V6 Engine Swap/Recondition questions (KLZE?)

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Hi Guys, I used to be a member here ages ago... tried searching the forums for answers but the phrase "V6" is too short for the search engine :(

Anyway my car is a stock 95 Astina V6 hatch, and the engine is blowing some pretty bad smoke so tiem for a recon... I've been told these engines are quite expensive to recon so I thought maybe just do a swap... then I remembered about the japanese KLZE engine and my heart started to beat a little faster :)

Someone said in a thread here that the engine is a direct swap and nothing needs to be changed... can someone confirm or deny this? Obviosuly more performance upgrades will come later but for the moment it just needs a new engine... any help/advice is appreciated, or links to other threads... thanks guys!

[Rupewrecht]

welcome back.

check out this thread, or have a search thru this section as ther'es a few threads which detail the conversion and your options

http://www.astinagt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6918

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Thanks mate, I also just finished reading the sticky on the ZE conversion. Seems everyone does it with the hardtop... with my car being a hatch there isn't giong to be enough room for the intake manifold, any idea what would be involved (as in $$ and effort) to put some sort of a bump in the bonnet to fit the larger manifold?

Also, if I bought a straight engine, no front cut, would I be getting the ECU? If not, how much do you think i'd be looking at spending on one of those to suit the KLZE?

thanks!

[boostedbatman]

KL-ZE ecu should be in stock where you get the engine usually around $200 which is cheaper than the Aus ECU as they have trouble selling them
MX6 ecu should have the codes KL31 or KL36

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Thanks.... any of you boys know what the KLZE weighs in comparison to the KF?

[boostedbatman]

If it was 20kg more I would be surprised

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cool thanks. I'll probably be buying the engine soonish but not putting it in for a while... any suggestions on work I should get done to it while it is just sitting around? I have no experience but I'm willing to get my hands dirty and learn as long as theres little chance of me breaking it haha.

Is there much point for example in putting new rings on the pistons? or does that require the cylinders to be machined too? or any suggestions of work I should do to it while its out :) thanks guys!

Also how long can an engine generally be stored for? Someone told me it needs to be re-oiled perodically to stop rust... is that something I can do easily myself? how often does it need to be done?

[boostedbatman]

I wouldn't worry about piston rings if its a low k engine
But you could change the valve cover gaskets which will require you to replace the Intake anifold gasket as well seeing that it needs to come off to access the rear bank (trouble here is that the IM gasket will have to be sought in US or NZ as we dont have square port IM here) I would check the bearings in the water pump is free and smooth flowing movement and if you are feeling really trickiy you can always replace the timing belt but will need to do this carefully as even being 1 belt tooth out of place can spell disaster

[John]

Definitely change the timing belt - particulalry on an engine of unknown origin / km - so much easier out of the car than trying to work under the bonnet - as per batman careful with the timing. Easy access to that water pump too !! My pump on 2.0V6 failed around 90,000km.

[Cincinnatus]

didn't baty man get rid of hisbelt driven pump and put an electric one in?

[boostedbatman]

:D :D :D

Actually Have never ever put the engine in the car, Just kept buying parts and painted it then pulled it completely apart so at some stage I will actually build the monster
Too many projects at too many times slowed things up ANd then fact that the young lady cat and myself do seem to spend a bit and there is never enough left over to stick to the projected timeframe
Add to that I continue to redevelop the ideas and the build plan/process
But if I was to bolt it all together tomorrow it would be the most hp NA in Aus Astinas, but still more to go yet
Busy with my new found BG at the moment and stripping paint to bare metal etc for full spray and modding the body a tad :rolleyes:
End thread hijack
But yes do have a Davies Craig EWP and EWP Controller for it, took off the stock WP and gutted it and it will go back on minus pulley and blades etc so no flow is impeded
If you do change the water pump beware not to overtighten the belt and its easy to do. This will wear out the WP bearings 10 fold and you may be replacing it again after only a year... or less

Also if and when changing the timing belt there is a hydraulic tensioner and you may not be able to push the shaft in to reinstall it....
You need only a small amount of force over a period of time to push it back then you can stick a pin through the hole in the side to hold it in place for reinstallation and then pull the pin and presto its all preset
NB: excessive force on the tensioners shaft can damage it and you will also find it basically impossible to push in... try just a little bit at a time and you will be fine

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No worries, thanks again guys. Since i'll be getting a mechanic to install it i'll make sure they do the timing belt. I went to ahve a look at a few today but couldn't get a good look around the side where the markings are. I'm going to go back next week and buy one, batman do you have a list of the possible markings on it that would make it ZE? such as yours being KL31-1A1, do you know what else it could say? I really want to go there and buy one and not have to go back cause the place is pretty far from my house, but I do want to make sure i'm def getting a ZE

thanks!

[boostedbatman]

Left Head KL31-1A1
Right Head KL31-101
PERIOD
Check these and you cant go wrong
You will find there are 3 different types of Intake Manifolds But they all make the 200hp sweet spot
http://www.astinagt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3406&page=2
Check post # 23

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Thanks mate, I'll go back there on monday and demand that they bring the engines out so I can look at the heads :)

[illusivedreams]

HAve a very simillar KLZE to Boost let me know if your interested. amd what you want to pay.

Well its not exactly the same ///Boosts one costs as much as my car :eek:

[boostedbatman]

hahahahaha
cmon its not that expensive
I mean the pistons and rods alone are only worth $3k :rolleyes:

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well this project has been abandoned for the moment but if anyone wants a cheap KLZE apparently Deluxe Jap in smithfield have two of them for $880 each.

In their words, they have two KL engines from japanese mx6's, but there is no difference between the jap and aus version (but of course we know better)

So might be worth heading down there and checking out the heads for the markings, $880 is not a bad deal at all!