My first MX5 (shedy content inside)
Discussion
So some of you may remember I wrote off my Celica earlier this year and have since been on the look out for something I can buy relatively cheaply, something that is easy to work on and that I can get my hands dirty with.
Roll on the MX5, I have always liked the mk1 so this seemed like an obvious choice.
I withdrew all the money I had and headed over to gumtree to see what bargains I could find, that is where I found it, it's a 1990 1.6 with 120,000 miles, that is all I know, I'm not sure what engine power it has or anything but its certainly slower than the Celica was however that isn't what this car is about, it handles very well although I haven't properly pushed it yet simply because it has budget tyres on and I don't want to risk losing it early on (maybe I'm being over cautious of the whole rear wheel drive thing)
The car was up for £995 but after some awful bartering I managed to drive away with it for £865 and some free rust thrown in for the deal(the sills have been sorted and treated but there is a small amount on the wings), the car is a bi rough round the edges and is showing its miles in places.
The car was MOT'd last year driven for a few days and then put in storage in a barn over winter so it does need a good clean! The passenger side mirror has some damage but I'm going to pick one up from a breakers and it needs a new bit or rubber above the driver door apparently if it rains horizontally a small amount will run down the inside of the window but I'm hoping I can fix this rather cheaply.
Got some plans for it which are:
Make sure the mechanicals are all sound and possibly change cambelt for peace of mind
Rotary polish the body work or plastidip it as the paint is looking tired
Maybe lower it a tad
Rivet on arches
Wide wheels
Some custom work on the interior such as door cards etc
Maybe a hard top
Ducktail Spoiler
Turn Signal Intakes
So on with some pictures, only took a few in works car park this morning next to a new shape Audi A3, makes the Audi look huge!
Thanks for looking
Roll on the MX5, I have always liked the mk1 so this seemed like an obvious choice.
I withdrew all the money I had and headed over to gumtree to see what bargains I could find, that is where I found it, it's a 1990 1.6 with 120,000 miles, that is all I know, I'm not sure what engine power it has or anything but its certainly slower than the Celica was however that isn't what this car is about, it handles very well although I haven't properly pushed it yet simply because it has budget tyres on and I don't want to risk losing it early on (maybe I'm being over cautious of the whole rear wheel drive thing)
The car was up for £995 but after some awful bartering I managed to drive away with it for £865 and some free rust thrown in for the deal(the sills have been sorted and treated but there is a small amount on the wings), the car is a bi rough round the edges and is showing its miles in places.
The car was MOT'd last year driven for a few days and then put in storage in a barn over winter so it does need a good clean! The passenger side mirror has some damage but I'm going to pick one up from a breakers and it needs a new bit or rubber above the driver door apparently if it rains horizontally a small amount will run down the inside of the window but I'm hoping I can fix this rather cheaply.
Got some plans for it which are:
Make sure the mechanicals are all sound and possibly change cambelt for peace of mind
Rotary polish the body work or plastidip it as the paint is looking tired
Maybe lower it a tad
Rivet on arches
Wide wheels
Some custom work on the interior such as door cards etc
Maybe a hard top
Ducktail Spoiler
Turn Signal Intakes
So on with some pictures, only took a few in works car park this morning next to a new shape Audi A3, makes the Audi look huge!
Thanks for looking
HorneyMX5 said:
should be 115bhp as it's an early JDM import by the looks of it.
Nice buy!
Cheers mateNice buy!
I've read your thread from start to finish, doubt this will ever be up to the same standards but I'm sure going to try!
I read about there being a 90bhp and a 115bhp but saw contradicting info on how to tell them apart
eltax91 said:
The engine is non-interference, so if the belt snaps then engine damage isn't likely.
Really? That is really good to know as my mates renaultsport clio has just snapped a belt and has f
ked his engine something rottenIs it right that it is only if the belt snaps when you're almost at the redline it could cause damage?
Do you know how big a job the belt is please?
Cheers
DannyScene said:
Really? That is really good to know as my mates renaultsport clio has just snapped a belt and has fked his engine something rotten
Is it right that it is only if the belt snaps when you're almost at the redline it could cause damage?
Do you know how big a job the belt is please?
Cheers
This is correct unless it's had a healthy head skim at some point. It's an easy, if rather time consuming, DIY job and worth doing for piece of mind. The engine is highly unlikely to break but being stranded with a broken belt would be a pain.ked his engine something rottenIs it right that it is only if the belt snaps when you're almost at the redline it could cause damage?
Do you know how big a job the belt is please?
Cheers
Deffo not a 90bhp. They cam in mid 90's in UK spec only.
HorneyMX5 said:
DannyScene said:
Really? That is really good to know as my mates renaultsport clio has just snapped a belt and has fked his engine something rotten
Is it right that it is only if the belt snaps when you're almost at the redline it could cause damage?
Do you know how big a job the belt is please?
Cheers
This is correct unless it's had a healthy head skim at some point. It's an easy, if rather time consuming, DIY job and worth doing for piece of mind. The engine is highly unlikely to break but being stranded with a broken belt would be a pain.ked his engine something rottenIs it right that it is only if the belt snaps when you're almost at the redline it could cause damage?
Do you know how big a job the belt is please?
Cheers
Deffo not a 90bhp. They cam in mid 90's in UK spec only.
I want to paint my cam cover as well as it looks pretty tatty
Are the gear changes on these meant to feel almost like bolting a rifle or should they be smooth?
(sorry for all the questions but your help is greatly appreciated!)
LordGrover said:
Looks good for the miles and price. 
I'd think carefully before lowering it if it's just for the sake of it. You may compromise the sweet handling.
Cheers I'd think carefully before lowering it if it's just for the sake of it. You may compromise the sweet handling.
The only reason I'm looking into lowering is it seems to wallow about on turn in, not massively just noticeably more than my celica did but the suspension does feel soft on the MX5, probably on the same springs it left the factory with so hardly a shock
HorneyMX5 said:
Gearchange should be short, sharp and mechanical. Worth removing the lever and checking there's oil in the mechanism though. 10 min job.
That is how I'd describe it, will definitely check the oil thoughAny other checks that a mildly mechanically minded noob can/should undertake?
Check the drain tubes in the hood to make sure they are clear.
Check the drain hole ion the filler cap for the same reason.
check the battery is properly installed and not loose (mega common for bigger batteries to be put in and held in in all sorts of ways)
usual things of belt condition, coolant condition, oil condition etc. swap as needed (easy and cheap)
gearbox turret oil is dead easy as Horney says and definately worth checking.
they are generally very easy to work on and access to engine bay is good for such a small car.
i miss mine loads!
Check the drain hole ion the filler cap for the same reason.
check the battery is properly installed and not loose (mega common for bigger batteries to be put in and held in in all sorts of ways)
usual things of belt condition, coolant condition, oil condition etc. swap as needed (easy and cheap)
gearbox turret oil is dead easy as Horney says and definately worth checking.
they are generally very easy to work on and access to engine bay is good for such a small car.
i miss mine loads!
Pop the cover off the timing belt and inspect the belt. You can even turn the crank pulley over to inspect the entire length. The engine being longitudinal really helps as access is fairly easy!
I'd never done more than oil/ brakes before, but i tackled the belt on mine last year as a pure learning exercise! I figured as non-interference what could go wrong? It was very straightforward, so great video's on YouTube. The only difficult bit was getting the crank pulley off the (rusted) crank nose. I needed a puller in the end, but everything else was a breeze.
I'd never done more than oil/ brakes before, but i tackled the belt on mine last year as a pure learning exercise! I figured as non-interference what could go wrong? It was very straightforward, so great video's on YouTube. The only difficult bit was getting the crank pulley off the (rusted) crank nose. I needed a puller in the end, but everything else was a breeze.
Get it in for an alignment set up. If it's far out you'll notice a huge difference once it's been set up properly. Obv if you are going to have suspension work carried out then leave the alignment till after.
Also it's worth doing the timing belt just for piece of mind. Wish I had just done mine instead of it going on me on the way to a track day 160 miles from home
Enjoy it, they are great little cars.
Also it's worth doing the timing belt just for piece of mind. Wish I had just done mine instead of it going on me on the way to a track day 160 miles from home
Enjoy it, they are great little cars.
ryanthescot said:
Get it in for an alignment set up. If it's far out you'll notice a huge difference once it's been set up properly. Obv if you are going to have suspension work carried out then leave the alignment till after.
Also it's worth doing the timing belt just for piece of mind. Wish I had just done mine instead of it going on me on the way to a track day 160 miles from home
Enjoy it, they are great little cars.
That sounds sAlso it's worth doing the timing belt just for piece of mind. Wish I had just done mine instead of it going on me on the way to a track day 160 miles from home
Enjoy it, they are great little cars.
te mateApparently it was done at 110,000km and it is now just shy of 200,000 so probably not far off needing doing again
May be worth a quick check under the bonnet to see if you can find a cam belt change plate. JDM cars generally had a plate stuck on showing when the belt was last changed. Obviously if it was done in Japan that may now be many years ago but I guess it depends when it was imported.
Left hand side of the cam belt cover in that photo.
Left hand side of the cam belt cover in that photo.
Risotto said:
May be worth a quick check under the bonnet to see if you can find a cam belt change plate. JDM cars generally had a plate stuck on showing when the belt was last changed. Obviously if it was done in Japan that may now be many years ago but I guess it depends when it was imported.
Left hand side of the cam belt cover in that photo.
Thanks for that mate, I'll go have a look. The previous owner says he thinks it has been done since import but he doesn't know when, I was going to do it in the next few weeks just to be on the safe sideLeft hand side of the cam belt cover in that photo.
Do you know roughly how long it should take to change?
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