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Rich's 1999 MX5 1.8i S


Rich
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This was before I changed the calipers, I'm hoping the new ones have fixed the problem but it was the OS that seized not the NS.

If it was pulling to the right then the offside caliper was working but the nearside not so much hence the pull in that direction 

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Maybe that's highlighted in the pad thickness. The OS caliper seemed to be ok until it seized and I only did a mile back home so it wouldn't of worn that much material. The NS pads have more meat so you must be right and that caliper wasn't working efficiently.

 

I've just been on a 20 mile run and braked heavy a few times. It didn't pull to the right anymore although was a little squirmy but I put that down to the soft Toyo tyres.

 

Going to WIM soon to get the fluid changed so hopefully once that's done and the pads have bedded in the brakes will be a lot better. I picked up 2 X 1 litre bottles of Pagid dot 4 for a tenner. Great price! :)

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Brakes sorted :) Hopefully the tyres will stop going flat now the leaky valves have been sorted.

 

I've decided I'm going to drill 2 small holes where the battery sits so the water can drain away. Otherwise it will carry on rusting and eventually I'll need that welded up. To remove the bumper I need to take the numberplate off which is stuck on so need some new stickers first. Hopefully I can trace the leak and get it sorted.

 

Next main job will be those rusty rear sills which I'm hoping to get done asap. Then it'll be ready for the summer!

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The guy doing it said he'll cut the rot out and fabricate some new panels. You can buy repair panels but he said you end up trimming so much off a lot of it goes in the bin. Plus he'd use thicker metal than what they're made of.

 

Went for a drive earlier to pick Josh up from school. Roof down on the way, really love this car! :D

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hoping to get it down there next week and get the sills done, they're looking pretty bad now!

 

The battery cut off switch I fitted is really good. Last used the car 2 weeks a go and it started first time earlier with no hesitation. If I had left it connected it would've struggled or needed a jump start. After 2 weeks of using the BMW it was a shock with the road noise!! :lol:

 

I think I need to replace the clutch slave cylinder too. The pedal feels quite light and still squeaks and for what it costs I might as well do that first.

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  • 4 months later...

Finally got the car back tonight, really missed it! :D He took a couple of photos of the work while he did it. End result looks great but it needs a good clean and then I'll take some.

This was the worse side and needed a repair panel. The other side wasn't that bad so he cut the rot out and welded some fresh metal in taken from a scrap transit van!

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It looks like he's done a great job. He's always very busy and he had the car over 3 months as other work had to take priority. He's a friend of my Dad's so he was doing it when he was free.

Going to drive it this week and then it's coming off the road for winter. Although if the weather stays like this I might do it the end of November.

I wasn't going to use it until I had protected what he'd done but he has filled the sills with waxoyl already :)

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Thats a decent bit of fabrication from what i can see on the pics! I'd pay particular attention to the rear arches where water rolls down and off the sill - its just a natrual place for water to sit. If its clean as a whistle - i'd ensure theres a nice smooth runoff gradient using some seam sealer etc (no places for water to sit and pool up) and also protect the hell out of that area with dinitrol or waxoyl after and keep clean religiously thereafter. I always spend a good amount of time with a hose and run my hands all up on my arch lips and clean them throughly every time i wash (snow foam). 


Also make sure your drain holes are clear post work - its common for these to get blocked up with waxoyl etc if the chap doesn't know they are there.

Worth manage expectations that this is not a forever fix - you'll get 5 years or so out of it before it'll need another look unless its stored inside in a nice warm garage. I think mines about 4 years in and i know its going to need some love again in the next couple of years to keep on top of it.

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I'm going to Bilt Hamber the whole area in the spring so hopefully that'll offer some more protection but yes I'll be making sure the arch lips are cleaned regularly.

Good tip with the drain holes. I did check they were still there as I know some people weld the holes shut! I'll make sure they're clear.

As I won't be using it in the winter hopefully it'll last longer than 5 years. Considering this was the first repair it's had in 19 years it hasn't done too badly.

I just need to find the leak in the boot now as it keeps running in to the battery well. I'll probably drill a small hole in each recess where the tray sits so at least the water can't sit there rusting the area!

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  • 8 months later...

The car has been off the road for winter and longer than I wanted so today I thought I had better get it sorted. It did not go well!

I checked all fluids, charged the battery and inflated the tyres. The car started first time but did hesitate. Then smoke started coming out from under the bonnet and I noticed the battery light hadn't gone out. I immediately turned the car off.

It looks like the alternator may have seized as there is alot of rubber or carbon built up under the belt and pulley. With the battery light on I think that also points to this.

They are not cheap and the belts are a sod to replace from what I've read. I need to jack the car up and remove the liners to access one of the bolts.

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I'll try that tomorrow after work or Wednesday if I can stand the heat! Someone on Nutz said spray WD40 behind the pulley and try a spanner on the nut to free it off. 

If the belt has been dragged round it probably needs replacing now but the PAS belt needs removing first. Apparently the tensioner bolts are a pain to access and undo.

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Right so the belt can't be removed unless all of the bolts are slackened otherwise the tensioner bolt will break. Seems Mazda put the bottom pivot bolt in from the rear and it's a sod to get to. I need to jack the car up and remove some parts to get a breaker bar on it. 

I tried turning the alternator pulley first and it didn't seem to be stuck, turning straight away but it was a little stiff. I turned it a few times and it seemed to get easier after a while. This belt also goes around the water pump as well as the crank. The belt didn't move when I turned the pulley but I'm assuming that would be normal with the tension from the larger pulleys? Next was trying the crank and that turned although felt pretty stiff apart from one spot that turned more freely. The water pump and alternator pulleys also turned along with the PAS belt on the other side.

I've not started the car up yet and don't know if I should, am I likely to cause any damage? I need to move the car though to jack it up and get it on stands as I have it parked up against the house! 

If I'm replacing the belts and need to loosen the alternator bolts I'm thinking I might as well replace it. A genuine one is nearly £400 so that's not happening. Given the difficulty in removing it there's not much point getting a used one so I need to find a pattern part. Apparently the MK2 alternator is also regulated by the ECU and not itself like the MK1 so I've got to be careful with what I get.

Really could've done without this but I guess it's my fault for leaving it off the road for so long. In future, over winter I had better start it up and run it for 5-10 minutes to stop things seizing up!

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Not seized solid no but needed to be freed off which I probably did turning it. I decide to start the car and ran it for 15 minutes on the driveway. No smoke and the pulleys and belts were turning ok. No noises from what I could tell either.

I've not taken it out yet. I'm wondering if I should replace the belts now. I don't know if the bit of rubber that was churned up will be detrimental to the belt. Plus it's so hot could that have an effect?

I don't really have the money to replace the alternator ATM but as it started seizing it'll probably do it again. Unless I can remove or replace just the pulley?

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