MX-5 OC Forum

i everyone, I'm planning on using this as a bit of an online workbook, i bought my current '5 in october 2009 and plan on detailing any work i do on here. Please bear in mind i'm no mechanic, i'm just willing to give things a try and on a budget without compromising on quality where possible

Firstly a bit of  background:

After first owning a UK 1996 silverstone metallic 1.8is (because i couldn't get insurance on an import at the time) for a year i sold her due the onset of rust and a lack of funds to deal with it further down the line. I then switched to a 2003 mini cooper (BRG/White) and recently picked up my eunos. Shes a 1993 K reg Eunos roadster Vspecial in British Racing Green. Imported in 2001 and after 6 previous owners over here it has now covered 110,000km

Factory spec:

1.6 litre engine
5 speed gearbox
factory lowered suspension
Chromed Cam cover
LSD
Interior light kit
Stainless steel speaker surrounds

Aftermarket:

BBS (or immitation) alloys
Chromed engine strut brace
HKS induction kit
Uprated HT leads
Stainless steel gearknob
White dials (poorly fitted)
CD player with mp3 player connectivity

I have a small list of fixes and improvements as well as routine maintenance that i hope to log in here with pictures if i remember! my list so far reads:

• Remove number plate and surround (replace with adhesive plate see disscussion)
• Fix drivers and passenger electric window (winder cables rusted and/or frayed)
• Change engine oil and filter (shes drank a litre in 4months)
• Change Gearbox oil
• Prep for MOT
• Replace headrest speakers with something with more 'bass' and less 'pop'
• Install "flash to pass" mod (pops the headlamps, flashes and hides them when i flash to let someone out)
• Clean engine bay
• Maybe refurb alloys
• Maybe fit new exhaust

Sounds like a great idea what you are doing, I'm look forward to your progress updates

gd stuff man i look forward to seeing updates !

i bought the stainless steel exhaust from mx5 parts + ive got to say i love it :D

need to invest in flash2pass tho ! its a neat gismo

 Looks like a good 'un, and love your wheels! Not so sure about what looks like a 'style' bar...

My cat back exhaust was the best mod I have ever brought - less than £200 from MX5 parts, and fits perfectly. Awesome sound, completely transforms the character of the car.

thanks folks :)

the 'style' bar was on the car when i bought it so i'm not taking any blame for that one! But i've got to prioritise and change other things first....

Talking of...... my new number plate and 'flash to pass' mod arrived while i was at work so if the rain holds off i'll be out there fitting them and updating this tomorrow

matt

 Can you give a bit more ifo about the 'flash to pass' mod please?

Don't they all just open - flash - close anyway??

jimmyfloydreturns:

 Can you give a bit more ifo about the 'flash to pass' mod please?

Don't they all just open - flash - close anyway??

Nope! Standard if you flash to lights they will stay down and illuminate nothing but under the bonnet. The flash to pass is just a diode that flips the lights up when you flash. I had to fit one to mine. Your car was probably fitted with one before you purchased it.

 89>early 92 cars were not fitted with a flash mode,later cars were,so you need to add it in to early cars,dead easy takes all of 5 mins tops.

And also works better than the OE ones.

Regards 

*UPDATE*

Thankfully the waether held off today (infact it wasn't bad at all) so it gave me a chance to fit the new plate and the 'flash to pass' mod. heres how it went...

Firtsly the plate:

1. removed the current plate and plinth, a screw on each side of the plate and then the plinth.
this left some patches of adhesive tape fom a previous owner.

2. Then removed the Eunos badge opening the bonnet and feeing into the bumper for the two plastic stays that hold the badge in place. Then with the flat side of a pen knifepushed them back through the bumper.

3. I had planned to attach the adhesive plate to the bottom lip of the bumper so clay barred  it to remove any wax or dirt that may have been left on. unfortunately the contoring and curve of the bumper mean the plate wouldn't go on without creasing or bubbling.

4. So... i put the plate between the side lights and indicators peeling from one side and smoothing with a cloth to remove any air bubbles and painstakingly removed the sticky reside from the bumper with a pen knife and wet cloth.

 

VERDICT: A nice easy mod and but for it not working where I had intended, a rather successful one too. Just need to find some way of filling the many drill holes left by the previous attempts to fit a plate

Flash to pass:

This was a relitively simple and inexpensive mod with great results. I bought a 'flash to pass' mod off ebay for only a couple of pounds. it came with full colour instructions that made fitting a doddle, heres how....

1. The mod simply consisted of a little diode that bridges the connections (presumably between the 'Flash' and the 'headlamp up' funciton, making them work in tandem) first step was to remove the plastic cowl from around the steering colum.. the bit the idicator stalk goes into. removing 4 screws (including one that is up a very deep hole) then prising apart the top and bottom half of the cowl.

2. I found it beificial to remove the next pannel down (see photo) to give better access to the cowl, but this was only 2 screws and came out easily

3. The target is a white connector plugged behind the indicator stalk, theres a clasp at the bottom that needs depressing. pull it out and find the red/whte wire and the black/white striped wires. Bend the sides of the diode down and bridge the two wires.

4. When plugged in this worked straight away! just needing to replace the cowl and its finished

will try and get a video up at some point...

VERDICT: Brilliant. Easy, cheap and effective.

Very smart! looks like a really nice example.

And after seeing your flash to pass mod work i tried again (couldnt get mine to work) so i tried another cap from the pack i had and turns out i had a duff one originally lol! works a treat now.

Also if your car buzz's until you put your seatbelt on and it winds you up like it does me then the buzzer can simply be unplugged under the dash. If it doesnt buzz then someone might have already unplugged it

V6Jules:

so i tried another cap from the pack i had and turns out i had a duff one originally lol! works a treat now

Just in case someone misunderstands, the device is a diode, not a capacitor

Another way of silencing the buzzer for the seatbelts is to simply seperate th connector behind the drivers seat---

Geoff Walton:

V6Jules:

so i tried another cap from the pack i had and turns out i had a duff one originally lol! works a treat now

Just in case someone misunderstands, the device is a diode, not a capacitor

Another way of silencing the buzzer for the seatbelts is to simply seperate th connector behind the drivers seat---

 

oops my bad! i even bought the diodes from dannells! (1N5402 if anyone fancies doing it themselves, Or give me a pm and i can send you one for the price of a stamp) must be all this working nights playing tricks with the old noggin.

Have you thought about a buzzer that warns you if you open a door with them on as its easy to leave the sidelights on.

ahh  good thinkin on stopping that buzzing, maybe a job for next weekend.. i've just sold the mini in the picture so i'll hopefully soon be fixing the window winder cables and sorting speakers... but after the RaceMaster racing experience at oulton park this weekend i might start looking at trackdays... braided hoses anyone??

so...... an update of sorts

my first track day experience went well. a half day at Oulton Park on the 24th feb, I'd had an oil change and fitted EBC Yellow stuff pads (which had an immediate effect, slightly spongy with the first couple of cold presses but after that they're unbelievable conisdering i just have standard discs). I survived without going off and by the end was feeling pretty confident. Only a blown exhaust that i've since replaced with the mx5parts stainless steel one.

Heres a couple of pictures, there was another 5 there.. a track ready mx no.'78' any ideas who's this is?

and so to my next budget 'mod'

I'd started to get concerned about the heat under the bonnet when i'm pushing it on the track. I've got a fairly universal looking mushroom air filter at the back of hte engine bay with no heat protection from the mainfold thats next to it. before doing anything drastic i thought i'd test my theory so i used an old digital thermometer from my dads film processing kit. Reading from inside the filter itself, it ran under the bonnet and through the passenger door sil into the car so i could check it on the move.

ambient air temp: 2 degC
town driving (engine cold): 12 degC
motorway driving (engine warm): 34 degC
town driving (engine warm): 25 degC
engine at rest for 5 mins (engine warm): upto 50degC

after seeing these results I was confident I could reduce these temperatures by 1) getting a better flow of air and 2) deflecting the heat away from the air filter

i'd seen a couple of options for more air induction either replacing the indicator with a vent or a vented headlamp cover but the cheapest was £60 + postage + painting etc. I had a plan.. to buy an old headlamp cover, cut a hole in it and use some pipe to channel air through to the filter.

For the parts I managed to pick up a set of headlamp covers in black for £20, I'd also bought some cheap aluminium ducting from halfords and a plastic sink drain cover to stop any gunk getting in.

in the absence of a proper hole-drilling 50mm drill bit i used an 8mm metal dril bit to perforate a circle i could snip out with some wire cutters.

i'd sprayed the sink cover black to match the lid and used a unibond 'Extreme power glue' to hold it down. With a 60mm diameter pipe from the back of the light unit i took it out on a similar test run. the temperature was down at speed but only by a few degrees. there was an improved feeling of acceleration at motorway speeds.

The problem was still the amount of airflow going into the engine bay so i decided to add a 'scoop'... following the budget theme and a trip to B&Q i had a 67deg 68mm diameter piece of drainpipe. I also bought a smaller diameter ducting pipe (40mm) fro halfords as thes would fit into the back of the headlight unit and therfore better access to the air.

the temperatures are now as follows...
ambient air temperature: 8 degC
town driving (engine cold): 12 degC
motorway driving (engine warm): 21 degC
town driving (engine warm): 20-26 degC
engine at rest for 5 mins (engine warm): upto 50degC

Comparing the two sets of results i'm pleased with the outcome. given the higher ambient temp today the lack of change in the slow speed temperatures doesn't worry me as its at speed onthe track where i should see the benifit and 15 degree lower temperatures with a higher ambient temperature.

I know it very much looks like a bit of drainpipe stuck to to a bit of a sink stuck to the wrong colour headlamp lid but it seems to do the job and hopefully if i can knock up a heatshield i can lower those temperatures further.

Let me know what you think
Matt