[Papu]

Picked up a 2008 5 for my daughter in law to replace her aging Grand Caravan and wouldnt you know it the HG let loose on the way home from buying it. Maybe the guy knew, maybe he didn't but it is what it is and we got it cheap enough in todays market that its worth putting some time and money into it.

Compression test confirmed the gasket was blown between cylinders 2 and 3 with low compression in 1 and 4 so off came the head. It didnt look too bad but did see some light cylinder scoring on #1 that I wasnt happy with. Decided at that point a lower mileage engine would probably be more cost-effective than fixing this one.

car-part.com indicated the complete engine in our 5 was the same as an '06-09 3 and the best deal around seemed to be a 95K mile engine for $1100. I then found the threads here about the 2.5 swap into the 3. Same engine, so why not? After a lot of research I purchased a 2015 Fusion 2.5 with 21K on it for $450.

Not done yet - new engine is on the stand and reassembly has started. What I have hit so far:

• The intake manifold from the 5 does not fit perfectly on the Fusion head. All the bolt holes line up but the Mazda 5 manifold sits a bit low and the gasket doesnt line up perfectly. I purchased this intake adapter on ebay Mazda 3 6 Fusion 2.3 to 2.5 engine swap 1/8" intake manifold adapter + GASKET | eBay and its just what the doctor ordered. I did paint it black to make it not so obvious when I go in for inspection. It looks factory.
• I was hoping to keep the spin-on oil filter adapter from the Fusion but I cant do that because the 5 has the transmission cooler plumbed into the filter adapter where the Fusion has a seperate transmission cooler located in front of the radiator. Oh well.
• Have to use the 5 valve cover and the VVT solenoid in the Fusion is smaller in diameter than the old Mazda one. The seal in the valve cover is removable - ordered a Mahle replacement and it should be here today. Have to use the VVT connector from the Fusion as well. They cut it pretty short at the salvage yard, I may need to buy a new one - they are available.

 

[theblooms]

Post pics and keep us updated!

 

[Papu]

Only pics I have so far. I'll get more and post a list of needed parts once I am done.

 

[theblooms]

It's crazy how on modern cars, it's easier to pull the motor right out of the front! But more often than not, it really is!

Just as an aside, do you have a recovery system for the freon? Or did you bleed it "the old fashioned way" ? Curious is all.

 

[Papu]

It's crazy how on modern cars, it's easier to pull the motor right out of the front! But more often than not, it really is!

Just as an aside, do you have a recovery system for the freon? Or did you bleed it "the old fashioned way" ? Curious is all.

It was already bled for us when we got it. Broken hose. Had it been charged I would have handled that prior. Opted to pull it out the front since we needed to pull the bumper cover anyway to replace the fogged up headlights.

 

[Davids3]

The VVT adapter is available on rock auto if you need a new one.

 

[Papu]

Fusion cyl head temperature sensor is in the head between cylinders 2-3 and the Mazda5 one is in the external housing.

The Fusion sensor is too tall and interferes with the valve cover so it was either remove and replace with a plug or shorten the sensor. I chose to shorten it Cut off the plastic and sealed it with some epoxy for good measure.

Part number for the VVT seal for the valve cover.

Found damage to the oil pan and was unable to find a good used one locally so had to order a used one off eBay. AutoZone would sell me Dorman one for $700! Lol, no.

 

[Davids3]

Just remove the temp sensor. It is in a blind hole, nothing will leak from it. You just added extra work.

 

[Papu]

Just remove the temp sensor. It is in a blind hole, nothing will leak from it. You just added extra work.

Confirmed. That was totally unnecessary. Thank you.

 

[Papu]

Progress. The replacement oil pan arrived and it's in, sitting on its new mounts.

Now to hook everything up. The $25 Lisle timing tool set worked perfectly. I did replace the crankshaft bolt with a new Ford part ($12 from eBay) but reused the diamond washer (the 2015 Fusion factory repair manual states it can be reused if in good condition).

 

[Papu]

Short day today, got most of the harness hooked back up. Did have to order a new VVT connector as the salvage yard cut the old one too short. WPT-1251 Motorcraft

 

[Davids3]

That's the first time I have heard of reusing the friction washers. I have always replaced them with new for peace of mind.

 

[Papu]

That's the first time I have heard of reusing the friction washers. I have always replaced them with new for peace of mind.

Fair enough, but this was enough for me:

 

[Davids3]

That's fascinating. Conventional advise has been to always replace them. In fact the 2010 Mazda workshop manual says to replace them. I hope yours works out. Its weird that Ford and Mazda have differing recommendations on this. I just felt that for $6-7 each it was well worth the expense for two of them (three for a speed 3).

 

[Papu]

Life got in the way for a couple weeks but we got it running today. Lit right up. Has a bit of a choppy idle but couldn't find any vacuum leaks.

Got it up to temp and let the thermostat cycle. No codes pending so far. Need to put the bumper back on after I get the pigtail for the passenger headlamp. Stupid PO had mismatched headlamps and the turn signal had the wrong plug spliced in. Back to the yard lol

 

[Papu]

Took it out for its maiden freeway voyage and MIL immediately came on. Dang it! Code reader said misfire #4. Discovered the coil plug hadn't been seated properly. Clicked that in, cleared the codes and tried again.

Did 40 miles without missing a beat. Idles super smooth now lol. Monitors have run, now it's smog time!

 

[theblooms]

YES!!!

 

[Papu]

Passed smog today without a second glance. Now to replace a wheel bearing and take the bumper back off to swap the ps pump.

Neither of those had anything to do with the swap so I think we can call this a success. Will recap with a parts list but it was really pretty short.

 

[theblooms]

Front or rear bearing? Rears are bolt in and a piece of cake. The fronts have to be pressed on and off. Last time I did it, I pulled the knuckle and did it on a shop press. I highly recommend you go this route. It may seem like more work, but the extra bit of hassle makes for a cleaner and quicker job in the long run. Far less sweat involved!

 

[Papu]

Front. I have a press so we'll go that route. It's 100 degrees today so it will wait until tomorrow.