1988 Mazda B2200 review from North America

Engine used to smoke a lot during warm-up.

If your Mazda Truck smokes a lot during warm-up, you might want to read my other article entitled "I like it so far and think it will be a great little truck".

I'm happy to report that it is a great little truck. The only problem I've had is getting it to pass emissions since I rebuilt the engine. The carbon monoxide output is over 6 percent, which is 3 times the limit. Hydrocarbons are also high, but just barely under the limit. The first time I tested it, though, the HCs were over by 10.

However, at that time I didn't replace the camshaft at the same time that I rebuilt the engine and I haven't had the emissions retest since I finally replaced it. Perhaps now it will pass the emissions test. I did rebuild the carburetor and it had no signs of being excessively worn or dirty or gummed up. In fact, the carburetor's interior was virtually spotless except for the floor of the float bowl, which is typical.

The new camshaft made a world of difference in the running quality of the engine. When my neighbor recently went to Home Depot with me and I started the truck as we were leaving the store, he asked me if it was running at all, which it was. If you stand 20 feet away, you can barely hear it running.

I'm getting about 20 mpg with normal daily driving which for me involves about ½ in-town and ½ highway driving. A recent trip across PA (Route 30) produced 26 mpg. It has plenty of power and I drove up the Tuscarora Mountains in PA with 800 lbs. of equipment in the bed, and that trip was driven with the old camshaft still in the engine. I'd like to see how it would do with the new cam.

I'm curious as to the mileage that other owners of the carbureted 2.2L engine are getting. Also, I'd like to know if others had similar emissions failures and what was the cause. Please email me at webmaster@cowpensvets.org.