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Post by rustywheels on Jan 15, 2017 21:38:30 GMT
Well this was a weekend I don't wish to repeat in a hurry. Good news is I purchased a Jackson Racing CAI, so started fitting it. For the 1.6, you need to insert a spacer into the thermostat housing to raise the upper radiator hose. Bad news is, in the process of undoing the housing, one of the bolts snapped. Much swearing, drilling etc, I managed to get the remains of the bolt out, but somehow the casing of the lower housing has cracked. Replacement ordered, but it's a pain, as timing belt has to come off AGAIN!  Ugh. Why is it the simplist jobs are the ones that cause the most amount of pain? Let's hope the CAI is worth it. |
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Post by josho on Jan 16, 2017 17:30:20 GMT
Good to see you have the cobalt fitted up and are enjoying it  Thats a damn shame about the thermostat housing! At least this time its not the complete cambelt change Also, 14 degree timing mod done?? |
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 16, 2017 17:30:48 GMT
So today's lunchtime was spent stripping back the front end of the engine in preparation for parts arriving tomorrow. I must be getting better at this, as all apart and timing belt off in 1.5 hours (in the pouring rain!). One good thing is it has allowed me to check the crank seal, and no leaks, so that was positive. For the 1.6, I only had to remove the harmonic damper, so no need to lock the engine this time. I also left the radiator in place, so that saved some time. Worth noting for future that there is actually more than enough room to change the timing belt leaving the radiator in place. As I have the various bits sitting on the bench, waiting for tomorrow's delivery, I've had the chance to polish/clean up bolts etc. So, some consolation to the whole sorry tale.  |
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 16, 2017 21:33:56 GMT
Good to see you have the cobalt fitted up and are enjoying it Thats a damn shame about the thermostat housing! At least this time its not the complete cambelt change Also, 14 degree timing mod done?? The Cobalt was such a great fit, so thanks for sorting that for me, and definitely adds a nice tone to the car. Yes, got the 14 deg timing mod done, and works well. Worryingly, I've now started to read up on adjusted AFM clock springs. I think this is a dangerous path, and there be dragons at the end of it! |
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Post by AndyMk2 on Jan 16, 2017 22:05:01 GMT
It's all good practice!
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 18, 2017 18:53:03 GMT
She breathes again! Here is the nice shiny new housing from MX5 Parts:  Everything back together without any hitches (and no leaks!), and I have to say, the Jass cam locking tool, is really worth the money when changing your timing belt. Both times I have used it, it has been faultless, and timing belt in the correct position on the first try both times. Once everything was back on, time to tackle the Jackson Racing CAI. It’s definitely been redesigned slightly, and all the problems that I have read about previously regarding fitting, were non-existent. If it hadn’t been for the rusty thermostat bolt, I would have done this in under an hour. The housing all fits in well, with no rubbing, and the only issue being what to do with the bonnet support? On the US cars, the brake servo is on the other side, and allows you to fit a bonnet clip to it, but RHD cars, there isn’t the luxury of this. For now, I just have it resting against the washer bottle, but I need to find a more permanent solution – maybe hydraulic lifters (but I don’t want chrome)? I’m retaining all the old parts, so I can revert back to standard spec easily in the future.  I really need to clean up my engine bay now  . Start-up was painless, and a brief 15 minute drive (yes, with the roof down – are you regretting your hard top yet  ?), revealed a nice crisp throttle response. A bit too icy to truly try it out, so will see how it all settles down over the coming weeks, but certainly feels lively, and a nice note from the intake. No issues with idle.  Next up, Dinitrol… |
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Post by Meerkat on Jan 19, 2017 17:12:29 GMT
Well this was a weekend I don't wish to repeat in a hurry. Good news is I purchased a Jackson Racing CAI, so started fitting it. For the 1.6, you need to insert a spacer into the thermostat housing to raise the upper radiator hose. Bad news is, in the process of undoing the housing, one of the bolts snapped. The EXACT same thing happened to me when I was overhauling my cooling system last summer. Same side and everything! Luckily I managed to get the stub out with a pair of vicegrips so I didn't have to change the whole housing. |
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 19, 2017 18:28:46 GMT
Well this was a weekend I don't wish to repeat in a hurry. Good news is I purchased a Jackson Racing CAI, so started fitting it. For the 1.6, you need to insert a spacer into the thermostat housing to raise the upper radiator hose. Bad news is, in the process of undoing the housing, one of the bolts snapped. The EXACT same thing happened to me when I was overhauling my cooling system last summer. Same side and everything! Luckily I managed to get the stub out with a pair of vicegrips so I didn't have to change the whole housing. Good to not be alone! Looking at the housing, it appears that coolant had been leaking very slightly via the gasket to the thread of the bolt, which had corroded in situ. When I used the stud extractor (vice grips didn't work for me), I suspect the force applied then cracked the side by the threaded hole. Now I have a new housing, I shouldn't suffer the infamous lower outlets/spigots corroding for a few years. |
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 25, 2017 10:42:09 GMT
Been having an (intermittent !) problem with my right hand indicator. Sometimes it wouldn't come on, and had to try a couple of times for it to work. Just replaced the flasher unit relay with a used one off eBay. Seems to have cured it. Guess there was a dry joint developing on the circuit board, but haven't been able to spot it. Will bench test it later to see if I can find the errant connection.  |
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Post by rustywheels on Jan 26, 2017 19:49:27 GMT
Errr, so this is embarrassing. Nothing showed up on the bench test, and then driving into work the problem emerged again with the new flasher unit. The hazards work fine and if I half push the indicator stalk, it all works. Only now and again when the stalk is fully activated does the problem happen. So must be the contacts in the stalk. Will be stripping that down this weekend (this is probably the most riveting thread on here ) |
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Post by rustywheels on Feb 4, 2017 18:00:56 GMT
Dropped the car into Garath at MX5Restorer to have the Dinitrol applied to the underside. Will pick it up next weekend and will then feel much happier about driving around on salty roads.
Got a mk2.5 as a courtesy car. OMG talk about chalk and cheese. How much quieter is this car?! You can see how Mazda really improved the refinement. But the engine just feels sluggish compared to the early 1.6, and not so rev happy. But still it's a great drive.
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Post by rustywheels on Feb 11, 2017 19:29:49 GMT
Collected car from a very damp and sleety Eastbourne, but fully undersealed - just in time for the worst of the Winter! Will post some pics when I get a chance.
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Post by rustywheels on Feb 15, 2017 19:35:21 GMT
A few pics that Garath sent through of before and after the Dinitrol was applied. Before:  After:   I had been debating what to do with the wishbones, as I like the standard look of smooth paint, but after discussing with the guys, and especially as the car is out in all weather, decided that preservation was the key factor, so these have had Dinitrol applied too. |
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Post by rustywheels on Feb 25, 2017 11:02:25 GMT
Gear change has felt a little notchy, so, as its been a while since I changed the transmission oil, I replaced this yesterday with the usual Castrol GL4. Also checked the upper turret bushings and changed that oil. All OK, and now a nicer change. I'll replace the diff oil next week, although its only been a year since I did it last - just for peace of mind.
Shame I cant make today's Skuzzle session, as I would have been interested to see what the profile of my Jackson CAI and the Cobalt exhaust make. Now I am getting used to them, it feels much perkier, with a nice fast pick up. Above 5,000 rpm, the engine now seems to spin much more quickly up the rev range and happier at the top of the revs. Also loving the sound now. Hopefully next time...
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Post by Simple_enigma on Mar 2, 2017 20:27:32 GMT
nice build so far buddy |
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?), revealed a nice crisp throttle response. A bit too icy to truly try it out, so will see how it all settles down over the coming weeks, but certainly feels lively, and a nice note from the intake. No issues with idle.
le sigh