thanks and same to ya! Mostly whats holding me up now is weather. Its COLD in my brothers garage and I've got alot of wiring to do yet. I have most of the engine bay wiring harness done. I need to get my stainless steel water tank for the water injection welded up and installed, finnish the interior wiring harness to get the dash installed, get the bed back on so I can wire everything up to the battery and re-plumb the fuel cell, put the front end back on and I'm pretty much done! lol Then its off to the dyno to properlly tune it!

It required "wallering out" some of the flange bolt holes, and drilling 2 new ones I believe- been about a year or so since I did it. The miata flange is very big- so you will have alot of room to drill. after that- it bolts right up! You do not want to use the kia exhaust manifold- it sucks- plus it's made for a pre cat- which you don't want. You can find the miata manifolds on ebay CHEAP- becuase all those guys remove them for headers or turbos. You'll need the 1.8 liter motor header- 1.6 is different.