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Rich's 1999 MX5 1.8i S


Rich
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I'll be using them when I do eventually get them refurbished. I'll have a look next time I see your car.

I took the 2 off today that were flat. They have heavy corrosion inside and around the valve on one. After putting them in to a tub of water both are leaking around the valve.

So hopefully if I come over and get them swapped to the other rims that will sort the issue. Then I can sell the 2 corroded ones.

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I also damaged my stormforce cover getting the locking wheel nut out of the glovebox. I partially lifted the cover enough to open the door but didn't realise it had got trapped when I closed it. It's only been on for 6 months but seems to have faded a lot and gone a bit thin. Hopefully if I tape it up it'll last a couple of more years.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well since the tyres were swapped over to the other rims they've been holding the pressure ok - finally!

Been out in the car a few times and it's driving well. I did have to free up the alternator pulley first. MOT was also a pass yesterday so all ready for a trip to Norfolk week after next.

I would like to replace the alternator though and I still need to get the rear brake pipe replaced.

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One number plate bulb was blown but he let me off that as he knows I'll change it. I did actually check the lights but forgot those!

I need to get hold of Joe about fitting the new brake pipe, hoses and bleeding them. I showed him the pipe last year but want a price for the labour.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tyres are still holding the pressure ok which is a relief. It was becoming a chore inflating them all the time!

I did an oil change last week, I haven't done it for 2 years as the car has done under 1000 miles but it was black. So I think I need to do it annually now regardless of the usage.

The car made it to Norfolk ok and the weather is looking good for some nice drives around the lanes.

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When I'm back I need to crack on with a few jobs. 

The first will be checking the front chassis rails and cleaning up as much rust as I can then treating it. The coilovers are also getting surface rust with the coating peeling off. Can these be rubbed down and painted in situ?

Next job will be to look at the power steering pipes. Three of them (I think there's 7 in total) look very rusty and should probably be replaced although they don't leak.

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Third job is that alternator. I don't know whether to replace it now or keep freeing the pulley up. It's working ok otherwise but the car does crank slowly. So the alternator could be causing that or the starter or battery.

Problem is replacing everything now is going to cost a wedge of money!

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  • 2 months later...

I've left the pipes for now and the alternator as I've not used the car much, plus it seemed to be cranking slower. It's always been a slow cranker but this just seemed worse.

I found that the main ground strap had completely fractured, which is underneath the car. So I repaired that and it made no difference. I may make another ground strap and add it to the other one just in case there is a problem with the rest of the cable.

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As I bought a new battery for the Accord I tried it in the MX5 first and it cranked about a second quicker and felt much stronger. The Mazda battery has a low rating so I'm going to get a Bosch S5 next year and fit that. It's also half the price of the Mazda.

The car is now off the road until next year, just waiting for a dry day so I can put the cover on.

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The OEM battery on the 5 holds very little reserve amps. As you know during a geo we apply the brakes so that the cat is still. During an hour the battery can go flat, the reason being the brake lights light up without the ignition on.

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  • 9 months later...

I got the Bosch S5 battery and put the car back on the road a month a go. I also bought a battery mat to sit it on as I can no longer use the tray. The car starts much better now 🙂

Amazingly the alternator didn't seize up this year so that saved me a job of freeing it up!

My usual MOT garage couldn't do it when I needed it so I had to use a local one. I was watching from outside and they were very thorough! They passed it but advised on corrosion on the front chassis! I've not checked it myself yet but hopefully it's not that bad, although it'll be rusting inside out 😞

The tyres held their pressure all winter while it was off the road so the new rims were definitely needed. The wheels do need a refurb though so I might have a go at doing it myself. Any good kits out there?

The roof also needs some stitching repairs done to it where they have eroded and some parts of the seams are separating.

I also fitted the new washer jets I bought 4 years a go!! They are Ford Maverick ones and have a spray pattern rather than a single jet of water. They work much better than the originals.

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Glad it passed and hope you can make use of it! 

With ref to your E10 question in another thread. I believe you can add dye and it separates out the ethanol.. Loads of videos on YouTube on it.. Apparently loads of classic car owners do this already

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 16/08/2021 at 07:54, adam_r said:

Glad it passed and hope you can make use of it! 

With ref to your E10 question in another thread. I believe you can add dye and it separates out the ethanol.. Loads of videos on YouTube on it.. Apparently loads of classic car owners do this already

that answers a question I had as well!

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  • 2 months later...

I was taking the car off the road this weekend for winter but I have decided to do it at the end of November now.

Usually I leave the fuel tank empty but will fill it up this time. Do I need to use a stabiliser? These seem to be aimed at cars using E5/E10 fuel but now I've switched to Esso Supreme, which is actually E0 I'm wondering if I actually need it? It will be off the road for 4 or 5 months.

If I do is this one ok or are there better ones?

I didn't get around to looking at the front chassis rails so that will be a job for next year. But nothing is going to stop the rust unless it's cut out and new metal welded in! 

The alloys are corroding more so I may get those refurbished over winter or have a go myself. But they're getting bad so may need a professional job done. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I filled the car up on Tuesday and went for a drive, then took it to work yesterday with no problems. This morning the battery light came on and I just knew the alternator belt had snapped. Pulled over and yep it was on the undertray so that's game over for this year! Luckily I had only just left home so went back for the other car.

The last couple of winters the pulley kept seizing so I think it's probably gone completely now. It's a sod to change cos of the location and one bolt always tends to snap, which is threaded in to the alternator itself. I'll park it up for winter now and do it next year. It also needs a specific alternator compared to the rest of the MX5s as it's not controlled by the ECU but regulates itself.

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I've been doing that the last couple of years, there is probably corrosion between the pulley the mount. It's low down in the engine bay so gets all the crap off the road thrown at it. I'll see if the pulley is spinning when I get home but I don't think it will be!

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Well good news, the pulley was spinning freely. So I've ordered a new belt along with a PAS one, that has to come off first. I'm just hoping the bolts for the alternator aren't seized so I can slacken it to fit the belt. It would be nice to use the car one last time before winter.

 

 

 

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Yep, my Mk2.5 1.8 Nevada alternator occasionally stuck after being unused for months but semed to free itself with a bit WD40 etc, but it was chewing the belt each time.

Eventually it wouldn't free so managed to get the bu%%er off and found that the whole thing had corroded and expanded with rust which actually split the aluminium casing - so it was scrap.

Although supposedly a specific alternator, I did manage to fit another from my Mk2 1.8S with some mesing about and it seems to be doing ok - although to be fair it has been laid up on the drive for a couple of years now and only occasionally shiffled around.

Could be that, just like with the chassis rust issues, that Mazda cut a few corners with later Mk2s and they are showing up now.

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Was it a pain removing that lower bolt Andy and did you swap it for a MK1 bolt/nut? 

Mines a 1999 so the first of the MK2 and a MK2.5 alternator wouldn't work on it from what I've read. So I don't have many options for a replacement. I'm reluctant to replace it until I absolutely have to. A Mazda one is something like £400 I think 😟

When checking the pulley it was spinning freely so I'm hoping any corrosion is minimal. That probably contributed to it snapping where it's been getting stuck before. I've barely done any mileage in the car since it was last replaced 6 years a go and still looks new. 

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22 hours ago, Rich said:

Was it a pain removing that lower bolt Andy and did you swap it for a MK1 bolt/nut? 

Mines a 1999 so the first of the MK2 and a MK2.5 alternator wouldn't work on it from what I've read.

Yes, it was a pain, but to be honest I don't remember what I did re the bolt - probably used the MK2 with plenty of grease or Coppaslip. My MK2 was 1998 so even earlier than yours, but was going the other way - into the 2003 2.5. Seemed to work that way, but you could be right about not the other way. Sorry can't help more.

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