BOOM-'FREAKIN-BOOM

[tutuga]

That's right, another one bites the dust...

I've been going through some of the blown engine threads so here's the details you wanna know:

2007 speed3

Speed: cruising @ 74MPH

RPM: close to 3k

Boost: somewhere between -15 and -20 inHg

Throttle: partial, less than 20%

Coolant temp: 187

Boosted temp: 110

EGT: 1300ish (my sensor is before the turbo)

Feelings: panic, denial, pissed and finally worried thinking how much this is going to cost

Rundown: I was driving back from MAZDAFEST and had been driving for close to 3 hours. About 15 miles away from Columbus on my way to Cleveland i heard a pop, clank clank and the engine stalled. Looked down and saw the oil light was on. Say smoke coming from the hood and tons of smoke in the rear view mirror. Pulled over and saw a trail of oil and some more on the bottom front of the engine. Thankfully the flatbed got there in 30 min.

Mods (oh boy): COBB inlet, CP-E SRI, CP-E FMIC, CP-E HPFP, CP-E turboback w/high flow cat, SB and PNP set to 16PSI, TurboSmart BOV set 50/50, 2 step colder plugs, PNP mani with EWG w/0.9 BAR spring, PERRIN E.B.C.S.

Background: it takes me 2 weeks to tune my SB, I do it as described by Haltech on another thread (let it settle after mods are done and go WOT little by little). NO KNOCK @ WOT, my AFR curve was steady @ 11.8 all the way to redline. I take logs every 2 weeks to make sure nothing has changed. I have been getting the part throttle knock when cruising for a while but as it has been stated many times it's not relevant (or is it...). I ran 18PSI for a while but went back to 16 just to be safe. I didn't see any of the part throttle knock on my way down to Indy nor on the way back.

I don't know exactly what broke or bent, will find out sometime this week since I had to leave the car at a dealer I don't know 2+ hours away. I'll see what my dealer says about bringing it here, not very optimistic about having them fixing it but they know about the mods and I have an extended warranty with them so we'll see.

I'll update as I know more.

[Deadman]

ya its weird i drove 6.5hrs non stop (aside from getting gas) never saw the car knock once. At times i do see partial throttle knock around 3k rpm... This car is fucked up sometimes... Sorry to hear bout your loss though. Let us know what you come up with, and if you decide to build it or what your plans are.

[SilverSquish]

Wow, all the treads recently about blown engines makes me not want to mod my MS6 at all!! If I do anything, I might just throw on a SRI and call it a day! Damn... what's wrong with these motors?!?

BTW, sorry to hear about your car.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

fcuk me ... another one? This car just seems to be plagued with so many gremlins.

[Darksun280]

I think when my times comes it will be the same way.

[TurboDreams]

sorry to hear man, keep us posted

[ms3jake]

Originally Posted by SilverSquish Wow, all the treads recently about blown engines makes me not want to mod my MS6 at all!! If I do anything, I might just throw on a SRI and call it a day! Damn... what's wrong with these motors?!? BTW, sorry to hear about your car.

Ive been thinking about going back to stock and leaving my short shifter sway bars and mm's in.

[Darksun280]

Originally Posted by ms3jake Ive been thinking about going back to stock and leaving my short shifter sway bars and mm's in.

do it. I'm gonna be stock as of friday

[08.5TRS3]

lol this is definitely a hard car to have fun with, with all the horror stories its just not worth moddin this thing

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

arrgh ... I dont' know what to do now I was so excited to mod this thing. I have an AP on it's way (bought used), cpe mm, and su test pipe coming already... I have a cobb sri, forge bpv and twm ss on the car already. And am JUST about to order the Cobb FMIC.

But it seems like there is NO safe amount of mods on the car, and it just seem so RANDOM as to when and what the engine will take.

I'd like to THINK that with intake, bpv, fmic, mid pipe mods i'd be safe ... but maybe not and then the ap in there with a tune is SUPPOSED to make it safer but thats a maybe not now too.

ARRRRGH

[mike8748]

Yikes...
Sorry to hear.
I was so paranoid for a while but if its going to go you can not do anything about it.
All you can do is try to take all the precautions and hope they work.

BSD this week w/ the Oil filter conversion and internals.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

Originally Posted by mike8748 Yikes... Sorry to hear. I was so paranoid for a while but if its going to go you can not do anything about it. All you can do is try to take all the precautions and hope they work. BSD this week w/ the Oil filter conversion and internals.

I suppose it is gonna go it will, but going and getting warranty is one thing, modding it to a level thats tough to return it to stock is another story. We all understand the 'you gotta pay if you wanna play' line, but this car just seems SOOOO risky in comparisson to others I've owned.

And while BSD may or may not stop this anomally from happening, it's not proven yet and theres a part that would be tough to return to stock should anything happen.

[Hectik1]

Good luck!

[myspeedy07]

i hate seeing these, sorry for the loss.

[lidokrantz]

sorry to here man....this makes me want to throw in the towel again motherfucking mazda....i wish we could start a class action law suit, but it seems that all the friggin cars that are popping are not stock, so we can't do it...
how many miles on your car??? i feel like getting rid of mine this week cocksuckers, this is PISSING the shit out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[martyxattack]

so no bsd?

[Meder]

It seems to me like many of the fully bolted cars are blowing. I am not seeing a lot of blown light bolt on cars, intake, rp, maybe a fmic and so on blowing up. people have blown with all sorts of mods, but it just seems like full bolt ons with this car is really taking a chance no matter what you do.

It seems to me that its the bolted guys, the big turbo guys, and the occasional odd/random blow up from the guys with very low mileage. Why dont some of our other fully bolted/BT cars blow with meth? I doubt meth is some magical mod that allows these guys to beat the shit out of their car daily with no issues.

[tutuga]

it literally happened a couple of miles after 33.000, this car has pissed me off many times... I almost traded it in once but the numbers weren't good enough. The only way I would keep it is if I get a forged engine from PG or SU but it's expensive and I don't know if it's worth it. Going back to stock is another option but it would have an engine from the dealer and I have several doubts about that. I have to talk to the dealer to see what happened and what are my options but at this point I'm more than willing to take a loss and get another car that will give me more peace of mind

[superskaterxes]

no BSD? im not surprised

[SharkDiver]

Sorry to hear this...Did you have the vibrating clutch before it blew?
Im just hoping my engine makes it another 2 months or so because Im ordering a forged motor swap from P3 next week and should have it all done sometime in June...I hope I will be able to enjoy this car after that instead of waiting for it to blow all the time.

[Smoker6]

In before the BSD posts!...ah god damn it.

[tutuga]

Originally Posted by SharkDiver Did you have the vibrating clutch before it blew?

no

Originally Posted by SharkDiver waiting for it to blow all the time.

as much fun as it is to drive I definitively don't wanna go through this again, stock or forged

[MarkyMark]

Pablo dude I am so sorry. Call me tomorrow if you want you vent. Good luck man.

[tutuga]

Originally Posted by StreetUnitMark Pablo dude I am so sorry. Call me tomorrow if you want you vent. Good luck man.

tis on my to do list, gonna need some prices from ya

[SharkDiver]

Originally Posted by tutuga no as much fun as it is to drive I definitively don't wanna go through this again, stock or forged

I understand...The only reason I still have this car is because I want a car that gets good gas mileage (I drive 34 miles each way to work),has plenty of power (when the rods stay in the motor),can fit my 3 kids and my wife and I and is good in snow.Also I need to have a car that is in the Ford family because that is where I work.It being paid off is nice also...Also Im getting about 26.5 mpg and Im fully bolted minus a exhaust mani...I think I will add the exhaust mani when I get the new forged engine.
But for everyone that gives up on these cars and moves on is completely understandable.

[jahman]

While its definitely odd for the car to blow while just cruising on the highway under zero boost....its not like every other fucking car is blowing up. Its an incredibly small percentage...an unacceptable small percentage I totally agree. But its not like you need to be driving around "waiting for it to blow".

[SharkDiver]

Originally Posted by jahman While its definitely odd for the car to blow while just cruising on the highway under zero boost....its not like every other fucking car is blowing up. Its an incredibly small percentage...an unacceptable small percentage I totally agree. But its not like you need to be driving around "waiting for it to blow".

If your clutch was vibrating I think you would be thinking the same thing..It also seems that when these engines blow its when cruising and not wot..That is why I go wot everywhere to keep from blowing...

[tutuga]

Originally Posted by SharkDiver I understand...The only reason I still have this car is because I want a car that gets good gas mileage (I drive 34 miles each way to work),has plenty of power (when the rods stay in the motor),can fit my 3 kids and my wife and I and is good in snow.Also I need to have a car that is in the Ford family because that is where I work.It being paid off is nice also... But for everyone that gives up on these cars and moves on is completely understandable.

I'm with you on the mileage, I drive 30 each way. Hell I drove from work to Indy on a full tank Friday and had 1/8 of a tank left when I got there! that was 372 miles doing 80MHP most of the way. no kids yet though so no worries there

[jahman]

Originally Posted by SharkDiver If your clutch was vibrating I think you would be thinking the same thing..It also seems that when these engines blow its when cruising and not wot..That is why I go wot everywhere to keep from blowing...

I dont understand, what does a vibrating clutch mean?

Does it vibrate when its in, or out, or....what do you mean?

[wassup61]

Your clutch pedal pulsating at idle moreso than your brake or gas pedal. I am willing to bet that there was stupid STUPID EGT going on.

Think about it, our cars lean spool (pulling asston of timing to generate EGT to spool turbo) Coupled with the stress of a balance shaft, fuel dilution of oil, and increased airflow from boltons can very well = boom boom. Did you check your oil level before you left?

Jeff at PG

[Lex]

As many hypotheses as there are, I think most people will agree that a lot of these failures are probably due to some flaw with the motor. Some are lucky some are not. Some people beat the shit out of their cars and all is well. Then some lose them cruising.

So you can either sell the car or just drive it like it was meant to be driven and hope you're one of the lucky ones.

[jahman]

Well the shitty thing is that even if we end up one of the unlucky ones, mazda is gonna blame it on mods to get off scott free. And theyll smile big when they get to order a new engine and take their sweet ass time getting paid $120/hr putting it all back together. All coming out of you wallet, but is it really your fault because you had some simple bolt ons?

So theres absolutely no way to save your ass other than to go bone stock and stay there....all so that you can be safe if...IF your shit blows up. And what fun is that? It pisses me off that mazda is never held accountable for this and theres no sign of any kind of investigation into why this is happening. If its the balance shaft, then they need to FIX it.

Its still a very small percentage of engines blowing, but when I hear of cases like this (cruising down the fucking highway under no boost) it scares the shit out of you. It can literally happen to anyone.

[Lex]

Just demod the car if it blows before taking it in ... but that can also end up being abused.

[phantom3]

Originally Posted by jahman Well the shitty thing is that even if we end up one of the unlucky ones, mazda is gonna blame it on mods to get off scott free. And theyll smile big when they get to order a new engine and take their sweet ass time getting paid $120/hr putting it all back together. All coming out of you wallet, but is it really your fault because you had some simple bolt ons? So theres absolutely no way to save your ass other than to go bone stock and stay there....all so that you can be safe if...IF your shit blows up. And what fun is that? It pisses me off that mazda is never held accountable for this and theres no sign of any kind of investigation into why this is happening. If its the balance shaft, then they need to FIX it. Its still a very small percentage of engines blowing, but when I hear of cases like this (cruising down the fucking highway under no boost) it scares the shit out of you. It can literally happen to anyone.

What exactly should Mazda be held accountable for?? There is no proof (as of yet) regarding a flaw in the engine. The car comes with a warranty under the premise that it will stay stock. If you are stock and you blow then it is covered. If you mod your car then it's your own damn fault. Why should Mazda pay for your fuck up? Mazda engineers don't sit around and design an engine with increasing the HP with aftermarket parts in mind. In fact it wouldn't surprise my if the engine was designed to pop on purpose... I"m just saying.

Just because a mustang/evo/supra/skyline/whatever can make "X"HP on a stock block without blowing doesn't mean that Mazda pays when theirs doesn't. If you mod be prepared to pay.

I have to hand it to the OP. He didn't blame Mazda for the engine blowing.
It sucks when your engine blows. I feel for you. Best of luck with whatever you plan on doing.

[jahman]

That is exactly my point, you cant mod at all because if your engine pops you're fucked.

I'd be willing to bet money that its a flaw in the engine, no way are basic bolt ons causing blown engines at cruising speeds on the highway under zero boost. No way in hell...its an engine flaw.

Mazda should pay, its their flaw, but if theres mods, they wont.

[phantom3]

Originally Posted by jahman That is exactly my point, you cant mod at all because if your engine pops you're fucked. I'd be willing to bet money that its a flaw in the engine, no way are basic bolt ons causing blown engines at cruising speeds on the highway under zero boost. No way in hell...its an engine flaw. Mazda should pay, its their flaw, but if theres mods, they wont.

But if the flaw is only a problem on a modded engine then it is not Mazdas fault. Thats like drilling holes in a CP-E MM to save weight. Sure it may work at 300hp but when it breaks at 325hp CP-E should pay? No.

[jahman]

Originally Posted by phantom3 But if the flaw is only a problem on a modded engine then it is not Mazdas fault. Thats like drilling holes in a CP-E MM to save weight. Sure it may work at 300hp but when it breaks at 325hp CP-E should pay? No.

I understand what you're saying.

BUt there have been stock or very near stock ms3s and ms6s blowing up under similar circumstances in the past.

What blows my mind (no pun intended) is that this happened at -15 to -20 vacuum, thats practically coasting. I just cant see how bolt ons could contribute, thats like saying my car sitting in the driveway idling with no one behind the wheel could throw a rod.

[HighSun_Murder]

Originally Posted by martyxattack so no bsd?

What is a BSD?

[phantom3]

Originally Posted by HighSun_Murder What is a BSD?

BSD = Balance Shaft Delete. search for threads for more info

[phantom3]

Originally Posted by jahman I understand what you're saying. BUt there have been stock or very near stock ms3s and ms6s blowing up under similar circumstances in the past. What blows my mind (no pun intended) is that this happened at -15 to -20 vacuum, thats practically coasting. I just cant see how bolt ons could contribute, thats like saying my car sitting in the driveway idling with no one behind the wheel could throw a rod.

YOU DON'T MAKE ARGUING FUN! WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE CONFRONTATIONAL!!?!?