I'm in the market for a new motor and am considering a reman. There are a lot of myths surrounding remans so I am starting this thread with the hope of providing reliable information to others that are considering this option. If anybody has information based on FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE or REPUTABLE SOURCES (mazda, mazdacomp, shops) please contribute and be as specific as possible. Please no rumors, friend's friend's opinions ect.

If you have purchased a reman and it has failed please specify the reason the motor was original purchased(overheated old motor ect), the approximate date of purchase, the cause of failure and the mileage on the motor at the time of failure. I'm also curious to see what the what max mileage anyone has logged on a reman is.

Here is what I have so far:

Source: Ray Crowe @Malloy Mazda:

-They are assembled by Mazda employees at AC-Delco.
-The following parts are replaced regardless of condition:
1. housings
2. all seals
3. 0-rings
4. gaskets
5. bearings (but a customer who purchased a motor recently claims to have discovered a used bearing. Mazda has taken an interest in this and wants the parts back to investigate.

-The following parts are replaced if out of spec, which according to malloy is a higher standard than the minimum functioning condition:
1. Iron housings-but if reused they are resurfaced
2. rotors
3. flywheel
4. front cover
5. e-shaft
6. stationary gear

I also sent an email to mazdacomp to see if they can provide the specific guidelines used to rebuild them. I will let everyone know when/if they get back to me.

 

What do you mean by "housing" on the list of always replaced parts. First, when you say "replaced", that is unclear. I'm going to assume "replaced" means "replaced with brand new parts". I would verify with Ray the "housings" on the top list. It could refer to anything. I'm thinking right now it refers to rotor housings, but as far as I know remans do not guarentee NEW rotor housings. "Iron housings" on the second list seems to refer to side housings, and in that case, yes, they can be used but they will always be resurfaced.

 

To clarify what I said above on replacement, keep in mind that when you send in your core and get a reman, you aren't getting the same engine back, so all the parts are technically "replaced". Basically they take all the cores, strip them, and the parts go into a big pile for inspection and cleaning. Out of spec stuff gets trashed, in spec stuff gets restored/cleaned if necessary. When supplies of used parts gets low, new parts can refill the stocks. So, with that said, if you send in an engine that is completely trashed and every part is out of spec, don't expect to get a brand new engine back. True, certain stuff never gets reused no matter how new it looks coming in, but what you send in has nothing to do with what you get back.

 

My mechanic has had several problems with oil leaks from this area with Mazda re-mans. As I understand it, it is due to Mazda painting the housings and the gaskets won't seal properly. As I understand it, my mechanic usually takes off the front cover and reseals it to avoid leaks.

Zerobanger's 50k reman had trashed bearings. Do a search for the pics and posts re: his Mazda reman motor.

 

Haha Mazda

 

I'm also in the market for a reman in July. What is the price currently?

 

I am replacing my motor because my 45-50k mile old reman has developed a massive Front cover leak. I had the motor replaced under extended warranty by a mazda dealer. So I am sure it was a MANA motor. the front cover was also painted silver.

I just ordered a Mazda Reman($2195.00 shipped) from Ray @ Malloy(Great Guy!) and had Pineapple tear it down, port it, do oil mods and upgrade the coolant seals($1,400)

Joel, at Pineapple said that upon inspection, he found used rotor bearings and grooved front hub(would've caused a leak eventually). He had to replace these parts on my Reman Motor.

~John

 

-The word "housing" on the first list refers to rotor housings.
-According to Ray all parts on the first list are not sourced from used motors; they are brand new parts.

 

This is a great post. Let's hope it fills up with accurate, timely information from sources that KNOW what they are talking about.

All I can say is that Ray is about the best friend any FD3S owner can have. If he tells you something you can believe it. No spin. Rikki is also a wealth of knowledge - even if he is "advertising boy" (sorry Rikki...)

Sure would be nice to get the manager of the AC Delco facility in FL to chime in here. All it would take is a phone call from someone who knows him personally, or maybe one of our Florida members could stop by in person for an interview just for fun? If the guy has pride in his operation he should be happy to give us the straight poop.

We ARE his customer base after all..........

 

front cover gasket leaking, oil pan and oil filler neck leaking all within a year of installing Reman. Had KDR fix all leaks and it blew on the dyno with 18k on it. Probably not the motors fault. Then second reman had leak at oil filler neck. The front cover gasket had been replaced with a 20B front cover gasket and oil pan was resealed before it was installed. Motor blew with about 2k on the ODO. Its now at KD getting another New Reman installed. This time I am sending it to Ito and he is Porting, Race Spec'n the newest reman. Hopefullt it will last longer. I thnk a Reman is a decent motor. I think having a new Reman Sent to a high end rebuilder and gone over. Checking all internal parts and doing some upgrades as needed for your application and within your means. The motor is only as good as the tuner. Dont fool yourself thinking blowing a motor is the manufactuer or the place that assembles it's fault. Also any overheated motor may also need a new Engine harness. High engine bay temps and old age can cause some serious problems with the harness such as oxidation, melting, brittle insulation etc. Ray at Malloy seems to have things under control. A Pretty good place to buy Motors.

 

My reman was installed in 1996 under extended warranty. It lasted till June 2002 when it started to have an internal leak. Mileage on the reman was approx 43K. I blockwelded it 3 times but it's giving up the ghost at 47K due to o-ring leaks. I lose about 32 oz of water over 50 miles but no smoke, starts fine.

I think what happened here is that the engine warped on the top part where the induction stroke (I know, it ain't a piston) so it's constantly sucking in coolant.

I'm going to put in another reman. Thought about sending it to Pineapple but not worth it as I don't race or do anything too crazy. Hell, if I can get a big enough AST, I'll just keep using my total loss cooling system forever w/o replacing the engine.

 

I've bought a few remans, one had used housings, the rest were new. Rikki is right, reused parts are painted silver. The flywheels were either resurfaced or new, I didn't really pay attention closely. Used bearings don't seem to be a big deal according to a Racing Beat or Mazdatrix catalog, in fact they recommended that you don't change them unless they are out of spec.

As far as how long the remans last? Man, that is a loaded question. See many people or shops install them without doing everything they should. Like water hoses, radiator, fuel hoses, clean injectors, etc. I haven't had one fail yet, but I've only been dealing with them for 2.5 yrs.

Many original motors only lasted 40K miles, so it stands to reason a reman might last that long.

Jeff

 

How about some info on a Renesis reman after you tune the RX8 turbos Rikki?

Seriously, I'm curious as to how much hp and torque a Renesis can make and its durability under boost.

 

until part of the housing cracks

 

have you checked them? they are usually hand tight.

we see the following with mana motors
1. oil pans leak
2. front cover gasket pushes out

they replace the seals and gaskets, if they have "good used" they seem to use it, and if the used box is empty it gets new.

mike

 

This post worries me. I am having a Reman installed that should be ready next week. After ready this I don't know if I should expect much from it

 

I'll report back when mine is done. I got a reman from Ray ($2240 including gaskets and shipping both ways). It's being ported and having coolant passages enlarged at KDR. They also put in all new coolant hoses radiator hoses, and spark plugs, so I'll pretty much be starting fresh. I should have it on Monday June 23rd, and I'll let everyone know what Dave had to say about the condition of the reman.

 

I am that customer with the weird bearings. I had my reman sent to Pineapple racing for tear down and rebuild to 5 year warantee specs precisely because of the rumors about the remans. Chris did the tear down. They found new housings, used but clean rotors, used but in good spec intermediates, and a used flywheel, which had been resurfaced. And the bearings issue.

The insides of new bearings have a matte silver finish which is the babbit material (an aluminum alloy that NO ONE seems to know the real composition of) laid on top of the steel backing. The steel backing is a flat piece of steel with an oil distribution groove that has been rolled to the correct size. The ends are connected together by an interlocking set of teeth which are then copper brazed together on the outside and inside to retain strength.

The bearings that Chris pulled out had NO babbit. While it is true that the babbiting usually wears away from the surface during break in, there will typically be small amounts left that take up the tollerances left over by the eccentric shaft (one of the reasons it is necessary to change the break in oil). Further, the bearings WERE NOT BRAZED. There is NO material filling the gaps between the teeth of the connection. Finally, the bearings had a cross-hatch pattern on the inside surface, much like what you would expect from a hone.

I'm trying to get my S together and get one of these bearings over to Malloy, who will send it on. I should mention that the bearing that is being sent back actually separated along the connection, though it was unclear at Pineapple if it came out that way or if it separated after removal, either from dropping or just getting it out. Bearings should not separate unless given a pretty sharp side load, unless of course there is no brazing.

Anyway, the engine is broken in, and is running well. There was a ticking noise in the beginning that seemed related to oil temp, but that has ceased (hmmm... great?). I am keeping the other bearing for now, and will get pics on when Ray says it's been looked into.

Anyways, I think the reman is a great source of new-ish parts for a rebuild, and it's a nice way to have an engine to transfer parts to during the repop (which I did myself, which is why I wanted two engines in my tiny garage!) but I really think that getting it torn down by a professional is a good idea. And getting it tuned properly after install if you modded it is a reeeaaal good idea

Anyway, that's all I know. More when I know more....

 

My Malloy reman I purchased about a year ago had new housings, new rotors, new eccentric, new flywheel and of course a new waterpump and thermostat.

So far after 18,000 miles everything is leak free and the motor running great.

 

The price and service from Ray@Malloy is excellent but I can't stand the "gaskets" you get with the engine for that price.

It isn't 1/4 what you really need.

I am over $300.00 additional in miscellaneous gaskets, seals, hoses and stuff that should be mandatory to replace.