MX5 Owners in here....bring your curling tongs

paradigm said:
I'd keep it! Not sure what you are paying insurance wise, but keeping mine alongside the S3 is costing me peanuts, partially helped I guess by my age and the fact that it's on a limited mileage policy.

Circa £40 a month to keep it taxed and insured.
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It would be around £62 a month for tax and insurance. Which just doesn't seem worth it. I can't really see myself ever walking out and picking the MX5 over the Golf for 95% of trips. If I'm going far, then it's motorway driving and the Golf is more comfortable. If I was just nipping to the shops, the Golf is more practical (and better on fuel). And, for the odd time that it'll be a cracking day this summer then I'd probably rather spend it in the garden with a beer.
I've enjoyed it, but definitely time for it to go.
 
New hairdresser here :p Just picked up my first MX5 2.5 Sport (54 plate). Its a joint summer/track project car with my brother after driving a few friends ones on track over the years it was time to get one :)

Previous owner fitted new LSD, dealt with some surface rust (sills and rails look good still), new cambelt, usual service bits, new Pzeros all round, new second key and fob from Mazda and few other bits so its a good base. Already got the clear indicator bits and off centre bike reg plate bracket on way and looking to drop it on a set of adjustable Mister-R's and some 15s.

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Nice, looks tidy, and bar the wheels (and the chrome bits) the same as mine :)

Mine seems to have developed a noise/whine from the back. Doesn't change pitch or volume regardless of speed, just a constant almost whooshing noise, can only hear it with the roof up also. I'm hoping a bearing, but expecting the diff.

Driven it into work today on the AD08R's and even trying to provoke the rear end was fruitless. They are certainly good in the wet on a '5.
 
paradigm said:
Nice, looks tidy, and bar the wheels (and the chrome bits) the same as mine :)

Mine seems to have developed a noise/whine from the back. Doesn't change pitch or volume regardless of speed, just a constant almost whooshing noise, can only hear it with the roof up also. I'm hoping a bearing, but expecting the diff.

Driven it into work today on the AD08R's and even trying to provoke the rear end was fruitless. They are certainly good in the wet on a '5.
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Do a diff oil change, if you find little lumps that look like petals then it's probably the clutch pack disintegrating
 
@Frozennova Already planning to and yes I've read up on the Fuji diff self destruction symptoms.

There's the outside possibility that it's the input shaft bearing (seems pretty common, but less common than Fuji failure), but trying to weigh up what to replace it with if it's not a bearing failure.
 
Try and pick up a 3.9 Torsen out of a mk2 import if you need to swap the diff. My brothers mk2.5 sport felt a lot lazier with the 3.6 compared to my mk2 RS.
 
Frozennova said:
Do a diff oil change, if you find little lumps that look like petals then it's probably the clutch pack disintegrating
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If the diff were dropping it's "petals", would it now be acting as an open diff? Seems perfectly capable of leaving 11's on the road as opposed to 1's!

dale1uk said:
Try and pick up a 3.9 Torsen out of a mk2 import if you need to swap the diff. My brothers mk2.5 sport felt a lot lazier with the 3.6 compared to my mk2 RS.
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That would be what I'd be doing if I ended up getting a complete replacement diff. I'm also exploring the possibility of shoving a quaife into the existing housing.
 
Have had the ABS light on for a little while so took it to the MX5 Restorer in Eastbourne at the weekend. OSR sensor has gone apparently, £190 inc vat to sort which I suppose could have been worse but looking at the prices of them they seem quite expensive to buy in the first place.

Has anyone had experience of ABS sensors going, particularly in the mk3?
 
Read back a few posts, granted mines a Mk2.5, but I recently had a NSF one fail.

Mazda parts are expensive but they include the hub/upright as they rust together so are a pain to remove the sensor from the hub. Pattern sensors are £30~ or there snouts, but I've no idea on the longevity of the cheap parts.
 
I fixed my mk2 abs with sensors from ebay.

Sensors were cheaper (£20-30) but they were difficult to fit as the old ones were rusted in.
Garage charged me a bit extra for the hassle.

My oldest replacement sensor was 3 years old when I sold the car.
 
paradigm said:
@Frozennova Already planning to and yes I've read up on the Fuji diff self destruction symptoms.

There's the outside possibility that it's the input shaft bearing (seems pretty common, but less common than Fuji failure), but trying to weigh up what to replace it with if it's not a bearing failure.
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Mine had a groaning noise that didnt change pitch just volume the faster you would go and that was input shaft bearing, sounded like it was coming from the rear but it wasn't sounds perhaps like yours? I also had the super fuji on my last
 
First weekend to finally fiddle around with the 5 since getting it.

- Removed the crap chrome indicator bits and replaced with clear - looks so much cleaner
- Removed bonnet/engine noise padding (cos race car)
- Replaced wiper blades with aero ones which are much more modern looking
- Painted front grille matt black
- Treated leather seats / general clean up
- Started to clean engine bay but will need further work yet

This weekend I will be fitting the off center bike plate at front, typhoon induction kit (used from a mate) and MeisterR ZetaCRD suspension :cool: Pretty much ready for its first track day then.
 
Don't bother with the Typhoon if you're bothered about performance. The factory crossover has a helmholtz resonator that improves mid range torque.

Back to back dyno tests have shown a dip of 4-5ft/lbs between 3000-4000rpm without it
 
I haven't had as much time to tend to the Mazda as I'd have like this year (I think I've said the exact same thing for every year I've owned it...) and due to taking my eye off the ball with the MOT expiry I had to throw it in for a test without even giving it a look over. Just had the call- passed, no issues. Good old girl! Checking the old MOT's that is at least 12 in a row but then again it has only covered 20k since 2006 :o
 
After 10 years since my last MX5, finally have a job with a suitable excuse to buy another.
Picked up a low mileage Nevada this morning in silver. Apart from a rather naff parking scrape on the nearside front bumper, appears to be in very good nick. The previous owner claiming that he's had the sill corrosion rectified earlier this year. I think someone has also replaced the vinyl roof with a mohair, so for the money, that's cool.
Just ordered an Alpine single din unit to replace the not too pleasant standard unit and will be adding a new grille and probably a typhoon at some point. I know the typhoon doesn't help performance, but I had one on my previous mk2, and liked the aural effect.
I've also booked it in with my friendly indy to give it a real good checkover, including the sills.

Only downside appears to be a nasty judder in 1st. From reading around, looks like this is a known problem as a result of a change to the friction material on early clutches. So that's probably going to push the price up a couple of hundred smackeroons.

Very happy to be back in the fold. Let's see if I'll get the opportunity to drive with the roof down whilst it's snowing again.
 
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Changing the diff oil today. Bought the car with full mazda service history and I can't see any reference to the diff oil ever being changed, so with 39k on the clock and diff oil only £9 from eurocarparts it's a no brainer.
 
Good news on the clutch judder. On another forum, someone has suggested deliberately riding the clutch for 30 seconds to try to wipe off a layer of gunk/oxide from the clutch. Did that earlier and it appears to have resolved the juddering. Also took the cheap option of drilling a few 15mm holes in the airbox, which helps with the induction noise and rather eliminates the desire for a Typhoon.
 
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