MX5Ireland

hi everyone, im new here and know nothing about cars and would love some help, i have a june 98 jap import mx5 1.8 with 6 speed mark2. the radiator emptyed from a big leak and the engine got so hot the leads melted on the plugs. the car wont start by the key but will start on a tow when it does it boils off the water in the radiator, so do i need a new engine or the head skimmed, if i need a new engine which one is mine im not sure what the engine code is,i have taken a few photos and put them on bebo cause i dont know how to put them here i but here is all the info i have vin is nb8c104249, on a sticker on the door there is info http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?M ... 0007846600
on the airbox and on the fan behind the radiator is bp4w but on the black round thing "sorry" under the bonnet opp the steering wheel is 833-04291 8514 in the reg cert it says 942401? which is the vin backwards, so can anyone tell what to do and where to get it done , thank you in advance for your time and help, p.s i live in bundoran county donegal

Ouch..
When you are starting on the key, does the starter motor turn over?

for an engine :
Give Traynors.co.uk a ring or try IVT in Dublin (think thats the name of them)

Steve

You have a 1.8 MK2 engine, not the VVi unit that came in in 2001.

The starter motor mounting and timing etc are different to a MK1 so they are not direct replacements.

wow thanks guys for the quick responses,, if i put the car in gear and try to start the car without my foot on the clutch it jumps forward does that mean its turning i know nothing about cars sorry, ive found some engines on the uk ebay but all these differant bp codes they talk about makes my head spin what do you think of these item numbers 130281976903, 400026778552 , 370143662305 does it mater that i have a six speed box i found a crowd called ivi in dublin im going to give them a ring i hope they dont ask me questions that i dont know the answer to
thanks again for your help
damien

fire999 wrote:wow thanks guys for the quick responses,, if i put the car in gear and try to start the car without my foot on the clutch it jumps forward does that mean its turning i know nothing about cars sorry, ive found some engines on the uk ebay but all these differant bp codes they talk about makes my head spin what do you think of these item numbers 130281976903, 400026778552 , 370143662305 does it mater that i have a six speed box i found a crowd called ivi in dublin im going to give them a ring i hope they dont ask me questions that i dont know the answer to
thanks again for your help
damien

Chill

The first and last are the right engine, they seem pricey, and I don't know about the middle one.

This company in England is very good for engines, no idea what the shipping costs would be, around £200 I guess for pallet groupage.

http://www.apiengines.com/

I'm not in a position to diagnose your engine, but at least it is not seized.
I would at least change the plugs and the leads. Once you established that it does run, change the oil straight away.

Before committing money to a new engine and as you say you know nothing about them, look through the yellow pages for a mobile mechanic to come and have a look at it first.

The gearbox has no effect on the engine, it is the diff that is different to 5 speed cars.

I expect your thermostat is fur bar and maybe the water pump is not pumping, the vanes can corrode.

The engines are not difficult to work on, so a mecanic at £30 (no Euro key, ) will get a lot done before a big bill happens.

Many of the parts suppliers like MX-5 Heaven and Auto Link can give you some advice too.

Welcome to the club fire999, plenty of sound advice from the lads on the site!

I hope you dont need an engine, however a "fried" engine is rarely ever the same no matter how much you spend on mechanics, usually makes more sence to replace, i have a stock engine up Monaghan way if you have a reliable mechanic to fit it, Bets luck with your repair, P

NickD wrote:I expect your thermostat is fur bar and maybe the water pump is not pumping, the vanes can corrode.

The engines are not difficult to work on, so a mecanic at £30 (no Euro key, ) will get a lot done before a big bill happens.

Many of the parts suppliers like MX-5 Heaven and Auto Link can give you some advice too.

Nick, for the EURO sign, just press CTRL ALT 4 €€€€€€€€€€€€ ,,Sorry , engines are something I know not a lot about, basics only.

John

I assume things must have recently got a lot cheaper to import?

yea the rate now is about £1=€1.10 to buy in the banks but they give less than a €1 for £1 a far cry from when it was £1=€1.50 and yet they are crying about not making any money most shops here dont give anything just £1=€1

hey guys
here is a link of what happens when i try to start the car, the radiator emptys of water when i try this its a new radiator, the man i bought the rad of says he done a compression test on one of "thing a magiggys" and there was no compression he couldnt get the leads of the others, after 8 hours of swearing with long pliers i managed to get most of the ht leads of the plugs enought to get new ones on and seated
http://www.bebo.com/FlashBox.jsp?FlashB ... 3205791007
thanks again guys for your help much appreciatted, i feel like a fool not knowing the parts when you try to help
damien

fire999 wrote:hey guys
here is a link of what happens when i try to start the car, the radiator emptys of water when i try this its a new radiator, the man i bought the rad of says he done a compression test on one of "thing a magiggys" and there was no compression he couldnt get the leads of the others, after 8 hours of swearing with long pliers i managed to get most of the ht leads of the plugs enought to get new ones on and seated
http://www.bebo.com/FlashBox.jsp?FlashB ... 3205791007
thanks again guys for your help much appreciatted, i feel like a fool not knowing the parts when you try to help
damien

Sounds like you have compression to me. No compression and it will just spin.

If the head got so hot, then it's not going to be happy.

You say it just empties water? Is it running to do this?
If it is emptying water just cranking then you should be able to see that leak easily. Check the little metal pipes under the thermostat housing on the front of the engine, these have a habit of corroding through.

Find the leak. Then I suspect very much that the head will have to come off to sort this out.

The worry is, if the head got that hot it is likely the only cooling in the engine would have been the oil and what has that done to the main bearings and other stuff.

yea it emptys of water when trying to start in a matter of seconds, also there seems to be air going to the coolant bottle cause it bubbles when im trying to start?
thanks

fire999 wrote:yea it emptys of water when trying to start in a matter of seconds, also there seems to be air going to the coolant bottle cause it bubbles when im trying to start?
thanks

WHere is it emptying from exactly?