MX5 engine rebuild advice

MX5 engine rebuild advice

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Discussion

mr_tony

Original Poster:

6,339 posts

276 months

Tuesday 27th July 2004
quotequote all
Hi,

Wondering if you chaps can help with some suggestions.

My brothers fiances MX5 (Import Eunos) has just suffered a pretty serious failure. = The end of her crankshaft has snapped and in the process done some pretty terminal damage to the engine. Theres no chance of saving the crankshaft - I've seen welds on eunos crankshafts before but this one is a non starter as the snap is too close to the end. Not taken the engine apart yet either but I suspect that it's pretty much beyond saving.

I'm interested to find out a decent source for a second hand refurbed Eunos (early shape) 1.6l engine + crankshaft so I can get the repairs moving. Does anyone know a good parts place in the uk to get these bits relatively cheaply? (car is currently in the south west if that helps..)

Failing that what would you recommend I do with the car - is there some bunch of nutters out there putting bike engines in eunos's yet or anything like that? Could be an interesting track car potentially...

Cheers,
mr_tony

Munter

31,326 posts

248 months

Tuesday 27th July 2004
quotequote all
Check out

www.apiengines.com/

They import engines from Japan and the prices are quite good. (Quoted me £600ish for a MR2 mk1 engine).

Their premier engines come with a 12month warrenty.

KITT

5,342 posts

248 months

Tuesday 27th July 2004
quotequote all
Munter said:
Check out

www.apiengines.com/

They import engines from Japan and the prices are quite good. (Quoted me £600ish for a MR2 mk1 engine).

Their premier engines come with a 12month warrenty.

You should try RAW engineering for MR2 engines:

www.rawengineering.co.uk/RAW_engines.html

IIRC they charge about £500 for a second hand imported engine with low mileage and 6 months warrenty. You can get power addons too

PJLarge

480 posts

254 months

Tuesday 27th July 2004
quotequote all
As mentioned on the MX5OC forum, engines are easily available through people like API, any of the specialist MX-5 breakers or normal scrapyards. I put a new engine in my first MX-5, total cost £250 for the engine and £125 fitting. They come up time to time on ebay too.

If you're after more poke, put a 1.8 from 93-98 in instead. AON who do the owners club insurance treat engine swaps as a genuine 1.8 for insurance reasons so there's no stopping you. 1.8 engines are even more readily available and Flyin' Miata (www.flyinmiata.com) now do a kit of the bits you need to swap a 1.8 lump into a 1.6.

Good luck

Phil.

cptsideways

13,648 posts

259 months

Tuesday 27th July 2004
quotequote all
I might just flog you a 323 Turbo crankshaft I have here, its just the same as the MX5 & I'm south westish too.

Mail me if your interested

mr_tony

Original Poster:

6,339 posts

276 months

Wednesday 28th July 2004
quotequote all
Will get back to you on the crankshaft, I'll discuss with my brother and his finace this weekend - it's their wedding so while they're away honeymooning I might get an opportunity to deal with the car.

Thanks for the info guys, all pretty useful - much appreciated.

greg_D

6,542 posts

253 months

Thursday 29th July 2004
quotequote all
Commiserations on the engine, i had to have a full bottom end rebuild on mine a couple of months ago, a right pain in the arse.

Is money the main consideration, ie. the cheaper the better, if not, why not get an RV8 (they will fit) much nicer than paying out for a standard engine, you might as well get something a little more smokin' for a bit more money.

Greg

mr_tony

Original Poster:

6,339 posts

276 months

Thursday 29th July 2004
quotequote all
greg - depends really.

It's my brothers fiance's car, and she has no money to fix it, I could however buy it off her at a little above the scrap rate to help her out, then it would be a case of potentially turning it into a track car for laughs.

Would spend under 2k on it to do this though, and would need engine, crank, seats, wheels / tyres / exhaust for that I think. So an RV8 is probably too expensive. I won't have time to do the work myself (or the expertise for that matter!) so it'll be a garage job. Though a cheap bike engine conversion would be interesting but not heard fo anyone doing that to MX5's.

PJLarge

480 posts

254 months

Thursday 29th July 2004
quotequote all
1.8 Engine - £300
Flyin' Miata 1.8 Conversion Kit - £100
Fitting - £150
Stainless 'zorst - £400 max
Race Seat - £250 max
Springs / Shocks £400
Wheels / Tyres £400

That's £2000. You could save here and there sourcing bits through the owners club / Ebay. Don't forget you'd get some ££ back from selling the stock stuff too. Go for it!

Phil.

mr_tony

Original Poster:

6,339 posts

276 months

Thursday 29th July 2004
quotequote all
mmm looks interesting!

PJLarge

480 posts

254 months

Thursday 29th July 2004
quotequote all
Yes I'd certainly consider it. Bin all the rest of the heavy stuff out of the car like the spare, carpets etc etc and you'll have a pretty good power/weight ratio. I reckon you'd recoup maybe £500 for stock seats, carpets, wheels etc. Put that into a seperate fund for some forced induction and away you go. My car with about £14k in it embarrasses machinery worth 4 times that.

Phil.
www.cardomain.com/id/pjlarge