Just got an MX5
Discussion
Long story, i went out on sat morning and came back a few hours later with an MX5. Probably made all the mistakes when buying a car, had done no research, had no ideas what to look out for etc.
Anyway now that I have got it, I need to get a few bits done to it, namely the clutch changed. Just looking for some advice on how much a clutch costs, and rough idea of costs to get it replaced?
Nice little cars, had some fun driving it home, think I will get the clutch sorted then enjoy it for a while. Nice to have a convertible again.
Posted here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... buy But decided would be better in the dedicated sub forum.
Anyway now that I have got it, I need to get a few bits done to it, namely the clutch changed. Just looking for some advice on how much a clutch costs, and rough idea of costs to get it replaced?
Nice little cars, had some fun driving it home, think I will get the clutch sorted then enjoy it for a while. Nice to have a convertible again.
Posted here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... buy But decided would be better in the dedicated sub forum.
MX-5 Lazza said:
Ah, I just replied on the other thread...
Cheers just seen it, dont suppose you can point me in the direction for a good guide on the clutch slave cyclinder can you?Got the info about the berkley, im not a fan of the luggage rack but dont think i can remove it as it will leave holes in the boot.
Oh, and there's another one on MX5Nutz http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
Ok pretty sure its the clutch now.
I parked the car in the garage on Sunday evening, just went into the garage to see if i could see the clutch slave cylinder. I normally park the car in gear. Turned the key and it fired up fine but then conked out, tried again and the same thing happened, felt like it was trying to pull away. So stupidly I fire it up again and this time give it a few revs, bloody thing jolts forward and whacks the wall, glad I had the handbrake on, however still have managed to crack the bumper.
Turned it of and took it out of gear and started it again fired up fine and was ok, tried to put it in gear but no luck, pumped the clutch a few dozen times but nothing just would not go into gear. Turned it off put it in gear and fired up, again it starts ok but its trying to pull forward, so pretty sure it’s the clutch. The previous owner did say that you had to start the car and let it warm up then pump the clutch a few times and it will finally start to go into gear.
So does that sound like it’s the clutch? Personally it think it is.
I also now have a nice crack on the bumper; luckily it’s not too bad only a few inches from where it’s bounced of the wall.
Also had a better look at it now, it does not have the Berkeley mats, just some standard rubber ones. The gear level and handbrake lever are both silver, however it does have a silver brace behind the seats. No Berkeley key fob either, just a silver Mazda one.
Be good to try to get it all back to standard once I have the clutch sorted.
I parked the car in the garage on Sunday evening, just went into the garage to see if i could see the clutch slave cylinder. I normally park the car in gear. Turned the key and it fired up fine but then conked out, tried again and the same thing happened, felt like it was trying to pull away. So stupidly I fire it up again and this time give it a few revs, bloody thing jolts forward and whacks the wall, glad I had the handbrake on, however still have managed to crack the bumper.
Turned it of and took it out of gear and started it again fired up fine and was ok, tried to put it in gear but no luck, pumped the clutch a few dozen times but nothing just would not go into gear. Turned it off put it in gear and fired up, again it starts ok but its trying to pull forward, so pretty sure it’s the clutch. The previous owner did say that you had to start the car and let it warm up then pump the clutch a few times and it will finally start to go into gear.
So does that sound like it’s the clutch? Personally it think it is.
I also now have a nice crack on the bumper; luckily it’s not too bad only a few inches from where it’s bounced of the wall.
Also had a better look at it now, it does not have the Berkeley mats, just some standard rubber ones. The gear level and handbrake lever are both silver, however it does have a silver brace behind the seats. No Berkeley key fob either, just a silver Mazda one.
Be good to try to get it all back to standard once I have the clutch sorted.
Ok, that does sound like it's the clutch 
Personally I always start my cars in neutral...
The mats would have been 12 years old so they probably died years ago and my old Berkeley key fob was starting to fall apart after 7 years / 80k miles.
I actually liked the boot-rack though it is a matter of taste.
How is the "burr-walnut effect" centre console? Most have peeled long before now.
Does it still have the Berkeley wheels? They really are heavy...
Personally I always start my cars in neutral...
The mats would have been 12 years old so they probably died years ago and my old Berkeley key fob was starting to fall apart after 7 years / 80k miles.
I actually liked the boot-rack though it is a matter of taste.
How is the "burr-walnut effect" centre console? Most have peeled long before now.
Does it still have the Berkeley wheels? They really are heavy...
MX-5 Lazza said:
Ok, that does sound like it's the clutch
Personally I always start my cars in neutral...
The mats would have been 12 years old so they probably died years ago and my old Berkeley key fob was starting to fall apart after 7 years / 80k miles.
I actually liked the boot-rack though it is a matter of taste.
How is the "burr-walnut effect" centre console? Most have peeled long before now.
Does it still have the Berkeley wheels? They really are heavy...
I always start mine in gear and normally have no problems.Personally I always start my cars in neutral...
The mats would have been 12 years old so they probably died years ago and my old Berkeley key fob was starting to fall apart after 7 years / 80k miles.
I actually liked the boot-rack though it is a matter of taste.
How is the "burr-walnut effect" centre console? Most have peeled long before now.
Does it still have the Berkeley wheels? They really are heavy...
The centre console is ok just not a fan of the colour.
The wheels are the same as the one in your pic above, the 5 spoke so I presume they are the originals. I'm not keen on changing them as I like to keep my cars original. Are the alloys really that bad?
Mine deteriorated progressively to symptoms like yours. To me the fact that pumping improves/improved things sounds hydraulic. In my case a slave cylinder replacement sorted it. And with a few mates to help bleed the system once I'd fitted the new cylinder, it was cheap, quick and easy to do. Top tip - get a flare nut spanner for the union nut as it's all too easy to round.
Bummer on the bumper - best of luck getting the car running properly and have fun!
Bummer on the bumper - best of luck getting the car running properly and have fun!
MX-5 Lazza said:
Heaviest 15" wheels I've seen on an MX5.
Thinking about the clutch - if the slave cylinder has failed completely it could still cause similar problems so it'll be worth checking. It does sound like a dead clutch though but it costs nothing to check the slave cylinder.
Does the weight of the wheels effect the handling that much?Thinking about the clutch - if the slave cylinder has failed completely it could still cause similar problems so it'll be worth checking. It does sound like a dead clutch though but it costs nothing to check the slave cylinder.
J.P.W. said:
Mine deteriorated progressively to symptoms like yours. To me the fact that pumping improves/improved things sounds hydraulic. In my case a slave cylinder replacement sorted it. And with a few mates to help bleed the system once I'd fitted the new cylinder, it was cheap, quick and easy to do. Top tip - get a flare nut spanner for the union nut as it's all too easy to round.
Bummer on the bumper - best of luck getting the car running properly and have fun!
Cheers it looks as though im better of having a play with the slave cylinder on the weekend and see if its the culprit, and save a few hundred quid in the process.Bummer on the bumper - best of luck getting the car running properly and have fun!
LukeBird said:
Good work Raz, you'll love it! 
Get some pics up.
Luke, how are you kiddo, never realised you had one too, what happend with the clio?Get some pics up.
I need to get back up and running with you and Ian, im missing the banter. Just been super busy over the last few months!
R360 said:
Luke, how are you kiddo, never realised you had one too, what happend with the clio?
I need to get back up and running with you and Ian, im missing the banter. Just been super busy over the last few months!
Yeah had mine since Christmas last year, it has been fantastic! An absolute hoot to thrash around in! I need to get back up and running with you and Ian, im missing the banter. Just been super busy over the last few months!
Yeah I haven't been around that much either.
Met up with the guys at the Britcar 24hr though, that was a superb (and messy!) weekend. Will definitely plan to do that again.
ETA Oh and it was time to change from the Clio, I looked at a lot of varied cars before settling on the '5.
Edited by LukeBird on Wednesday 3rd November 00:20
R360 said:
Does the weight of the wheels effect the handling that much?
Yes. But despite what everyone says it's not all bad.Lighter wheels will give sharper turn-in and better acceleration. It will also allow the suspension to do it's job without being burdened with having to move the weight of those wheels. It will also make the car lighter which is no bad thing.
On the other hand though heavier wheels generally feel more stable at speed and make the tyres work harder which can actually improve high speed ride (i.e. the wheels are less inclined to move when you drive over a bump forcing the tyre itself to absorb the bump).
When I swapped the heavy Berkeley wheels on mine for the lightweight OZs I found the ride to actually be worse i.e. every slightest bump was transmitted through to the steering wheel. This could however be described as feedback. I also found that there was a lot more tram-lining which I'd never felt on the old wheels. It wasn't caused by the tyres as they were swapped from the old wheels to the OZs and the offsets were pretty much the same. Overall though I did prefer the lightweight wheels as it made it feel more like a sports car
Just my opinion. I'm sure others will have differing opinions
MX-5 Lazza said:
R360 said:
Does the weight of the wheels effect the handling that much?
Yes. But despite what everyone says it's not all bad.Lighter wheels will give sharper turn-in and better acceleration. It will also allow the suspension to do it's job without being burdened with having to move the weight of those wheels. It will also make the car lighter which is no bad thing.
On the other hand though heavier wheels generally feel more stable at speed and make the tyres work harder which can actually improve high speed ride (i.e. the wheels are less inclined to move when you drive over a bump forcing the tyre itself to absorb the bump).
When I swapped the heavy Berkeley wheels on mine for the lightweight OZs I found the ride to actually be worse i.e. every slightest bump was transmitted through to the steering wheel. This could however be described as feedback. I also found that there was a lot more tram-lining which I'd never felt on the old wheels. It wasn't caused by the tyres as they were swapped from the old wheels to the OZs and the offsets were pretty much the same. Overall though I did prefer the lightweight wheels as it made it feel more like a sports car
Just my opinion. I'm sure others will have differing opinions
I have just ordered a slave cylinder, (£15 - Bargain) so will give it a go at the weekend, just hope it arrives in time.
Also just ordered a set of Flare Nut spanners as mentioned by someone above.
LukeBird said:
R360 said:
Luke, how are you kiddo, never realised you had one too, what happend with the clio?
I need to get back up and running with you and Ian, im missing the banter. Just been super busy over the last few months!
Yeah had mine since Christmas last year, it has been fantastic! An absolute hoot to thrash around in! I need to get back up and running with you and Ian, im missing the banter. Just been super busy over the last few months!
Yeah I haven't been around that much either.
Met up with the guys at the Britcar 24hr though, that was a superb (and messy!) weekend. Will definitely plan to do that again.
ETA Oh and it was time to change from the Clio, I looked at a lot of varied cars before settling on the '5.
Edited by LukeBird on Wednesday 3rd November 00:20
Good call on changing up from the clio to the MX5, you cant go wrong with a RWD. I have heard good things about the MX5, and after having sold the boxster there was part of me missing not having a convertible, so when i saw this at the weekend i didn't think and just bought it.
Chaps thanks for suggesting the clutch slave cylinder, it has infect cured the problem and I can now select a gear.
However all did not go smoothly at all, what should have been a quick job turned into a bloody long job.
First of all take the drivers side wheel off, ok no problem here, then I find the slave cylinder and decide I will try bleeding the current one first to see if it makes any difference. Bled the system but still nothing, so now its time to take the old slave cylinder off, and this is when my problems start.
First of all I don’t have access to a ramp, had the car on an axle stand in the garage. Its really fiddly and tricky to get to the slave cylinder, unless you have small hands. I have man size hands which makes something that’s nine inches actually only look like six inches.
The f
king bolts that hold the cylinder in place were rustier then a nun’s minge which meant I had to coat the bolts in a special sauce, in this case, penetrating fluid. I was pretty liberal with the penetration fluid and coated everything, nuts flange the lot.
The top bolt managed to become loose after a lot of fking about and getting the hump, it must have been on since new as it was rusted to buggery and so so bloody tight. Glad I had an extra long shaft to put on the end of the socket. Gave me plenty of leverage.
The bottom bolt however was a little bit more difficult as I could not get my socket set to connect to it, in the end had to resort to using a spanner under the car and giving it a bloody good smack with a hammer. Warning do no do this as you will end up rounding the bolt head, luckily for me I managed to loosen it enough to get it off. Once I had unscrewed the clutch pipe the cylinder fell out.
I lubed up the new cylinder and tried to get in place, what a fking ball ache, the space was to small for me to get both hands in to so an absolute nightmare trying to get the new cylinder in the right place to connect the bolts up, in the end had to ask for some help and get a mate to hold the cylinder in place from underneath whilst I bolted in back in.
Next time to connect the clutch pipe and finally time to bleed it. Drained out all the old black dirty fluid and put some nice new fresh stuff in, the pedal was feeling better and better as I was bleeding it. Finally managed to get the job finished, about 3 hours after starting it.
Time now to take it for a spin, clear blue skies and 2 hours till the grand prix starts!
However all did not go smoothly at all, what should have been a quick job turned into a bloody long job.
First of all take the drivers side wheel off, ok no problem here, then I find the slave cylinder and decide I will try bleeding the current one first to see if it makes any difference. Bled the system but still nothing, so now its time to take the old slave cylinder off, and this is when my problems start.
First of all I don’t have access to a ramp, had the car on an axle stand in the garage. Its really fiddly and tricky to get to the slave cylinder, unless you have small hands. I have man size hands which makes something that’s nine inches actually only look like six inches.
The f
king bolts that hold the cylinder in place were rustier then a nun’s minge which meant I had to coat the bolts in a special sauce, in this case, penetrating fluid. I was pretty liberal with the penetration fluid and coated everything, nuts flange the lot.The top bolt managed to become loose after a lot of f
king about and getting the hump, it must have been on since new as it was rusted to buggery and so so bloody tight. Glad I had an extra long shaft to put on the end of the socket. Gave me plenty of leverage.The bottom bolt however was a little bit more difficult as I could not get my socket set to connect to it, in the end had to resort to using a spanner under the car and giving it a bloody good smack with a hammer. Warning do no do this as you will end up rounding the bolt head, luckily for me I managed to loosen it enough to get it off. Once I had unscrewed the clutch pipe the cylinder fell out.
I lubed up the new cylinder and tried to get in place, what a f
king ball ache, the space was to small for me to get both hands in to so an absolute nightmare trying to get the new cylinder in the right place to connect the bolts up, in the end had to ask for some help and get a mate to hold the cylinder in place from underneath whilst I bolted in back in.Next time to connect the clutch pipe and finally time to bleed it. Drained out all the old black dirty fluid and put some nice new fresh stuff in, the pedal was feeling better and better as I was bleeding it. Finally managed to get the job finished, about 3 hours after starting it.
Time now to take it for a spin, clear blue skies and 2 hours till the grand prix starts!
Edited by R360 on Sunday 7th November 12:22
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