How easy to service?

[Roger Dodger]

Evening all,

My mk1 1.8 could do with a service, I'm tempted to wield the spanners!

I'm guessing it's pretty straight forward, would a service kit like this do the job?


Any hints/tips?

[whiteonyx]

replacing the oil filter is a pain the first time you do it but everything else is a doddle.

[Roger Dodger]

I'm thinking changing the plugs, engine oil & filter.

Anything else you guys usually do?

Any tools out of the ordinary I'll need? Ive got the usual spanners, sockets etc


Cheers

[Turtle head]

Nothing out of the ordinary a joy to work on even the oil filter isn't that difficult to get to. Sump plug is a normal socket 19mm iirc although I could be talking balls. Ohh the kit will do, genuine parts are not that expensive.

[rovermorris999]

To undo the oil filter easily just grip it with a piece of sandpaper wrapped around it.

[CaptainSlow]

I use an old marigold rubber glove wrapped around it.

[MX7]

CaptainSlow said:

I use an old marigold rubber glove wrapped around it.

I put on a marigold.

It's all quite easy. Give the new oil filter a wipe with the new oil around the seal before you screw it on. Don't tighten anything so you can hang off it. Check what you've done after a couple of days to see if it's all ok.

Good luck.

[Richair]

Its worth investing in a set of oil filter pliers; cost less than a tenner and make life very simple! It's a bit cramped below the inlet mani (where the filter lives in case you don't know..) so the extra leverage of a wrench helps.

If you've no idea what service items have been replaced in the past, then its worth doing a thermostat and coolant change (many head gaskets fail due to something a simple as a sticking £7 thermostat).

Also check the plug leads, if they look tired then replace them. If the brake fluid is dirty then give them a bleed and flush out the old fluid.

The gearbox and diff oil should also be renewed when doing a 'proper' service, but this is a little more tedious if you're not as handy with the spanners (a drain plug tool kit is required for this IIRC).

Rich

[Simbu]

Change the fuel filter if you don't know when it was last done. It's really easy - just expect to spill a bit of fuel and have something handy to clamp / block the hoses. You'll want the arse of the car in the air to do it.

ETA: Air filter is worth doing too. It's a 2 minute job.

[Richair]

ooops, forgot about the fuel filter! Defo worth doing; I've never seen so much nasty stuff come out of one before when I did mine.

[mattius]

highly recommend using a k&n oil filter on the mx5, the 1" nut they weld onto all their oil filters makes it a doddle to change the filter. Even with the proper tools normal oil filters are a bit of a Pain the ass on it.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Oil filters are easy to remove as long as they were put on properly. A smear of oil on the rubber seal and just tightened by hand. They shouldn't be tightened using any sort of tool, they don't need to be that tight, just nipped up by hand, not much tighter than if you were turning off a tap.

[mattius]

i would never go as far to say the mx5 is an easy one to replace, not hard just a PITA, don't think mazda could have put it in a more aukward place.

[Simbu]

Out of curiosity, how do you guys stop oil dripping out of the filter all over the undertray? Happened the first time i did my mk2 and would like to avoid it next time!

[MX7]

Simbu said:

Out of curiosity, how do you guys stop oil dripping out of the filter all over the undertray? Happened the first time i did my mk2 and would like to avoid it next time!

Take off the undertray.

[Simbu]

MX7 said:

Take off the undertray.

Doh! Obvious answer is obvious

[MX7]

Simbu said:

MX7 said:

Take off the undertray.

Doh! Obvious answer is obvious

Well, yes! Sorry, but that's what I do.

[Simbu]

MX7 said:

Well, yes! Sorry, but that's what I do.

No need to apologise - should have been obvious to me at the time! It didn't really twig until i had the filter undone, at which point i must have though "bugger it".

[MX7]

Simbu said:

MX7 said:

Well, yes! Sorry, but that's what I do.

No need to apologise - should have been obvious to me at the time! It didn't really twig until i had the filter undone, at which point i must have though "bugger it".

It does piss out further than one might imagine, and the access hole could easily give the impression that that's all you need to do, but it isn't.

A SheWee. All hairdressers have one anyway, don't wee?

[Roger Dodger]

Its on!




Came in at £50, considering the cost of the last equivalent service was £100 I'm pretty chuffed (as long as I don't break anything!)