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Rich's 1999 MX5 1.8i S


Rich
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2 hours ago, andyelcomb said:

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.

I forgot the MK2 started in 98. I had a look yesterday, all of the bolts undo apart from the bottom one. I had to remove the manifold bracket to get a socket on there but it wouldn't budge. I've sprayed it and will take the driver's wheel off later to see if I can a bar on there.

Tony, yes it's the long one the alternator pivots on.

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Well I got the undertray off on one side so I can see the bolt from the wheel arch now. The problem is despite trying several ways I couldn't get the bar in anywhere and on to the bolt. Either the brake lines were in the way or the suspension/chassis.

I don't think I'll be using the car again before the end of the month now. So will have to sort it another time.

Can anyone recommend a fuel stabiliser though?

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  • 8 months later...

After 9 months of being off the road I got the new belts fitted. I couldn't remove the lower pivot bolt, there was no way of getting any movement on the bar. So instead I carefully forced the alternator forward so I could get the belt on.

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Checked all the fluids, charged the battery and started it up. Took a couple of seconds but it fired first time. Left it running for half an hour so it got up to temperature and then took it out. Boy have I missed driving it!

When refitting the battery the hole under the tray has got bigger! The surrounding area is ok still so I'm going to get a rubber bung and plug it. It can serve as a drainage hole then.

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From the underneath.

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It passed the MOT yesterday. I had an advisory last year from another garage about corrosion on the front chassis but he said it was just surface rust and didn't warrant being put down as a minor. Yes they rust inside out but they're still solid. The whole underneath of the car has surface rust! He did say one of the side jacking points is very rusty and may need attention.

I went to my Dad's before the MOT and when we got there noticed some scuffs on the rear bumper. They weren't there yesterday morning and I had only gone straight to his and then the garage so couldn't work out how they got there. Then when dropping him off I remembered hitting a pothole. As it went down the bumper must've caught the hole and caused the damage. I'm really annoyed! 😡

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Anyway, the car is ready for it's annual run up to Norfolk for a blast around the lanes! 😁

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9 minutes ago, Geoffers said:

Have a great one Rich, you certainly picked the weather!

Going up on Saturday, it's going to be 33 degrees and I'm not looking forward to it! 👎 🥵

It'll be great in the evenings though for a nice drive with the roof down 😎

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  • 4 weeks later...

Unfortunately I didn't get to take the car up to Norfolk so it'll have to wait until next year now ☹️

I'm still amazed at the reactions a 23 year old car gets! I arrived at work this morning and the headteacher and my department manager were outside talking. I always try to drive in quietly but it's not exactly a quiet car! After parking and heading in to school they both said they love my car 😄

The tyres on the car are Toyos, which are 8 years old and showing signs of cracking between the tread blocks and sidewalls. They passed the MOT ok but I've never been happy with them and in the damp they don't grip well, in the wet it's scary! I'm planning on using the car more, maybe even over winter so want some decent rubber on there.

I've narrowed my choice down to either the Michelin Crossclimate 2 or the Pilot Sport 3. I was also considering the Uniroyal Rainsport but they're not any cheaper than the Michelin's.

Has anyone used these tyres? I'm swaying towards the PS3 from the reviews I've read.

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On 06/09/2022 at 14:09, eddie said:

Maybe look at Continental ExtremeContact or Pirelli as well?

Thanks Eddie. The Continental aren't available in the size I need, which is a shame as the reviews seem good. I'm not a fan of Pirelli, I've used that brand before and didn't get on with them.

I may leave changing them until next year now as I'll be taking the car off the road end of October, possibly November depending on the weather.

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  • 1 month later...

So! With the mild weather I decided to tax it for another month and use the car during November. I hoovered it out last week and noticed the carpets were damp. After removing the door cards I remembered that the drivers side plastic sheeting had to be taped up a few years a go, this had come off. Taped it all up and I just needed to dry the carpets out - or so I thought!!

After all of the rain this week I checked the passenger floor and found it soaked through! 

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I removed the seat and lifted the carpet up to sponge up as much water as I could. The only way to remove the carpet completely is to take the dash out or cut it.

After lifting the carpet I was greeted with this!

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All of the sound deadening had to be removed as it had soaked the water up like a sponge. I checked all the seals and drain holes but couldn't find where it was coming in from.

Last night we had loads more rain and this morning I checked the drivers side to find it was also now soaked! Today was spent striping the interior out and propping the carpet up to help it dry.

I also removed the parcel shelf carpet to try and help me trace where water is getting in from. Then I found this!!

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Yes the glass window is no longer bonded to the soft top, more or less all the way along the bottom! I have put some duct tape on it for tonight and tomorrow I'll be putting the cover over the car to try and keep it dry. I'm assuming this is the entry point for the water but I'm not sure how it's finding it's way down to the floor, I can't find any trails where it could be going.

Alot of the stitching on the hood has eroded the last couple of years and I had been planning on repairing this myself but I think it's going to take hours sewing it by hand. A new hood is £500 so I will try and tiger seal the glass to the fabric first and see how it goes. Otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do, it's an expense I could do without at the moment.

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I was outside most of yesterday cleaning it up and tiger sealing the bottom of the glass back to the fabric. I contacted the person who fitted the hood and they recommended tiger seal too. The rest of the bonding looks ok but I'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on it.

We've only had drizzle rain since bonding it but there were no puddles in the car today. Still alot of condensation with the carpet being wet in places so the car is damp and needs drying out properly.

I'll be checking it everyday and will run the hose over it if we don't get any more heavy rain.

The guy who fitted the roof doesn't do repairs, I think because it's very time consuming but I have emailed a local company who I saw recommended on pistonheads. They do interior upholstery and have repaired hoods.

I was also wrong about the price, a new mohair one is £650, a vinyl one is £550. Alot of money either way but hopefully a repair would be no where near that!

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We've had a lot of rain the last few days. Still have a couple of small leaks from the window and have trays on the parcel shelf to catch the water. I'll have to add more sealant over the weekend but there are no longer any large puddles on the floor! 

It is still wet in the drivers footwell which seems to be getting in from between the door seal and the windscreen one. I'm going to remove them to clean up and check for damage. I may have to replace them if I can't stop it but there's no point putting the carpet back down until I have!

I'll need to find some new sound deadening too so I can replace what I had to rip off.

On 05/11/2022 at 21:46, adam_r said:

Worth seeing is you can buy some desiccant bags and putting them in the car to remove some of the residual moisture 

I have a big bag of salt to put in trays and leave in the car over winter. Hopefully they'll do the job.

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6 hours ago, Rich said:

How is salt in trays going to cause rust? It'll just absorb the moisture which will end up in the tray.

I already have a few desiccant bags and I've never found them to work that well.

Desiccant bags work very well, but they need to be dried out fairly frequently via an oven or other heat source to remove the absorbed moisture. 

 

I can guarantee that if you use salt, you will cry next spring with the corrosion 

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I dry them in the airing cupboard or radiator but have never felt they work well when I've used them in the cars before.

We've been using trays of salt in our caravan over winter for 25 years and never had issues with rust inside. The salt absorbs the water and this is collected in the tray. It's not like it will be in direct contact with the metal. Having said that I may get some cat litter as that does the same job.

I'll be checking the car when I get home from work. With the rain we've had I'm hoping it'll be dry. I sealed the window again but it's the drivers floor I'm concerned about now. The seals all look fine and there doesn't seem to be any gaps between them so I'm not sure how the water is getting in. I might just have to cover it up for winter and sort it next year now.

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I’ve never heard of salt being used in a car to keep it dry, as it absorbs moisture there will be salt in the air ( bit like the seaside ) and I’m sure it would do more harm than good. Caravan though is probably steel chassis and wood and/or aluminium sides s less chance of a problem. The drying bags are good as they have a spot that changes colour and then you dry them in the microwave. I’ve got two small ones in my car you may need more or some bigger ones.

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I've seen it suggested on a few forums before but yeah it's probably not a good idea! Caravan frame probably is alloy thinking about it, the chassis is definitely steel though as it's rusty.

I'll get some new bags and try them, I've had mine a few years now. Do they have a shelf life?

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  • 3 months later...

I put the car back on the road Sunday, so it's only been laid up for 3 months while the worse of winter passes. Typical that the next 2 weeks or so is forecast as rain!

The tyres are getting quite cracked on the sidewalls now, they're 9 years old, even though they're only half worn. I was looking at some crossclimates but as I won't be using the car during winter it's probably better to get a summer tyre with good wet grip, something the Toyos lack! Costco are doing £10 off a tyre on the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 so I'm going for those. It'll be £300 for a set which doesn't seem bad for premium tyres.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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