But the sound!
Cool nonetheless, don't see that many MK3 Mondeos around at all these days. Even MK4s are getting a lot scarcer.
Weird how you notice these cars that used to be everywhere slowly disappear.
What have you done to your car today?
- Thread starter mattyprice4004
- Start date
But the sound!
Cool nonetheless, don't see that many MK3 Mondeos around at all these days. Even MK4s are getting a lot scarcer.
Weird how you notice these cars that used to be everywhere slowly disappear.
Only one way to find outI was thinking single throttle body and no turbo, I'm not familiar with those weird modern ones.
I needed something reliable for my 30mile round daily commute & the 3.0 V6s can be temperamental for various reasons.
Plus I have a large audio setup so the larger battery capacity and high-output alternator in the derv suits better.
The Subaru is on the boat, due early June, documents are on the way and should be with me this Thursday. Hopefully with some JDM snacks as usual.
The little Suzuki Carry - unfortunately it looks like the turbo is toast, so its getting removed and Ill check the spec before deciding what to do. I think its a cheap enough replacement, but a bit annoying
Ive started listing something else to import again, hoping to do a full thread on the process end to end. Thinking of something small, cheap and ideally pre 1995 for cheaper duty. Maybe a Starlet GT but the Lupo Gti is tempting too.
The little Suzuki Carry - unfortunately it looks like the turbo is toast, so its getting removed and Ill check the spec before deciding what to do. I think its a cheap enough replacement, but a bit annoying
Ive started listing something else to import again, hoping to do a full thread on the process end to end. Thinking of something small, cheap and ideally pre 1995 for cheaper duty. Maybe a Starlet GT but the Lupo Gti is tempting too.
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Been trying my hand at wrapping for the first time, came out better than I expected (as long as you dont look too close at the edges 
)
Also fully de-chromed the outside so it looks a bit more aggressive
)Also fully de-chromed the outside so it looks a bit more aggressive
Love that!!Been trying my hand at wrapping for the first time, came out better than I expected (as long as you dont look too close at the edges
Also fully de-chromed the outside so it looks a bit more aggressive
You could have cleaned the dirt out of the gaps though!
Associate
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Luckily that panel does open cause the car has the second glove box, but the car is in need of a clean just been a bit a lazy idiot with my small amount of free timeLove that!!
You could have cleaned the dirt out of the gaps though!
With track season coming up, I had a few jobs planned for the MX5.
First up, I fitted some gas struts for the bonnet. A much overlooked but worthwhile mod as it means not having that pesky bonnet stand getting in the way when working on the car.
Next up was to tackle the cambelt. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, I bought the car in 2019 with no history of the belt being done. I've owned it for a good while now and it was always on my mind that it needed doing. While these engines are non-interference, I didn't fancy my chances of the belt failing at high rpm and everything remaining intact. So I set about stripping it down...
Little bit of a weird design having the cam cover as part of the front timing belt cover, although it did give me the opportunity to inspect the valvetrain while I had it apart. For good measure I also replaced all O-rings and gaskets within the VVT system while I had the cover off.
The old belt looked absolutely perfect! No cracking or unexpected wear at all, I probably could have left it for another couple of years and saved myself the expense
The cambelt has to be removed to replace the waterpump and so I planned to do both at the same time. Many of the online guides and videos state to use sealant on flanges and mating faces. If it's not mentioned in the service manual, sealant is a bodge and I won't use it. Not to mention it tends to get applied over zealously, ends up hardening and finds its way into the oil pickup. No thanks. All mating faces were cleaned up and properly prepared, ready for the new genuine gaskets to be fitted. So far, no leaks... and no sealant.
The radiator was removed to make sufficient room to get to the cambelt and it became immediately obvious why I was having cooling problems on track last year...
...which wasn't a problem, as I'd already anticipated a knackered rad and ordered a new one. However when something needs replacing, it must be upgraded!
Engine back together and... a non starter. FFS. After much troubleshooting and some swearing, it turns out I'd installed the crank trigger wheel the wrong way round. A quick 10 minute job to re-install it correctly and it fired right up. With the radiator still out, the next job was to replace the power steering pipes at the front of the engine. I'd already replaced the lower (green) pipe after it started leaking last year, so while I had the space to get in there I replaced the remaining two pipes with brand new genuine Mazda items.
Everything back together with the addition of a cheap cone filter for a bit of induction noise. I'm well aware of the downsides of an open air filter in the engine bay (which is why my Impreza has the air filter located in the front bumper) but I figured it'd be interesting to fit it and review the intake temps while on track. This car is a bit of fun, an R&D tool... the filter will be suitably relocated in good time
With the car now back running and driving, there was another job I had to tackle. ANOTHER sticking caliper
At first I enjoyed it, now it is just becoming a chore! The drivers side front caliper was sticking so I rebuilt them both. The rear calipers were replaced with new items about 12 months ago.
Everything re-bled with Motul RBF660 and while I was in there I flushed the clutch fluid through as it was WELL overdue.
Bit of last minute fettling to the seat brackets and added some pads as the seatbelt was just rubbing on my neck
Included with the masses of parts I'd ordered, I also received some stickers. Given that each sticker is worth 5bhp, it'd be rude not to use them.
And today was the finale to all of this work, a track day at my local circuit. The weather was absolutely stunning and a great test for my new cooling mods with 25'c ambient temps. The car was peaking at 93'c coolant which I was very happy with. Plenty of headroom there to introduce more mods and more power. IATs were sitting around 50c which may seem high but given that even the standard airbox doesn't have a dedicated cold air feed, I wouldn't have expected much less when using an enclosed filter. Still, it gives me a baseline to work with and begin improving the current setup.
First up, I fitted some gas struts for the bonnet. A much overlooked but worthwhile mod as it means not having that pesky bonnet stand getting in the way when working on the car.
Next up was to tackle the cambelt. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, I bought the car in 2019 with no history of the belt being done. I've owned it for a good while now and it was always on my mind that it needed doing. While these engines are non-interference, I didn't fancy my chances of the belt failing at high rpm and everything remaining intact. So I set about stripping it down...
Little bit of a weird design having the cam cover as part of the front timing belt cover, although it did give me the opportunity to inspect the valvetrain while I had it apart. For good measure I also replaced all O-rings and gaskets within the VVT system while I had the cover off.
The old belt looked absolutely perfect! No cracking or unexpected wear at all, I probably could have left it for another couple of years and saved myself the expense
The cambelt has to be removed to replace the waterpump and so I planned to do both at the same time. Many of the online guides and videos state to use sealant on flanges and mating faces. If it's not mentioned in the service manual, sealant is a bodge and I won't use it. Not to mention it tends to get applied over zealously, ends up hardening and finds its way into the oil pickup. No thanks. All mating faces were cleaned up and properly prepared, ready for the new genuine gaskets to be fitted. So far, no leaks... and no sealant.
The radiator was removed to make sufficient room to get to the cambelt and it became immediately obvious why I was having cooling problems on track last year...
...which wasn't a problem, as I'd already anticipated a knackered rad and ordered a new one. However when something needs replacing, it must be upgraded!
Engine back together and... a non starter. FFS. After much troubleshooting and some swearing, it turns out I'd installed the crank trigger wheel the wrong way round. A quick 10 minute job to re-install it correctly and it fired right up. With the radiator still out, the next job was to replace the power steering pipes at the front of the engine. I'd already replaced the lower (green) pipe after it started leaking last year, so while I had the space to get in there I replaced the remaining two pipes with brand new genuine Mazda items.
Everything back together with the addition of a cheap cone filter for a bit of induction noise. I'm well aware of the downsides of an open air filter in the engine bay (which is why my Impreza has the air filter located in the front bumper) but I figured it'd be interesting to fit it and review the intake temps while on track. This car is a bit of fun, an R&D tool... the filter will be suitably relocated in good time
With the car now back running and driving, there was another job I had to tackle. ANOTHER sticking caliper
At first I enjoyed it, now it is just becoming a chore! The drivers side front caliper was sticking so I rebuilt them both. The rear calipers were replaced with new items about 12 months ago.
Everything re-bled with Motul RBF660 and while I was in there I flushed the clutch fluid through as it was WELL overdue.
Bit of last minute fettling to the seat brackets and added some pads as the seatbelt was just rubbing on my neck
Included with the masses of parts I'd ordered, I also received some stickers. Given that each sticker is worth 5bhp, it'd be rude not to use them.
And today was the finale to all of this work, a track day at my local circuit. The weather was absolutely stunning and a great test for my new cooling mods with 25'c ambient temps. The car was peaking at 93'c coolant which I was very happy with. Plenty of headroom there to introduce more mods and more power. IATs were sitting around 50c which may seem high but given that even the standard airbox doesn't have a dedicated cold air feed, I wouldn't have expected much less when using an enclosed filter. Still, it gives me a baseline to work with and begin improving the current setup.
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I was due to change my front tyres on the C63 last week and a couple of days before my appointment, I got an unrepairable puncture in one of my rears. What make it worse is that they have about 6.5mm tread on them. That's 3 PS4s in one week plus a 4 wheel alignment. Expensive week.
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You're making me want one again. They look like so much fun to work on, particularly given my absence of knowledge.
Soldato
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You put it so well, same
I hardwired a Thinkware U3000 dashcam and routed the hardwire and rear camera feed wires out of view (making sure not to have the cable sat in front of the air bags).
I used some fuse taps and ensured the orientation was correct so the circuits always have a fuse in-play.
The U3000 was the dashcam of choice for the radar parking mode after someone in the office car park reversed into me and didn't bother leaving details, and my previous dash cam only recorded on impact which is too late to record the actual shunt. I've bough the additional battery pack too so I'll need to do some more re-wiring once that arrives.
I used some fuse taps and ensured the orientation was correct so the circuits always have a fuse in-play.
The U3000 was the dashcam of choice for the radar parking mode after someone in the office car park reversed into me and didn't bother leaving details, and my previous dash cam only recorded on impact which is too late to record the actual shunt. I've bough the additional battery pack too so I'll need to do some more re-wiring once that arrives.
Soldato
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Swapped out the crank position sensor. Pretty hellish job to do. It’s right down the back of the engine. You pretty much work blind, my hands are shredded.
I put it in 1st time, rebuilt the bits I’d taken off…..wouldn’t start at all.
Came back to it to test the cables etc, noticed the plug wasn’t properly attached. It just wouldn’t clip on. Ended up removing it all again and found that one of the pins in the new sensor was bent. Straightened it and clipped the cable on before attaching it to the engine. Put it all back together, sorted!
Noticed a valve cover oil leak while doing it, so that’s next on the list
….after I remove the under tray to retrieve all the tools I dropped…
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Decided to let my inner yobbo out and put a big wing on the Mini.
Got the austin back on the road.
Bled the brakes and a few other little bits.
Accidentally drove it about 5 miles with an extremely lean mixture and wasn't particularly kind to it either and got it pretty hot.
The bottom end growl has turned into a slight knock.
Will do a poor mans crank regrind (emery cloth and a shoelace) and throw new rod bearings in and she should be alright again for a decent while.
On my back on the tarmac shoelacing the journals on my A35, just like you might have seen someone doing decades ago.
Also discovered that because my fancy alloy rocker cover has no breather on it, it dumped oil out of the front seals into the chain cover, and then when I switched it off it left a very sizable puddle of oil all over the driveway......
I've since put the old cover back on with the breather, and fitted an oil separator as well, and it doesn't do that anymore!
Lots to do still... Mystery coolant leak and brake lights being weird are the main two concerns before I can drive it any real distance.
Bled the brakes and a few other little bits.
Accidentally drove it about 5 miles with an extremely lean mixture and wasn't particularly kind to it either and got it pretty hot.
The bottom end growl has turned into a slight knock.
Will do a poor mans crank regrind (emery cloth and a shoelace) and throw new rod bearings in and she should be alright again for a decent while.
On my back on the tarmac shoelacing the journals on my A35, just like you might have seen someone doing decades ago.
Also discovered that because my fancy alloy rocker cover has no breather on it, it dumped oil out of the front seals into the chain cover, and then when I switched it off it left a very sizable puddle of oil all over the driveway......
I've since put the old cover back on with the breather, and fitted an oil separator as well, and it doesn't do that anymore!
Lots to do still... Mystery coolant leak and brake lights being weird are the main two concerns before I can drive it any real distance.
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Good job those minis are RWD eh?Decided to let my inner yobbo out and put a big wing on the Mini.
