I've had bit of a nightmare with my MX5. I bought the car in March of this year from a dealer. I had no problems with the car initially. I've had it serviced (May) and MOT (end of July) without too many problems, new exhaust, break pads etc.
2 weeks ago I was driving to a friends and had full engine failure 200 miles from home. The mechanic who put in a recon engine wasn't sure of the reason behind the engine failure, but suspected the previous mechanic who did the service had put the wrong engine oil in. Anyway, I picked it up from my friends house (who had collected it for me on Friday of last week). I noticed there appeared to be little fluid in the radiator (not an issue when I broke down), so presumed it hadn't been checked properly after the recon engine had been put in. I therefore topped up with radiator anti-freeze and some water last night. I subsequently left it and rechecked. It had dropped slightly but I didn't think anything of it. On arrival home I re-checked the oil and fluid and noticed there was limited water in the radiator once again.
I've since noticed the radiator can be shaken slightly on the right side. Obviously I would take it back to the mechanic who has done the work, but he's 200 miles away in Leicester, so was wondering if anyone had a suggestion before I take it to another mechanic and deal with further expense.
I'd be grateful for any assistance.
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First off ring the mechanic and inform him that you have this problem, get his agreement to have a local garage have a look to find out where the leak is, if it is a simple leak from a pipe not tightened then it is easily and cheaply fixed, however, if the water is leaking into the engine, i.e. cracked head, then the recon engine is at fault and you will need to begin negotiations with the mechanic as to who will pay for the car to be collected and fixed. The movement in the radiator could be that it has not been tightened properly, or it may be rubber mounted so some movement is always apparent, it won,t be causing the loss of water though, thats something much more serious.
If the mechanic insists that the car be brought back to him rather than a local garage, for guarantee reasons perhaps, then make sure he pays for it to be recovered on a trailer, if you drive it and further damage is caused you won,t have a leg to stand on.
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The radiator probably came out during the engine transplant and was put back in a hurry.
You may have an air lock - which should be fairly simple to deal with.
I'd take a look at the MX-5 clubs and get some of the enthusiasts there to point you in the direction of a trustworthy mechanic. It's probably not worth going back to the transplant mechanic - I would guess your time is better spent finding a good local mechanic.
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I'm hoping it's just a lose connection after putting the re-con engine in. I do hope it's not a gasket problem. There doesn't appear to be any water in with the oil, no milky colouring etc. I'm hoping that SteVee is right. I dropped it off with a mechanic today, explained its history and he's going to investigate. Thanks guys. Matt
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Thanks for your help.
The mechanic said it has a leaking thermostat valve and can replace the whole thing tomorrow. I'll mention it to my friend as he knows the garage owner that did the job, but they gave me such a good price on the recon engine and fitting (£600) cheaper than any other quotes that I'll just let it go. The new local mechanic seems to think it'll cost £60, so all up will still only be £860. Obviously I'm not happy with spending so much cash, but the situation could have been a lot worse.
Thanks again,
Matt
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Assume by "so all up will still only be £860" you meant £660. Or am I missing £200 somewhere in your post?
If £660 then no it sounds a fairish price for a recon engine. Not had to get one in over 10 years thankfully.
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Sorry. I put the brackets in the wrong place. It was £600 cheaper than any other quotes and cost £800 for the recon engine and labour. Still £860 sounds better than £1400.
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Lets all hope we have better weather soon for you to enjoy the MX5 properly :-)
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sounds rather cheap for a 'recon', was it a Mazda engine? especially a japenese one where bits are not of the Ford type price.
Still , you ar eup and running.
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I replaced the coolant in my son's MX5 a few weeks ago. I found that the heater matrix was a bit difficult to bleed and eventually loosened the return pipe from it, with the engine running and allowed the air to escape (covered the area with rag to avoid scalding myself!) The rad was then topped up and the expansion tank filled to the maximum mark. I thought that was that, checked it next day and found that the expansion tank was empty. Checked the system over but found no leaks so just refilled the tank. It then settled down and has been ok since.
I assumed that it was the last remnants of air disappearing.
This may be the case with yours. There is also the possibility that it was drained and refilled with the heater set to cold in which case there would be a fair amount of air trapped in the matrix. Using the car has displaced the air and may have given the symptoms of a leak.
I would keep an eye on the radiator and expansion tank levels for a while, for piece of mind.
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Meant to add that the radiator is rubber mounted and does move a bit.
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Ahh. So a small amount of movement is o.k. I noticed that they are rubber fixed. I'm glad to be on the road once again, with the car at least in the locality. The work should be getting done as I type. I'll be keeping an eye on the water and oil on a frequent basis, that's a sure thing.
My friend owns his own business and his only employee/apprentice uncle owns the japanese garage specialist (and breakers) that did the work. He's done quite a few jobs for the family etc so he spoke to him on my behalf. Basically I left him with a broken car and £800 and I went 10 days later and collected a fixed(ish) car. The engine appears to be all Mazda parts.
Thanks to all those who helped.
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The saga continues. I went out in Newcastle last night, left the car at my fiends house and stayed over. When I started the car there seemed to be a mass of initial smoke. I returned home and the water has dropped again.
My mate in Leicester is going to speak to the mechanic and get it sorted. This is so frustrating!!
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>>...left the car at my fiends house and...<<
never leave your car with a fiend.
Seriously - was it white smoke or grey/black smoke ? If the former then a blown head gasket is likely, if the latter then it's burning oil - so valve stems or rings perhaps ?
I hope you get it sorted soon.
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Time to push for a replacement engine I think! Makes you wonder why it was so cheap!
snipquote
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My friend didn't drive the car, I went out drinking and obviously didn't drive it after a few beers. The smoke appeared to be grey/black, so I agree that I think it's burning oil, although it may be the HG with the mass amount of water loss. The mechanic didn't think so yesterday, but he could be wrong. I'm definitely going to push for another engine to be put in.
I don't think there will be too much of an issue of them doing the work again, but it's exceptionally frustrating commuting between Durham and Leicester trying to rectify the problems. I'm wondering if I should take it to a mazda garage and get them to look over it?
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Those engines are fairly bulletproof, very conservatively made and originally designed for use with a turbo. I'd have no worries using one from a breaker with 100k miles on it as a replacement. I'd suspect something wrong with the changeover rather than a second duff motor. I've not heard of headgasket problems.
Martin
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Martin. I'd agree with you. When the AA man came after breaking down he said he's couldn't remember the last time he attended a MX5 for an actual 'break down'. Part of the reason I bought it was because they have (or had) such a good reputation. The first engine had only done 64 000 miles (and it had full service history so I honestly think it was genuine). I've had a look for HG failings on internet and it doesn't see common.
I'm frustrated as I seem to be losing money hand over fist and it's taking up such a large amount of my time. I should have gone with my usual dull purchase it intended... a 1.6 03 plate astra. It's all a learning experience.
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I agree with J1mbo about chasing for a replacement engine, its not my intention to sound smug, but see my original suggestion to you. Whether you got the job done cheap by a mates mate or not doesn't matter, you paid for a recon engine to be fitted, you have every right to expect it to work properly, get your monies worth, what's worse, upsetting a mates mechanic or throwing money down the drain. The law's on your side. Hope it gets sorted, it's about time we stood up against shoddy treatment from garages.
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Cheers. Your right. I'm back at work Monday and will have to make arrangements getting the car back to Leicester. I'm going to drive it. I have warranty with the engine so there shouldn't be a problem. If it dies on the way down... then so be it. They'll have to give me a new engine then and I'll ensure they pay the costs of towing (although I'm covered by breakdown).
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