Mazda4X4

I want to drop a 13bTT into my 4X4 Mazda. I've seen a couple posts on here about doing this but none that seem to have completed it. I've always been a rotary fan and was sad when they took rotary's out of thier trucks. Has anyone done this all the way? I have a 1990 b2600i and there are absolutely no performance parts for the engine save for a cam and custom made header. The 13bTT would give ample power just stock.

The last I read on here is someone said the bellhousing would bolt right up to the trans. They also said the exhaust dumped out right on the the front drive axle. Anyone else know anything about this? Has anyone solved the exhaust issue? As far as gauges go what is important to monitor? Gas, temp, Oil etc.

Thanks!

matts86fc3s

the only problem with the rotory into a 4x4 is that rotories dont have low end torque... like for gettin through some sticky mud or climbin. it might be alright tho... as for exhuast you can always find a way to run it. and if the truck is lifted any than you should have no problem. important guages for a rotory... water temp., oil pressure., and that exhuast gas temp. warning light. i would say just drop a small block chev. or ford into it. i had a 87 toyota 4x4 with a built 350... wish ida never sold it. anyway good luck with the truck

mazdaspeed7

Then get gears. You will have all the torque you need. Not to mention the B2600 trans can still be used(its the same as the TII trans but with different ratios) if you put the rotary bellhousing on it. The B2600 trans has a shorter first gear, and the rest of the gears are somewhat different.



The 13BTT engines (RE and REW) are rather complex in how they control the sequential twin turbos and depending on your goals, you may be better off with an earlier single turbo engine.



Any way you look at it, you will want a standalone. The stock ecu's on these engines suck.

Mazda4X4

It would always be easy to swap out gears. But from what I understand and what I've read with the turbos there should be plenty of torque. Isn't the older single turbo less reliable than the newer twin turbo? ( I have no idea. There are a lot of myths.) By standalone you mean computer I assume. What about using the stock ECU. I think it's all my truck would need. I'm not looking for the truck to be 400hp. My 2600i is 121hp and pretty much stock is all it can ever be.

Do you think a turbo controller might give me a better option? I don't do much crawling through trails so a real low end isn't that important to me and I always the ability to shift into 4X4 for lower gearing when necessary. A nice daily driver is what I want to accomplish.

I'm not the one doing the actual work. I will help but I'm having a mechanic do the swap for me. He's done several engine swaps before.

Thanks for your help

mazdaspeed7

If you want a nice daily driver, Id recommend sell the truck, and save the money you would have put into the swap(probably around $5k) and get something newer. Project car and daily driver doesnt go together very well. And it takes money and work to make a rotary reliable, moreso with a swap. Its so easy to cut corners here and there, and you dont expect it to be a problem, but all those little things can cause a world of heartache.



The older engines arent less reliable. Arguably more reliable due to the simplicity. And trust me, you do NOT want a stock ecu. The electronics were outdated 15 years ago, and is damn near pre-historic compared to whats out there now.



The S5(89-91) 13BT will do 240 rwhp easily and reliably on the stock turbo, especially with a standalone. Full exhaust and intake and the necessary fuel will put there at a safe boost level on the stock turbo. Thats about 25 hp more than the 13B-REW(3rd gen TT engine) puts to the wheels stock.



Im not trying to be discouraging, just being realistic. If you want a nice daily driver, a project car with an engine swap is the last thing you want. Especially if having a reliable vehicle day in and day out is important.

Mazda4X4

I guess I need to study the rotary more. From what I've read most people fight the reliabilty issue with the rotary stating it's every bit as reliable as any other engine. Different, but as reliable provide it's maintained. Most exotics or hybrids are always more in need of upkeep and maintanence. For the rotary what I've read talks about making sure the oil levels are kept up. That being most important. ( I could be wrong about all of this.)

Here's the issue though. I've owned the truck for 16years now. I've looked around and am not willing to dump 30k + in something new. To rebuild my motor and put a turbo on it I'm looking at 8k plus. So 5k isn't really all that much.

I'm having this professionally done by someone who has done swaps like this before. (I haven't made any decisions for sure on this yet it just looks like a good alternative) So I wonder if it is done properly, will there be that much day to day problems? Will I end up with more problems than I would if I turbo the 2600i?

I appreciate you pointing all this stuff out. I need to know what I'm up against IF I do it. I wonder if you might be able to point out what I might be up against reliablity wise? Or is it really that much better to stick with the stock engine and turbo it?

Thanks for all your help

Mazda4X4

I should also mention that I'm doing a restomod. Meaning I'm planning to make this truck about 99% new with some slight modifications

Thanks for all your help

mazdaspeed7

I certainly think you would be better off with a rotary than turboing the engine in the car, but also, you dont have to spend $30k for a truck. Get used, trucks arent keeping their resale value for ****, you can find 2000 models for $10k and under, or not too much over depending on the model/options.



If youre just attached to the truck, its one thing. But doing this swap to try to save money as opposed to buying something newer is not going to work out how you want.





If you want a reliable rotary, dont cut corners on the cooling system, and dont cut corners on the oiling system. The oil accounts for 1/3 of engine cooling, so you need an oil cooler, and a large one. Turbo engines require more cooling capacity because oil and water are also used to cool and lubricate the turbo, as well as the extra heat from the engine simply making more hp.



Gauges are nice, but it wont mean crap if you dont have the things necessary to make the engine run properly. Spend some time reading the engine building forum, theres a lot of good information there, and not so much bad info as you may find in other forums.

j9fd3s

even a non turbo 13b will outpower the stock engine, a turbo rotary will double it (at least), yes the rotary might be lacking in low end, but not compared to the 86-93 truck motors

R.P.M.

Ok.........so what your telling me is that a T2 bellhousing will bolt onto a Mazda B2600 4X4 tranny? Making it a 13B ready 4x4 tranny?



This intrestes me alot! Hmmmm