MIATA 1.8 BP Teardown! Even Mazda's Best 4 Cylinder Can Fall Victim to Abuse & Neglect

Want to see a particular engine torn down? I may have already done one! I've done well over 20 other teardowns from Cummins to an LS7, and from Rotary to Ram Ecodiesels. Check them out here • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart located in the Saint Louis MO area. Part of our model is dismantling and selling parts from rare and niche market engines. If you're interested in buying parts from this engine or the other engines I've torn down, email us at [e-mail].
In this video I teardown a 1.8L BP engine from a 1997 Mazda Miata I bought at the auction. This engine has 239k and did run! Kind of. This poor engine had been VVT head swapped without all of the vvt parts connected to work properly. This engine is from a car featured in my Miata rust video and had lots of "Home brew" I.E. Experimental modifications done to it, mainly on the cheap side of things.
I hope you enjoyed this teardown! As always, I appreciate all of the feedback, suggestions and even the criticism, I love it all.
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric

[@DanBowkley]

So much time, effort, and money to make this engine look like it goes fast but can't be bothered to spend the $50 on an oil change every couple months. Pure genius.

[@lofimiata]

I have an all original 1.6 with 339k miles and still going strong with no smoke or lifter tick. Been using full synthetic every 3k. Rock solid motors the BP series.

[@Stiddo]

i can’t get my lifter tick to stay away even after swapping lifters to a set of kia lifters

[@ldsiverling]

tell me that's a short nose

[@rshettle123]

Yep, clean oil is the key yet, so widely neglected.

[@Glenn7719]

@@Stiddo It all depends on the oil you use also, i found shell Helix 10/40w keeps mine quiet longer than some other oils.

[@tkeysco]

@@Glenn7719 I use Rotella T6 5w40, which people have conflicting opinions on. Totally eliminated lifter tick

[@BrandonBigB956]

Always amazed at how long an engine last when you consider what it actually goes through

[@TheAdatto]

True. But when you have warm good oil in theory nothing wears out.

[@mister-amazing]

I have had a 97 yata for 12 years and always get metal chunks in the drained oil I change every 1000 miles. Been running great the whole time!

[@justsumguy2u]

This engine was severely overheated---the scuffing on the piston skirts is testament to that. Whoever owned that car deserves the Darwin award, because the Miata 1.6/1.8 are some of the most bulletproof engines of all time

[@aidanbrooks771]

The classic “piston rebored cylinders” 😂 tbh whoever overheats any engine to the point of destruction deserves a Darwin Award, a coolant gauge in the red is a massive signal you should pull over and call a tow truck

[@Patrick94GSR]

@@aidanbrooks771 don’t forget that the NA/NB coolant temp gauge is notoriously useless. From about 160 to 225 deg F the needle will stay in the same spot making you think everything is hunky dory. If the needle starts to move up above normal it’s probably already too late and the engine is overheating.

[@FerasAlhawas]

@@aidanbrooks771 to be fair if it was a massive leak at high rpm the sensor will not read high because there is no coolant for the sensor

[@jordang8317]

Here to find out what I probably did to blow my engine 😂 regarding the gauge being in the red-neither the oil pressure gauge nor the temp gauge ever changed/always read normal on mine. Of course now realizing they probably weren’t functional but 😅

[@ruptureviles241]

The engine definitely was not overheated 🤡 mans can’t even see the engine and person and is taking guesses please just do your research before making that type of comment

[@travisedwards732]

I usually watch this while I'm taking a dump. I enjoy it.

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

Thanks for sharing. Next

[@mysock351C]

The fact that the rods did not just come flying out of it is a testament to Mazda's design and choice to use larger rod bolts. Once the bearings go, the hammering just trashes the bolts and causes them to fatigue and snap, putting nice scenic view windows in the block.

[@doityourself1750]

There’s nothing more satisfying than the sound of him cracking the cam caps or the head bolts loose.

[@DeereX748]

I had a 1.8L 2000 for 8 years, most of that with a centrifugal supercharger on it, 15PSI and 235 wheel horsepower. These engines are awesome, I've heard of one 1.6 engine making around 300 whp. Miatas are the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

[@stevenlatham4397]

That poor engine...It’s sad that for having an inordinate amount of heavy engine work (timing, head gasket) that simple maintenance is what killed it.

[@wafflesnfalafel1]

right, it just p!$$es me off some folks treat wonderful little cars so poorly.

[@kylesebring]

Its also very possible that someone who did take care of the engine owned it for a while and did all the mods and work on it, then the next owner is the one that let it go to waste. That makes the most sense to me anyway.

[@v8_sami]

Man this is the time to buy Miata’s. Good old days when you could pick one up for less than a grand. Did buy another one turbo for 3k though.

[@6Sparx9]

Yada price crazy high these last few years o.o, did it suddenly drop?

[@v8_sami]

@@6Sparx9 winter time no one buys cars specially drop tops. So you can find them relatively cheap

[@6Sparx9]

@@v8_sami ye 100% people don't have a place to garage / long term park them. I wish I had my 2000 SE still :

[@v8_sami]

@@6Sparx9 this is my third Miata and fifth in the family. Probably going to hold onto this until summer and sell it to get the new GR Corolla that’s coming out.

[@nathanhaupt6485]

BB CNN nbnkn

[@shenaniganshop3309]

I’ve been waiting for a bp teardown! These motors are incredible if they’re taken care of, my boosted 1.6 has been running on 20psi and e50 for almost a year now and it’s still going strong. I’m very religious on maintenance and letting the engine warm up but once it’s up to temp I thrash the thing and it just keeps coming back for more😂

[@bryce1334]

Same I’ve been waiting forever for a BP tear down! I’m in the process of fixing up a 1.6 hopefully I’ll be able to turbo it next year

[@davidschiffer4448]

Agree! I have been shoving 15 psi down my '92 1.6 for 10 years. I am not kind to it and it does not burn oil. Maintenance is the key!

[@dannysdailys]

Ditto my supercharged Dodge Charger 3.6. It has almost 600 hp to the flywheel and it's into it's 2nd year and about 8,000 miles on 93. Not a hiccup. I don't thrash it however, but I did smoke a Hellcat with it. He had no idea what I was.

[@v8_sami]

WhAts your suggestion on stock internals and 91 octane? Can I hold 14 psi?

[@shenaniganshop3309]

@@v8_sami 14psi on 91 is easy work with a decent tune, I’ve ran up to 17psi on 91 but that’s kinda pushing it for pump gas.

[@timtimtimmay4654]

As soon as I saw how tight the plugs were, I though "wait till he gets to that Fram filter with the "enhanced grip for his pleasure" that just screams overtightened"... If it isn't, I'll be surprised, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

[@Chimera6297]

lol my first engine teardown was a blown 1.6 from my 92 miata. I blew 4 holes in the engine, 2 in the oil pan and 2 through the block with my #2 connecting rod delete engine had exactly 289,122 miles on it. ran pretty good until I took it drifting in the mountains I have yet to sell the parts tho, they need to be cleaned up and I've been lazy

[@bizznackywhirle5437]

The screws for the oil pump plate are almost certainly JIS and not Phillips. A Phillips bit can usually work with some care, but a set of JIS bits would be a good investment for someone who tears down engines every week.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Japanese Industrial Standard

[@gearbanginentertainment7476]

that raised some concern as to the work of his shop.. how did he not know that..?

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@gearbanginentertainment7476 perhaps he knew but also knew that a Phillips would do the trick and was closer at hand ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@gearbanginentertainment7476]

@@agenericaccount3935 he gave a whole speech about him working on those engines in the beginning.. you wouldve thought he would have set the bits aside as prior to recording and breaking down the engine.

[@johncoops6897]

Almost certainly JIS. For those that don't know, there is always a DOT on the head of a JIS screw/bolt in the solid area next to the X where the bit slides in.

[@thomasfletcher4765]

Well , at least the prior owner kept up on what Eric O called " spark plugs fluid "

[@ExUSSailor]

ANY engine can be made to fail. It just takes different degrees of abuse & neglect for some engines.

[@volvo09]

Yeah, some explode on their own, others take everything you can possibly throw at em!

[@TestECull]

Not a mention of the FRAM Bomb hanging off the side?

[@MichaelDavis-si9bv]

What is a Fram bomb? Just a shitty filter?

[@earlscheib7754]

Yeah it's the Fram filter that caused all the damage.

[@johnwithcats]

almost 80k subscribers! way to go! I can't get enough of these teardown vids!!

[@I_Do_Cars]

Thanks buddy!

[@tylerdejohn4414]

dude thats awesome. My dad was also a mazda master tech! I remember being a kid going through the showroom and looking at the old school mazdas. Its actually what made me fall in love with the last generation rx7. I remember it looking like a space ship compared to the 90s proteges, 626s and old b trucks. Cool man, & very relatable.

[@sqmotorsports9230]

The FD Rx7 was a space ship. Still is, really.

[@TechGorilla1987]

One of the most enjoyable edits I could possibly see would be the cracking loose of a series of bolts. It's such a satisfying feeling/sound when they crack loose. ASMR for old people.

[@TomBom292]

I have an original BP-4W 1.8l in my '00 Miata, with somewhere around 200,700 miles on it. Runs just as well now as it did when I bought the car with 158k. What a great little engine. It burns some oil, and has some signs of burnt valves but it still runs pretty decently all things considered. I give it oil changes with synthetic every 3k and it's done well for me. Never had to take the engine apart. As long as a BP has oil and doesn't get overheated too bad it'll be fine.

[@rhekman]

I had one of these engines in a Mercury Tracer LTS and it was marvelous. So much smoother and more powerful than Ford's 1.9L SEFI (or CVH) engine. If it hadn't been my brother's high school car, it probably wouldn't have been burning oil quite so badly, but it lasted nearly 300,000 miles with only regular maintenance and a couple timing belts.

[@jacobpage3865]

Thank god you called this ome of their best 4 cylinder engines. Thses engine and cars are fantastic !!!

[@VMX1.]

"Neglect and abuse can kill anything". A lot of truth there...a lot of truth.

[@Tormundisc00l]

Would love to see a teardown of a 2.7 Ecoboost or a 5.7 Hemi, both of which are everywhere nowadays. :>

[@volvo09]

Yeah, I have a 2.7, would love to see a teardown. They're common as dirt...

[@Between2Turns]

This looks all too familiar to me. Too soon… too soon. That Fram oil filter though.

[@masonedwards7920]

For Christmas, I want some piston mcnuggets, Reynold's bearing foil, and a connecting rod delete kit.

[@capt.graybeard]

Once again, top flight job. Had they not used liquid metal motor oil, with the glitter package, they may have seem 300k. Keep them coming!

[@racecar021872]

I have a 1996 Mazda 626 with the 2.0 4 cyl. It has 334,700 miles on it and still runs great, doesn't burn a drop of oil between 5,000 mile oil changes. My dad gave it to me and my family about 5 years ago, he got it from the original owners. The outside is on ok shape, some dents, a little rust, the interior is nearly perfect, normal wear and tear but you can hardly tell it has that many miles on it. I plan on keeping it and seeing just how many miles I can get out of it. Great little car with a great little motor in it.

[@stephenmoxley3004]

This is my newest favorite channel on You Tube. I really enjoy seeing the carnage on your engine teardowns. I've been an auto mechanic all my life and have seen all of this before. Keep up the good work.

[@timkis64]

they are more durable than most people believe.a friend had a 96.never serviced it & ran the piss out of it.he accidently added a quart of ATF instead of oil at 280k & kept driving.#4 rings broke, no compression.he then drove it on 3 cylinders till it finally died at 308k miles.getting over 300k on a constantly abused engine is very impressive.only god knows how far one would go if properly maintained & not abused.the mazda engineers really did their homework when they designed this motor.

[@JDARJISJ]

Your review of common rust spots to look out for on Miatas was the first video I found you on. Came for the Miatas, stayed for the engine tear downs. I can see where you would do good business on Miata parts. Great cheap first cars for young guys to learn to work on. Simple, robust, and easy to get parts for.

[@handbanana6843]

Another great video! I love learning about all these different engines!

[@hillbillysportsman5818]

I have an 02 miata I will keep your business in mind for future parts. Thanks for the BP tear down.

[@kwakas4ever]

Excellent close ups! Love ya work - and the Beemer wagon....

[@rickjarvis5954]

I am far from being a mechanic, but I find your videos really interesting to watch. Good content.

[@nickma71]

Those style cylinder heads from Japan often have scored cam journals. The babbit material is not a serviceable bearing. That style meaning DOHC with shim and bucket. VVT isn't relevant to the problem.

[@Boasandpythons]

Fellow NC owner here. LOVE miatas! Great video man!

[@EdwardSantandrea]

I appreciate you doing this as it gives me the big picture of the engine, versus a timing belt change or installing a starter, etc. That big picture view gives me greater confidence in taking on harder projects since I understand the engine better due to your videos. I have a 2007 Mini Cooper - may need a timing chain service AND a Turbo (and cat)... not sure if that one is financially totaled.. will see. Also a 1990 Miata which we have setup for AutoX and seriously looking at power upgrades.... Engine seems solid at 155K, and considering the supercharger for AutoX... and this video makes me more comfortable in taking that on. Thanks and best of luck!

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thank you for the great teardown. It is the old adage when filling up the tank check the oil. 😀🇨🇦

[@jebus914]

Wow, every one of these engines I've ever worked on had a bright aluminum head under the valve cover. Someone's been missing oil changes..

[@maartenyzer4121]

probebly 2017 last

[@smc4229]

Love the new camera angle where you get up close on each rod cap

[@jwattie144]

Orange fram filter tells me all I need to know about that engine.

[@ROACHRAGE2]

Love this channel! Keep up the good work!

[@XrayxRich]

I just discovered your channel. I have '99 Miata with 180K miles that I've owned since 2004 @ 50K.

[@brotherloops]

I recently did my own 1.8BP engine. Piston oil control rings were buggered. Also did some work on the head replacing stem seals

[@johnmoore8599]

Sparklefest...new word! You are so entertaining as a engine mechanic!

[@xXRougeNinjaXx]

Amazing video! Can’t wait for you to do the 1.6 long nose and short nose

[@meeyatuh5324]

great video man love it, very good at what you do

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

Loved my Miata (MX-5 in Australia). Had to ditch it when I needed more than two seats in the family. Beautiful beast.

[@sirius1552]

i blew piston #2 in half and cracked #3 due to detonation a few months ago on my BP. It still ran and even idled but had a ton of blowby. This video reminded me of how fun it was to tear into it and see what went wrong

[@mikewghassall5839]

Keep up with videos, enjoying them all the way from South Africa even if don't get some of these vehicles and engines here.

[@kc3747]

Ford escorts GT’s were my favorites

[@45AMT]

Your very right Eric. Mazda B engines are fantastic. Too bad they didn't take care of this one.

[@GeneralOsik]

Finally! A VVT Miata engine!

[@I_Do_Cars]

But, it isn’t.

[@samholdsworth420]

Lol

[@jmays2007]

Love your videos, I've learned so much about engines from you showing their teardowns and explaining what probably made them fail. Cheers :)

[@mikeduffy7271]

You do a nice job on these videos.

[@serge4856]

The orange filter killed it.😯😂

[@frostyt8980]

reason for a vvt head on the earlier 1.8 block is because it produces more power without having to move away from OEM parts.

[@Ram14250]

Oil pan ingredients: Sparkles (from fortified bearings with vitamin C) and lots of sludge from lack of maintenance (Fram oil filter and onions...extra) LOL!

[@christianmeeks4430]

It's so awesome when engines make their own anti-seize.

[@larryscheuerman5396]

Great video gives me a good idea on how the inside of my 1992 miata's engine must look like. Yes mine is a 1.6 so not the exact same engine but very close overall. But I know mine is way cleaner than that inside. Mine only has 170k miles so barely broken in. Looks like that 1.8 had a blown head gasket as well which would explain some of the smoking and the fact that the pistons looked steam cleaned. I would like to see a teardown on either a miata 1.6 or a 2004-2006 colorado/canyon 2.8 4 cylinder engine.

[@tomashton1781]

the crank snouts are good for snapping the the key way and theres goes your valves,, the factory heads have casting slag at the parting lines, which breaks off and ends up in the oil filter if you lucky

[@wilhelmschimko9]

Great video, Thank you for my weekly fix !!!!

[@johnalees99]

Great engines the B6 and BP. I still have a B6 sitting under the house that I swapped out of my 93 NA. Its replacement was still going strong after 10 years of being flogged mercilessly and with at least 150 thousand miles on it, even after it lost coolant twice due to a stuck thermostat and a blown water pump. All it got was regular oil changes with dinosaur oil. It would have easily outlasted the rest of the car.

[@Ligma_Balzach]

Great video as always. Would like to see a Northstar V8 out of the Cadillac DTS if you run across one

[@wes2460]

In high school I had a 1991 Ford Escort Gt,that was bullet proof .That 1.8 Mazda engine had all the turbo parts left on it just no turbo until I got done with it. It was so easy to make alot of power.Never had any problems out of the engine even after I had it boosted ,on stock internals.I had over 200,000 very hard weekend racing miles on that car when it got totaled. Never a problem engine wise.I miss that car..The only thing I did was change the oil every 3000 miles with dino oil..

[@devonswindell9735]

I've rebuilt a couple Miata engines and the head gaskets were both MLS.

[@tomashton1781]

you see that ball thats pressed into the oil passage in the crank, When I worked On twin cam 4 banger Alfa,s they would spilt the plug out and you lost 30 pounds of oil pressure

[@ericthimot]

And as always.... a pleasure to watch. Never been a fan of Mazda, but you've shown me a reason to be impressed by these ones.

[@Cartier_specialist]

You should get one of those vacuum attachments that work on compressed air. I nearly jumped out of my chair when you blew out the sparkplug wells with your air gun tip.

[@americansmark]

I've never worked on one of those, but I helped a buddy rebuild his 1993 (i think) 1.6L Miata. So easy. There's so much room for activities. Hardest part was removing enough accessories to get at the timing cover. I forget the exact mileage as this was back in 2009 or 2010, but the original engine had over 150k on it and still ran, but he wanted to run a supercharger and so we spent a weekend tearing it all down. He had the head sent out to a machine shop, but it had a crack and ended up being swapped for an aftermarket head and such.

[@gutarherostudio]

Been waiting for this one 🙌🏼

[@davebrown9725]

"Burning oil like a mosquito fogger", I almost choked laughing so hard.

[@calvinnguyen1364]

VVT wasn't plugged in as he either didn't use it or he has a vvt-tuner installed to control it and took it with him. The cam sensor on the valve cover wasn't used because he's using the older NA cam sensor you see on the rear of the exhaust cam.

[@Glenn7719]

Ive never been around the BG engine, the B6 and the B6T on the other hand, plenty. As ive owned many 323 turbos, some of the failures ive come across. The most common one on the short nose, the good old worn keyway. Also seen oil starvation, car had one lady owner from new, 66k on the clock, guessing it was caused by infrequent oil changes. The bottom oil feed was blocked, resulting in no oil up top, exhaust cam seized, and the pulley snapped off the end. Thrust washer failure, found them in the sump all mangled up, crank and block had worn each other out. Excessive smoke caused by worn rings, done a few headgaskets over the years on them, will only use Payen ones now, as i found they are the best, wouldnt bother with cheapo ones. The current engine in my 323 came out of an MX5. Long nose crank, paid 99p for it off ebay, local, nobody else bid on it. Rebuilt it in my shed, fitted B6T rods as they're thicker, and adapted the engine, as there are slight differences, nothing major. Ive done around 15000 miles on it since, been sweet as.

[@rogerskog6222]

Absolutely love your videos!! Any chance you can do a Nissan 5.6?? I have an 2008 Armada with 135.000 on it. Keeping up on the oil changes and no problems so far... Knock on wood....

[@jimmac1953]

Like others I have had Miatas (both 1.6 and 1.8) with well over 200k miles on them. I have kept up all maintenance and when I pulled the motors the cylinder walls and bearing looked like new!!!

[@StillShatter]

Another great video thanks!!!!

[@beersoap8406]

Been waiting for this one!

[@r.glenncooper8199]

I just Love these videos!

[@andydsm]

Absolutely love these engine teardowns :) Please post someday a teardown of a Mitsubishi 6G72TT engine, if of course you can find one and it is of interest.

[@pgtmr2713]

3000 GT/GTO engine?

[@andydsm]

@@pgtmr2713 yup

[@Me-jr1xj]

The video I've been waiting for!

[@fsfs555]

I never use foam filters for that reason: they get gummy and/or break down to the point where they're not filtering anything anymore and worse case end up with chunks of it sucked into the engine. If I want an aftermarket filter I usually go with a K&N.

[@veightrwd8828]

Damn. That e34 wagon is beautiful!

[@unclejoe6811]

I've had a few peddle cars from copart most are what I expected and a few were fantastic. I bought a G20t 5 speed super clean just needed a clutch.

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thanks for another awesome video. 😀🇨🇦

[@mostly_ghostly9889]

FINALLY! i was so excited when i saw this thumbnail

[@chrisridebike8]

Good Lord! That BMW is gorgeous!

[@jamesrobertson3853]

Man it's For me An epic job AMAZING beyond most people's abilities

[@dumbestoyster]

I love it! NB1 owner here...haha

[@EvoTheEditor]

I've been waiting for a teardown on one of these!

[@highway2run]

Very entertaining, learned alot

[@sebastianlorenzo4935]

Have you done a 1.8 turbo vw transverse engine or Audi 3.0t supercharged? Would love to see either one of those.

[@JohnnyAFG81]

Love your channel dude! You need to do a 1.4 Fiat turbo multi air!

[@ondrejbrandejsky5592]

Oh man, id love to see that, i might be buying my first car with that engine, a Grande Punto T-Jet

[@TwizztidAngel]

I am building an MX3 BPT swap. Just scoped the engine and number 4 looks terrible. I am going to take it to a machine shop and see if they can do something with it. If they can I am putting in new bearings with CP pistons and Manley rods. Gonna find a NB head for it and rebuild that. Looking for a reliable 250 to 300 hp range. I really look forward to this build.

[@williammeszaros3382]

I got a complaint,... just kidding, love your show !

[@wrailfan]

The BP was also found in the Tracer LTS' twin, the Escort LX-e.

[@kennethpowers8995]

Man that engine has seen some heat! FYI- Those Radium billet fuel rails for a 94-97 are like $140-$150 new online.

[@tomashton1781]

back when Im essed with em we used 10 30 wt semi synthetic blends and 10 -40 on a loose engine