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So I need an engine...

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MoeBiscuits

New Member
Wasn't sure exactly where to put this thread, so I guess I'll start here.

I drive a 2006 MS6 with around 110k miles. That is to say, I did, until last night. I was driving the car, not particularly fast or hard, when it made an awful noise, my RPM shot through the roof, and there was a sound of things banging against the bottom of the car, almost like when you're driving on a dirt road. I stopped the car, immediately turned it off, and got out to find a giant oil slick stretching behind me for about a tenth of a mile. Upon walking back to where the oil started I found a couple pieces of gnarled aluminum, covered in oil, and still hot. I assumed the worst-- I was pretty sure there was a hole in my block. This morning that fear was confirmed when the guy from Bobby & Steve's called to let me know that I have not one, but two holes.

I guess I have a bunch of questions:

1. What the hell could have caused this?
2. The guy said if he had to guess he would ballpark the engine job at around $4500-$5000. Seem accurate?
3. Where can I get a (relatively) cheap, but in great shape, MS6 engine?
4. Are there any options for buying an engine that's been bored out bigger than the 2.3 but is still relatively simple to put in the MS6?
5. Is what I asked in question four even possible, or did I just make myself look like an idiot?
6. Bobby & Steve's doesn't exactly seem like the ideal place to replace an entire engine. Where would you guys suggest?

Thanks for all your help, this community is awesome. I'll be sure to drive down to one of your events soon. OH WAIT...
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
Ok, let's start with what caused it. There's several possibilities, the most likely of which is the PO of the car probably did some damage to it before you got it. The rods are kinda fragile, and especially if it ever runs into a lean condition (IE CDFP failed) it's gonna smoke a rod. That's the most likely culprit. My guess is what happened is the first rod let go, car spun up, shattered the second one, and it all went south. Strangely, these cars tend to do that when under minimal load. I've never understood it, but that's when it happens.

Second question. 5K all in sounds about right. DISI blocks are pretty expensive, and you're (i'm guessing) going to have some bent valves from when the RPM hit the roof. Meaning, you're going to need the whole damn thing from stem to stern. Probably need a new turbo as well, because who knows what it huffed before it all exited the block instead of going out the exhaust side. You could PROBABLY do it cheaper, but this is the sorta thing- do it once, do it right.

Third- used engine is the way to go. Start crawling Copart, and some other sites to see if there's wrecked ones out there. Unfortunately they're getting up in age, so finding a low mile one might be a bit of a chore. IIRC the cx7 and Ms3 engines are functionally identical, so that might open some stuff up for you, but I'm not 100% on that. I know they're all DISI blocks, but IDK if there's different mounting/ECU issues that would make it a pain in the ass.

Fourth- There really isn't a "punched out" block for this platform that I'm aware of. CPE sells fully built shortblocks that handle ridiculous boost (I believe there's one out there in the neighborhood of 700whp, with supporting mods) but no one's really boring and stroking these things. They're already big torque monsters as is, no one's really seen the need to bump displacement. Of course, you could always see what the Puerto Ricans are doing, they'll make anything stupid fast.

Fifth- not at all. No one knows til you ask.

Sixth- the first shop that comes to mind is Stellar Autowerks. They don't have a dyno in house, so tuning an aftermarket assembly isn't going to be their best deal- but if you're going OE replacement, they're who I'd talk to if I wasn't inclined to do the work myself. They specialize in Audis and other freaky german stuff, so silly little Japanese cars should be no problem for them- plus Tim and Justin are cool folks. And they have Quattro the dog!
 
D

DrWebster

Blargh.
Based on your other spark plug thread, I suspect you had bottom end problems for a while, possibly caused by abuse from the previous owner. I would have been really curious as to the results of a used oil analysis from your last oil change...I bet there would have been a ton of metals in it.
 
M

MoeBiscuits

New Member
Hey, thanks all for the replies. I'll try to tackle one thing at a time.

I'll start with CPE. They sell some awesome stuff, not sure how I haven't heard of them. I'm really interested in one of their short blocks, however, it looks like in order to buy one I need to ship them my original block, which they would then machine and replace pistons/rods on. Obviously that's not an option.

This brings me back to my other question. What is Copart? Any other suggestions?

Thanks again for all the help guys.
 
M

MoeBiscuits

New Member
Update: I just checked the spot where I usually park and found a small oil spot that looks like it would line up with where the oil started spewing from my block last night. The car has never leaked oil. Just thought I'd throw in some more information.
 
AJ

AJ

110 HP of FURY!
Shipping your block is likely just to avoid a core charge, they likely have an option for a new build without a core.
 
M

MoeBiscuits

New Member
Cool, I'll look around their website more. Does that link to streetunit look useful, or am I confused about what that is? I was thinking I would put together a list of what I needed, and get everything from that streetunit page, then get the nicer pistons/rods from CPE. Do-able?
 
AJ

AJ

110 HP of FURY!
It's a nice site to show you what you need, but with something that costly I prefer to talk to someone. Right now, based on experiances of several friends who have had recent work done, I'd give Ron as RS Motors a call or Shane at DB Performace.
 
S

spek1098

New Member
Yea, avoid Street Unit, they're customer service is horse shit. In the past they've sent me the wrong brake pads on one order, took 2 months to get the correct ones from them, and on another order they sent me only one of a set of end links I orders and it again took almost a month to get the second one.
 
spletts

spletts

New Member
Shitty man, welcome to the world of blown MS6 engines. As one who recently sold his MS6 due to TWO blown engines in 2 years, and who fixed it both times, I can offer some insight...

1. What the hell could have caused this. There's a lot of things that could have caused it. But, the deed is done, so don't loose a ton of sleep looking for the why. You're at 110k on a stock engine? Be thankful it lasted that long! As Tom mentions... these glass rods can only take abuse for so long. Previous Owner might have
2. The guy said if he had to guess he would ballpark the engine job at around $4500-$5000. Seem accurate? Depends on what you're looking for. If you're replacing with a used short block and have no head damage, you'll be in that range using a shop. Buying a used long block so you don't have to worry about any of it and doing it yourself in a garage would be about the same.
3. Where can I get a (relatively) cheap, but in great shape, MS6 engine?Junkyards, craigslist, copart as others have said. However, beware that if you go the route of a used engine, you're likely just picking up another headache. My first replacement WAS with a 'used' engine... claims were that it had 17k on it. Last me about 29,000 miles before it gave out.
2nd replacement I went with a brand new short block from Mazda. I hear (but didn't have luck myself) that you can register with http://www.mazdamotorsports.com and can find screaming deals on new blocks.
4. Are there any options for buying an engine that's been bored out bigger than the 2.3 but is still relatively simple to put in the MS6? No input for you here.
5. Is what I asked in question four even possible, or did I just make myself look like an idiot?Never hurts to ask!
6. Bobby & Steve's doesn't exactly seem like the ideal place to replace an entire engine. Where would you guys suggest? Funny story with this. When my engine let go this last time, I first towed it to Stellar. Justin was a really nice guy, but at the end of the day, I wasn't left feeling very comfortable with how they wanted to proceed. They're an audi/VW shop and know Audi/VW's best. It sucks but in my research, there's a surprising LACK of Mazdaspeed 'specialist' shops in the Twin Cities.

I elected to go through MAP (Modern Automotive Performance). While I'll leave the nitty gritty details off the internet, bottom line, I'd not refer you to them nor would I use them myself again. Their customer service was 'lacking' their knowledge of the Mazdaspeed Platform is lacking and working with them was ultimately a ridiculously frustrating experience.

I've since heard GREAT things about RS Motors and in hindsight, would have ultimately used them if I could have. Ohhh hindsight.

Best of luck man... hope you bring her back to life. There's getting to be less and less MS6's left every day...


 
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MoeBiscuits

New Member
Thanks a lot everybody. I called down to DB and the guy seemed super excited about taking on the project, so hopefully I can go through them. Only thing is... they don't even want me to tow it their until the week of August 19th. So... Looks like I'm putting a couple hundred miles on the Harley.
 
M

MoeBiscuits

New Member
So, update. I never heard back from Jason at DB. So yesterday I gave them a call, talked to a rather rude girl, and was told that Jason was out to lunch and would call me back that day. That of course didn't happen. So today I called down there again and got Jason directly. He had no memory of talking to me last month, and told me that the soonest he could get my car in was September 3rd. Needless to say, I'll be calling some other people.
 
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