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The Ex-forum of several shiters 95 Mazda 323 coupé - for sale again!


egg

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On 7/13/2019 at 6:50 PM, egg said:

- N979 FLP - Blue 1.5 GLX Auto (mine) - Taxed and MOT'd
- M37 ACV - Green 1.5 GLX - Taxed, but not MOT'd since 8 Nov 2019 - wonder what's happening?
- M767 PAG - Green 1.5 GLX - The 'Surrey car' - still untaxed since 31/1/20, MOT'd - but not extended under lockdown scheme yet
- M335 BLP - White 1.5 GLX - Taxed and MOT'd into 2021
- N698 PFJ - Blue 1.3 - Taxed and MOT'd
- M287 DGO - Blue 1.5 GLX - SORN but MOT'd until October (hopefully a lockdown SORN)

(J50634 in Jersey - white)

- N85 FKJ (Familia imported in 2000) - Taxed and MOT'd

I've updated the known remaining Coupes again. The untaxed Surrey car and the one that's had no MOT since November are 'worries'. 

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I've put some parts on order for the cambelt change, after @twosmoke300 and others put me right on my 'miserly ways' in the ask a shiter section!

I've got a Gates Cambelt kit (fingers crossed the right one) coming from overseas.

Both drive belts coming from ECP today (alternator and PAS pump).

Still need to confirm the water pump - there is a change in 08/1995 - and this car was registered in 09/95 - so need to be sure....

Then I need to see if any of my go-to mechanics are working.

MOT has been extended until 10 of November 2020, in line with the 6 month extension.

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Still haven't nailed which Water pump this car needs. So I tried a local stealer (I went for a different one this time as the one in Canterbury - Perrys - doesn't give out part numbers)

Orbital Mazda in Ashford want £88.18 for the pump and gaskets. They also won't give out the part number. I get they have to protect their business.....but on a 25 year old 323....

They do have stock available in the UK and Belgium ready to go.

So it may be better for an extra £45 to just get an OEM one and hand it over to a mechanic with confidence that it will fit, or if it doesn't the dealer will have to take it back.

I'll wait for the cambelt kit to arrive from the States, and make the call. It was a clearout price at Rockauto so less than £50 to my door, includes 2 idlers rather than the usual one. Fingers crossed...

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=679404&cc=1360257&jsn=427

s-l1600.jpg

I checked that this kit does have a 125 tooth belt with Gates direct and they did confirm it. At least I can compare it to the cheapo Japanparts kit I already have.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@Mike D - no I haven't, thank you!

N617 NBA - no MOT since 2011 and it's a real rarity as it is the 1.3 manual - which didn't sell many.

I would say the chances of it living again are vanishingly small.

If it was £100 I'd have some parts off it though.

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Metro broken, Mondy screen broken, Mazda....oil smell in cabin?

Ok, so it looks like engine oil spraying over the rear of the radiator lower hose and collecting beneath it. I do not understand where from?

IMG_20200611_201337.thumb.jpg.2a6157b29ccf9c9997e77ab925ebdc16.jpg

1741238354_IMG_20200611_2014433.thumb.jpg.75a7c473b74f02441b3f0d7614bcb6b3.jpg

Im having a bad run...

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I've avoided going near my cars all weekend, as they are all annoying me in one way or another.

Anyway, I tried to work out what this oil leak is - as with any oil leak standard practice online seems to be change the rocker cover gasket by default, and also there is an o-ring that leaks at the back of the distributor. Neither of these seem to quite explain why the leak seems further down on the (other) cambelt end...

IMG_20200615_165108.thumb.jpg.6ce7dd993a65a3b609a4d088b70c732f.jpg

So it seems to be coming from area above, dropping on to lower rad hose beneath it, and then running down round the underside of the hose and pooling on the undertray next to the rad. 

Action: So I think when I send this in for its cambelt change (I still need to order the water pump) I'll make sure a new rocker cover gets nicely sealed. Also, I'll order the o-ring (same as MX5 etc, so easy to get) and get the dizzy re-sealed too at the same time, and hope for the best.

This pic shows the O-ring

1B02781.png

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I took this round to the local tyre/exhaust place today, as along with the oil leak - there is a rattle/clunk somewhere at the back end - previously I thought tightening an exhaust clamp solved this - but they give a different diagnosis - they think the rear ARB bushes have too much play in them. They suggest starting with the ones in the middle first. More for the shopping list. They greased them up, but no better, no charge for looking at it though.

maz.thumb.jpg.4c18c6dc2245872e2245dcc8228b0a79.jpg

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The ARB bushes in the centre are fairly accessible, but if that nut hasn't moved in a quarter of a century, you can imagine what a pig it will be to turn it with a socket or spanner in that little metal housing

1868005431_IMG_20200619_1506093.thumb.jpg.34b80ba75e84989253c6ea42ce43d30d.jpg

The drop links are also very old, and while legal (no tears in the rubber), may also benefit from being changed - so perhaps I just ask someone to do inner and outer ARB bushes and the drop-links all at once for a proper refresh.

IMG_20200619_150905.thumb.jpg.454e4db3599458edeba866bd2eb69b8c.jpg

And so it goes on...!

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More digging on this, probably a bit of a dull update. I've been thinking more about this oil leak, and I'm not convinced it is the distributor o-ring itself. I think it is the camshaft caps the belt end. The issue is discussed here on the 323 forum (post 9th July 2016). It seems they have to be siliconed to prevent leaks (is this normal practice for this area?!)- see the bottom of the diagram below (also in Haynes) and I bet that is what has failed and has started leaking.

At the last oil change I went back from 10w40 to 5w30 - so I wonder if the lighter oil has also worsened the leak since the spring?

Sounds like a good story anyway.

camshaftcap.thumb.jpg.0a46ec46e381b457cee276387108d5bc.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/5/2020 at 5:05 PM, Mike D said:

Sadly that one @Mike D spotted has now been scrapped (no longer on DVLA).

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.d11a0fb831b320f9ed2f1bf314539041.jpg

Also, remember that one in Surrey that I was trying to buy with help from others on here - also no longer on the DVLA - so can assume scrapped.

1612577782__86.thumb.jpg.15e6e4df3fa78ad0aa9c5fcf6dbf0018.jpg

Two more gone :-(

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14 hours ago, egg said:

Sadly that one @Mike D spotted has now been scrapped (no longer on DVLA).

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.d11a0fb831b320f9ed2f1bf314539041.jpg

N617VBA still shows up on the DVLA for me? currently SORN, and thankfully does not have any scrapped markers :) 

M767PAG was sadly marked scrapped on the 19th of the 6th 2020 (no keeper change since the one on the 30th of the 1st...)

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On 8/7/2020 at 9:31 AM, egg said:

Sadly that one @Mike D spotted has now been scrapped (no longer on DVLA).

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.d11a0fb831b320f9ed2f1bf314539041.jpg

Also, remember that one in Surrey that I was trying to buy with help from others on here - also no longer on the DVLA - so can assume scrapped.

1612577782__86.thumb.jpg.15e6e4df3fa78ad0aa9c5fcf6dbf0018.jpg

Two more gone :-(

VBA is still available. I messaged the fella via the ended ebay ad as I was intrigued.

He was odd... After telling me he'd 'scraped it today' (along what - a wall?) he sent a swift follow-up stating that actually did still have it and wondered why I was asking. 

So, @egg yeah, it's still for sale. GIB. The only potential issue is keeping a straight face when meeting the seller, who I'd imagine would be wearing a red sponge nose and holding his balls in his hands.

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15 hours ago, Dick Van Diesel said:

He was odd... After telling me he'd 'scraped it today' (along what - a wall?) he sent a swift follow-up stating that actually did still have it and wondered why I was asking. 

Thanks for asking! It's not actually much good to me even as a parts car as it has the 1.3 engine, and probably beyond saving not being on the road since 2011. But I'd love the irreplaceable tailgate glass out of it!

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I think my next step with this is an ATF change before I go for this cambelt/pump change and suspension work. I know there are pros and cons to doing this on a 25 year old transmission not known for it's robustness.

I've been thinking about this for ages, and have alternated between doing nothing right up to getting a mechanic to drop the oil pan, change the transmission filter and do a full change.

I think I've landed on a compromise to do a partial change myself - spec is Dexron 2 (Mazda spec is ATF M-III). Capacity is 5L - so planning to get 3L of decent quality stuff - Liqui Moli?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Liqui-Moly-Top-Tec-ATF-1200-Automatic-Gear-Oil-Made-in-Germany-3681-1-L/223471595365?epid=249534413&hash=item3407f1ef65:g:FJMAAOSwbdBfFXc5#rwid

So plan would be extraction with some sort of pump through the dipstick tube, so obviously I wouldn't get 5L out that way anyway.

Really interested in expert or non-expert hunches on whether to do this?

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I'd go for it. 
The gearbox should have a sump/drain plug, so look for that - out that way, and in through the dipstick. Do a couple of partial changes a few hundred miles apart ideally. 
You'll never do a full change unless you take the pipes off the oil cooler and run the car to pump through from a drum of new fluid until it drains red. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Now for sale. Breaks my heart a little, but a year of reduced expectations eh?

Boris MOT until 10th November (N979 FLP). Available from 13th September. 84,000 miles in daily use.

The known issues are:

- rusty rear wheel arch (not structural), generally the car is cosmetically challenged.
- Cambelt roulette - the car will come with £50 of Gates Cambelt kit including pulleys, and the two required new drive belts (that were £15)
- Oil leak - believed to be from rocker cover or camshaft caps - new seal will be included for new owner(£5)
- ATF probably needs changing, but gearbox works fine at present
- creaking rear suspension, possibly ARB related, so car will also come with Blueprint rear drop links and related rear ARB bushes (£20 of parts)

I'd love it if the new owner could give it a cherished retirement, but I realise once it's gone it's gone. Bit of a unicorn.

Also comes with spare wheel trim, Haynes and period brochure. Oh, and HubNut sticker!

£475

Herne Bay, Kent. 

(edit, reason for sale - a new car incoming, and I can only keep two right now)

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On 9/7/2020 at 11:53 AM, barrett said:

so hopefully it will go to a good home via this forum.

Hopefully but not so much as a sniff yet, the forum is a bit quiet with the whole 'back to school' vibe of the last few days.

We've just done 175 miles in the last two days, it's only being replaced for reasons of safety - Mrs E is a relatively inexperienced driver, and sending her out on her own for a 50 mile round trip for what is our crazy school run this winter was keeping me slightly awake at night as I've seen the aftermath of two head on collisions on one of the country lanes we use in the last year.

Anyway, I'll put the sale on hold for now as looks like enthusiasm is low. If I get another ticket on it, I expect there will be more interest.

But if anyone still has a burning desire for it, let me know!

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