I took it back to the service garage since they had also forgotten to stamp the service book - and they are having a look for leaks, but I think I'll have a look at that forum... and find a specialist near me to do the work.
Thanks for both these replies. They give me a helpful starting point to at least know what's going on and how serious. Much appreciated.
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>>the independent garage had gone for the cheap option of putting in a 5w oil instead of the recommended 15w
I thought the recommendation for these was 5W-30?
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I thought the recommendation for these was 5W-30?
According to Castrol, casting aside their nonsense about using 0W30 in everything, they specify 10w40 semi-synth. They're usually right, and it's what I would've said for a typical Jap engine.
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What is a typical Japanese engine? What do Mazda suggest? Many Japanese and other makes sold in the USA use 0W/20, which, SFAIK, have not caused failures despite more varied driving conditions, and the desperate need of American agencies to reduce fuel consumption somehow:)
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Well, the latest in the saga. A new brake caliper later (though I had to fight for new a disk and pad after they wrecked the first ones by making the caliper so tight it was smoking), I set off for a few hundred miles to my brother?s wedding, happy in the service centre?s assurance that there were no oil or fluid leaks and the pipes were fine.
On the way back the radiator overheated. I had to call out the AA. Turns out there is an oil leak at the back of the engine which has corroded a water pipe. Luckily I got through fuel so fast that I left the motorway to refill and at the slow speed the smoke was obvious and I realised what was going on before the engine seized.
I?m going to go back to the service centre as, if it?s not for checking stuff like leaking oil/corroded pipes, I?m not entirely sure why I paid for the ?service?. I?m not sure where I stand in terms of whether they are liable (ie. the overheat and subsequent damage would have been averted had they done the service properly because I would never have driven it with a leak) but my real question (this isn?t just a rant!) is what I should be asking them to do about it? is it worth trying to fix an engine that has overheated? It?s running (unsmoothly) at the moment, but is it just a matter of time before it dies for good?
Thanks for any advice.
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Sorry, just to clarify, the brake was a different issue (obviously!).
The PS fluid leak was fixed (a clip holding two pipes together had corroded), and I also asked them to look for water/oil leaks as suggested here - I was told they checked it over and there were none... the original smoke did appear to stop after the PS fluid leak was fixed, so I'm guessing they overlooked the other problems because they were concentrating on the obvious one. And even that one they had missed until I took it back a second time - argh!
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Vix
You mean that they replaced just one disc and the pads on one side only??
I love the AA man's diagnosis that leaking oil corroded a pipe....
This car seems to suffer a lot of corrosion? Was this one of the 65 unregistered MX5s that were flooded in storage and were written off - before being "repaired" and sold-on as new?
[Check under the seats; are the seat-base springs rusty?]
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Um, not that I know of. The interior is fine, but it is 11 years old and has been garaged outside for the last 6.
Nope, they replaced brakes both sides, but made a hash of the caliper on one side so had to replace that caliper and the disk and pad a second time.
While it was on the ramp, I saw the clip they replaced and also the pipes, the clip was basically pure rust and the PS pipes were pretty corroded though basically sound.
The pipe the AA-man took out was the rubber heater pipe. His explanation was that hot/cold makes the layers of rubber brittle as they get old and added to this that oil was dripping onto it from the engine. Before you ask, his temp fix was to bypass my heater so the pipe now goes straight from teh radiator to the engine. It was the heater-to-engine section that had the split, not the radiator-to-heater bit.
(This seemed feasible, I could see the oil leak clearly when pointed out - it still is - and I have the old pipe which has oil all over exactly where the split is...)
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Vix
That makes more sense; the leaking oil perished a hose [not corroded a pipe; which is a very different thing.]
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Sorry, wrong terminology.
What I'm wondering about though is whether an engine that has been overheated (as in empty of water but not actually seized) is going to be worth fixing when it also has an oil leak at the back of the engine and considering what else I've said in this thread.
I like the car and sort of feel better-the-devil-you-know about it, but if the overheating means it basically needs a new engine, I am not sure it would be worth the cost for one so old.
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Vix
Had it actually overheated? You mention bluish smoke [which could come from leaking PS oil] but not whether there was any water loss?
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There have been several things wrong and has been an ongoing saga with the idiots who 'serviced' it because they missed just about everything they should have been checking, except the one I physically pointed. The bluish smoke mentioned in my first post was to do with the PS fluid leak which was fixed.
However, shortly after the service the engine then overheated due to the perished water hose (probably exacerbated by the oil leak - two additional problems which they also didn't spot). As mentioned in my last post above, the radiator was just about empty and the engine did unquestionably overheat.
I'm not wondering whether that happened, I know it did, just whether the only long-term option for an overheated engine is to replace it because it will be irreparably damaged.
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In short, Vix, I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about how much "abuse" an engine will take.
If you stopped at the first sign of overheating that will help. As a poster mentioned above the MX5 has a reputation for being pretty bulletproof.
I am assuming that the car is now back on the road, being used and keeping the right fluids in the right places.
If so then I would use it and monitor the oil, water, power steering fluid levels etc frequently and see how it goes. Then any rapid change in oil or water levels should be picked up and acted upon quickly.
HTH
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If the worst comes to the worst, the fact that the MX5 engine is extremely reliable and almost bulletproof - this means they are available from breakers at very reasonable prices because there is no demand for them. Also they are fairly easy to swap as there is ample room around them.
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If the worst comes to the worst the fact that the MX5 engine is extremely reliable and almost bulletproof - this means they are available from breakers at very reasonable prices because there is no demand for them. Also they are fairly easy to swap as there is ample room around them.
I totally agree with this! When there's a demand for certain gearbox/engine the breakers always ask silly money because they know someone would come and buy it really soon, I experienced this when I was sourcing a gearbox for VW Polo!!!
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I don't need it daily so it has basically done the 10 miles home since the AA fixed it. The oil leak has had nothing done about it yet (I didn't want to spend a load having that fixed if the engine is shot).
I honestly don't know how far I drove with the engine overheating (I was on a motorway for a few hours doing a reasonable speed *ahem*) so the smoke was only apparent when I stopped. However, I do know it didn't seize, and with the water now going where it should it does run ok.
Thanks for the advice though. If it is going to need replacing, I may as well get any life left in this one first and watch it carefully. If there are a few engines around then that's encouraging :)
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It is worth someone having a good look at the rear of the engine to see where the oil is coming from. I haven't had to do much work on son and heir's(he thinks :) ) car but the obvious place to lose enough oil to rot a hose is the cam cover gasket. If this has been badly fitted then it will give problems. I can't remember the cost of one, have a look on mxparts.co.uk, they aren't expensive. Fitting it properly is not difficult, it just needs care.
For the cost of doing this, you may find that all is ok.
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Sorry, website is mx5parts.co.uk
Made from neoprene and Genuine Mazda, the camshaft cover gasket deteriorates with age, becoming too hard to effectively seal the cover.
Always use the Genuine Mazda gasket as aftermarket copies are often too thin to seal effectively
only £10.83 inc vat (list price £21.11)
www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/240
There you go, straight from the horse(power)'s mouth.
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