I just inherited this truck from my dad and I am trying to find out as much as I can about it. But there isn’t that much info out there. Does anyone know of any websites about this truck? I would like to find out the load rating, how much it can carry, how much it can tow, HP, torque, anything so that I don’t push this truck too far. Thanks.
Start by reading through whatever your dad had for it: owners manual? service records? There is often lots of very helpful info in the owners manual. You can save a lot of frustration by reading that. Get familiar with the jack and spare tire procedures. Service records may help you find out how old the battery is, tires are, what maintenance may be overdue, etc.
My friend has one of about your vintage. It has a carburetor! I think he has a Haynes manual for it. You can probably find one. It’s good if you want to do some of your own mechanical work, and can help you decide when to turn a job over to others.
Autozone has a repair guide for 87 to 93 Mazda trucks.
Ed B.
If you have the 5 speed manual, your clutch should never wear out. First and second will pull nicely, third is OK but won’t let you do serious speeds, which is bad because fourth has no torque on steep hills like on the West coast. If you have no AC or power steering, you can get 23 MPG with local driving. Mostly open road driving will get you over 24 but highway may only be 26. These numbers and things are based on the extra-cab. If you have the small one the figures may be better and the transmission may be right. Be careful shifting to third or you will strip the teeth off it. Don’t try to adjust the choke; it will throw your fuel metering off. You can’t adjust it without breaking it anyway. If you carry a load of any kind, you will need air shocks. They might not make any for your truck but I bought a set anyway and used washers to get clearance. You can stop very quickly. The disc pads are easy to change; one bolt and the caliper lifts out of the way. Make sure the vacuum advance works or you will get 19 MPG. They jam in one position and require replacement sometimes. Be careful with the plugs as they strip threads in the aluminum heads. Use NGK or ND plugs only. If the radiator has never been changed, get rid of it (the radiator). The four cylinder may want straight weight oil. 30 or 40 wt in Summer. The sticker on the hood will tell you. Don’t use 5W30 ever. Unless it is recommended. The carburetor top with fuel regulator used to cost $400 and had to be ordered from Japan. You may soon need a new ignition switch, and heater resistor pack.
Nice writeup!
My dad has an '87 B2000 regular cab, short bed, 5 speed. No frills whatsoever, but comfortable enough. It is a nice little truck, kind of gutless, but it’s not a hot-rod. He is getting just about 23 out of it, too.
I posted more but it got lost. Keep the rear end higher than the front or you will need a $550 driveshaft. The original U-joints are not replaceable. The driveshaft had to be made for my extra cab. Yours may be less expensive. I used wire nuts to change the ignition switch. I got one out of a car and the wire color of the thick wire didn’t match but I knew where it went. The resistor pack is attached to the duct behind the removed glove compartment.
Here’s a little about the truck. New clutch, new master cylinder, new battery, new tires, new load helper suspension, new engine @ 130k now at 260k (engine was a japanese import with <30k). Most of the driving was highway as it was a pilot vehicle for transporting manufactured homes. Standard cab, 4x2, 5 spd. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to it cosmetically (and to make it safe). No speakers, no radio, seat is not completely bolted down, springs are starting to poke thru (I’m thinking about bucket seats from the junkyard). Other than that it is a tough little truck with tons of low end power. Right now I think it only needs a slave cylinder and it will be a great runner. Thanks for your help everyone.