28TH JULY 7PM
I COLLECT THE NEW GIRL
K REG 1.6 MARINER BLUE JAP IMPORT EUNOS ROADSTER
THE SMURF
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Bought from a young man called Rhys( nice kid with a nice blue mk1) from the rhymney valley
he said that he knows he has killed the engine
(head gasket failure )
as he was driving with no water and the old girl overheated.
and i can see at first glance she needs...
engine work as she wont idle, she is all over the place and
wont rev and also stinks of petrol so i think over fueling (maybe a hole in the intake somewhere)
there is no water in the rad or expansion bottle she needs a new hood and rear screen as the one fitted is terrible and has been bodged, also she needs a new front windscreen as she has a very large spider web crack about 8 inches across the drivers view. this will be the hardest fix as i have a traders ins i can't claim for it and will have to buy one and get it fitted ( unless i can do it myself)
she needs the wheels replaced or refurbished (I'm thinking white).
small amount of lacquer peel on the bonnet
and general scruffy all over
I finished work today at 3pm so I had a few hours before collecting the other half from work
and thought i'd have a go at getting her running
first thing i wanted to do was a compression test and after doing a few basic checks ie the oil for level and added water to the rad
i tried to remove the ht leads which fell to bits in my hands leaving loads of bits in the plug holes.
so after a bit of poking and a good hover i had all 4 leads and plugs out
everything look good so i did a test and we have nice pressure across all 4 pots.
this along with ne water in the oil or oil in the water would suggest NO head gasket failure (fingers crossed)
so on went a nice set of blue plugs I'd been hanging on to and fired her up
she runs!!!
still a bit lumpy but she runs, as i listened to the motor for any odd noises
i could hear air being sucked in through the intake and found the cross over pipe had been put on wrong bending 2 of the plastic prongs inwards making a fair size air gap.
this sorted and the base idle adjusted she ticks over like a newborn..
I'm over the moon 20 mins work and she idles well, revs clean
i can see the water pump is pushing coolant across the rad so this hasn't failed yet
the water lose concerns my thou and this will need addressing before i can test drive her
I then noticed the alternator belt was hanging of and the adjuster was as loose as a loose thing (that's why the battery was low and not charging)
this also wont help with the car running because it needs the alternator to help power the acc stuff
and while i was doing that up i found the water leak its coming from the return pipe from the thermostat to the water pump inlet, this will be next on the to do list
but for now i filled the rad and went around the block to see how she drives and i was very happy
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this also wont help with the car running because it needs the alternator to help power the acc stuff
and while i was doing that up i found the water leak its coming from the return pipe from the thermostat to the water pump inlet, this will be next on the to do list
but for now i filled the rad and went around the block to see how she drives and i was very happy
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30th july
time to find out how and why the water is disappearing out of the car.
i see the water dripping from the pipe that is connected to the water pump inlet
and after removing the cross over inlet pipe i can see the horrid bodge some one has done in an attempt to fix the leak
that's a 1 inch piece of hose pipe a clip and some chemical metal
(not really going to hold is it)
when i remove the 90deg elbow you can see how bad it is it has rusted supper thin and has at least 3 holes
time to find out how and why the water is disappearing out of the car.
i see the water dripping from the pipe that is connected to the water pump inlet
and after removing the cross over inlet pipe i can see the horrid bodge some one has done in an attempt to fix the leak
that's a 1 inch piece of hose pipe a clip and some chemical metal
(not really going to hold is it)
when i remove the 90deg elbow you can see how bad it is it has rusted supper thin and has at least 3 holes
oh my that pipe is knackered and the chemical metal bodge just isn't helping. to make a tidy fix.
now this part is replaceable from mazda for £79.00 plus vat or i could buy a second hand part and hope its ok or i could fix what i have and save some money for better things (this sounds like a plan).
so i custom made an 8mm copper replacement
to match the original.
now this part is replaceable from mazda for £79.00 plus vat or i could buy a second hand part and hope its ok or i could fix what i have and save some money for better things (this sounds like a plan).
so i custom made an 8mm copper replacement
to match the original.
if you look close you can see that i ground the smaller section slightly and made it tapered so it will slide in to the housing better and further,
I then froze the replacement part in the freezer for half an hour and also gave it a good spray of ( don't laugh) wart remover. this shrank the copper enough so it pushed all the way in to the cast hole.
now when it warms up it will make a tight fit.
I then froze the replacement part in the freezer for half an hour and also gave it a good spray of ( don't laugh) wart remover. this shrank the copper enough so it pushed all the way in to the cast hole.
now when it warms up it will make a tight fit.
after fitting the copper replacement i then refitted all the parts and refilled the coolant system with 50 50 water antifreeze went for a spin and no leaks so far
nice easy cheap fix.
(not the end of the coolant problems see below)
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nice easy cheap fix.
(not the end of the coolant problems see below)
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03/08/2013
today i put her up in the air to give the under side a look over found some normal surface rust on the wishbones pads and discs are all good
2 exhaust shields rusty and rateling so i removed them both.
then gave the rust a rub with a wire brush to remove the loose and a few coats of paint to seal it all up and look nice..
today i put her up in the air to give the under side a look over found some normal surface rust on the wishbones pads and discs are all good
2 exhaust shields rusty and rateling so i removed them both.
then gave the rust a rub with a wire brush to remove the loose and a few coats of paint to seal it all up and look nice..
I then lowered her down for a good cleaning
first up engine bay
i cant stand a mucky bay and its always nicer to work in
this is not the dirtiest iv had but still it was quite mucky
first up engine bay
i cant stand a mucky bay and its always nicer to work in
this is not the dirtiest iv had but still it was quite mucky
Then she had a jet wash, polish and wax
here are some moody pics at old Barry towns Monty Smiths garage
and a few on the drive.
Then I replaced the ripped leather gear gaiter and the nasty round chipped, wobbly and faded gear knob for something slightly less umm ....crap
i had this lurking in my garage.
i had this lurking in my garage.
Sunday 4th
felling tired today didn't sleep well
but the smurf needs work doing so on we go
today was remove the bird nest of wires behind the tomb stone and fit a stereo
i found some other nice bits while rummaging in my garage for a half tidy wireless. lol
a nice set of speakers, a pair of replacement side roof catches,(you want to see what someone has fitted on the car that's to come) replacement centre eye vents, bonnet badge and a mk2 clock cubby
the cubby fits well not my favourite mod but is practical.
the stereo is a dab, fm, cd player i know silver is not the best colour but it works looks clean and was free
i had to remove all the wires back to the cars loom for the stereo as someone had jock locked, wrapped, taped loads of wires to it
and it was easier to chop it all out and remake the stereo loom. i included in the loom a live, switch live and earth for the new cubby clock.
felling tired today didn't sleep well
but the smurf needs work doing so on we go
today was remove the bird nest of wires behind the tomb stone and fit a stereo
i found some other nice bits while rummaging in my garage for a half tidy wireless. lol
a nice set of speakers, a pair of replacement side roof catches,(you want to see what someone has fitted on the car that's to come) replacement centre eye vents, bonnet badge and a mk2 clock cubby
the cubby fits well not my favourite mod but is practical.
the stereo is a dab, fm, cd player i know silver is not the best colour but it works looks clean and was free
i had to remove all the wires back to the cars loom for the stereo as someone had jock locked, wrapped, taped loads of wires to it
and it was easier to chop it all out and remake the stereo loom. i included in the loom a live, switch live and earth for the new cubby clock.
I had 15 minuets today before collecting shsbo (the boss) from work and as i hate after market fog lights i did the fog mod to the smurf
first you need to remove the clear bulb from the reversing lamp and spray it red, or you can buy an led replacement from halfords
pop it back in and cut the live wire to the bulb and then cut the live wire that is going to the old shitty fog light fixed with 4 inch wood screws WTF and splice this wire to the bulb wire in the light cluster job done.
if you don't have an after market fog at all more work is required
i covered this in the largo build
while i had the carpets out i noticed a bit of surface rust in the boot that will be next on the list
first you need to remove the clear bulb from the reversing lamp and spray it red, or you can buy an led replacement from halfords
pop it back in and cut the live wire to the bulb and then cut the live wire that is going to the old shitty fog light fixed with 4 inch wood screws WTF and splice this wire to the bulb wire in the light cluster job done.
if you don't have an after market fog at all more work is required
i covered this in the largo build
while i had the carpets out i noticed a bit of surface rust in the boot that will be next on the list
not much done today but the bonnet badge i found has been fitted
and after i stripped out the boot to do the fog light and have a look around i found it was quite grubby in there
so i removed the drain plugs and i jet washed inside the boot and the carpets
left it to dry for a few hours
and then gave the boot a coat of paint, let that dry
and then refitted every thing back in
to include a nice shiny new spare a new jack and a tool kit
after cleaning the carpets they were left with a few horrible white stains
so i used the age old valleters trick
which is black spray paint and i think they come up nice
and after i stripped out the boot to do the fog light and have a look around i found it was quite grubby in there
so i removed the drain plugs and i jet washed inside the boot and the carpets
left it to dry for a few hours
and then gave the boot a coat of paint, let that dry
and then refitted every thing back in
to include a nice shiny new spare a new jack and a tool kit
after cleaning the carpets they were left with a few horrible white stains
so i used the age old valleters trick
which is black spray paint and i think they come up nice
09/08/2013
I had a BMW in today to find a squeak so didn't have much time for the 5 but
did manage a few things today
the passenger glass goes up past were it is supposed to stop which is not good
so i removed the door card and had a look
some numpty had put the glass stops in upside down
so this turned out to be a nice easy fix and it now stops were it should.
as the electric areal has snapped and a new one is £50 i decided (and as i like them) to fit a ridged one
i had lurking in the garage
i had lurking in the garage
The only real rust i can find is here under the drivers sill plate so i removed the plate and was suprised it was not to bad so i rubbed it back and gave it a few rust seal eater coats
this will be sprayed blue when my colour match paint arrives
this will be sprayed blue when my colour match paint arrives
Then mike from Cardiff auto windscreens turned up to fit my new glass
with correct blue tint screen from pilkington £150 plus vat fitted bargain
with correct blue tint screen from pilkington £150 plus vat fitted bargain
i have noticed she still gets hot so after a bit of poking i discover the rad is blocked, its full of rad weld and at least half of the fins are blocked so we no longer have correct flow and therefore not cooling
this is why it worked fine when she was just ticking over on the drive but as soon as you drove her shed heat up
so a new rad is the order of the day and at £45.00 with all fixings and a rad cap its not worth messing about with.
i think a new timing belt and water pump is going to be done soon just for piece of mind.
this is why it worked fine when she was just ticking over on the drive but as soon as you drove her shed heat up
so a new rad is the order of the day and at £45.00 with all fixings and a rad cap its not worth messing about with.
i think a new timing belt and water pump is going to be done soon just for piece of mind.
well the new rad is in and i cant believe how good the quality of this after market rad is.
and after fitting it i went for a test drive to find more leaking.
no1 heater hose had a tiny hole and was squirting red hot water up on to the bonnet (just were the lacquer peel has happened) and then dropping on to the manifold making a nice steamer.
so that will be replaced tomorrow
also today she had a full service
and the oil that came out was nasty so i filled her up drove her then emptied it out
filled up with nice 10w 40 and all is clean
a timing belt /water pump replacement is on its way.
and after fitting it i went for a test drive to find more leaking.
no1 heater hose had a tiny hole and was squirting red hot water up on to the bonnet (just were the lacquer peel has happened) and then dropping on to the manifold making a nice steamer.
so that will be replaced tomorrow
also today she had a full service
and the oil that came out was nasty so i filled her up drove her then emptied it out
filled up with nice 10w 40 and all is clean
a timing belt /water pump replacement is on its way.
pic 1 shows the tiny hole by my thumb just enough to let the coolant flow out
and new silicon hose fitted with 2 new clips
then after a good drive to test it all looks to be good no over heating no coolant loss and the coolant in the rad looks clear
so dose the oil as that was really nasty when i drained it yesterday.
and new silicon hose fitted with 2 new clips
then after a good drive to test it all looks to be good no over heating no coolant loss and the coolant in the rad looks clear
so dose the oil as that was really nasty when i drained it yesterday.
This is the fun bit i spent the next 3 hours driving her and this is why i love mk1 mx5's so much fun to be had. and after 3 hours of driving (in the rain i may add) i was sad to go home
but the wife needed collecting from work so home we went.
still looking for a nice mohair hood with glass screen and the wheels need sorting still thinking of white.
but the wife needed collecting from work so home we went.
still looking for a nice mohair hood with glass screen and the wheels need sorting still thinking of white.
SOLD SOLD SOLD
TO A NICE YOUNG MAN CALLED Jordan
TO A NICE YOUNG MAN CALLED Jordan