Mazda 2.3 DISI Turbo

At the beginning of the XXI century, Mazda engineers became interested in creating cars with powerful turbocharged engines. They began to equip MPS-versions of brand cars, for example, in 2005 Mazda 6 MPS appeared. It was followed by similar versions of Mazda 3 and crossover CX-7. All of them became the owner of a powerful engine with a volume of cylinders of 2.3 liters and a turbine.

The basic for the engine served atmospheric motors L-series, providing a combination of a cylinder block made of light alloys, chain drive timing and the presence of four valves on each cylinder. Fuel supply is direct injection. They were used not only on various Mazda models, but also on Ford cars.

Technical specifications

Engine reliability indicators

High popularity of Mazda MPS-versions was explained by good dynamics of automobiles, but practically everyone, who owned a Japanese car for a long time, faced the necessity of engine overhaul. In some cases, failures were so serious that no repair was out of the question, it was necessary to buy a new engine. The reason for this is excessive power, and it is 260 “horses” in sedan and hatchback versions. The combination of high load and a mass of initial design flaws led to disgusting reliability, it is almost impossible to find on the market a car with a motor Mazda 2.3 DISI Turbo, which has not previously had serious problems.

Turbine

The BorgWarner K04 turbine used for the engine is available in several versions, for example, for the 2.3 DISI Turbo engine for Mazda CX-7 with reduced power to 238 forces, the supercharger will be smaller. In addition, turbochargers for European, American and Japanese versions of cars will differ among themselves by catalog number.

The reliability of compressors is low, even with regular oil changes. Very often destruction occurs during operation under load, with sharp shocks, smoke and oil entering the intake system. In some cases, the volume of oil getting into the engine was such that the engine was jammed from the hydrostroke without the possibility of further repair.

Turbine repair will cost an average of 400 dollars, although on the market you can find much cheaper offers, but their quality may be questionable.

Problems are also possible with the operation of the control actuator of the exhaust gas bypass damper. When the flap is closed, the engine ECU will instantly detect the presence of an error and artificially “cut” the power. Most often the cause of the problem are cracks on the surface of the vacuum tubes or breakage of the electrovacuum valve, but in some cases, the mobility of the actuator itself is impaired, jamming in the closed position.

TNVD

The fuel pump is also problematic. Structurally, the control valve is located at the top of the fuel pump, it is possible to leak gasoline. The pressure will fall below the critical mark and it will be impossible to start the engine. Separately change the valve is not possible, even for analogs, and the cost of the complete fuel injector is about 800 dollars. The only way to save money is to choose a used spare part.

Leaks on the pump itself are also not excluded, but happen much less often. Leaks are possible on the stem glands. They are not sold separately, but in general it is possible to pick up a suitable sized version on the market.

Jets

Drivers should not expect anything good from injectors, but here it is not their design flaws that are to blame, but the quality of fuel, as initially they were created for the cleanest possible Ai-98. As they become clogged, the quality of fuel spraying deteriorates. The first signs are “twitching” in idle mode, ignition misses, and in the most unfavorable situations, piston destruction. In the process of diagnostics it is required to turn off the injectors one by one in order to identify the problematic one. If you turn off the faulty injector, no changes will occur, while disconnecting the working element further deteriorates engine performance.

The cost of a new injector is about 200 dollars, so many car owners seek to restore them through ultrasonic cleaning. In some cases, this does succeed, but checking the operability requires a special stand.

Installation of new or restored injectors requires a change of sealing rings, and it is better to use analogs. The originals are too thin and quickly burn through, after which gases begin to leak, and the upper rings can leak fuel.

Heat exchanger

At the junction of the oil filter with the heat exchanger, leaks can sometimes be observed due to the loss of elasticity of the gasket. Separately, Mazda does not produce originals, but analogs of various firms are available on the market. In rare cases, there is a problem with cracking of the housing in the place of installation of the oil pressure control sensor.

Crankcase Ventilation

The oil separator together with the control valve need cleaning after every 100 thousand kilometers or even more often. It is advisable to combine this procedure with cleaning the valves of the intake system. If the tube coming from the oil separator is not properly connected during assembly, it will start to “suck” air, making it impossible to start the engine.

The timing chain

Another mediocre element with a life expectancy not more than 100 thousand kilometers, and in some cases twice less. The oil filler neck allows you to partially see the prices, in a worn state they will sag, indicating the need for urgent replacement.

The chain is borrowed from the atmospheric engine and costs about 80 dollars, but together with it it will be necessary to change the hydranatjazhitel, guides, gaskets, oil seals, which increases the cost. With significant wear will have to change and phase shifter on the inlet, and this is an additional 170 dollars of expenses. As a result, the cost of replacement work increases significantly.

In the process of changing the chain, the crankshaft and camshafts are fixed in a certain position with a special bolt and bar, respectively.

Phase shifter

The cost of the part is 170 dollars, and about the impending replacement will indicate a characteristic crackling when starting the engine on cold. The cause of the sounds is the phase shifter stopper, which as a result of contamination of the main elements begins to jam. Reduce the risks of this problem, as well as many others, allows regular replacement of oils. In addition, do not save on the quality of lubrication.

Dirty control solenoid leads to irregularities in gas distribution phases with error information. This problem can also be caused by a high degree of wear on the phase shifter and a worn camshaft and bed, resulting in low oil pressure. Sludge buildup and settling on the surface can cause the camshaft position sensor to malfunction.

Candles

For the 2.3 DISI motor, the cost of each original iridium-platinum plug is about $17. You can use analogs from other Japanese manufacturers, but their cost will have minimal differences. Their service life is good, so replacement with cheap analogs is not reasonable, both in terms of durability of use and loss of power of the power unit.

Engine destruction

Some owners of Mazda 6 MPS already with a fresh car age of four or five years faced complete destruction of the motor. This occurred due to the destruction of pistons directly in the process of movement. Studies of Japanese engineers have revealed a defect with spontaneous ignition of the fuel mixture at an average value of loads on the engine and a small speed of the pistons. The cause of this phenomenon was calcium additives added at that time to many motor oils. In the process of ignition there was a powerful detonation, as a result of which the pistons simply could not withstand the impact, splitting into pieces. In order to eliminate the problem, changes were made to the engine ECU software and a switch was made to other engine oils that did not have a high calcium content in their composition.

Oil degradation

Another common problem with the 2.3 DISI Turbo engine is increased oil consumption. There are several reasons for this, including turbine consumption, and defects of crankcase ventilation system, and loss of compression, and most often it was lost in cylinder number 3.

There is no unified opinion about the causes of compression problems in the third cylinder. Some see the reason in problems with EGR, penetration of particles of the deteriorating catalyst, shortcomings of the exhaust manifold, resulting in insufficient purging for cylinder number 3. Whatever the reasons for the problem, it does exist with the third cylinder, although problems with other “pots” are not excluded.

There is another version of problems with the third cylinder, some experts point to the peculiarities of the balancer system, as a result of which it does not receive enough oil, increasing friction and heating. Whatever the cause of the problem may be in the end, it has not been possible to solve it so far.

The block is light alloy, but the liners are cast iron. In some cases, they begin to flake off, with the liner taking the shape of an ellipse in which some of the diameters will be smaller than the nominal values. When repairing the engine, you can notice the delamination visually, as between the edges of the liner and the block body will be seen the presence of a small gap.

It should be noted that in the sale of pistons with a set of rings for the engine in the original can not be found, there are only rem kits from other manufacturers.

C connecting rods

At the connecting rod liners could often be observed increased wear, and sometimes they were simply welded to the valence. The reasons for this are mainly due to owners’ neglect of the oil level when the oil is completely consumed. Changing the liners is recommended at a mileage of 100 thousand, even in cases where the owners carry out regular oil changes and use quality lubricating fluids. If excessive oil consumption is allowed, accelerated wear of camshafts and connecting rod pins begins.

Conclusions

It should be stated that with the purchase of a car with a powerful engine, the owners of Mazda 6 and 3 MPS become the owners of a mass of problems. Accelerated wear of cylinder No. 3, liner separation, destruction of cylinders, difficulties with injectors, fuel pump, turbine, all this is typical for almost every Japanese car. Nevertheless, the pleasure of driving a car with a 260-horsepower motor (238 hp in the crossover version) does not stop people from buying it. Some additionally conduct its boosting, improving dynamics, but further reducing the already disgusting reliability.

For simple people, who are not ready to constantly invest in repair, the purchase of Mazda cars with 2.3 DISI Turbo engine can not be recommended in any case. The power unit turned out to be very raw and unreliable, no matter how well it was not maintained during operation.