2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
Thanks! Plans are afoot to hopefully do another French trip with the car later this year, they're great little tourers.
Latest project was to swap the crusty looking rear drop links. The car came with receipts from a Mazda dealership for replacing the fronts, so I assumed the rears were original. Doesn't look like they were though as the ARB had hacksaw marks from a previous change. Oh well, they were quite crusty...
The hex key slots on the end of each link were corroded beyond function. Which gave me a good excuse to use my new nut splitters. They worked well!
It was easier to remove the ARB to completely remove the old links. It was also rather crusty so I gave it a quick going over with a wire brush, some zinc primer and black paint.
New links fitted...
Alignment is booked for Monday. I've also purchased a few cans of this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-WS500M-500ml-Seal-A... to see how well it works on the underside.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Latest project was to swap the crusty looking rear drop links. The car came with receipts from a Mazda dealership for replacing the fronts, so I assumed the rears were original. Doesn't look like they were though as the ARB had hacksaw marks from a previous change. Oh well, they were quite crusty...
The hex key slots on the end of each link were corroded beyond function. Which gave me a good excuse to use my new nut splitters. They worked well!
It was easier to remove the ARB to completely remove the old links. It was also rather crusty so I gave it a quick going over with a wire brush, some zinc primer and black paint.
New links fitted...
Alignment is booked for Monday. I've also purchased a few cans of this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-WS500M-500ml-Seal-A... to see how well it works on the underside.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:58
Good to know, thanks. It sounds quite promising for minimal cost, I'm intrigued to see how it turns out.
I had a four wheel alignment done on the car at Elite Wheels in Reading this morning. Didn't seem to be too far out considering what I did to the suspension recently. All set for another track day at the end of the month now.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I had a four wheel alignment done on the car at Elite Wheels in Reading this morning. Didn't seem to be too far out considering what I did to the suspension recently. All set for another track day at the end of the month now.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:04
Issues.
I'd noticed a small amount of brake squeal coming from the rear calipers, I figured the anti-squeal grease might have dried out at Bedford. I also spotted a cheap slide pin kit on eBay (I previously swapped the pins on the front but not the back) so I ordered it and stripped the calipers down to investigate.
Sadly despite claiming to be for a MK3/NC the slider pins were nothing like the originals (originals from one side on the left):
There was some resistance in the originals, this seemed massively improved after a clean and some fresh grease. Unfortunately, the inside pads appear to still be wearing at an odd angle. I've ordered a cheap set of pads to see if this is resolved with clean pins.
I've also liberally applied Comma Wax Seal to anything that looked crusty underneath the car. It dries clear and seems to penetrate well, the colour is useful as you don't have to be too careful about overspray. Definitely best applied in a well-ventilated area, it has a sickly potent smell that clings to your clothes and skin. Not sure how durable it will be but it was cheap (£6 a can) and easy to apply.
This is the rear suspension before:
And after a coat of Wax Seal:
I'd noticed the Mazda was sounding increasingly fruity. Closer inspection whilst under the car revealed a large crack after the resonator. I considered trying to bandage or weld it but I got lucky, someone locally was selling an entire mid-pipe for very little. It came from an MX-5 of the same age but under 30k miles that was being stripped and prepped for the MX-5 Supercup http://www.mx5supercup.co.uk
Once unbolted the old exhaust fell to bits...
The old exhaust was looking quite terminally crusty in a few areas, definitely a good opportunity to replace the whole lot. Thankfully the bolts to the manifold were in decent condition and didn't object to being taken apart.
Here's a comparison of the hangers...
I've fitted the spare wheels/tyres ready for the track day next week. Fingers crossed no more issues arise.
I'm guessing the old exhaust cat might be worth a few pounds? Can anyone recommend a scrap yard within Oxfordshire who will buy?
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I'd noticed a small amount of brake squeal coming from the rear calipers, I figured the anti-squeal grease might have dried out at Bedford. I also spotted a cheap slide pin kit on eBay (I previously swapped the pins on the front but not the back) so I ordered it and stripped the calipers down to investigate.
Sadly despite claiming to be for a MK3/NC the slider pins were nothing like the originals (originals from one side on the left):
There was some resistance in the originals, this seemed massively improved after a clean and some fresh grease. Unfortunately, the inside pads appear to still be wearing at an odd angle. I've ordered a cheap set of pads to see if this is resolved with clean pins.
I've also liberally applied Comma Wax Seal to anything that looked crusty underneath the car. It dries clear and seems to penetrate well, the colour is useful as you don't have to be too careful about overspray. Definitely best applied in a well-ventilated area, it has a sickly potent smell that clings to your clothes and skin. Not sure how durable it will be but it was cheap (£6 a can) and easy to apply.
This is the rear suspension before:
And after a coat of Wax Seal:
I'd noticed the Mazda was sounding increasingly fruity. Closer inspection whilst under the car revealed a large crack after the resonator. I considered trying to bandage or weld it but I got lucky, someone locally was selling an entire mid-pipe for very little. It came from an MX-5 of the same age but under 30k miles that was being stripped and prepped for the MX-5 Supercup http://www.mx5supercup.co.uk
Once unbolted the old exhaust fell to bits...
The old exhaust was looking quite terminally crusty in a few areas, definitely a good opportunity to replace the whole lot. Thankfully the bolts to the manifold were in decent condition and didn't object to being taken apart.
Here's a comparison of the hangers...
I've fitted the spare wheels/tyres ready for the track day next week. Fingers crossed no more issues arise.
I'm guessing the old exhaust cat might be worth a few pounds? Can anyone recommend a scrap yard within Oxfordshire who will buy?
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:05
I did another track day, this time at Abingdon. The car held up well to another long day of open pitlane action. It was quite a short twisty track, by the end of the day I found I was catching some much quicker stuff through the bends, although losing out on outright speed on the straights. I'm definitely getting more confident/smoother/quicker on track.
A rather mixed selection of cars amongst the group of us that went. An ATR, a DC2, an Abarth 500 and a Caterham R400. I drove the DC2 for the first time - awesome car!
The car definitely rolls around less with the new springs.
I put the softer Rainsport tyres that I'd scrubbed and chunked on the front at Bedford on the back this time. By the end of the day they were down to the cords in places...
That left a set of hard budget tyres on the front. Once warm they squealed, a lot. Thankfully they've also chunked - I can justify getting something better on my spare wheels for next time now!
I'd noticed that the inside rear pads were still wearing at odd angles before the track day. I greased the slider pins and put a new set of budget pads in so that I could see if the wear was even after Abingdon. I was a little surprised to find that the RH side pads were almost completely toast:
Whereas the LH pads were fine:
I'm guessing I've got another sticky caliper. Bizarrely the car and the brakes felt fine on the day, I suppose the rear calipers don't do that much.
I planned to order and fit another refurbed Budweg caliper but they were out of stock. In the end I ordered a used caliper from a lower mileage and much new car:
It was cheap, and came with the carrier and slider pins. Which is good as I'm a little dubious that the issue was the old caliper as the piston looked fine in the areas that matter...
Time will tell!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
A rather mixed selection of cars amongst the group of us that went. An ATR, a DC2, an Abarth 500 and a Caterham R400. I drove the DC2 for the first time - awesome car!
The car definitely rolls around less with the new springs.
I put the softer Rainsport tyres that I'd scrubbed and chunked on the front at Bedford on the back this time. By the end of the day they were down to the cords in places...
That left a set of hard budget tyres on the front. Once warm they squealed, a lot. Thankfully they've also chunked - I can justify getting something better on my spare wheels for next time now!
I'd noticed that the inside rear pads were still wearing at odd angles before the track day. I greased the slider pins and put a new set of budget pads in so that I could see if the wear was even after Abingdon. I was a little surprised to find that the RH side pads were almost completely toast:
Whereas the LH pads were fine:
I'm guessing I've got another sticky caliper. Bizarrely the car and the brakes felt fine on the day, I suppose the rear calipers don't do that much.
I planned to order and fit another refurbed Budweg caliper but they were out of stock. In the end I ordered a used caliper from a lower mileage and much new car:
It was cheap, and came with the carrier and slider pins. Which is good as I'm a little dubious that the issue was the old caliper as the piston looked fine in the areas that matter...
Time will tell!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:05
I've just had to replace the rear calipers on my 2008 car, for similar reasons (right rear was the sticky one).
I too bought the slider pin set off ebay and found it was totally wrong, from Bigg Red? I've messaged them telling them it was useless, no replay as of yet...very poor show.
Here's my car
I too bought the slider pin set off ebay and found it was totally wrong, from Bigg Red? I've messaged them telling them it was useless, no replay as of yet...very poor show.
Here's my car
WolvesWill said:
I too bought the slider pin set off ebay and found it was totally wrong, from Bigg Red? I've messaged them telling them it was useless, no replay as of yet...very poor show.
They were actually very good when it came to getting brake parts for my Rover. I guess they're only as good as the database they have.WolvesWill said:
Yep BBR badge
It's got their cams, and the super 225 ITB kit. Racing beat exhaust manifold and Goodwin racing mid pipe/backbox. 221 naturally aspirated bhp.
I am seriously considering ditching the ITBs and going rotrex next year (the corten miller kit).
Any idea why BBR stopped selling the ITBs? I wouldn't mind 225bhp in my Sprint car to avoid moving up a class.It's got their cams, and the super 225 ITB kit. Racing beat exhaust manifold and Goodwin racing mid pipe/backbox. 221 naturally aspirated bhp.
I am seriously considering ditching the ITBs and going rotrex next year (the corten miller kit).
They simply weren't that popular, think they old sold 3-4 sets? Some went to SPS Motorsport in Germany, and I don't know anyone else in the UK who has them apart from me.
The car is great to drive with them but the big airbox setup I have on these means they don't have that crazy ITB induction sound, although it still sounds better than a factory car.
I imagine you could get Neil @ BBR to supply a set still, but the costs might be prohibitive - the ram pipe extensions are 3D printed and I imagine a 'one off' set of these is quite expensive. The rest of the kit should be available off the shelf though, its AT Power who make the actual throttles and the drive by wire actuator. If you wanted to run a motorsports style filter then theres no custom airbox that needs fabrication either (or you could buy a pipercross/reverie off the shelf item which are more nicely made than the one BBR did for my car anyway)
The car is great to drive with them but the big airbox setup I have on these means they don't have that crazy ITB induction sound, although it still sounds better than a factory car.
I imagine you could get Neil @ BBR to supply a set still, but the costs might be prohibitive - the ram pipe extensions are 3D printed and I imagine a 'one off' set of these is quite expensive. The rest of the kit should be available off the shelf though, its AT Power who make the actual throttles and the drive by wire actuator. If you wanted to run a motorsports style filter then theres no custom airbox that needs fabrication either (or you could buy a pipercross/reverie off the shelf item which are more nicely made than the one BBR did for my car anyway)
I've been away and haven't used the MX-5 since the rear caliper change. Made the most of the weather and took it into work earlier in the week. I finally found a good use for the cheap laser thermometer that Amazon made me purchase. Both sides were a similar temp so hopefully the braking issues are resolved:
I also got some bargain Toyo R888R tyres fitted to my spare/track wheels this morning:
Adams & Page in High Wycombe sold a set of four, fitted and balanced for £300. That's about the same price as the cheapest Avon or Kumho 'normal' tyres in the same size. Demon Tweeks want £600 for the same thing without fitting!
Looking forward to booking another track day now!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I also got some bargain Toyo R888R tyres fitted to my spare/track wheels this morning:
Adams & Page in High Wycombe sold a set of four, fitted and balanced for £300. That's about the same price as the cheapest Avon or Kumho 'normal' tyres in the same size. Demon Tweeks want £600 for the same thing without fitting!
Looking forward to booking another track day now!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:06
Now that I've got some decent tyres I decided to try and spruce up the wheels they're mounted on. They're all heavily corroded at the back, one had also blistered heavily around the centre cap:
It took a while to get this somewhere near smooth:
I made the mistake of trying some Autoglym branded wheel paint. It's nowhere near the shade of silver used on most wheels, it's closer in colour to primer. Terrible product.
I ended up sanding back the Autoglym paint and redoing it with the dregs of some silver paint I purchased from Aldi. I've used it on a couple of cars now and it gave a good colour and finish on both occasions. Unfortunately like a lot of products they don't sell it all the time, so I need to find another brand that works.
Not perfect, but decent enough for a rattle can job.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
It took a while to get this somewhere near smooth:
I made the mistake of trying some Autoglym branded wheel paint. It's nowhere near the shade of silver used on most wheels, it's closer in colour to primer. Terrible product.
I ended up sanding back the Autoglym paint and redoing it with the dregs of some silver paint I purchased from Aldi. I've used it on a couple of cars now and it gave a good colour and finish on both occasions. Unfortunately like a lot of products they don't sell it all the time, so I need to find another brand that works.
Not perfect, but decent enough for a rattle can job.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:06
The coolant on the MK3 is long-life 'FL22' stuff, due every 11 years. As coolant goes it's quite pricey at around £20 for 5 litres. Annoyingly a change requires just over 5L. You could probably get away with using one container and some distilled water.
I followed the draining and bleeding procedure from the service manual - http://www.mellens.net/mazda/Mazda-Miata-2006-2007...
The old coolant looked quite pale and rather grubby. New FL22 is a bright emerald green.
Milestone mileage approaching! Bleeding seemed almost too easy, but I put in as much coolant as I removed so hopefully there's no trapped air.
Having purchased two 5L bottles I'm now left with a good 4.7L of unused coolant. Supposedly the capacity should be 7L, although draining from the drain plug always seems to only extract 5-and-a-bit-L. I'm tempted to drop around 4L of coolant now that it's circulated and refill with the remaining new stuff. Presumably this will lead to a higher percentage of new coolant in the system.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I followed the draining and bleeding procedure from the service manual - http://www.mellens.net/mazda/Mazda-Miata-2006-2007...
The old coolant looked quite pale and rather grubby. New FL22 is a bright emerald green.
Milestone mileage approaching! Bleeding seemed almost too easy, but I put in as much coolant as I removed so hopefully there's no trapped air.
Having purchased two 5L bottles I'm now left with a good 4.7L of unused coolant. Supposedly the capacity should be 7L, although draining from the drain plug always seems to only extract 5-and-a-bit-L. I'm tempted to drop around 4L of coolant now that it's circulated and refill with the remaining new stuff. Presumably this will lead to a higher percentage of new coolant in the system.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:07
First MOT during my ownership this morning. I'm always a little nervous when MOTing a car for the first time. The car had a very clean history when I purchased it. I'm sure most MOT stations are honest but I was surprised how when I had an issue with emissions on another car recently several people claimed to know an 'any car passed' garage if I needed it. 
Thankfully it passed without any advisories at my local council depot. The tester commented that the emissions were 'as low as when it left the factory' which is surprising given the age and 100k engine.
I love how aggressive the Toyos look! I've been scrubbing them in during a few commutes in the warm weather recently, they make a lot of noise between 40-50mph but the grip is awesome.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Thankfully it passed without any advisories at my local council depot. The tester commented that the emissions were 'as low as when it left the factory' which is surprising given the age and 100k engine.
I love how aggressive the Toyos look! I've been scrubbing them in during a few commutes in the warm weather recently, they make a lot of noise between 40-50mph but the grip is awesome.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:08
Back to Bedford at the start of this month for another day of open pit action. I signed on at the last minute when I realised I'd got a Saturday to myself, none of my usual trackday buddies were free so it was the first day I've done on my own without sharing the car. I somehow managed to do over 200 miles on track!
The R888Rs were impressive, I found I was being held up by some much more expensive stuff through the bends. Although this did rather highlight the lack of power to be able to pass on the straights.
A slightly unfortunate angle of the chap in blues belt in this photo
I thought I'd broken it at one point as the dash was displaying a couple of ABS warnings. It turns out if you disable traction control almost immediately after turning on the ignition it also disables ABS.
There's always a certain sense of relief when you drive home from a track day with your car still in one piece. The Mazda really does just seem to shrug it off though. It might be lacking in power but it's great fun.
I found some drone footage from the day on YouTube. I make an appearance at 0:22 and 0:43 (having been left for dust by the white Caterham
)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U5FZvT-mF4
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The R888Rs were impressive, I found I was being held up by some much more expensive stuff through the bends. Although this did rather highlight the lack of power to be able to pass on the straights.
A slightly unfortunate angle of the chap in blues belt in this photo
I thought I'd broken it at one point as the dash was displaying a couple of ABS warnings. It turns out if you disable traction control almost immediately after turning on the ignition it also disables ABS.
There's always a certain sense of relief when you drive home from a track day with your car still in one piece. The Mazda really does just seem to shrug it off though. It might be lacking in power but it's great fun.
I found some drone footage from the day on YouTube. I make an appearance at 0:22 and 0:43 (having been left for dust by the white Caterham
)...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U5FZvT-mF4
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:08
After Bedford I carried out an oil service. It's less than 4k since the last one but with three track days since then it seemed prudent.
Fuchs oil this time - only because Opie were selling it cheaply. I'm always amazed at how many people claim to be able to tell a difference in the sound or feel of an engine between two brands of oil of the same grade. I think there's a lot to be said for cheap oil from a known brand changed frequently.
I popped in a new set of Brembo front pads as well. I did toy with going for something more track focussed like Yellowstuff or Roddisons pads, but the Brembos felt spot on when combined with stickier tyres and at no point felt like they were about to fade. They're also only £30 a set rather than £100.
I reckon I got my moneys worth...
In unrelated news the Mazda has taken to killing local wildlife...
...and I've discovered the convertibles are great for collecting 3m lengths of stuff...
We'll hopefully be taking the Mazda to France in a couple of weeks. I've ordered a replacement drive belt to carry after hearing a couple of horror stories from friends with MX5s who have been left stranded due to snapped belts. I don't have any receipts for to show that it has been replaced but the current belt looks to be in good condition and I can't feel any movement in any of the pulleys or tensioner. I'll probably just leave it in the boot as a spare, seems worth carrying for the sake of £15!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Fuchs oil this time - only because Opie were selling it cheaply. I'm always amazed at how many people claim to be able to tell a difference in the sound or feel of an engine between two brands of oil of the same grade. I think there's a lot to be said for cheap oil from a known brand changed frequently.
I popped in a new set of Brembo front pads as well. I did toy with going for something more track focussed like Yellowstuff or Roddisons pads, but the Brembos felt spot on when combined with stickier tyres and at no point felt like they were about to fade. They're also only £30 a set rather than £100.
I reckon I got my moneys worth...
In unrelated news the Mazda has taken to killing local wildlife...
...and I've discovered the convertibles are great for collecting 3m lengths of stuff...
We'll hopefully be taking the Mazda to France in a couple of weeks. I've ordered a replacement drive belt to carry after hearing a couple of horror stories from friends with MX5s who have been left stranded due to snapped belts. I don't have any receipts for to show that it has been replaced but the current belt looks to be in good condition and I can't feel any movement in any of the pulleys or tensioner. I'll probably just leave it in the boot as a spare, seems worth carrying for the sake of £15!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 16:08
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