Lifespan of a Mark 1/2 Clutch + Cambelt Question
Discussion
For the last 11 years I've thought about buying an MX5 for some fun. I don't want to drop a lot of money in to it and I'm looking at mark 1 and 2s for <£2000. It's difficult to find ones that haven't been ragged or "scened" but I've found a few. I've read up on the subject of MX5 issues (including the stickied buyer's guide) and although I'm not at all technical, I think I've got a fair idea of warning signs.
I've found one that whilst not ideal in many ways, ticks a number of other boxes. It's a 1999 1.6i mark 2 owned by someone who seems to have some mechanical background and a love for cars. He's changing the bearings in the front wheels before I test drive and he's very open about the car's faults. There's no rust underneath, however there are 2 things I'm concerned about:
1) the cambelt is making a noise apparently. That's fine, it's only £200 to change (according to his quote) and if I'm not wrong, it snapping wouldn't write the car off. Am I being naive in any way here?
2) It has done 70k miles without a clutch change. On a hatchback, that'd be a time-bomb but I can't find much on how long clutches last on MX5s. Can anyone advise? Is this still within reasonable territory?
I'm buying an 18 year old car for pretty cheap; I know things will go wrong. I just don't want it to be a money sink and part of the allure of an MX5 for me, other than its cult following for drivability, is how common and cheap parts seem to be.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!
I've found one that whilst not ideal in many ways, ticks a number of other boxes. It's a 1999 1.6i mark 2 owned by someone who seems to have some mechanical background and a love for cars. He's changing the bearings in the front wheels before I test drive and he's very open about the car's faults. There's no rust underneath, however there are 2 things I'm concerned about:
1) the cambelt is making a noise apparently. That's fine, it's only £200 to change (according to his quote) and if I'm not wrong, it snapping wouldn't write the car off. Am I being naive in any way here?
2) It has done 70k miles without a clutch change. On a hatchback, that'd be a time-bomb but I can't find much on how long clutches last on MX5s. Can anyone advise? Is this still within reasonable territory?
I'm buying an 18 year old car for pretty cheap; I know things will go wrong. I just don't want it to be a money sink and part of the allure of an MX5 for me, other than its cult following for drivability, is how common and cheap parts seem to be.
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!
Edited by RobbieKB on Wednesday 11th October 10:14
A couple of points. They don't rot underneath. Look at the sills just forward of the rear arches. A little bubble here is a whole load of utter rot inside so run away. Also check front chassis rails on MK2, if you don't know what you are looking for find someone who does and save yourself a lot of time and money.
I never heard a cambelt make any noise ever, it's a rubber belt, it doesn't make noises. If there is noise it's not the cambelt so find out what it is.
In my experience the clutches are a weak point, at 70k it's likely to be about ready but they are cheap enough.
You want to see the engine start from clock cold and run all the way through to fully warm in order to know it doesn't have some problems. Mk2 1.8 in particular has a problem with gummed piston rings that will make it belch smoke when cold and appear just fine when warmed up. It's an engine out and full strip down job to fix. Don't be fooled with the old "it's just the valve guides" line. It's not!
Mk2 oil pressure guages don't show oil pressure at all. They show right in the middle of the range until the engine is utterly $%^ed then show nothing. They give no guide to engine state at all. Listen and if it sounds sick it is sick.
I never heard a cambelt make any noise ever, it's a rubber belt, it doesn't make noises. If there is noise it's not the cambelt so find out what it is.
In my experience the clutches are a weak point, at 70k it's likely to be about ready but they are cheap enough.
You want to see the engine start from clock cold and run all the way through to fully warm in order to know it doesn't have some problems. Mk2 1.8 in particular has a problem with gummed piston rings that will make it belch smoke when cold and appear just fine when warmed up. It's an engine out and full strip down job to fix. Don't be fooled with the old "it's just the valve guides" line. It's not!
Mk2 oil pressure guages don't show oil pressure at all. They show right in the middle of the range until the engine is utterly $%^ed then show nothing. They give no guide to engine state at all. Listen and if it sounds sick it is sick.
fatjon said:
A couple of points. They don't rot underneath. Look at the sills just forward of the rear arches. A little bubble here is a whole load of utter rot inside so run away. Also check front chassis rails on MK2, if you don't know what you are looking for find someone who does and save yourself a lot of time and money.
I never heard a cambelt make any noise ever, it's a rubber belt, it doesn't make noises. If there is noise it's not the cambelt so find out what it is.
In my experience the clutches are a weak point, at 70k it's likely to be about ready but they are cheap enough.
You want to see the engine start from clock cold and run all the way through to fully warm in order to know it doesn't have some problems. Mk2 1.8 in particular has a problem with gummed piston rings that will make it belch smoke when cold and appear just fine when warmed up. It's an engine out and full strip down job to fix. Don't be fooled with the old "it's just the valve guides" line. It's not!
Mk2 oil pressure guages don't show oil pressure at all. They show right in the middle of the range until the engine is utterly $%^ed then show nothing. They give no guide to engine state at all. Listen and if it sounds sick it is sick.
Blimey, my lack of knowledge is so deep and worrying! I'm looking at a few mk2s and checking past MOTs through Cazana. What concerns me is I'm not sure I would know what a problem might look or sound like (unless it's obvious) and I don't have any mechanic friends!I never heard a cambelt make any noise ever, it's a rubber belt, it doesn't make noises. If there is noise it's not the cambelt so find out what it is.
In my experience the clutches are a weak point, at 70k it's likely to be about ready but they are cheap enough.
You want to see the engine start from clock cold and run all the way through to fully warm in order to know it doesn't have some problems. Mk2 1.8 in particular has a problem with gummed piston rings that will make it belch smoke when cold and appear just fine when warmed up. It's an engine out and full strip down job to fix. Don't be fooled with the old "it's just the valve guides" line. It's not!
Mk2 oil pressure guages don't show oil pressure at all. They show right in the middle of the range until the engine is utterly $%^ed then show nothing. They give no guide to engine state at all. Listen and if it sounds sick it is sick.
Little things going wrong I expect, but when you have to get the engine out, that's going to cost a large percentage of the car's value. Ahh doubts, you're so cruel.
Thank you for the reply. Appreciate it.
The clutch on my Mk2.5 1.8 (which is the same as will be in that car) lasted 80k miles but that is on a 1.8 so already more power & torque plus it was supercharged with over 240bhp from 12500 miles.
If it sounds like the cam belt is noisy, it’s probably the water pump. You would change that when you change the cam belt anyway.
If it sounds like the cam belt is noisy, it’s probably the water pump. You would change that when you change the cam belt anyway.
MX-5 Lazza said:
The clutch on my Mk2.5 1.8 (which is the same as will be in that car) lasted 80k miles but that is on a 1.8 so already more power & torque plus it was supercharged with over 240bhp from 12500 miles.
If it sounds like the cam belt is noisy, it’s probably the water pump. You would change that when you change the cam belt anyway.
Thanks mate. You probably won't remember this, but if you went far enough back, you gave me MX-5 advice about a decade ago when I nearly bought one!If it sounds like the cam belt is noisy, it’s probably the water pump. You would change that when you change the cam belt anyway.
I'm torn at the moment. I can basically get the one discussed cheap because it's sitting on his drive but it has some rust on the arches but none at all underneath (allegedly). But for still under £2k I can get a 1.8 mk2 Phoenix edition with full tan leather interior and hard top.
Does anyone know of any visual guides to potential problems? Perhaps pictures of places on an MX-5 that have rusted that are a warning sign so I can just cross-reference each car with images. What a useless s
te I am! 
And I still have the same car 
I wouldn’t think at all about Mk. Just get the car with the best bodywork you can find. Pre 93 Mk1 1.6, Post 93 1.8 Mk1 or Mk2 would be my choice.
A little rust on the sills or arches can end up being a very big repair bill, far more than a simple clutch replacement. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a little bubbling on an arch isn’t a problem.
I wouldn’t think at all about Mk. Just get the car with the best bodywork you can find. Pre 93 Mk1 1.6, Post 93 1.8 Mk1 or Mk2 would be my choice.
A little rust on the sills or arches can end up being a very big repair bill, far more than a simple clutch replacement. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a little bubbling on an arch isn’t a problem.
MX-5 Lazza said:
And I still have the same car
I wouldn’t think at all about Mk. Just get the car with the best bodywork you can find. Pre 93 Mk1 1.6, Post 93 1.8 Mk1 or Mk2 would be my choice.
A little rust on the sills or arches can end up being a very big repair bill, far more than a simple clutch replacement. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a little bubbling on an arch isn’t a problem.
Interesting. That trap is something I may have fallen in to.I wouldn’t think at all about Mk. Just get the car with the best bodywork you can find. Pre 93 Mk1 1.6, Post 93 1.8 Mk1 or Mk2 would be my choice.
A little rust on the sills or arches can end up being a very big repair bill, far more than a simple clutch replacement. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a little bubbling on an arch isn’t a problem.
MX-5 Lazza said:
This buyer's guide is superb. I'll watch all of these, exactly the sort of information I was after. Thanks again mate! Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff