I have owned this car for about 20yrs and I fitted a KLZE into it about 18yrs ago.

It has over 363,000km on the clock and I have just finished a rebuild of the KLZE.
I have kept the car standard on the outside and interior apart from the odd part such as a Momo steering wheel.
The engine has been kept standard apart from:
- 65mm TB
- Knife edging the inlet manifold.
- Port matching all the inlet and exhaust ports.
- Smoothing up the head ports.
- KFZE Flywheel (lighter than a 2.5 one - K8 is even lighter it seems)
- Standard KFZE Headers but port matched to head and down pipe.
- SARD AFR.
- DW300 fuel pump.

The engine is run by a KL31 ECU and all functions are fully operational.
And yes there was plenty of rewiring.(All done by me)
The exhaust system is a full 2.5inch with a performance Cat, and then a centre muffler and rear mufflers built to my spec. The centre muffler is a 3x chamber twin 2inch pipes and the rear is a bigger version of the original muffler (2.5inch in to twin 2.25inch out). I have never changed the headers as the matched standard KFZE seem to do the job very well.
There is also a half wave resonator between the two mufflers.
Suspension changes have only been adjustable Koni's on the front and the standard brakes with EBC pads have been great.
Interior has been kept standard apart from a Momo steering wheel and gear knob and a AFR Meter.

And in the last two months replaced the 2x standard horns with Fiamm horns. (They were sitting at the wreckers and needed a home) - Much louder than the standard beep horns from Japan.
Have plenty of photo's of the rebuild and too much knowledge about the wiring of these cars/engines and ECU's so more than happy to answer any questions.
Thanks
Craig

Oh yes, rebuild photos please

That is one very clean well kept car - a credit to you

Hi All,
Thought you maybe interested in my rebuild of my KLZE.



I stripped the engine back to a shortblock and gave it to my engine rebuilder to strip, clean, measure and put back together.
(Just do not have the gear for this part of the build)
The cylinders, pistons, con rods, and crankshaft were all in good condition, so a hone, new rings and bearing were installed once the crank had been polished.
The Top decks also needed to be squared before reassembly.
The oil pump was stripped, cleaned and measured and then reassembled and was also in good condition.
Overall the engine was in very good condition and that comes from 18yrs of regular servicing posting.php?mode=reply&f=14&t=59487#
Pic shows the shortblock after I picked it up and added the flywheel (KFZE), oil filter/cooler assy, Knock sensor and plate (which I cleaned and painted) the oil pump and pick up, and stump.

I stripped the heads and then took them to the Engine rebuilder to be checked.
Both heads required planing after they had had a good clean.

Once I had them back I cleaned up the inlet and exhaust ports with my trusty Dremel tool and many hours of work.This was not a polish but a smoothing up job.
There is a surprising amount to smooth up under the valve seats and then around where the exhaust ports leave the head. I would have removed about 2mm all round the exhaust ports to get them matched up.
The inlet ports were pretty much matched.


Photo of the exhaust ports on one head.

All the valves were cleaned and checked as good and then were lapped into their seats by hand (it was winter).

Due to possible issues with the inlet valve springs on KLZE's I decided to change all the springs to KLDE type.
All the keepers and retainers were changed and then the heads were rebuilt with new seals throughout.

Sorry but didn't take a lot of photos of the heads.

Today is about installing the heads.
Once you have cleaned the heads and the top decks you need to install new o rings on the oil feed nipples and ensure the positioning dells are in place and ready for the heads.
Ensure that all the thread holes for the head bolts are clean with no rubbish in them.
Make certain you replace the o ring on the oil way nipple.

You can then install the head gaskets and then put the heads on.
My heads were very easy to install and dropped onto the dells with very little assistance.
Then its in with all the new head bolts.
Ensure you put oil on the thread and under the washers. This is to ensure that when you tension the bolts that they are smooth in operation.

Once you have tensioned all the Head bolts then you can start to install the lifters.
But before you install the lifters you will need to check the top for wear and bleed them out.
This entails a vice and gradually pressing them and bleeding the oil out of them until they are soft.
The Engine Rebuilder showed me how to do it without damaging the lifter and would recommend you get someone to show you.
The point of bleeding the lifters is to ensure at start up that the lifters are all soft and do not damage the cams.
Also cleans them out and ensures new oil in them at start up.
If you find a lifter with an indent in the top the engine rebuilder can dress the surface to ensure its flat. (One of my ones required this)
When installing the lifters use plenty of clean engine oil and engine assembly lube. This is one area of an engine that gets the oil last at start up so very important.

Next you can install the cams.
Before you do ensure the oil ways are all clean, ensure the caps and bases are clean then apply plenty of the engine assembly lube to the cam, caps and bases.
All the caps have a letter on the left head and numbers on the right head for easy installation.
Line up the dots on the two cams and carefully drop them in.
You can not put the cams in the wrong head.
Then install the caps and do up to the recommended torque.

Here's a photo of the Cams, caps, pulleys, distributor and gears all installed.

Before you add the cambelt you will need to install the coolant thermostat assembly at the dist end of engine and the inlet water assembly at the cambelt end plus the pipes in the V.
Add all the cambelt pulleys, tensioners, and idlers on the front of the engine.
Check them all very carefully and ensure they are all smooth and in good condition. If not replace.
Cambelt tensioner - Replace them - Just not worth the risk.
The pulley in the V is the last one you install.
The big thing is to take your time and be careful.
I have done cambelt changes in the car and on the bench and both are not difficult - Just time consuming.
Once installed you must rotate the engine and ensure the cams and crank line after two rotations. If not then redo until correct.

Then its as per the manual.

At this point of the build I did not like the nake finish of the cam covers and the inlet manifold or the header shields and therefore decided to paint them all with VHT SILVER paint.
This entailed a bit of oven time and a very nice result I think.
Once painted I cleaned the two surfaces, fitted the gaskets and installed the manifold.
The manifold had already had the throttle body fitted (65mm bore).

I then carried out the fitting of the VRIS system and all the wiring at the back of the manifold.

You would have noticed by the last photo I had started adding accessories such as the power steering pump, alternator etc.

I had already added the flywheel which had been machined, and fitted a new clutch and pressure plate plus centre bearing and thrust bearing.
I had not gone for a heavy duty clutch this time round as I found it horrible to drive in town.
So the gearbox was next to go on after I had cleared it up.

The top mount and front engine mount were cleaned, painted and fitted and the bushes for the gear shift rod checked.
The joint drive shaft was next.
I had never had the right mount (1x bolt holding it on for 18yrs) for the joint shaft and ended up at Pick a Part going through there assortment of Mazda's and Fords looking for the right one. I found that on a Ford Telstar Radisch V6.

I could only use the mount as the shafts were very different and lucky for me the bearing in the mount on the new one was in excellent condition where as my original was seized.

Well the engine was back together and my attention turned to the engine bay.

The engine was stripped out and cleaned before painting.

By the time I took these photos I had already started removing parts.

A couple of coats of paint after a bit of sanding and cleaning and the engine was starting to look like a place to put the engine and gearbox into.

Once the Engine bay was painted I then started cleaning up all the wiring.

You can see from the photo that I cleaned off the sound insulation on the firewall and if you look very closely have tidied up the wiring loom.
On both sides of the engine bay at the front where there is a lot of wiring I have pulled it into the side fenders and rerouted the wires to their connections. All in the quest to make the engine bay around the lights tidy.


I also found the rear engine mount was broken and needed replacing.
This meant dropping the subframe to get at the bolts holding the mount in place.
A job you would only do with the engine and gearbox out.
Both the engine mount bar that runs from the front to rear and East-West bottom brace were stripped and painted. (No photos sorry)
Bay ready for the engine and gearbox.
I took no photos of the install (sorry) but it went well with very few issues.
Next couple of replies will show you some of the details around the bay.

This engine runs with the external coil and ignitor pack which I have installed between the airbox and Overflow radiator bottle.
The distributor is the match and doesn't have any of the issues that the distributors with the coil in them have.

18yrs and no problems with the coil/ignitor/distributor.

Next up is the airbox and CAI
All are off a Japanese manual MX6 which came with the KLZE.
This was never designed to fit the lantis but I wanted the system that was fitted as standard for this engine ex the factory.
When hunting for the right system it became apparent that there were plenty of different systems.
The one I have has a very big CAI inlet and much larger pipe into the airbox.
Fitting up required cutting the radiator cover and setting it up with mounts for the CAI.
To mount the airbox was simple in that I took the mount from one of the Mazda's available and positioned it where I needed it.
I also moved the ignition coil and ignitor assembly and mounted that onto the mount.


The biggest problem was that the Lantis bonnet just about seals along the front, therefore no air would get through to the CAI.
To sort this out I had to cut a piece of the bonnet front away, set up a mounting panel for the seal on the bonnet that seals the CAI from the engines hot air.

It seems to work very well.
Why would I go this way?
I have had a Horn filter system on the car for the last 18yrs.
It had a large flexible tube around it which was positioned down to the passengers side of the engine bay.
This stopped it taking in hot air.
But I think the dropping of the standard air system has side affects on performance.
So far my driving with the standard system has been limited to running in speeds.
The power is smooth, progressive and very strong. The idle is very stable.Economy excellent.
Intake noise is very sporty.
Will be interesting to see what its like full throttle.

Radiator Overflow bottle hose to radiator.
Due to the CAI / Airbox with resonator I used I had to find a overflow hose that could work in the space available.
I ended up at the local Autoshop going through their hoses until I found a hose that would do the job. (In this case two hoses were utilised to get the appropriate shape with a brass joiner between them.

I also had to change the shape of the resonator a little bit.

Battery

I was going to put the battery in the boot but the engine bay just doesn't look right .
Instead I brought a battery of the same rating as the original but the appropriate size to fit the space I had.
I have utilised the standard tray and then made up a bracket that fits under the tray (is riveted into place) to hook the battery stays and top bar to.

The battery top bar is from a Toyota and is metal instead of one of those horrible plastic ones.
It required a little bit of shaping as it was a bit close to the passengers side strut tower and front strut bar.
Looks nice and tidy and standard.

nice details from the rebuild mate! Keep em coming!

Fuel regulators.
Over the years I have had a number of the standard Mazda fuel regulators and when tested I have found that they are not built the same.
I have tested them as low as 36psi up to 42psi.
To be honest with a standard engine, good condition O2 sensors and a good fuel supply via a good pump this isn't a issue but when you start wanting a little more from the engine and you start modding then the standard Fuel regulator may need to go.

Therefore I fitted a SARD AFR.
It is very easy to adjust and set up.(Fuel pressure gauge on the inlet when adjusting)
If you look closely you will see that I have bolted it onto the fuel rail (very easy to do with an adaptor to bolt to the rail and a threaded connection to go between the two and then a 90 degree outlet for the return line)
Nice and simple and doesn't require any extra mounts and pipes.
I have found 40psi as a good setting for my engine but you may find you need higher or lower for your engine.

To help with road tuning without the expense of rolling roads and expensive tuning people I built a Air/Fuel ratio meter out of a electronic kit from Jaycar which is connected up to the rear O2 sensor at the ECU.
At one point I had the car on a Dyno with a tuning company and the accuracy was so good that the tuner stopped using his system and just used this. (Had very good O2 sensors at the time)
The AFR Meter is also an excellent indicator of issues with the engine and I have found it very valuable for fault finding.
I have it installed in the tray below the radio.(Easy to see but out of sight )

Under bonnet insulation replacement.
My cars under bonnet insulation was falling apart and needed replacement.
I tried the car without the insulation and was surprised how much difference even an old falling apart one made.
Therefore decided to buy DynaMat "The Hood Liner" under bonnet insulation and install that.
The install took a bit of time making up templates and then cutting to size but I think the effort was worth it.

Just got back from a drive and it works very well.
Dynamat say 3db drop and I can believe it.

Hi lantisv62500,

Such a great job so far, you obviously know your car well. Keep it up!

I think you should paint the insulation matt black- it will hide stains more, look more like original insulation and less like you've put a sunshade under the bonnet! Just my 2¢, by the way.

I was also interested the Jaycar kit worked so well. The only other thing I can think is whether the engine management you have is OBDII compatible in which case you may be able to read it out anyway.

Pitrack_1

Nice! I love this car...I guess because we didn't get it in the UK, it makes it such a rare sight.

If it was me, I would spray the hoodliner with a tinted lacquer, so you can still see the silver shining through, looking a bit like anodised aluminium

Yes the "The Hoodliner" is very bright and when I tried to take a photo it just about blinded me.
It's covered in a aluminium foil and the foam is about 19mm thick and sadly that colour is all you get.
Good thing you can close the bonnet
Dynamat product is excellent stuff.
I also have their heatshield product in the transmission tunnel to stop the heat from the sports cat, pipes and centre muffler and it works really well.(Stops my left leg getting hot )
The Air con doesn't have to work so hard and the shield also protects some of the gearbox linkage bushings.

I wish they did sell these in the UK.....beautiful looking machine!!!

"I wish they did sell these in the UK.....beautiful looking machine!!!"

Totally agree with you when it's a Type R's with the front spoiler and 16inch wheels etc.

We also get the 1800cc version on little wheels and no spoiler and it just doesn't look right but then you can say that about a lot of the low end models in all the brands

Before I brought the Sedan I did drive a lot of 323F Hatch versions of the Type R but found the sedan had a better ride and seemed to have more room in the rear seat???? (And had three children to think of )

Before I get back to the last couple things on the engine rebuild I thought I would share some of the small details on the car.

These are the standard exhaust tips.
Whats different is the size of the pipes inside the tips.
2.25inch verses 1.75inch.
All to do with the full 2.5inch exhaust system.

These are the Daylight runner LED's.
Totally recommend daylight runners as they help other drivers see you.
Look closely at the Reg plate and you will see I have cut and fitted it into the plate recess. (Hate plates that are too big)

Stainless door sills.
Look great.
Little things I know but still but they add up
Would love electric fold away side mirrors too - One day maybe.

My son thinks these wheels are prefect for the Lantis and he has brought a set for it.
Two of the wheels need a clean and paint.
Here's a photo of one of the good ones.

They are Works 17x7 I think and do look good on the car.
225/40 - 17 are the right height? but have to fit up to see if they fit OK.
What sizes are ok in your experience?

Im running 215/45-17
225/45-17
205/40-17
And now 255/40-17

I think 215/45 works really well,but thats me

Thanks for that.

I am running 225/45/17's mate and they are fine

Thanks for that.

Kiwi?

Thanks for sharing. The sedan or CB version is a great car. Yours is in fabulous condition.

When I first carried out the engine swap from a KFZE to a KLZE I kept the KF33 ECU & MAF from the KFZE and altered the wiring where necessary to run the KLZE.
On seat of the pants feel it was quick and revved out no issue.
But I decided to fit a AFR Meter to confirm all was well.
Once the AFR was up and running I found the KLZE started running lean after 4K.
I then fitted a fuel pressure gauge which confirmed the fuel pressure was OK.
I then fitted an adjustable fuel regulator and adjusted the fuel up to about 50psi and still it ran Lean.
I then fitted a Performance fuel pump from a Nissan GTR R33 and it didn't help either.
To the Dyno I went and we found that at 60psi we just about stopped the leaning out but now normal driving was a dog and economy was REALLY BAD.
The KF33 ECU was maxed out and was unable to provide the right amount of fuel.

Options.
Go find a GOOD aftermarket ECU such as Haltech or Link, Both of which are well supported in NZ, fit a pigback box or find the appropriate Mazda ECU and VAF.
I decided to go with the Mazda ECU and VAF.

What this whole mess showed me is that there are NO short cuts to good engine management and I was a bloody idiot for trying
Lot of money spent and a hell of a lot of time wasted.