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Below is a compilation of emails that I have had and my response to them. All
information below is free and the reader takes full responsibility for any consequences
arrising from the use of any information below.
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Mazda B6 Information that I found on the Web somewhere
The bread and butter of the Mazda line up is the B6, motor and the entire Bx series of motors. The B6 has a capacity of 1597cc, a 78.0 x 83.6 bore/stroke and is available in a number of formats ranging from single or twin cams; carburetted or fuel injected; 8,12 or 16 valves and turbo and non turbo variants, with three different sizes of gearbox and numerous gearbos cases. Evern in its 'sports' version, the B6 shows it's humble bread and butter origins developing only adequate power.
The B6T for example produces the same amount of power as a 1.6L Toyota 4AGE and substantially less than the 4A 20 valve. Despite this the B6T is used heavily in Rallying seeing use in 4WD 323's and TX3's and occasionly with a mad crew in a FWD 323. Here they have shown good reliabilty and with some extra boost have become very competitive.
Like most turbo cars, the B6T runs an over boost and over rev circuit to protect the motor, and uses an IHI RHB05 VJ14 turbo. The exhaust manifolds are prone to thermal cracking between cylinders 2 and 3. Standard Boost is set to 8.1psi using an integral wastegate although it can creep up as high as 11.7psi.
The B6 DOHC, is available in three formats FWD, 4WD and RWD. The FWD are the most common being found in 323's, TX3's & Astinas, the 4WD Variants in TX3's and Familias and the RWD in the early series MX5.
There are two types of inlet manifolds in the DOHC B6 motors, a smaller and a larger boxy plenum chamber. The smaller is reputed to give better power than the larger in NA motors and vice versa in the Turbo variant. There is also a later model B6T from the later BG series (88/89) with an alloy sump in contrast to the normal thins steel version, this is has more power than the more common motor from the BF (86/87) series.
Known Conversions:
-> KA/KB Laser
-> KC/KE Laser
-> Offroad Buggies
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Q. I have had my 88 Laser TX3 turbo 4wd for more than a year now. Since then I've
had to replace the radiator and new bearings. There's other things on my list that needs
attention- new struts (~$1000), turbo reco and change of timing chain. Through your
experience, when should I reco my turbo and replace the timing chain ? (the car's done
approx. 140,000 km already). And is there an alternative to buying original imported struts without modifying the car?
Finally, what other future problems may I come across? |
A. If the turbo is BAD....then the car will be blowing some
smoke...you can let the turbo wait until last if you want, just don't go flogging it too
much and watch out for the cops. One of the problems is that I left my turbo too late and
fragments managed to get into the engine and damage the pistons. This probably will not
happen if you drive "nicely" but as I can understand the temptation is way too
much. If you can wait, do this last and FEEL the power.
The timing belt is no major drama and can be done any time. I would probably do this first
due to the number of KM's and as this component can make or break the engine - ultra
important particularly if you plan on hitting the redline often.
As for the struts....well there are plenty of different makes (Koni, Pedders etc...). I went down to the local tyre place (Bridgestone dealer I think from
memory!) and just asked for quotes on different setups. From what I hear, to get the 4WD's
to handle really well they put heavy duty, tight and ridged suspension on the rear and not
so severe on the front. I put Pedders Sports Struts all around and it handles really good.
Well if you don't want to modify the car, then Pedders can offer the same type of struts
but made in Australia and won't break the bank.
Future probs, watch out for the gearbox...my gearbox in my 4WD Mazda is fucked. The first
and second gears crunch like hell. I need some money to get the synchros done. So treat
the gearbox nicely. Does it have all the power shit like windows, sunroof, etc?....These
tend to fuck up over time in these cars!
Exhaust? Go the 2 1/2 inch with high flow cat! Huge improvement in power and fun value
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![](_themes/indust/indbul1d.gif) | Q. I am thinking of buying a Laser TX3 Turbo, I assume you have had a Mazda 323
Turbo or Laser TX3 Turbo in the past (I obviously noticed the pics of a standard Laser on
your site). If this is so, please let me know what problems you encountered with your
turbo powered car, how much it cost to repair and the like. Was it a 323 or Laser? What
was the reason for going the standard Laser? Your response will be much appreciated. |
A. Firstly, the laser on my site is my project car, so
don't assume anything - It has kicked a lot of other TX3's around!
Secondly, I currently have a 4WD Mazda 323 and my Laser FWD.
Problems:
1) Turbo disintegration - I drive my Laser HARD and therefore the turbo is usually in use.
Metal fragments from my previous turbo actually managed to end up in the engine. Bad
things. Had to rebuild the motor too. $4000.
Maintenance:
1) Oil - $50 per 3000-4000 km's
2) Suspension seems to bee quite sloppy after a while. If you pick up a Laser now, make
sure the struts are good. Could set you back $700-$1000.
These cars are really good in both performance and construction. The only major
maintenance is to clean the oil regularly.
As for my car....I wanted something different and surprising - like a
"sleeper";Looks like a standard piece of shit but it has the shit to
kick ass.
And Looks...the TX3 does look much better than the 323...but look in Hot
4s and Peformance Cars - Year Book from earlier in 1998 (January I
think). There is a sweet 323 in there.
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![](_themes/indust/indbul1d.gif) | Q. I currently have a pretty much stock TX3 with the turbo and 4wd, I was
wondering what were the best/cheapest mods to make to get some more juice out of the turbo
also some who/where info on getting this done..? The other thing is the ride dosen't seem
that good currently what is a good suspension set up to look at...? Don't know if you can
answer these questions but I would really appreciate any general tips you can give me on
the car in general. |
A. The cheapest mod is to increase the boost.....simply
disconnect the wastegate piping from the intake manifold and drill one small hole,
probably 2 or 3mm, reconnect making sure no fragments of plastic end up inside the pipe.
Now go for a drive around the block. You will notice a difference in power. It is
important to have a boost gauge when doing this as this will indefinitely increase your
boost and you need to know what you are setting it too. In collaboration with this mod,
the exhaust system is ultra important. I definitely recommend a 2.5" mandrel bent
exhaust system with same size hi-flow catalytic converter.
Just this change with out changing the boost will give a huge
difference in the type of power, when it comes on strong (in terms of rev range - it is
usually higher) and sounds good too.
Another good mod is to drill 8 - 10 holes (about 15 - 20mm diameter) in
the bottom of the air intake box (where the air filter is located)....this gives about the
same performance of a ram-pod (obviously less but is a huge improvement over the
standard).
Suspension....well. Depending on what state you are in, I suggest
that you head off to Pedders (as that is what I have and I recommend them for performance
and price). The next paragraph is an extract from an email I sent to someone else
regarding the 4WD's.
"As for the struts....well there are plenty of different
makes (Koni, Pedders, MacPherson...). I went down to the local tyre place (Bridgestone
dealer I think from memory!) and just asked for quotes on different setups. From what I
hear, to get the 4WD's to handle really well they put heavy duty, tight and ridged
suspension on the rear and not so severe on the front. I put Pedders Sports Struts all
around and it handles really good. Well if you don't want to modify the car, then Pedders
can offer the same type of struts but made in Australia and won't break the bank."
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![](_themes/indust/indbul1d.gif) | Q. I was after some info about the 4wd tx3 turbo, probably an 88 model in relation
to gearbox and engine reliability. With respect to gearboxes, how strong do you think they
are and if they are weak like i have heard, what are the fixes for them. Also with the
engine, what milage could be expected from a mildy worked example(12 psi boost, 2.5"
exaust, big front mount intercooler with water spray, cold air induction, etc) which would
be driven hard from time to time but not stupidly eg - dropping strips all over the place
or trying to rev it to 20 000 rpm.? Also how long would the turbo last under these
conditions? |
A. These engines are reliable and strong...can handled up
to 16PSI no probs. The gearboxes on the 4WD's are particularly shit. Watch out for the
first and second gears as the synchros seem to go rather quick when given a hard time.
12PSI of boost is no problem. The turbo SHOULD last for about 8 years in total but
could be as low as 4-5 years under these conditions. The engine should go to 150,000 km's
no probs.
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![](_themes/indust/indbul1d.gif) | Q. I have succesfully implanted the KF 1800 turbo engine into my 88 323 turbo, but the standard 1600 gearbox is just not up to it ! Ive blown 3 !!!! can you help my me in tips to strenghten the 1600 box or point me in the right direction. |
A. Good move! sounds good. I was going to do the same but just couldn't be bothered with the mods at the time. Silly me!!!
I am not sure as to how you have blown up the gearboxes. If it is to do with the gears being stripped, then all I can suggest is go to a gearbox specialist, tell them your woes and they should be able to supply some competition gears. Go for the close ratio if you can as this will improve the performance greatly, though top speed may be reduced.
Yeah....definitely go for the competition gearbox setup. It should do the trick. Try looking in rally magazines under the 4Sale section as there are usually heaps of stuff for Mazda 323/Ford TX3.
I assume that you have beefed up the clutch to handle this power?
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![](_themes/indust/indbul1d.gif) | Q. What i was wondering is if you ever had a problem with the idle rate. I was
thrashing it one night and suddenly the idle dropped below 400rpm. I adjusted it up but
havent had much luck with finding the cause. and when I turn on the AC it stalls the
car..so yeah any ideas would be great! |
A. I too have had problems with my idle rate and to this
day it seems to be a little erratic. I am not sure as to why this is but it seems to have
something to do with the air flow meter.
Another possibility is to clean the plumbing from the air box to the turbo, from the turbo
to the intercooler and from the intercooler to the intake manifold. A guy once told me
that these motor are notorious for blow-by so there will be oil in these pipes.
Ummm...naaahh. Forget
this paragraph. Nothing to do with idle but is good for maintenance.
Idle....Idle....Try checking that the air filter is clean too.
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