Another newbie

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:43 am

Hi all.

My names Daniel and I'm from south auckland. I'm looking at getting an mx5 in the near future as a weekend/track day car.
Current daily driver is a 98 Toyota Starlet with quite a few mods.

Any advice on purchasing an mx5? I'd probably be looking at a NA as my price range is around $2.5-3k. Also prefer manual.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you.

Cheers, Daniel

chris · Post by **chris** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:11 am

Welcome!

There are som rad MX5's out there for 2.5 to 3 k Just keep an eye out on TM. Plus the majority of the ones I have seen are all Manual

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:11 am

I would get a compression test especially on a high km one as the 1600 are prone to wear on 3rd & 4th cylinders & oil leaks from the rear main seal which tends to drip out from the weep hole in the gearbox underside... other-wise if all looks & feels good then generally you should be ok.
Clean oil & antifreezed radiator plus a good condition soft-top!

Welcome and happy mx5 hunting.

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:46 am

Cheers guys.

I'm really comfortable with working on engines as I've just done a 1500cc swap in my starlet.
What causes the low compression in 3 and 4? Head gasket or piston rings?

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:00 am

CHECK CHECK CHECK the soft top I made that mistake when i got mine and it cost me $800

chris · Post by **chris** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:19 am

^^ Very good point!! The first one I looked at had a HUGE gash in the soft top.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:54 am

My soft top was rotten and i didnt realise i could poke a hole in it with my finger with a light push

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:55 pm

siren676 wrote:Cheers guys.

I'm really comfortable with working on engines as I've just done a 1500cc swap in my starlet.
What causes the low compression in 3 and 4? Head gasket or piston rings?

Its a bit of a design fault on two sides- the fuel is fed via the fuel rail from the front which means # 1 cylinder gets a bit more fuel than #4 so 3 & 4 usually run a bit leaner which equates to running hotter.

The other design fault is the cooling which enters the front & once warmed up & the thermostat opens most of the water exits the front thereby making the rear cylinders run hotter through less cooling as there is only a smaller heater flow-pipe that exits the rear.

In both cases if the engine has never been flogged i would think then poor compression is not an issue but i tested a lot of engines & couldn't find a good one & decided to rebuild my one instead.

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:15 pm

Does this problem also occur in the NA8C engines?

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:18 pm

Im pretty sure the problem is across all 1.6s and 1.8s
Not sure about the 2L...

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:37 pm

I have compression tested our 98 1800 NB and it has done 210k and all were very even and were all within factory specs even tho it has been redlined numerous times at Taupo.

For most it probably wouldn't be much of an issue if it runs ok but personally for such an easy test it pays to invest in compression tester as they are less than $100.00 and is money well spent!

And dont forget to do it once the engine is warm,take out the spark plugs,disconnct the coil pack connector & crank away for several revolutions to build up the pressure.

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:51 pm

Im sure dads got a compression tester lying round somewhere

WideOpenThrottle wrote: Its a bit of a design fault on two sides- the fuel is fed via the fuel rail from the front which means # 1 cylinder gets a bit more fuel than #4 so 3 & 4 usually run a bit leaner which equates to running hotter.

The other design fault is the cooling which enters the front & once warmed up & the thermostat opens most of the water exits the front thereby making the rear cylinders run hotter through less cooling as there is only a smaller heater flow-pipe that exits the rear.

In both cases if the engine has never been flogged i would think then poor compression is not an issue but i tested a lot of engines & couldn't find a good one & decided to rebuild my one instead.

Has any aftermarket companies come out with a product to fix these problems? Or any diy ways to improve it?

If it comes down to it, how hard are engine swaps in these? E.g swap out, swap in identical motor?

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:06 pm

Have a look here...

http://www.bellengineering.net/product_ ... cts_id=300

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:08 pm

dont worry about it too much siren. its not a big issue....... i mean a replacement engine is like $500 even if it all goes pear shaped which is very rare.
mx5's are cheap to run and cheap to fix. the biggest (read expensive) things that may go wrong are soft top replacement at 800-1000 bcks and the gearbox being a bit clunky/hard to get into a particular gear....

put simply..... if it has a nice slick gearbox/ good soft top/ and doesnt smoke. then go for it!
of course extras like 15" wheels and adustable suspension are a bonus and always cheaper to buy with a car than to add later.

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:28 pm

mmmmm.......it all depends if you want a good/better/best engine to start with?
Its a no brainer if you ask me!

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:37 pm

I dont really mind whether the engine will last for another 100,000k's or 20,000, i just want a basic rwd car as ive only ever driven fwd's

If the motor does go $500 doesnt seem too bad compared to some other cars. If gearbox is a bit clunky i assume easiest solution is getting a new one?

Wont worry too much about what wheels and tyres it comes with as ive got some OG oldskool 15x8's lying round which should fit and look pretty good.

Did any NA's come with lsd's?

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:10 pm

the biggest thing i can impart on you is to TEST DRIVE LOADS OF CARS!!!
you will get a feeling for how "loose" the car feels. some cars feel ike a heap of loose bolts and all rattly whereas some feel "tight" the only way you can tell is to drive a few and get a feeling for the car.
even a "loose" gearbox will feel better than the average hatch so you need to drive a few so you can tell what a shagged gearbox feels like

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:26 pm

Will try test drive quite a few before i decide on one to get.
I have a bit of time to do so as we wont have enough driveway space for a month or 2. It'll also give me time to save more money to get a better condition one

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:16 pm

Keep forgetting to ask. How tall person friendly are mx5's?
Im 6'3" ish and am wondering if i'll have any trouble with headroom or having the wheel in the way of the gauges

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:16 am

you are going to struggle to find one that isnt stuffed for under $3K. yo need to up your budget to $4K and you will be able to get a decent one and have a lot more choice.
a cheap cheap one will end up costing you more if you have to replace the soft top, do the cambelt etc etc etc.
spend a bit more and get a better car right from the get go.

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:35 am

you are going to struggle to find one that isnt stuffed for under $3K.

Does a compression test come to mind???

harlansmart · Post by **harlansmart** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:05 pm

Welcome mate - you have some good suggestions/advice above and seem to have a very suitable set of rims ready and waiting, they'll be totally sweet as.

siren676 wrote:got some OG oldskool 15x8's lying round which should fit and look pretty good.?

Furai · Post by **Furai** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:09 pm

Im 6'5" And have about 15mm of head room, a steering wheel spacer helps position you to get more room. Also you sit so low Ive never had guage issues but I have a 365mm Nardi and a 20mm spacer.

I would save up a little more to the 4K range. I kept looking through all the 3-3.5K onesw but so many issues.

I got mine for about 4K with a hardtop and 190Km, If I was going to buy another I would get lower Kms and maybe save for an 1800 to get the better diff but I am real happy with mine.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:25 am

siren676 wrote:Did any NA's come with lsd's?

Most newer NAs have a Vicous LSD the better Torsen came with the NBs you can still swap them over easy enough if you can find one

siren676 · Post by **siren676** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:26 pm

Sweet.

I'll probably be going to have a look at one on trademe tomorrow.
Cant post a link since im new but its auction 479694892

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