I'm about to buy the FSZE cams and was talking about it with a co-worker who said that installation could be an easy 3 hour DIY job.

Is there anything about setting them up that I should know? What kind of tuning will be needed (ECU, timing?)

 

I installed my cams myself (with the help of a freind) Took us about 2.5 hours start to finish. Took more time getting the timing belt off because you need to remove the Crank Pulley and other belts to get the timing belt cover off. Get everything to T.D.C. (line up the intake and exhaust cam gears so the marks are facing eachother) make sure you mark the cam gears and crank along with the belt so you know where to put it all back together, follow the torque sequences and specs and oil the cams before you put them in. Once you get the cams in pull the plugs out and cycle the engine through a couple of times to be sure everything is alright and working as it should. The manual is online here.
http:// *********************/01-10b. PDF (remove the spaces)
I've had the cams in for about two weeks now, car pulls nice above 4000rpm but the UR Crank Pulley really helps.
Sounds harder than it is...very easy job as long as you take your time and think. Cams can really only go in one way so the only thing to watch is the timing.
You cant adjust the ecu (too bad) timing can be adjusted with adj. cam gears...next on the wish list!
Good luck...hope that helps?

 

It's not too hard if you've got some skill and experience working on cars. However, if you've never worked on a car before, this is NOT the place to start. There are also a few warnings that I have about this job...

1) Do NOT attempt this without a manual and a torque wrench! There are some special procedures that must be followed when taking things apart and reassembling them.
2) You may have trouble loosening the crank pulley bolt without an air impact wrench or other special tool- it's tightened to ~120 ft-lb. I loosened mine with an 18" breaker bar with the correct socket, a 3' long piece of 3/4"x3/4" angle iron with a hole drilled ~2" from one end, and a 25-30mm long 6mm x 1.25 thread bolt. The crank pulley has two threaded holes in it for the factory crank pulley loosening tool; stick the bolt through the hole in the angle iron and thread it into one of the crank pulley holes, then wedge the angle iron against the socket while holding the iron in place, and VIOLA! the pulley bolt will loosen easily. Reverse direction to tighten.
3) Replace the front main seal and cam seals while you're in there. I didn't replace my cam seals when I did my timing belt and I now regret it because the intake cam seal is leaking.
4) Check the valve clearances when you're done! It's an easy 5-minute job with a set of feeler gauges. Almost nobody in this list has had problems with incorrect clearance after installing the FS-ZE cams, but there's always a first time. Related hint: do this job on a day when your friendly local Mazda parts counter is open; if one clearance is wrong, that valve shim must be replaced with another factory shim of the correct thickness. You can't get these shims anywhere but at a Mazda factory parts dealer.

Good luck!

 

I used a breaker bar wedged against the ground and just bumped the ignition. One shot and it was loose. No use in buying expensive specialty tools. The only things you need are mentioned above: Manual, and torque wrench.

Good luck. You will love the cams.

 

I thought it was an easy straighforward install, just like carguy says. I do think you need an impact, as it's a pain otherwise. I'd add an hour if I did not have an impact.