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I took a test ride in a '97 Ford Probe GT today. It had the KL-DE engine with a 5 speed. I was very impressed with the performance. That's one sweet sounding, loves to rev motor. The price was fair and I might buy it. The only thing holding me back are a couple of Mazda MX6's. I hear mechanically they are the same as Probe. From what I read they came out of the same assembly plant. I definitely prefer the styling of the Mazda. I am also planning to look at a Mazda MX3 with the KL engine. Except for the one I saw at a U-Pull it I have seen the MX3 only in photos. I imagine if not for the difficulty of fitting the KL in the Festiva it would be the way to go. Maybe Damkid can shed some light.
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Last edited by Rick the Quick; 02-20-2017, 01:19 AM.'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered. -
KL swap in a festy is a weekend project for Chris, lol.Trees aren't kind to me...
currently: 2 88Ls (Scrappy and Jersey), 88LX, 90L(Pepe), 91L, 91GL (Skippy) 93 GL Sport (the Mighty Favakk), 94 (Bruce) & 95 Aspire SEs, 97 Aspire (The Joker),
94 Justy 4WD, 87 Fiero GT, plus 2 parts cars. That's my fleet.
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I wonder if the Fiero V-6 growls like the KL? Maybe I will find out soon......'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.Comment
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20 years and 345K miles in a Chevy Citation X11 says something about the Generals 2.8.....'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.Comment
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Mx6 is the same as a probe. Mx3 got the 1.8 version of the KL.91GL BP/F3A with boost
13.79 @ 100, 2.2 60' on 8 psi and 155R12'sComment
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I noticed the Probe had low gearing. It looked like 2500 toms was 50 mph in 5th or about 20 mph per 1000 rpms. The little 1.8 is probably lower? If it doesn't sell I look at it (MX3) on the weekend. I for the life of me can never remember seeing one on the road.'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.Comment
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The feature I like least on the Probe are the hide away headlights. Just one more thing to break. Not to mention any minor front end bump turns an easy fix a nightmare. The MX6 is the one that I find more appealing.Last edited by Rick the Quick; 02-20-2017, 09:55 AM.'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.Comment
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The mx-3 has a lighter flywheel and a closer geared transmission. The probe transmission will get better gas mileage on the highway. I just pulled the KLDE out of my mx-3 this weekend. It developed a knock in the bottom end shortly after I swapped it in. Will probably be putting another KLDE in it and saving my KLZE for another project.The Festiva Store
Specializing in restoration, tuning and custom parts.Comment
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Living in ND, I don't imagine you see too many MX3's. The KLZE would make it fly. What's the weight of a 6 cyl MX3? I have tried to find it online and struck out. Thank you in advance.Last edited by Rick the Quick; 02-20-2017, 12:46 PM.'88 Festiva LX 5 speed, A/C, Carb, restored $$$ body paint, badly wrecked @ 200k.
'93 Festiva L, 5 speed, Aqua, bought from the original owner,.Zero rust but very nasty otherwise. Awaits the B6T.
'91 Festiva L, 5 speed, bought to drive while putting the B6T in the '93. now B6ME powered.Comment
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Curb weight for the GS: 2,582 lb. The only mx-3s I see are the ones I have owned. There are very few up here, but that goes for pretty much every older car.The Festiva Store
Specializing in restoration, tuning and custom parts.Comment
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At idle with a Borla cat-back, it's more akin to a v8 rumble, and it maintains that throaty sound through redline. More of a howl than a shriek. Now an Ocelot cat-back, is a bit more raspy, and adds more shriek, but still nothing like the scream of a KL at full song, mainly due to the number of valves.Originally posted by Rick the Quick View PostTrees aren't kind to me...
currently: 2 88Ls (Scrappy and Jersey), 88LX, 90L(Pepe), 91L, 91GL (Skippy) 93 GL Sport (the Mighty Favakk), 94 (Bruce) & 95 Aspire SEs, 97 Aspire (The Joker),
94 Justy 4WD, 87 Fiero GT, plus 2 parts cars. That's my fleet.
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I love KL's, the sound coming from my old festiva was so awesome
1988 323 Station Wagon - KLG4 swapped
1988 323 GT - B6T Powered
2008 Ford Escape - Rollover Survivor
1990 Festiva - First Ever Completed KLZE swap (SOLD)
If no one from the future stops you from doing it, how bad of a decision can it really be?Comment
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