Views on MX5

[bigmal]

Hi folks
I'm at the dreaming & scheming stage here, with my eye on the Exocet.
To use an MX5 as a donor seems to brilliantly simplify the build process.
So I've been looking on Ebay at MX5 prices, eg this...
cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-MAZDA-EUNOS-MX-5-VR-LIMITED-1-8-METALLIC-GREEN-/170542461088?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item27b51f70a0#ht_1088wt_1139

I'm sure I could handle the "meccano" side of things, but other than basics like plugs, filters etc, I'm no engine mechanic. So I'd worry about buying a liability.

So.... how are you folks finding the MX5s... are they reliable as donors, are there any ENGINE issues I need to watch out for? Obviously rusty wheel arches etc is irrelevant!

Thanks for any input

[Andy888]

I'm in the process of stripping an MX5 for an Exocet at this very minute. Everyone I've spoken to seems to think that engine wise they are pretty bullet proof. There are loads of good MX5 forums too for advice. MX5nutz and various US sites like clubraodster and miataturbo for example.

Our main stumbling block has been figuring how to take the thing apart!! It seems simple, but it's not that easy sometimes undoing 20 year old rusty bolts and figuring out where all the wires go etc.

PS: That looks like a very good donor from the pics.

[Stiggy]

Hi, they take them up to 250bhp with standard internals. Sounds a lot of pressure though to me.
Don't worry about the rusty bolts. A 19mm socket on a 1m long bar cracks them undone. You could always be cruel and put a tube over a shorter barto extend it but it may go BANG! They only jam again if you don't wire brush the threads or don't use penetrating oil.
The steering shaft can be tight too where it is pinched to the rack but a long pointed bar and a thump will free it.
Once the dirty bit is out of the way it's all plain sailing. Regards Stiggy

[dinosaurjuice]

A few mates have these little mazdas, varying from an 03 with 20k to a J reg with 110k! dare i say it, but i cant tell the difference as a passenger. Both pull well and sound identical. 74,000 miles would appear to be 'nicely run in' for these engines.

Do the right thing, snap it up quick ;D

Will

[squelch]

very reliable little cars, the engines are robust and well built, the gearboxes and strong enough but can feel notchy 1st to 2nd
the suspension is very adjustable as standard and lots of them do come with LSD's as standard (more so the imports )
the earlier LSD's (upto about 94 on the 1.6) work well but only when you get the oil very hot which means that most of them dont work as well as they should ( due to the fact they never hot enough to work properly so they sieze up in open diff form)
the things i will say about the engine is make sure you do the cambelt and tensioner and give it a good service while its out, and also do the gearbox and diff oil

as for the car on ebay it look an ideal car for conversion plus being an import 1.8 VR it'll have the better later LSD and slightly better suspension as standard

[andyhess]

The engines are rock solid, the only real problem is on the early 1.6 i think it was 90-93 had a short nose crank as a result was a poor fit in the timing cog and the woodruff key takes a battering and the crank cutout also flares.
You can tell these engines by the pulley short nose has 4 long hole and long nose has 8.
If the car has been properly looked after and had the key and bolt replaced as part of its service then they should be no problems

[taz5430]

Engines are solid (1.6 safer than 1.8), they can handle upto 300bhp on standard internals (mines just over 260 and no mechanical faults have occurred even tho it's bounced off the limiter (8k) when I use it for drifting). Look out for the small blank at the rear of the head on a water outlet, they get hard and crack, replace this asap. Someone above mentioned the short nose crank problems, this only occurs mainly when the pulley bolts ( the four small bolts) are over tightened and the mass damper is f'd ( look for a wobble on the pulley at idle). On higher power motors no.4 cal can get hot and run lean, this can be delt with by a reverse coolant flow and duel feed fuel rail. On the 1.6 motors hydraulic litters were used, check for noisy tappets as although not that common could be through bad service or low oil pressure resulting from f'd oil pump. Check for corrosion on the coil , this can cause faulty amp and also a weak spark, if it's got corrosion get a new coil or go the cop route. There's a few Other things but I'm on my phone and this it takin ages
Sorry if I sound like a know it all, don't wanna tread on any toes, I'm new here but a mechanic and played with mx5,s

[nigel]

Dec 11, 2010 23:37:00 GMT taz5430 said:

..............Sorry if I sound like a know it all, don't wanna tread on any toes, I'm new here but a mechanic and played with mx5,s

It's always nice to see someone making the effort and taking the time to share their experiences and knowledge.

nigel

[gvfanatic]

i wish i would have known about all this when my MX5 was totalled so i could have snatched out the drivetrain and engine. Here's a before and after pic

Elizabeth at her best



and at her worst

[cml]

Lucky man - you're still around to regret it!

(But yeah, a pity you didn't keep the relevant bits!)

[taz5430]

Mice miata, love the wheels. Bit different to the usual park under a trailer pic on the forums lol

[gvfanatic]

Thanks. And yeah, it was a definitely unintentional parking at 55mph. Hydroplaning sucks! I miss her

[fasteddie]

To all of you thinking the MX5 strip is a 3-4 hr job as shown in the youtube video, it`s not. yes you could lift the body off in that time but it will take another 3-4 hrs to remove all the looms bearing in mind its more difficult in the winter because the cables are less pliable. so consider the total strip to remove all saleable parts at around 20hrs, and I`m a 63 year old engineer with all the tools including impact wrenches ect. Still it`s all part of the fun and worth the effort when you consider what the final result will be. AN EXOCETEER!!!!!!!!!!!