Mx-5 gone, pug 107 and 300C now here.

[paulplom]

Must be imports, yes.

[paulplom]

I booked the mot for tomorrow .

I had a full beam bulb out so I changed it. I had to google how to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

[loserone]

Just take the painted cover off the top?

[Tenmil Socket]

Good luck on the MOT ?

[paulplom]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

Just take the painted cover off the top?

Four screws and you take the black plastic surround off. The top metal part stays on.

[loserone]

2 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Four screws and you take the black plastic surround off. The top metal part stays on.

That seemed like a really easy way to mess up the alignment every time :S

[paulplom]

I noticed a canny bit of rust on the drivers door and although I haven't poked it, it looks pretty terminal to me. The hinges are worn and the door has dropped slightly. Strangely the passenger door is perfect.
Luckily@gm has a pair of black ones for sale so I'm picking them up tomorrow.


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[paulplom]

2 minutes ago, loserone said:

That seemed like a really easy way to mess up the alignment every time :S

As it happens you don't touch the alignment screws. It's been designed really well.

[Tenmil Socket]

Do the early models have a 'real' oil pressure gauge as I believe on the later models such as my '97 the gauge doesn't actually work?

[paulplom]

Yes. The one on my '99 was just a switch and it always sat in the middle iirc. 

This one goes up and down as you rev it.

[paulplom]

Is it right that all the early ones/mk1 are all 1.6?

My mk2 was a 1.8.

 

Edit:  I'm sure my partners mk1 was a 1.8. Although a very late one at P reg.

[gm]

all 1.6 (115bhp) up to 1993 then 1.8 (138bhp) came out, in 1996? mazda detuned the 1.6 to 96bhp to make the 1.8 seem more impressive ! Imported 1.6s were always 115bhp. 

don’t know about mk2s, I think they dropped the lower power 1.6 and concentrated on special editions to sell the different models 

[Tenmil Socket]

7 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Is it right that all the early ones/mk1 are all 1.6?

My mk2 was a 1.8.

 

Edit:  I'm sure my partners mk1 was a 1.8. Although a very late one at P reg.

My P reg is a 1.8.

[paulplom]

5 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

My P reg is a 1.8.

Is yours a mk1? I think '97 was the change over year to mk2.

[paulplom]

7 minutes ago, gm said:

all 1.6 (115bhp) up to 1993 then 1.8 (138bhp) came out, in 1996? mazda detuned the 1.6 to 96bhp to make the 1.8 seem more impressive ! Imported 1.6s were always 115bhp. 

don’t know about mk2s, I think they dropped the lower power 1.6 and concentrated on special editions to sell the different models 

This seems just as quick as my 1.8 NB. Maybe it weighs less. My NB seemed to be quite a bit more refined though.

[Tenmil Socket]

Yeah it's a MK1.

It had these wheels when I bought it but kept catching the arches.

[gm]

not that much between them, at the end of the 2nd lap, the 1.8 climbs up Duffus dip a bit better than the 1.6 did on the 1st lap. Both were great cars   

 

 

[gm]

49 minutes ago, paulplom said:

This seems just as quick as my 1.8 NB. Maybe it weighs less. My NB seemed to be quite a bit more refined though.

1.8 gained extra chassis bracing and door bars that the 1.6 didn't have, mk2 had airbags, abs etc which made it a more comfortable car but did add a few extra kgs.

[Mr Laurence]

4 hours ago, gm said:

all 1.6 (115bhp) up to 1993 then 1.8 (138bhp) came out, in 1996? mazda detuned the 1.6 to 96bhp to make the 1.8 seem more impressive ! Imported 1.6s were always 115bhp. 

don’t know about mk2s, I think they dropped the lower power 1.6 and concentrated on special editions to sell the different models 

I thought the later 1.6s were even less powerful than that - I’ve heard the number 89hp thrown about I think. 
 

mk2s did keep the 1.6, but bumped the power back up to 110hp. To make up for that, that, they also gave the 1.8 a little more power too, and again by adding VVT when they facelifted it. 

[loserone]

There was a UK special low power 1.6 for later mk1s.

[gm]

11 minutes ago, Mr Laurence said:

I thought the later 1.6s were even less powerful than that - I’ve heard the number 89hp thrown about I think. 
 

mk2s did keep the 1.6, but bumped the power back up to 110hp. To make up for that, that, they also gave the 1.8 a little more power too, and again by adding VVT when they facelifted it. 

it quite possibly is 89, those numbers were just off the top of my head, the auto is somewhere in the middle with a lower compression engine. I've never driven an auto, it would be interesting to compare.

  

[Vince70]

I’m not sure about the power but my ex had an entry level MK 2 and a half and that was a 1.8.

It must of been one of the very last built as it was on an 05 plate but what surprised me was I thought it would get some toys being a runout model but the only feature it had was a factory fitted cassette deck which wasn’t really much good by then as everyone had gone to CDs 

Lovely car to drive though but it was jinxed as it just kept getting hit when parked up and by the time it was sold a few years later every panel had been repaired and painted.

She traded it in for an R56 mini which was a mistake.

[Snipes]

I think the low powered 1.6 were all around p-reg, late for a mk1 I 'spose, and had manual windows?

[New POD]

1 hour ago, Sir Snipes said:

I think the low powered 1.6 were all around p-reg, late for a mk1 I 'spose, and had manual windows?

Monza. 1.6 92 bhp. 

Keep fit Windows, no pas, no aircon, no central.locking, no cruise, no airbags, no ABS, no remote boot release, 

Ours is R reg.  And has retro fitted PAS and heated glass rear window. 

[gm]

If they hadn't fitted the lower output engine, it would be ideal for a track car. Reduced weight and a purer driving experience, makes sense to me.

I do wonder who Mazda had in mind as a target customer ? Someone looking for the driving experience would surely want the more powerful engine, someone looking for a pretty convertible would want comfort and gadgets, there were so many different models and special editions, who would choose this one and why ? 

I'm sure it's still a fun little car to hoon round the back roads, the reason I've never done power upgrades on any of mine is that I enjoy squeezing every last drop out of what is there. I've owned several 1.6 and 1.8 mx5s over the years and there isn't that much between them, maybe it's the same between the two types of 1.6 ? I haven't driven one so can't say either way.

By the way, if you do long for a remote boot opener, I'm sure there's one in my box of stuff that I could send you 

[gm]

this is how many special editions were released in the Japanese market over the 8 years that the mk1 was in production, the uk market was not quite as varied but there was still a good number of special editions available. I reckon this might be where Bini got their marketing ideas from  

[Snipes]

I was told it was an insurance friendly decision but deleting airbags and abs doesn't chime with that idea.

[paulplom]

Bad news this morning. I've just been informed it's only the second oldest in the country now.

[paulplom]

I've dropped it off for mot. Mots make me nervous.

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[paulplom]

It's passed. No advisories! He did mention a small oil leak.

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