2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
Thanks both! I went for a drive today and I'm very pleased with the results, I can even use the sun visors now.
First time with the roof down this year. The new wheels are growing on me...
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
First time with the roof down this year. The new wheels are growing on me...
HorneyMX5 said:
Reminds me I need to sort out those ARBs for you. I’ve got the rear one off but the front is still on the car.
Appreciated! Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 13:25
A new air and oil filter turned up today. I purchased some oil a while ago as part of a deal but hadn't got around to getting a filter to go with it. I'm undecided if I'll change the oil before or after Anglesey, the current oil went in just before The Ring but still looks quite clean.
I changed the air filter when I purchased the car 11k ago, but I wasn't planning to keep it beyond our trip to Italy in it so I stuck the cheapest ECP filter in at the time. I went for Mann this time...
Mann seem to produce filters all over the place, but these two are from Germany...
Quite reasonably priced too, I think the air filter was £12 and the oil filter £5. The old air filter was surprisingly grubby for 11k miles.
Very different construction on the Mann filter, more like the K&N filter than the OE https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/filter-mk3-35-p-1300.ht... will be interesting to see if there's any noticeable difference.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I changed the air filter when I purchased the car 11k ago, but I wasn't planning to keep it beyond our trip to Italy in it so I stuck the cheapest ECP filter in at the time. I went for Mann this time...
Mann seem to produce filters all over the place, but these two are from Germany...
Quite reasonably priced too, I think the air filter was £12 and the oil filter £5. The old air filter was surprisingly grubby for 11k miles.
Very different construction on the Mann filter, more like the K&N filter than the OE https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/filter-mk3-35-p-1300.ht... will be interesting to see if there's any noticeable difference.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:50
I fitted a new thermostat today. The coolant temperature seemed to be fluctuating more than it probably should, and the heater took ages to kick in.
MX5Parts suggest there are two types of thermostat for the NC, the 'long' and the 'short' model and that you should match up to what's currently fitted. The internet seems to suggest the short model is a flawed design superseded by the long model, and that you can fit either.
The price of thermostats also seems to vary massively. Genuine parts are £80ish, Gates want £50. I ordered a Mahle stat for £12 delivered from Opie Oils
It looks like it might be an OE part with a FoMoCo logo ground off. Hopefully, it's suspiciously cheap because they're supplying loads of them to Ford.
I followed HorneyMX5's very handy guide:
http://mighty5s.com/thread/1301/mk3-nc-thermostat-...
It's a fairly easy job, with the exception of two of the three bolts on the thermostat. You can hardly see them and there's minimal room for spannering.
The short 1/4" wrench in my Halfords set came in handy.
I took the opportunity to clean the throttle body whilst it was off. It was a bit grubby!
Here's the old next to the new. The old stat was fully closed and appeared to actuate as expected when placed in boiling water. Maybe it was opening too soon or sticking sometimes
I didn't have any issues fitting the existing hose to the longer thermostat. Here's the shiny throttle body back in place...
All back together. Having changed the coolant recently I used the second bottle of FL22 I'd purchased topped up with a bit of the coolant that was already in there. That should have now given it a good flush.
I haven't had a chance to give it a road test yet, but the heater seemed to kick in sooner whilst I was bleeding.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
MX5Parts suggest there are two types of thermostat for the NC, the 'long' and the 'short' model and that you should match up to what's currently fitted. The internet seems to suggest the short model is a flawed design superseded by the long model, and that you can fit either.
The price of thermostats also seems to vary massively. Genuine parts are £80ish, Gates want £50. I ordered a Mahle stat for £12 delivered from Opie Oils
It looks like it might be an OE part with a FoMoCo logo ground off. Hopefully, it's suspiciously cheap because they're supplying loads of them to Ford.
I followed HorneyMX5's very handy guide:
http://mighty5s.com/thread/1301/mk3-nc-thermostat-...
It's a fairly easy job, with the exception of two of the three bolts on the thermostat. You can hardly see them and there's minimal room for spannering.
The short 1/4" wrench in my Halfords set came in handy.
I took the opportunity to clean the throttle body whilst it was off. It was a bit grubby!
Here's the old next to the new. The old stat was fully closed and appeared to actuate as expected when placed in boiling water. Maybe it was opening too soon or sticking sometimes
I didn't have any issues fitting the existing hose to the longer thermostat. Here's the shiny throttle body back in place...
All back together. Having changed the coolant recently I used the second bottle of FL22 I'd purchased topped up with a bit of the coolant that was already in there. That should have now given it a good flush.
I haven't had a chance to give it a road test yet, but the heater seemed to kick in sooner whilst I was bleeding.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:50
A quick update on some of the recent changes now that I've had a chance to commute in the Mazda a few times.
The lower seating position is great. My wife also seems happy with the seat height, which was a concern. The only downside seems to be that the seatbelt retainer on the shoulder of the seat now traps the seatbelt if you lean forward at junctions. Easily solved by hooking the belt out of the seat retainer. Mazda have released an updated retainer design, it looks like it might not pinch the belt as easily. I'll order one as soon as MX5Parts get them back in stock.
The thermostat was a great decision. I was undecided if it needed doing as the car seemed ok before, the coolant temp fluctuated a bit at speed but not to extremes. With the new thermostat in place and once up to temp the needle sits bang in the middle and never fluctuates. The heater is a lot hotter and the car gets up to temp much quicker. I should have changed it sooner. I'm curious to see if MPG improves, I suspect it will.
Might just be placebo, but the cars seems a bit more lively with a clean air filter and throttle body.
I've also fitted a new battery:
Not really necessary just yet, but I had some cashback burning a hole in my PayPal account. There was a company in France selling the Yuasa for about £20 less than UK suppliers delivered, so I figured I'd order one whilst I didn't really need it. It arrived within about four days, well packaged, no issues.
Out with the old budget 'Powerline'...
The Yuasa seems to have the best spec out of all the regular battery options for the NC.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The lower seating position is great. My wife also seems happy with the seat height, which was a concern. The only downside seems to be that the seatbelt retainer on the shoulder of the seat now traps the seatbelt if you lean forward at junctions. Easily solved by hooking the belt out of the seat retainer. Mazda have released an updated retainer design, it looks like it might not pinch the belt as easily. I'll order one as soon as MX5Parts get them back in stock.
The thermostat was a great decision. I was undecided if it needed doing as the car seemed ok before, the coolant temp fluctuated a bit at speed but not to extremes. With the new thermostat in place and once up to temp the needle sits bang in the middle and never fluctuates. The heater is a lot hotter and the car gets up to temp much quicker. I should have changed it sooner. I'm curious to see if MPG improves, I suspect it will.
Might just be placebo, but the cars seems a bit more lively with a clean air filter and throttle body.
I've also fitted a new battery:
Not really necessary just yet, but I had some cashback burning a hole in my PayPal account. There was a company in France selling the Yuasa for about £20 less than UK suppliers delivered, so I figured I'd order one whilst I didn't really need it. It arrived within about four days, well packaged, no issues.
Out with the old budget 'Powerline'...
The Yuasa seems to have the best spec out of all the regular battery options for the NC.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:50
It's been a quiet year for MX-5 fettling so far. I've been cheating on the Mazda with other cars.
We've managed to collectively Whatsapp-peer-pressure Roshan (the guy who learned to drive so that he could join us at the Nurburgring) into buying a cheap 350z as his first car. This didn't go entirely smoothly as it died on collection day due to water ingress into the body control module and was abandoned on my driveway awaiting recovery whilst a disheartened Roshan got the train back to London.
With the initial foibles fixed he returned a few weeks later as I'd spotted that the auxiliary and aircon belts didn't look too clever.
The aux belt was cracked...
The air con belt was crumbling to bits!
I fitted a nice new set of Gates belts. The 350z has manually adjusted belt tensioners, I much prefer the spring loaded tensioner on the Mazda.
Roshan was also joined by Alex, who we met at the Ring. He's recently emigrated from Germany and imported his Fiesta ST with a view to keeping it as a track car.
I fitted H&R springs, a couple of Powerflow bits and EBC discs to the Fiesta.
It made a pleasant change to work on something that wasn't corroded. Everything comes apart like those California YouTube how-to videos
I haven't completely neglected the Mazda, the soft top was looking a bit grey so I treated it with an Autoglym kit.
It's a two stage kit with a cleaner and a protector. The protector beads water impressively well.
I've picked up some new pads that I'll fit before the next track day at Anglesey. I went for StopTech Sport pads, they were about £65 from 'Tarmac Sportz' in Derby.
I've also been sorting out the peeling lacquer on the wheels I picked up over Christmas. It was so loose that a pressure washer removed nearly all the old lacquer.
I have spotted a slight buckle in one of the wheels. Luckily they came as a set of 5 with one unused rim, I'll have to get the tyre moved over. All part of the fun of buying cheap secondhand wheels.
I had a fun week of commuting to Egham every day last week, featuring a good three hours stationary on the M25 on the evening of valentines day whilst a burning coach was extinguished. I used the Mazda a couple of times to break up the monotony. Here it is looking unusually clean and presentable in Waitrose Egham.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
We've managed to collectively Whatsapp-peer-pressure Roshan (the guy who learned to drive so that he could join us at the Nurburgring) into buying a cheap 350z as his first car. This didn't go entirely smoothly as it died on collection day due to water ingress into the body control module and was abandoned on my driveway awaiting recovery whilst a disheartened Roshan got the train back to London.
With the initial foibles fixed he returned a few weeks later as I'd spotted that the auxiliary and aircon belts didn't look too clever.
The aux belt was cracked...
The air con belt was crumbling to bits!
I fitted a nice new set of Gates belts. The 350z has manually adjusted belt tensioners, I much prefer the spring loaded tensioner on the Mazda.
Roshan was also joined by Alex, who we met at the Ring. He's recently emigrated from Germany and imported his Fiesta ST with a view to keeping it as a track car.
I fitted H&R springs, a couple of Powerflow bits and EBC discs to the Fiesta.
It made a pleasant change to work on something that wasn't corroded. Everything comes apart like those California YouTube how-to videos
I haven't completely neglected the Mazda, the soft top was looking a bit grey so I treated it with an Autoglym kit.
It's a two stage kit with a cleaner and a protector. The protector beads water impressively well.
I've picked up some new pads that I'll fit before the next track day at Anglesey. I went for StopTech Sport pads, they were about £65 from 'Tarmac Sportz' in Derby.
I've also been sorting out the peeling lacquer on the wheels I picked up over Christmas. It was so loose that a pressure washer removed nearly all the old lacquer.
I have spotted a slight buckle in one of the wheels. Luckily they came as a set of 5 with one unused rim, I'll have to get the tyre moved over. All part of the fun of buying cheap secondhand wheels.
I had a fun week of commuting to Egham every day last week, featuring a good three hours stationary on the M25 on the evening of valentines day whilst a burning coach was extinguished. I used the Mazda a couple of times to break up the monotony. Here it is looking unusually clean and presentable in Waitrose Egham.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:51
No, I haven't been on track. It looks like the other front caliper has started sticking:
I replaced the slider pins when I replaced the other front caliper, so it'll probably be a corroded piston again. I've ordered a new/recon Budweg caliper from brakesint. £75 with next day delivery, very reasonable.
I feel like I should probably replace the only remaining original rear caliper now, presumably it'll probably follow tradition and seize up soon.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I replaced the slider pins when I replaced the other front caliper, so it'll probably be a corroded piston again. I've ordered a new/recon Budweg caliper from brakesint. £75 with next day delivery, very reasonable.
I feel like I should probably replace the only remaining original rear caliper now, presumably it'll probably follow tradition and seize up soon.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:51
Some evening spannering this week. Brakesint delivered a nice shiny new front left caliper next day...
I could have rebuilt the caliper with a new piston and seals for about half the cost, but the Budweg calipers come nicely zinc coated and pristine and I haven't got an easy way to block off a hemorrhaging brake line now that the lines are braided and won't clamp. I guess a nut, bolt and a couple of washers through the banjo connector might work.
I popped in the new Stoptech pads whilst I was at it. The Brembo pads I fitted in July were about half worn after 4k and 20 ring laps.
The new pads came with a complete new fixing kit, I also took my time cleaning and regreasing the slider pins on both sides.
The old piston didn't look too clever. I couldn't get it to pop all the way out with the 110psi from my compressor.
I followed the Stoptech bedding in procedure - http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technica...
15 hard lots of braking from 50 to 5mph. It's a good job we don't live in a town! The initial bite of the pads seems good, I haven't noticed any noise yet. Will be interesting to see how they cope on track.
I've noticed the floormats seem a little damp if the car has sat outside in rain. This is hopefully down to a common issue with the fixings that hold the scuttle trim in place. Here's a handy guide - http://myroadtrip.net/mazda-mx-5-fixing-a-leak-und...
Wipers off, two screws removed and some clips. Nothing too fiddly.
I believe these foam pads originally create a seal with an adhesive. Like most mine were dried out and brittle.
I used Puraflex 40, just because I already had a tube open (cheap from Toolstation).
I'd say this looked messy, although if it was painted I'm not sure it would be much worse than factories effort next to it. It is of course completely covered by the scuttle trim.
Supposedly the caps that cover the trim screws always break when removed. MX5 Parts sell replacements, I also noticed that someone has gone to the trouble of creating a 3D printable replacement on Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2237341
I printed a couple in advance. Of course I then removed both of the originals without any damage. But I fitted the low-res replacements regardless. Because 3D printer
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I could have rebuilt the caliper with a new piston and seals for about half the cost, but the Budweg calipers come nicely zinc coated and pristine and I haven't got an easy way to block off a hemorrhaging brake line now that the lines are braided and won't clamp. I guess a nut, bolt and a couple of washers through the banjo connector might work.
I popped in the new Stoptech pads whilst I was at it. The Brembo pads I fitted in July were about half worn after 4k and 20 ring laps.
The new pads came with a complete new fixing kit, I also took my time cleaning and regreasing the slider pins on both sides.
The old piston didn't look too clever. I couldn't get it to pop all the way out with the 110psi from my compressor.
I followed the Stoptech bedding in procedure - http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technica...
15 hard lots of braking from 50 to 5mph. It's a good job we don't live in a town! The initial bite of the pads seems good, I haven't noticed any noise yet. Will be interesting to see how they cope on track.
I've noticed the floormats seem a little damp if the car has sat outside in rain. This is hopefully down to a common issue with the fixings that hold the scuttle trim in place. Here's a handy guide - http://myroadtrip.net/mazda-mx-5-fixing-a-leak-und...
Wipers off, two screws removed and some clips. Nothing too fiddly.
I believe these foam pads originally create a seal with an adhesive. Like most mine were dried out and brittle.
I used Puraflex 40, just because I already had a tube open (cheap from Toolstation).
I'd say this looked messy, although if it was painted I'm not sure it would be much worse than factories effort next to it
. It is of course completely covered by the scuttle trim.Supposedly the caps that cover the trim screws always break when removed. MX5 Parts sell replacements, I also noticed that someone has gone to the trouble of creating a 3D printable replacement on Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2237341
I printed a couple in advance. Of course I then removed both of the originals without any damage. But I fitted the low-res replacements regardless. Because 3D printer
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:52
Thanks both 
I visited Skuzzle Motorsport yesterday, HorneyMX5 was running a dyno day and BBQ. As previously discussed in this thread I also had a set of RX-8 ARBs to collect from him.
I like Horney's approach to BBQing...
It seemed rude to not have a go on the dyno whilst I was there. I wasn't expecting anything impressive as it is essentially a standard NC, but I figured it would be interesting to see what effect age and mileage had had on the car.
The best result after three runs was 132.9 HP at the wheels. Skuzzle reckons that you can add around 20% to that to give the flywheel figure, which equates to the car still having the 160ish BHP it left the factory with 12 years and 105k ago. I was quite pleased with that.
The next car on the dyno was another NC, but fitted with a straight centre section (removing one of the two cats) and Skuzzle's own intake system.
The red car made 135 HP, not a major difference in peak HP. However, Nick plotted our cars together to show the difference in mid-range torque that the intake provides, my car is in green:
I've never really paid much attention to intake changes on the NC as internet wisdom has always suggested that the stock system is fine. I might need to re-evaluate that.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I visited Skuzzle Motorsport yesterday, HorneyMX5 was running a dyno day and BBQ. As previously discussed in this thread I also had a set of RX-8 ARBs to collect from him.
I like Horney's approach to BBQing...
It seemed rude to not have a go on the dyno whilst I was there. I wasn't expecting anything impressive as it is essentially a standard NC, but I figured it would be interesting to see what effect age and mileage had had on the car.
The best result after three runs was 132.9 HP at the wheels. Skuzzle reckons that you can add around 20% to that to give the flywheel figure, which equates to the car still having the 160ish BHP it left the factory with 12 years and 105k ago. I was quite pleased with that.
The next car on the dyno was another NC, but fitted with a straight centre section (removing one of the two cats) and Skuzzle's own intake system.
The red car made 135 HP, not a major difference in peak HP. However, Nick plotted our cars together to show the difference in mid-range torque that the intake provides, my car is in green:
I've never really paid much attention to intake changes on the NC as internet wisdom has always suggested that the stock system is fine. I might need to re-evaluate that.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:52
As previously mentioned I collected a set of RX-8 'Yellow Dot' ARBs at the weekend. All RX-8 bars are a straight fit on the MX-5, there are three grades with yellow being the middle option.
Here's a good post explaining the options:
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postsm387826_Mk3...
Observant readers will remember that I've replaced the rear droplinks twice recently (doh!) so the rear links unbolted easily. I hadn't touched the fronts because I have a receipt in the history file for replacement front droplinks in 2012 from a Mazda dealership (for silly ££). Luckily they hadn't corroded too much since then so I was able to unbolt them without the aid of nut splitters.
The rear bar is super easy to remove, the front is a little tricky as you have to negotiate a couple of tie rods and slide the bar through a small opening between the engine, steering rack and radiator. It helps to leave the steering lock off so that you can move the rack/tie rods around and get the front of the car quite high so that you can angle the bar down for the final removal. It's fiddly but probably took me no more than 20 minutes of wiggling to get the old bar out and the new one in.
Here are the original bars and the replacments (MX-5 rear, RX-8 rear, MX-5 front, RX-8 front):
I treated the new bars to some wire wheeling and Hammerite first. I quite like this stuff for under body components, it's £5 for a big can from Screwfix:
It was all going quite smoothly, but the Japanese corrosion gods had other ideas...
I managed that with a light press on a short 1/4" wrench! Luckily it only attaches a small bracket that supports an ABS sensor cable.
I made a brief attempt to extract the remnants of the bolt but it wasn't interested in moving. I ended up removing the lower wheel arch liner to gain access and then drilling it out.
There was just about enough room to get a spanner on either side so I reattached the bracket with a flange bolt and nut. Some sort of captive nut would have been better, but it's not something I've got any plans to remove again.
Front yellow dot bar in place with new droplinks...
...and the rear (I reused the not-very-old Febi links)...
Someone had previously fitted Powerflex bushings to my old ARBs, the RX-8 bars came with a set of rubber bushings that I've fitted for now. I can't quite bring myself to spend the £80 Powerflex want for a set of RX-8 ARB bushes so I've ordered a much cheaper set, from Russia! They were only £20 delivered from http://siberianbushing.com . I suspect it'll be a month or so before they arrive but it's worth a punt at that price.
At what point do you have to admit that you've got a wheel problem?
I've only had the chance for a brief test drive, on semi slicks, in the snow. Initial signs look promising, definitely less body roll and everything suddenly felt a lot sharper and more responsive. Some people report a slight tendency to understeer with the yellow/yellow combination and suggest moving to the stiffer orange rear bar (not that easy to find). Assuming it's not rained or snowed off I shall put this to the test at Anglesey soon.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Here's a good post explaining the options:
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postsm387826_Mk3...
Observant readers will remember that I've replaced the rear droplinks twice recently (doh!) so the rear links unbolted easily. I hadn't touched the fronts because I have a receipt in the history file for replacement front droplinks in 2012 from a Mazda dealership (for silly ££). Luckily they hadn't corroded too much since then so I was able to unbolt them without the aid of nut splitters.
The rear bar is super easy to remove, the front is a little tricky as you have to negotiate a couple of tie rods and slide the bar through a small opening between the engine, steering rack and radiator. It helps to leave the steering lock off so that you can move the rack/tie rods around and get the front of the car quite high so that you can angle the bar down for the final removal. It's fiddly but probably took me no more than 20 minutes of wiggling to get the old bar out and the new one in.
Here are the original bars and the replacments (MX-5 rear, RX-8 rear, MX-5 front, RX-8 front):
I treated the new bars to some wire wheeling and Hammerite first. I quite like this stuff for under body components, it's £5 for a big can from Screwfix:
It was all going quite smoothly, but the Japanese corrosion gods had other ideas...
I managed that with a light press on a short 1/4" wrench! Luckily it only attaches a small bracket that supports an ABS sensor cable.
I made a brief attempt to extract the remnants of the bolt but it wasn't interested in moving. I ended up removing the lower wheel arch liner to gain access and then drilling it out.
There was just about enough room to get a spanner on either side so I reattached the bracket with a flange bolt and nut. Some sort of captive nut would have been better, but it's not something I've got any plans to remove again.
Front yellow dot bar in place with new droplinks...
...and the rear (I reused the not-very-old Febi links)...
Someone had previously fitted Powerflex bushings to my old ARBs, the RX-8 bars came with a set of rubber bushings that I've fitted for now. I can't quite bring myself to spend the £80 Powerflex want for a set of RX-8 ARB bushes so I've ordered a much cheaper set, from Russia! They were only £20 delivered from http://siberianbushing.com . I suspect it'll be a month or so before they arrive but it's worth a punt at that price.
At what point do you have to admit that you've got a wheel problem?
I've only had the chance for a brief test drive, on semi slicks, in the snow. Initial signs look promising, definitely less body roll and everything suddenly felt a lot sharper and more responsive. Some people report a slight tendency to understeer with the yellow/yellow combination and suggest moving to the stiffer orange rear bar (not that easy to find). Assuming it's not rained or snowed off I shall put this to the test at Anglesey soon.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:53
Was good to meet you on Saturday, you’ve got them on quickly!
I run the yellows on my grey car and don’t find the understeer to be too much of an issue. I do have adjustable dampers though and I run the rear 2 clicks harder than the front. It’s amasing what a difference they make to how pointy the car feels for such a cheap mod.
I run the yellows on my grey car and don’t find the understeer to be too much of an issue. I do have adjustable dampers though and I run the rear 2 clicks harder than the front. It’s amasing what a difference they make to how pointy the car feels for such a cheap mod.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff