TDI Into 2006 mazda 5

VG33T · May 11, 2014

TDI Into 2006 Mazda 5

Well i'm finally starting my Mazda 5 tdi conversion. So far it's been a slow process. Last year I purchasd a 97 Passat for the donor. I picked up this poor abused Mazda 5 for $800 and spent days cleaning the interior. I don't think the owners ever cleaned it once and they lived down a long dusty road. words cannot even describe how nasty this thing was but i could see the potential. Right now i'm in the process of building custom shift linkage as I want to keep it in the factory location. I need to start building engine mount brackets and install fuel and clutch paddles. I'll try to update this as I make progress. Feel free to share you thoughts and ideas.
Thanks

Sotam123 · May 11, 2014

wow never though this would ever happen. sounds like a cool project. hope there will be many updates!

Windex · May 11, 2014

Nice. I drove a 5spd version when they first came out, but was disappointed with the high revs at highway speeds, this would solve that in spades. Good luck on the Conversion

VG33T · May 11, 2014

Here are some pics of it in the bay. Fits nicely.

jjordan11 · May 11, 2014

Good project, those Mazda5's are very useful vehicles and should get pretty good mileage too. Good luck with everything.

Windex · May 11, 2014

Nice. Yes, very useful car/van/thing. When they first came out, the base version could be had for a little under 20k, and had two sliding doors, and room for six.

Making one that gets 40+mpg would make the package just about perfect. Typical mazda 5's return an average of about 10L/100 km or about 23mpg. Total turn-off

greengeeker · May 11, 2014

Not to discourage your current plans but that bay is perfect for the mk4 (alh) mount setup.

VG33T · Aug 31, 2014

Making some slow progress. Got the engine mounts done and engine mounted in it's final position. The alh would have made life a lot easier but i'm working with what I've got. Maybe in the future I will switch to alh.

^

Fuel and clutch paddles installed.

Shift linkage finished. I've spent more time on this than anything else.

^

I've decided to run the Passat instrument cluster. I think next i'm going to swap the fuel sending unit and work on fuel lines. Maybe try to get the intercooler pipes routed and intercooler mounted. Need to figure out how i'm going to run the wiring also.

VG33T · Sep 19, 2014

Maybe going to fire it up this weekend. Been working on the wiring and I think I can get the basics done so I can start it. I'm going to redo the timing belt first because the there were some problems with the tensioner and its been bothering me. I bought a new tensioner and stud because the metal tab was broke on the old one. Cant wait to get it on the road, hopefully in time for my annual trip to New Mexico.

VG33T · Oct 4, 2014

Finally got some time to upload pics. Had to cut four holes to run the wiring.

^

^
Got the ecu mounted in a good spot.

^

VG33T · Oct 4, 2014

Intercooler piping routed and intercooler mounted.

^

^
I modified the Passat fuel sending unit to fit in the Mazda tank and the gauge seems to be working right. I've got a long way to go but its getting there. Right now i'm working on whats left of the wiring, need to mount the brake switches, radiator fan wiring among other things. I should have axle bushings sometime this week.

And the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1jT40L1CtQ

Windex · Oct 5, 2014

This is the perfect vehicle for this kind of engine - a little 6 passenger people mover which can get 40ish mpg.

No tach yet?

VG33T · Oct 5, 2014

I got all the gauges working shortly after making the video. I am having a strange problem with the cluster. Right when i turn the key on there is a buzzing sound and all the gauges vibrate for a second.

bbob203 · Oct 5, 2014

cool project I personally would have used a mk4 shifter box

VG33T · Feb 2, 2015

Thought I'd update this and I need some help. I've had it on the road two hundred miles now and for the most part it runs pretty good. One problem I've noticed when I hit the highway is a lack of power. I started going through the list of things I haven't done yet. Replaced the hose in the ECU and tried to set the IP timing. The problem I'm having is no matter where I clock the pump the timing never changes in VCDS. It always says timing out of spec to retarded. I even tried advancing one tooth but it still says to retarded. This has got me stumped. Another thing I've noticed is that I'm getting needle lift sensor short to ground intermittent code. The wiring tested good so it must be the sensor. Could this be causing the timing to not read right? Where can I get a new needle lift sensor at a reasonable price?
Thanks

greengeeker · Feb 2, 2015

Yup, that would be why you couldn't do your timing. Since it's a swap I would first double check your needle lift sensor wiring.

VG33T · Feb 8, 2015

Thanks greengeeker, that confirmed my suspicion. All the wiring checks out good. I even cleaned the prongs on the connector but it made no difference. I bought a set of used injectors on eBay with around 100k miles on them. Hopefully that fixes the problem. Here are the codes I'm still getting.

VeeDubTDI · Feb 9, 2015

This is an awesome project. Good job!

Also, please post more pictures and videos!

VG33T · Jul 8, 2015

Anyone ever had this problem with there timing belt? It's walking to one side and eating its self. This belt only has 10 thousand miles on it.

Windex · Jul 8, 2015

If I had to guess at a cause, I would say that the contact on the lower cover just after the intermediate pulley is your cause for the worn belt.

jetmoto3 · Jul 8, 2015

VG33T said:
Thanks greengeeker, that confirmed my suspicion. All the wiring checks out good. I even cleaned the prongs on the connector but it made no difference. I bought a set of used injectors on eBay with around 100k miles on them. Hopefully that fixes the problem. Here are the codes I'm still getting.

if you haven't figured it out, make sure pin 44 is grounding when the brake is released, that fixed my implausible code

VG33T · Jul 8, 2015

Where can I buy new timing covers?

Windex · Jul 9, 2015

I wouldn't bother replacing them - just make sure that the lower one is no longer rubbing on the belt.

It has a groove worn in it, but not through yet. I would re-use it if it were mine.

I would also run it without either cover (with the harmonic balancer bolted up) to make sure that the belt is tracking true before installing the covers.

greengeeker · Jul 9, 2015

The belt is walking due to a misaligned IP bracket. You need to loosen all the bolts holding it to the block&head and rotate it clockwise.

runonbeer · Jul 9, 2015

greengeeker said:
The belt is walking due to a misaligned IP bracket. You need to loosen all the bolts holding it to the block&head and rotate it clockwise.

Correct answer.

oilhammer · Jul 9, 2015

greengeeker said:
The belt is walking due to a misaligned IP bracket. You need to loosen all the bolts holding it to the block&head and rotate it clockwise.

Yep. There is (was) a TSB about it.

Personally, I would have used a newer engine in this project. It would run better, and it could actually be made legal.

VG33T · Jul 9, 2015

I got it lined up again. Just had to do some adjustments to the ip bracket. Thanks everyone for your help. Honestly I should have fixed this a long time ago. I've been driving it around for months knowing the timing belt was rubbing.
Other than that it has been running flawlessly. I'm averaging 40 mpg so far. Most of the problems I have had are Mazda related. I need to get some more videos up soon. If I were to do another I would definitely go with an alh. The engine mounting would be a much better match. I just worked with what was available to me at the time.

runonbeer · Jul 10, 2015

Up until about a month ago I was planning a Mazda5 CBE/02Q swap. I test drove a couple of them. I ultimately decided against it because of hearsay-based Mazda quality issues.

VG33T · Jul 13, 2015

Here's the video of the timing belt running straight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ankcuzBjoM
More coming soon.

oilhammer · Jul 14, 2015

runonbeer said:
Up until about a month ago I was planning a Mazda5 CBE/02Q swap. I test drove a couple of them. I ultimately decided against it because of hearsay-based Mazda quality issues.

Well just to be fair, the 5 is more Ford than Mazda...l essentially a Focus with a tophat and stretched wheelbase.

FWIW, an ALH would not be legal in one either.

I'm curious how the OP got the car MO safety inspected, since it is not legal.

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