DadandSonEyes 1989 MAZDA B2600i 4X4 Cab Plus continues HELP

OK Everyone,

We finally have the Engine Pulled out! I'm attaching the pictures to this thread of the gears, chain, woodruff Key, broken gears, and the NEWLY REBUILT HEAD WE JUST HAD DONE. SEE BELOW





















Please provide feedback and advice! We plan to replace the broken gear and Timing and Balance Chain, not sure if we also NEED or SHOULD replace the TIMING GEAR (LARGE ONE ON CAM) or not. Any advice from Experience folds on this 1989 B2600i Engine is greatly appreciated.

ALSO, We would like to get rid of that cumbersome FAN! Advice on EASY INSTALLATION OF NEWER MORE IMPROVED FANS, FLEX FANS or ELECTRIC FANS ? This truck is EQUIPPED WITH AIR CONDITIONING ALSO. We want to REPLACE the RADIATOR AND THE A/C RADIATOR(in front right behind grill). ANY UPGRADES recommended for better design and improved efficiency? THIS IS THE SE-5 4X4 Cab Plus Truck

WE ALSO WANT BETTER FUEL Economy. The book says this engine only gets abotu 19MPG. What other improvements could we do before we get this entire Engine put all back together(don't want to pull it again for a long long long time, want it like new , LOW MAINTENANCE UPGRADES ANYONE ? )

WE NEED TO PURCHASE NEW CLUTCH ALSO WHile this engine is out. Clutch bearing was in pieces when we removed the pressure plate and slip disc. Should we have the fly wheel turned ? Hints, Advice ?

EXHAUST: What about HEADERS/ UPGRADING EXHAUST - Recommendations for improved fuel economy and Power ? and Muffler ( Magna FLOW ? Want a nice deep low "cam" sounding muffler )

Thanks for all help everybody!

DadandSonEyes - RALEIGH, NC

WOW! How in the world did they manage to break the teeth off of that balance shaft gear?
I would definitely look real close at that balance shaft and it's bearings, plus the crank gear for the balance shaft chain HAD to endure some stress because of that gear striping.
I think I would go ahead and have the block cleaned and yes, they will have to install new balance shaft bearings (they remove the old ones before tanking the block) and I would want them to after seeing that.
I think I would replace the crank gear for the balance chain, and of course the chain and stripped gear.
I can't tell from the photo, but look real good at the woodruff key and make sure it is not bent.....lay it on a piece of glass and check all four sides (lay it in the same spot on the glass every time also) for any rocking from end to end when you place your finger on an end and lightly push down. I'm not sure, but it looks like it has a few nicks on it where it may have been stressed when and if, the balance chain locked up any.
Another thing to look at is the cam pin that is in the front end of the camshaft......it aligns the cam timing gear in the correct position. When I got my B2600i truck the previous owner had started (or tried anyway!) the engine with the timing chain set up wrong.....the exhaust valves hit the pistons and bent all 4 of those valves..... just that bit of interference caused the pin in the cam to bend or "offset" so that it needed replacing, it also messed up the notch for the pin in the cam timing gear. Here are a couple of pics of those.









Anyway, you need to look at yours to make sure they are still good and haven't been "altered" from any sudden stop or shock when the balance shaft gear stripped.

Replacing the radiator is a good idea when installing a newly built G6 engine.....I did that with mine also.

Using an electric fan should free up another MPG or 2 I would think......need to do that to mine also!

Mines an auto trans truck and it's 2WD also, but around town I get about 17mpg unless I pull my trailer and then it can dip as low as 15mpg, BUT my truck hauls a lot of weight every day, all day! AND, when I get on the interstate and can cruise at 65-70 mph, with that same weight (not the trailer though!) I get 25mpg all day long.
The auto trans truck HAS to get into OD and stay there if your gonna get good mpg.

Header? Someone on here said you can get one for the G6 in Australia or some other country, but IDK.

A non-stock performance muffler should give you a better sound, but I've never messed with them on a four banger before!

Thanks ! We are looking at the timing gear(large one that goes on cam, looks ok and pin also , will re-look and check again. We pulled each of the Balance shafts and re-inserted them, there is not play in them at all they seem very solid and tight.

thanks for help, we probably will need to break the block all the way down and get a price on having it "cleaned". Do these block/head rebuilder guys check the crank and all the bearings or do they usually expect the owner to remove the pistons, crank, and all bearings, etc. ?

What should I tell them to do, what are the buz words ? ( like on the head i learned to tell them to pressure test it, magniflux it, replace all seals and any bent valves, etc)

Thanks again Axel Breaker Earl ! GREAT ADVICE/HELP AND PHOTO'S

DadandSonEyes-

What really amazes me about this engine is , why would they design it so that if you Main Crank Pulley BOLT comes a little loose, , the Woodruff key slips out of the TIMING GEAR on the CRANK, Which causes the TIMING CHAIN TO STOP MOVING, While the crank and engine are turning over. This is turn must have caused the BALANCE CHAIN gear to break. (Maybe ).... Ideas ?

WHEN WE put it all back together, How can we make sure that the CRANK BOLT and the Woodruff key NEVER VIBRATES OUT again? RED LOCK TIGHT ?

Thanks, - DadandSonEyes

If that crank bolt backed out, they didn't torque it to spec! It is a bolt that can be forgotten about when your rebuilding or fixing your engine.......a lot of people are always in a hurry to do something like this in order to "get it on the road again!" and a lot of times they make stupid little mistakes that can come back to bite HARD!
Never get in a hurry when your rebuilding an engine, and always tighten things down as you do them, you can always loosen it again if you need to.

Also, that crank bolt will have to come most of the way out for the woodruff key to shift forward enough to let the balance shaft crank gear slip, I would think.

So, do you have a crank bolt still, or was it MIA when you got the truck?
Oh, and I wouldn't put any Loctite on the crank bolt threads.....I installed mine dry and torqued to spec.

I'll bet they never torqued the crank bolt to 130-145 ft. lbs.! You really need to torque it when it's on the engine stand, where you can screw a couple of the flywheel bolts in the end of the crank and use a large screwdriver or a pry bar (better yet) to hold the crank from spinning.....or make you a little tool like this if the engine is installed in the truck, but the starter needs to be removed to access the flywheel starter teeth.









Works like a champ, and as you can see in the pic below, I put some force on that little "bolt, nut & washer tool" to loosen my crank bolt on my 1991 B2600i truck when i got it.....my air powered impact wouldn't budge it @ 175 psi!

Awesome. Well. When we were taking apart
The front end o te engine. After our second day
I went to loosen the crank bolt. I discovered it was
Extremely loose an nearly half way out! Also. Closet the end of the threads near the bolt head side of the bolt, there is some material in the threads like plastic rusty color. I auspect it is something like locktight. The bolt is old an rusty also. Shouldn't I get a shiny brand new bolt?

It should clean up fine I would think, unless it is pitted from rust, just clean it and reuse it.

Axel Breaker: I am currently in the middle of a rebuild of the g6 engine right now also. Mine is a little more in depth of a rebuild than the one currently being talked about. I have had a custom cam ground, the block bored, installed new intake valves that were custom built 1 millimeter larger and stainless, double intake springs installed, new lifters and new bearings all the way around, and ported the head. You had talked earlier that the g6 oil pump is very expensive and I know that (I too have been watching the price go up and up). I was stupid in the fact that I pulled the engine and did not check the oil pressure. Have you in your experience, had very good luck in re-using the oil pumps. Or do I need to just bite the bullet and buy one because of the money I already have invested in this thing. I know that is the correct thing to do and I feel like I might just need someone to tell me to get over it and buy one. Unless you feel that 98% of the time the oil pumps or ok. On a second note, its not like I couldn't try it and change it later. Its not that hard to change out.

Also: I am planning on not turning the balance shafts. I was going to install them but not install the chain. I am not aware of a blank off kit unless anyone else is. I figured that I would need to install them to keep the oil from coming out of the bearings. Any ideas? Thanks -mazda-man

Hey, we are found another classic for sale. It is a 1978 Ford Courier ( MAZDA ) FOR SALE. The truck looks really clean, but add says " It doesn't run". They are asking $500.00 for the Truck. Son and I may purchase and invest, fix up and sell. -- What do you know about these trucks? Do they increase in value, hard to sell them, easy to sell them, desired model ?