Does your Mk1 rattle!?

[Don Phil]

Ok, after my 5's little outing to the garage for a new slave cylinder (fixed ) the mechanics report states that theres a lot of 'rattles' (which i already knew having been in the car before!) Surely a car thats over 17 years old is going to rattle...!? Well, mine does anyway, and i dont really care.

Also a bit of concern when he says the exhaust is 'welded in several places'!? Is this something to worry about come MOT time? (in a month ).

Fair comment when he says fluids need replacing as i believe the car was stood a while before i bought it, so really i think it needs a good service (it runs sweet as a nut and always has done) but prevention is better than the cure, as they say.

[b4bby]

The welded up exhaust isnt really a worry unless its blowing anywhere.

It might look bad but if its doing its job of allowing the exhaust gases to exit from the back of the car then dont worry.

And if its too far gone to repair then there's plenty of standard exhausts out there second hand which are pretty cheap.

Almost every mx5 will have some rattles and noises but thats par for the course for (in some cases) a 20 year old car.

Dont let it worry you and just drive it!

[pbirkett]

Mine rattles, buzzes and squeeks constantly. I never gave it much thought really though, as you say, old cars, and old cars generally rattled anyway even when they were new. In some ways, I think it makes the car more raw, and gives it some character.

[Don Phil]

Thanks guys, exhaust doesnt blow at all, so guessing should be fine, will find out soon enough in any case.

As i say, i dont mind the rattles in the slightest, i think it gives it character too. So much better than driving round in a snoozemobile 'family hatch' you can get for the same (or considerable more) money IMO.

Enjoy it I will

[Dan_1981]

Rattles?

Mine sounds like a skeleton having a wk in an empty bicuit tin.

courtesy of someone on another topic the other day

but yes mine does have random bangs, rattles, squeaks, whistles and any other noise you can think of.

I think new exhaust hangers will sort my most major one. And i have them.

It just won't stop raining so I can put them on.

Edited by Dan_1981 on Saturday 20th March 13:38

[snotrag]

Perfectly normal. Mine bangs, rattles, squeaks and crashes along, all accompanied with a bass line of an exhaust that's a a little bit juvenile. Bothered? Noway. As said - at least it feels alive.

[Howard-]

Yep, most of the trim, roof assembly and passengers seat rattles, squeaks and vibrates as I potter along, but I don't care

[Digby]

The roof sometimes has a rattle, but only on really bumpy bits, the most odd rattle I have seems to come from the front brake caliper area though.I have no idea what it is (maybe the caliper? lol).Apart from that, the ole' Eunos Mk1 is pretty good.

[Gizmo!]

Mine does rattle quite a lot.

[insert rant about London/Essex potholes here].

Do I care? Nah.

[youngsyr]

Brand new £40K Mitsubishi Evos rattle and squeak, let alone a 20 year old MX-5! It's part of the charm of owning a Japanese car.

[BliarOut]

Howard- said:

Yep, most of the trim, roof assembly and passengers seat rattles, squeaks and vibrates as I potter along, but I don't care

My brand new MK1 passenger seat rattled, Mazda's 'fix' was to advise me to push the seat back against the bulkhead when I didn't have a passenger. Seemed to do the trick

[MX-5 Lazza]

What rattles was the mechanic talking about? He sounds like he might be a decent enough mechanic so I doubt he was talking about seat/exhaust/trim rattles. If he was talking about HLA (tappets) rattles then this should be looked at. There is a good chance that an engine flush & oil change to a decent full synthetic (Mobil 1 0-40 is perfect) will fix it.

[trace1967]

Not to worry my mk1 always rattles all over and squeaks. Its a 16 yr old car, thats what I expect. New cars are too quiet and boring.

[Digby]

I have changed my mind and wish to retract my last comment.Since this thread, I have been making a point of having the stereo off and have been paying attention to any noises.The end result is that it does rattle.And creak.And knock.And rattle some more

[dylan0451]

garage left the engine loom bracket to bellhousing off. my god. the buzzing was driving me up the wall. took 3 hours of pulling the dash apart, head under pedal box etc. before i found the bloody thing vibrating against the bulkhead engine bay side.

i have now noticed a rattle, knocking from within the dash. it starts at 1100rpm and stops at 2k rpm. lloks like the clutch is gonna be getting worked just that bit harder..


knocks and rattles are fine, a hornets nest stuck in the dash, not so good!

front caliper rattle - spring clips and wire clips inserted ok? i bent the little wire ones out a bit more to hold more tension, seems to have worked so far... that and generous applications of copper grease

[Howard-]

I've noticed a fairly 'low frequency' knocking/vibrating since I had the SC fitted - at lower revs in 1st it can be heard coming from under the car somewhere, can't really hear it in the engine bay if you rev it manually so the sound must be travelling.. Sounds like someone left a spanner on the undertray or something (but I have checked that )

Can't think what might be loose

[Emeye]

MX-5 Lazza said:

What rattles was the mechanic talking about? He sounds like he might be a decent enough mechanic so I doubt he was talking about seat/exhaust/trim rattles. If he was talking about HLA (tappets) rattles then this should be looked at. There is a good chance that an engine flush & oil change to a decent full synthetic (Mobil 1 0-40 is perfect) will fix it.

From when I had my Mk1 Eunos (and other older cars)I always thought that the general consensus was that an engine flush and thin oil in such an old engine was not such a great idea.

[GravelBen]

My old one had no rattles at all when I bought it despite the fairly high miles. After 2 years of me treating it like a rally car however it had plenty!

[MX-5 Lazza]

0W-40 full synth is fine in an old Mazda engine, they are pretty solid & well built things with good tolerances (not like an old Ford which will need thicker oil to make up for what the engines lack). A quality full synth like Mobil1 also has the advantage of better detergents in it so will help to clean up the gunk in the engine and keep it clean.
The mistake many people make is to look at the oil on the dip-stick, see it's a bit black and assume the oil needs replacing - all it means is that it's doing it's job, cleaning the engine and keeping the soot & other deposits in suspension rather than letting them form a gloop or attach themselves to engine components. Black oil = clean engine

[snotrag]

Experience tells me that cheaper semi synth 10-40 oils cause my 100k mile car to tap and rattle, sometimes on a cold start, sometimes when hot.

After changing to Mobil 1, it runs quieter, NO lash adjuster rattle at all, and holds good steady oil pressure at all times. Worth it.