NC engine

Don't know how you missed it. The engine specs on the Mazda USA website spell everything out fairly well:

Engine type 2.0-liter 16-valve inline-4 Horsepower (SAE net) 170 @ 6700 rpm (6AT: 166 @ 6700) Torque (lb-ft, SAE net) 140 @ 5000 rpm Redline 6700 rpm Displacement (cubic inches) 122.0 Bore x stroke (inches) 3.4 X 3.3 Compression ratio 10.8:1 Valvetrain DOHC with variable intake valve timing Engine block Aluminum Alloy Cylinder head Aluminum Alloy Fuel injection Electronic multi-port Recommended fuel Premium unleaded, 91 octane or greater Minimum fuel Requirement (rating) Premium unleaded, 91 octane Emission control Evaporative purge control. EGR control system. Catalytic converter system Ignition system Distributorless Alternator 12V-100A Battery 46B24L Starter 12V; 1.4KW

Well, with that sexy body, I guess I overlooked some of the 'brains' ;-)

Chris

Bit it misses is the inlet manifold. It PLASTIC!

"Mal Osborne" wrote in news:44764eb8$ snipped-for-privacy@quokka.wn.com.au:

Plastic is GOOD! Gotta use up all that surplus petroleum somehow...

I suspect plastic is great for a while, but what about 10 years later? Will it be in a similar condition to the top tank on my '94 radiator? I guess car manufacturers are not to concerned about what happens once the vehicle is out of warrantee, and no longer in the hands of the original owner.

Good chance in 10 years it will need to be repaired, at the owners cost.

Just wait for Jackson Racing to come out with a CAI for it. Then you can replace the plastic box every 2 to 3 years or have fun constantly gluing it back together. ;-)

Pat

"Mal Osborne" wrote in news:44768724$ snipped-for-privacy@quokka.wn.com.au:

Plastic intakes are not new. I don't know how well they stand up.

BTW, most radiators with plastic tanks have the gasket between the tank and the core fail long before there's any problem with the plastic itself.

Your experience obviously differs from mine. I've owned quite a few plastic tanked radiators and had almost as many fail. My problems have been consistently with brittle plastic tanks giving up the ghost. I've not had a single problem with the metal 'core' portion of the radiator.

Chris

"Chris D'Agnolo" wrote in news:d3a21$44778457$471d4d2c$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET:

The problem I've had isn't the tank or the core, it's the gasket that seals the two together. When they get old they leak. We've replaced dozens of radiators when there was nothing wrong with the radiator other than the gasket but...... we sent out all our radiator work and we never found a shop that could replace that gasket. The fix was always to replace the tank which was still useable.

Miata radiators? No, I thought not. Miata radiators have a solid history of split plastic tanks--once it turns green, it's due to fail. The fix is a cheap ($130) all-metal radiator with twice the capacity.

In a spasm of uncharacteristic foresight, I actually replaced mine before it split. Unbelievable.

Or triple that for a replacement plastic one if you live in Australia. :(

I have had 2 cars with failed top tanks. My current '94 Miata, with a crack, and a '90 Falcon, which broke when I tried to pull a rubber hose off. In both cases the material of the tank had gone brittle & weak, bit the gasket was fine.

What makes you think that? An intake manifold is under a different kind of stress than the top of a radiator.

Dana

I suspect it's more heat that does the damage. I would expect parts of the Inlet manifold bolted to the head to be subject to a similar temperature cycle to the radiator top tank. If they are the same type of material, I would therefore expect similar degradation after a similar time.

I will tell you for sure in about 2020.

If it lasts until 2020 it will probably outlast me!