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Mazda 323

1468910

Comments

  • jones66jones66 Member Posts: 1
    Has anybody had difficulty in removing the driver's side tie rod end ? The passenger's side tie rod came off easily , but i can not get the driver's side tie rod end off of the rod. I've tried PB Blast , but it still will not turn. Are the threads reversed ? how dangerous would using a torch be ? Thanks in advance.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    The threads are standard right hand threads. I am assuming the problem is the nut will not come off. Do not use a torch. The heat will damage the steering knuckle. First check to make sure all of the cotter pin is all out. If so, then use either a side grinder to cut down the center of the stud and nut to almost in the knuckle to split it off or a nut splitter to cut the nut off.

    I have seen this problem in two different forms. One on the Mazda where the nut would not turn. Another on the Toyota where the stud rotated in the knuckle. The solution is the same. Cut the nut off.

    Make sure when you install the new tie rod end that you use a torque wrench to tighten the nut correctly to the proper torque.
  • steveinozsteveinoz Member Posts: 2
    Hi there, question from downunder so not sure if hearter coil is a US reference. Anyway, the heater coil is leaking and needs to be replaced. I've bypassed the inlet and outlet etc to stop the internal leaking. Anyone got any tips on how best to go about getting it out?

    thanks in advance.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    I have info covering years 78- 89. But I suggest you locate a copy of the Chilton's or Haynes that covers your vehicle. The book that covers our 89 model 323 has the procedure for that car. Check amazon.com or your local library. If you have to buy a book, try to insure that it has the info in it that you need before you pay for it.

    Be ready to walk away from the job if aggravation levels get a bit high to think. This is a tedious time consuming job. I currently have a Toyota that the book does not show where all of the screws are located. A small mirror on an extension wand helps for this as well to look behind nooks and crannies inside the dash. Sometimes it helps to have a junk car to play with first to see where such screws are.
  • steveinozsteveinoz Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for that girlcarbuilder. I had done a bit of library research before your email and have discovered that it is a mongrel of a job. The entire dash and every component has to come out. I was hoping that there might be some kind of sneaky way to get at the thing. Unfortunately no. O well looks like a cold winter coming up next year. Thanks for responding to my email query.

    steve in oz.
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    Reading through some posts AND not knowing much about my lil car~1989 323 Htchbck~I noticed how crucial a timing belt change is at some point & i'm at 92,000.
    Is there also other things needed when you tear into that part of the auto? (I seem to remember my mechanic mention something?)

    Now the other quest. is a timing belt off ebay?

    Good Idea or Bad Idea?

    Goodyear GTK0149 Timing Belt Component Kit Mazda 323

    Thanks Much~A
  • hatchbackqueenhatchbackqueen Member Posts: 10
    I'm not an expert like some of the folks here, but I change my timing belt every 100,000 km (60,000). Last time, I had them replace the water pump because that part is already taken apart so you save on labor and my car is a '92 so I figured it would be wise.

    Dunno about buying the belt on ebay, tho' I buy lots of stuff there.

    C.
  • sprikzysprikzy Member Posts: 2
    Hi all - I'm driving a '91 323 5-speed hatchback - no power steering, no a/c, 187,000 miles, purchased three months ago for $850. It's a great little around-towner, and it's my second 323 - I love the spirit these cars have.

    I've noticed the temp gauge climbing, so I add water and it goes back down. The second time I added water, I saw it leaking from the pulley side of the engine. Does that point to the water pump needing replacement? Thanks!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Welcome to the club. I just hope your winters are warmer than mine. I see the first 35 degree morning tomorrow! At least I do not have to go to work anymore and it is rare to get 20 degrees!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Very similar engine to our 89 323. Yes, that is a water pump failing. Park it before it gushes on you. Plan on changing the following parts depending what was replaced last service point. Note, that at 187K you are due for a timing belt. change anyway.

    Replace timing belt, crank, cam seals and water pump. If not replaced last time, also replace the timing belt tensioner. That will get you to the next 60K point. If you care for this car carefully, you should get to 240K easily!

    Get your Chilton's repair manual and read up carefully before you pick up your wrenches. Be careful, this is an interference engine. If you wait too long and that timing belt breaks, you will ruin the engine.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Wise move. Water pumps last about 90-120K miles. Timing belt tensioners I have seen get around 150K-170K, so therefore because of the cost of labor I recommend a change every 120K miles. Sounds like that did not get changed on yours. If you start hearing a loud noise from the front of the engine, suspect that tensioner very quickly. Oh, if it seizes, it will break the belt causing pistons to hit and bend valves. So pay attention to the front of the engine for that noise. When it happens, replace immediately. They will usually sing first with warning, then kill the engine!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    I would go ahead and perform the 120K service as I discribed in a few posts after this one, if the belt has never been changed. You can verify if the belt is original or not by removing the top cover and rotate the engine around until you can see if it is a Mazda belt or not. If it has been changed, great. Assume you are good for 120K.

    While you have that cover off, everything should be dry and relatively claen. Oil soaked is not acceptable. If it all looks good, drive on to 120K as long as the water pump behaves! Just pull your weekly checks of fluids and if you do start losing coolant, suspect that water pump. The seals are getting old and that is what will fail more from age than anything else. I suggest you keep the car local service for now. That pump is located inside the timing cover area which can make it difficult to monitor.

    I'll be around should you need to holler.
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    Ah yes, a bit behind, perhaps I'll be lucky & have a changed out one already(?) but I don't think so.

    If everyone was an expert we would have no good info!

    I'm going to check back with ebay & post as I noticed the below for about $40.
    Timing Belt
    Tensioner
    Water Pump

    But still not sure if they are crap, I will post link.
    ~A
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    girlcarbuilder your a gem & make it seem I will have this car on the road for a long time, as it seems 90k is about broken in for the funnest little car i've ever owned. I was sold when I had to get to fedX real fast! I got lost & still had time to spare.

    OK gotchya on the120K service & really good to know the extreme nature of neglect in this area, with this engine.
    "I suggest you keep the car local service for now".....about this statement. Are you saying I should not take the car on the road any distance before this is done?

    Now the ebay thing, bottom line is there brands/parts to avoid? such as the Goodyear gatorback I always see?
    Or who might you recommend as per parts supplier on a lower end budget?

    Thanks a bunch oh I almost forgot why I was origionally here-
    I have a rear end noise, perhaps a bit of a sticky emergency brake...whooo,,,whooo...whooo...whooo. Took off rear tire and seems to be a little sticky spot while turning manually. Any ideas?
  • sschmidsschmid Member Posts: 28
    My son's car is getting near the 120K mark. I know it is due fir timing belt tensioner and waterpump. Unfortunately It is also going to need a clutch. I would assume the bearing and pressure plate should be replaced as well. Anyone have an idea of how big of a job that is. I would guess the maintence stuff is about 300 I doubt he could do that job. My younger son has done a clutch on an 83 datsun I am wondering idf the job is similar on the Mazda 92 323. I know my subaru required the whole engine to come out and ended up costing me $ 1000 for a clutch! I know my son cannot put that kind of money out. If anyone has done a clutch can you let me know how tough it was. Thanks
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    Here is parts link:

    Buy or AVOID, (looks kinda sketchy and not something I would buy without advice)


    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-6L-1-8L-MAZDA-323-MX3-PROTEGE-Timing-Belt-Water- -Pump_W0QQitemZ270187412477QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33625QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZ- ViewItem

    Anyone let me know if its not cool to post this for any reason!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    I use local supply houses because my cars are in constant service. The other reason is if I have any problem with a part, they deal with it immediately. The supply houses in my area are Auto Zone which I use the least, then Advanced Auto parts who has second place then O'Reilly's who has the first place in purchase/supply. Give me what I need or order before I tear down to reduce my down time. We operate on a PM basis here, not a break down basis.

    The reason for O'Reilly's being first is service. I need a part and it is in Alabama, a lot of the time it is here the next day. Wrong part, no problem. A lot of parts like new water pumps have a lifetime warranty: Keep a receipt file. Not a bad idea to keep copies as well. Our 323 has more warranty on it at 260K miles than it did brand new. For example, they have replaced the radiator twice now. No questions asked. Water pump once. They use to warrant hoses until they discovered people like me, yup I take the hoses back as well!

    If I plan a major job on a car, like a clutch job someone just mentioned....I take care of any other problems I may have to deal with then or soon. Good example would be servicing struts, front wheel bearings and maybe replacing the front brake rotors. Yes, we have a 20 ton press here. They do not tell you in the repair manual, but the front wheel bearings last to about 150K. Some more, some less.

    But in a car where you have to dismantle so much to fix one thing, it makes no sense to cut corners. Take the major job slowly over a few weeks and be done with it all at one time. End result is you have a car that lasts a whole lot longer.

    Yup, I may drop a grand in parts on something major. On the other hand, I have dealt with all of the trouble makers coming at me down the road. If it is a front wheel drive with a belt driven over head cam set up, they are built nicely, but when all hell breaks loose from neglect the dollars go flying if you try to pay a pro to keep it. Best to dot your i's and cross your t's the first time.

    So for buying parts off the net, that is my last resort. Down time is key here. Does not matter if the car is 1 year or 25! Nothing I hate worse than someone telling they can not get a part for a two year old car! Now you know why I drive older ones! The last car we bought was a 86 Toyota which got a serious driveline overhaul shortly after wards. $5K's dollars later. 2 years of service already. 15K miles later. I could not have bought a nerw car for that! Guess what, next year she gets a new a/c! Found a place in San Antiono for that. Put one in the 89 323 for $780 plus. So, unless you can not get a part locally, only then would you want to consider web or mail. Comes down to service and down time.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Hmmmm, someone a bit hard on the clutch. Yes, I have done that a few times. There is a nice transmission scissors jack that Harbor freight sells that is a real jewel for this job. Got mine for $50, seen them as high as $70. This is a time consuming job. I suggest having someone handy who has done at least a clutch job handy before. Make very sure you have a repair manual as well.

    I always suggest to people to take a good overall assessment of a vehicle before going into a major rebuild investment. Look it over very carefully. If the car is suitable to do what you want it to do long term, then by all means work it over to keep. Forget about resell value, because you can not get your money out of it that way. But when you compare to cost of buying a new car, you will win every time the longer you operate it. In fact we even stock extra parts for ours as well!

    The number of tranny's I pulled in the past, I deftly go into one and have it out in a couple of hours. You will need to plan at least a weekend just for a first time tear down. Best to have someone with some knowledge near by. If you choose to consult with me, it will take more time and I suggest you get the same book as I. Ours is a 89, not the same as yours. But I could review the books out there and suggest the best one for you. That way I can direct to a certain page or picture. The 92 is closely related to our 89. I most likely myself could tear it down without reading the first word from a book. Experience has taught me that it is always best to have info handy.

    Now for the entire scope of the job you should consider. Front wheel bearings are good for about 150K miles. Replace them this service point. Too much trouble to go after later. You will need experience and have a hydraulic press for this. I bought that also from Harbor Freight. Front struts should also be considered along with all of the proper rubber dust boots, upper mounts and bumpers. Ball joints, replace. Inspect and replace if needed, sway bar bushings. Half shafts should be carefully inspected as well. Also inspect the tie rods and steering rack. Plans on a front wheel alignment after the job. O'Reilly's has lifetime warranty on many of these parts. I recommend them. They fixing to eat all of these parts for the first time nowon our 89 that we have logged over 100K since the last time I did this major job.

    As for the clutch itself. Replace clutch disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing and the pilot bearing. Most of this comes in a clutch kit. Always use a good bearing brand like BCA, Bowers or Timekin. Stay away from brands made in China. The metal hardness is too soft. I would also replace the rear main engine seal as well. It will fail otherwise in a short period of time causing the engine to burn up from lack of oil. There is a trick to removing that seal without removing the seal holder and oil pan. I will tell it to you later if you need it. Price that seal around. I found O'Reilly's to be high on seals and Advance more reasonable. O'Reilly's will match prices on parts. Here they know I will come in with a bunch of stuff printed out from websites with prices. I have been known to shave hundreds of dollars off of several major jobs here! Then again it gets even bettter if the part has a life time warranty! See ya all in another 20 years! I tell them!

    Speaking of which, Hubby home and hungry. Guess I better go feed him.

    The supply house could not get the front wheel bearings for our 89, so I had to go to a bearing supply house like Motion Industries. Auto Suppliers have realized regular mechanics who cut down time search for parts. Therefore in recent years, they have gotten onto the web very nicely. Here are the companies I use here locally. They may have a location near you. http://www.advanceautoparts.com/ and http://www.autozone.com/home.htm and http://www.oreillyauto.com/EW3/HomePage.do . You may wish to read an earlier e-mail about parts houses I posted.

    Ah, younger son. He will be most valuable. Not the same as a front wheel drive, but if he remains open minded and keeps a open link to me for questions no matter how smart or stupid it may seem to him, I think you could pull this job off. Use those websites to price parts and print them out for future refrence. Take your time on this job and you will be fine. Over all, you should spend a lot less money than a newer car. Also what you learn here, transfers to other cars as well. Oh, pay close attention to torques specs given for nuts and bolts. Buy a good torque wrench. On foreign cars, you screw up on torque amount, you get screwed in the end.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Okay, now I found who that requested about "local service." By local service I mean being able to get it home by tow truck if you have AAA towing for example. Be aware, given the age of the car, rubber parts fail from age. My concern resides mostly with the seals on the water pump. I have seen failure from 90 to 120K. The last pump was replaced on our 323 at 110K because we are running a 80 amp Delco alternator which forces the belt tension to be tighter than the original Mitshibishi alternator that comes on these cars. Surprise! That is not a Mazda alternator! Look for that triple diamond symbol next time you have the alternator off!

    Just keep a close eye on your coolant. Just a quick hood open in the morning and check the resoivor and a once the week pull the radiator cap should be good enough. If you find coolant lower in radiator that means there is no vacuum to pull back from the resiovor. That is caused by a leak in the system. Any loss would be a cause of concern with regards to that pump. O'Reilly's and NAPA are excellent parts suppliers. Bottom line you get what you pay for. In terms of brand names, Gates, Goodyear, Borg Warner, Wix filters. A timing belt with nytrl is what you want. Costs a bit more, but worth it.

    Now for the Halloween noise. Good idea to pull the wheel off and turn the hub. I strongly suspect from what you told me that that brake drum is warped. That is rare, but does happen if someone brakes hard all of the time. Like I tell people, the more you drive like grandma, the longer the parts last.

    Someone's clutch job in earlier posts I mentioned earlier at 120K. I said a bit early! Well hubby had to have one around 138K when I put the new engine in. I retaught him how to drive. When we changed the 4 speed out for a five speed, his new driving lessons showed no wear on that second clutch after 100K more of service. We reinstalled that same clutch into the 5 speed gear box back then.

    Back to rear brakes. before you even take off the hub nut, be aware that you need a torque wrench to set the bearing clearance I think on this car. Check the manual to be sure. I mix my models up sometimes after a while. I do know for sure that the lock nut is a special one that is available but hard to find at times. The dealer should still be able to get one for you as a last resort. Motormite brand has them also at O'Reilly's. You will have to have them. I think there are right and left hand threads on this model as well. Be aware of that possibilty. Dealer can lay a hand on the right part the first time, O'reilly's will need an old one to match up/order.

    Bottom line on noise, plan on a brake drum, brake shoes and wheel bearings and seals. Give yourself more distance behind someone else while driving and you should be able to make those brakes last a lot longer. Take your time shifting as well. That will increase life of transmsiion as well. Hard shifting is an indicator of a missing nylon bushing in the linkage.
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    Perfect. The brakes, makes much more sense than stuck brake I suspected as I did remove wheel and turn hub~it 'caught' in 1 particular spot, a bit of friction with what would be described as the noise in slow motion.

    As per driving-I was in a bit of a fun phase when first purchasing this car as opposed to my usual motto "creep to the green instead of racing to the red".

    Oh yes, the trans. is an auto, only car I owned which I would opt for manual.

    On the search for parts & BTW I really drive very little, 100 miles monthly in cold months.

    Many thanks,
    ~A
  • aimee323aimee323 Member Posts: 1
    Hey, Ive recently bought a mazda 323 n really want 2 spruce it up a bit!! Does anyone know if its possible to get a spoiler 4 a mazda 323????
  • thevinethevine Member Posts: 12
    All fixed~new timing B, W pump replaced ignition swithch, fuel filter, air filter & new rear wheel bearings.
    All parts & labor around $400. Runs & drives like new @ 90,000 being a 20 yr old car.

    The noise was the wheel bearings, I had it in my head it was something else.

    Reason for posting is mainly-listen to those who know more than you, especially if you know nothing, be flexible & have an open mind.
    I could have figured out the problem via simple process which would have come around with more thought.

    I putzed around the shop & watched how easy some of these things would have been to do myself. Although my bottom line was cheap, I found quality parts for REALLY cheap spending time on the web & researching the quality from the crapola. Although nobody to back them, and as girlcarbuilder pointed out, this is a big plus.

    thanx all!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Sounds good. Now if that was a late model like 2006, you would have parted with closer to a grand, not counting car notes! All at once many readers begin to see why some of us like the older cars! Not to mention I see gas mileage still being about the same after 20 years with the new cars. $400, that is a bit more than 1 month car note on some new cars. I am willing to bet, that the next $400 job that comes up you will do the same thing rather than pay a bunch of car notes!

    Interesting note for you here. Back in 2000, we bought a new crate engine from Mazda for our 89 after the crank broke on the original engine. Complete from oil pan to valve cover, timing belt cover to rear main seal! All we had to do was bolt on manifolds and a bunch of other small stuff. Price was $2K. That was 7 years ago. We having that thought of rebuilding again when the time comes. If it works well now, why part with it? Especially if you have the know how to keep it working well.

    The establish service intervals we have for rear wheel bearings is 50K miles and 150K for the front ones. Set your service record markers for that. I do not recommend reusing the front ones after 150K of service. The rear, re-pack and reinstall for another 50K. Trash after 100K of total service.

    Last note, I learned a lot of my mechanics from reading, talking, success and messing things up! After almost 50 years, you have a lot down pat. Like Banshees coming out of the rear wheel. We thought it was brakes at first, but remember I am here depending on your ears. I feel pretty good I got you in the right area on the car considering how far away I am! I have ever amazed friends diagnosising a valve job by e-mail. No, not genius, just a bunch of carefully asked and hopefully carefully answered questions and guidance. Hashes out a lot of problems, if as you pointed out, someone listens carefully.
  • kujhackujhac Member Posts: 14
    I was recently given a 1988 Mazda 323 hatchback 1.6 liter FI SOHC engine.
    It's doing strange things I believe tied into the electrical system.

    It has 38K original miles.

    It was making a belt squealing sound that has stopped since driving home 200 miles.
    Not sure what was causing the belt squeal.

    The temperature gauge fluctuates between off the charts HOT back down to cold and vice versa.

    This corresponds with the car shifting back and forth between overdrive and 3rd.
    Within normal ranges or "hot", it will stay in overdrive.

    When it goes back down to "cold" on the temperature gauge, it downshifts back into 3rd gear.

    Also, the front blinkers don't work and neither radiator nor condenser fans kick on.

    I've thoroughly cleaned the battery posts and clamps and cleaned what appears to be one negative ground connected to the transmission dipstick mount.

    There appears to be another ground on a brace on the opposite side of the engine which I have not cleaned yet.

    Anyone have any idea where to look first?
  • kujhackujhac Member Posts: 14
    Anyone?
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Hmmm, thinking cap been on this one a bit. So first lets start with the coolant level. I assume that has passed inspection. If not, and you had to add coolant, there is a good chance old rubber parts are failing from age in the water pump seals. Given the age of the car. I would consider pulling the 120K front engine service sometime soon. But let's hold off of that thought for as long as we can and look at less expensive things first. But, if the car is losing coolant and you can not see where, go start the 120K service as described in my earlier posts.

    Look on top of the thermostat housing, the fan thermo electric switch is there that controls the fans. Is it broken or the wire is not connected? I assume that this is an automatic trans? If you unplug this wire, it should turn the cooling fan on. If it comes on, then the rest of the cooling fan system is okay. In order to operate safely, you must verify the engine is cooling properly. There is a possibility as well from long term storage, the fluids have absorbed some water from the air creating extra heat in the transmission. Remote and unlikely. High fluid level on anything including brakes is an excellent indicator of that. Best to change all fluids down later on. The shifting business could well be why the transmission is doing what it does. Question previous owner again on this.

    Check the turn signal bulbs? Think simple here first. It is possible to bring one back from long term storage, but it takes patience. I mean keep a close eye on that coolant, before you start it each time until that pump and timing stuff has been changed out. That water pump seal fails and your out of an engine if you do not catch it quickly.

    You have several problems here, the biggest concern is the age of rubber parts. Second is the cooling problem/transmission problem. If you can, question the original owner to see why it was parked. You want to see if this problem was back then or from storage.

    Bear with me, dealing with some medical stuff. So responses are a bit slow. It is a slow process sometimes putting a long term stored vehicle back on the road.
  • helenann00helenann00 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 89 323 LX. As you have probably noticed, the normal behavior is the trans will not shift to 4th until the engine temp gauge rises to a certain level. I have twice had the problem of the auto tran shifting between 3rd and 4th proportionally to the engine temp gauge jumping from hot (trans is in 4th) to cold (downshifts to 3rd), even after driving for sufficient time for engine to be plenty warm. Both times, the solution was to replace the thermostat. This last time, I used Durolast 15869, which is described as "High temp 192 degrees."
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Okay, now I know to look or think more in that area. You are too far away for me to consider the car for purchase.

    The factory manual I have is for an 87. The shift is controlled by a vacuum diaphragm. Checking with the parts house online also shows one for the 4 speed speed. The hose to it must fit snug on the part and the part must not even leak a little bit or you will have a problem. No pinholes allowed. Given the age of the car, I would check there first. Transmission shops have been caught by me in the past skipping such simple things.

    I don't see one mentioned in the book, so I wonder if this unit has a throttle valve cable. They have also been known for this kind of fun on some makes and models. This part is located in the front of the transmission down near the oil pan. It will have a vacuum hose attached to it and it screws into the transmission. When you remove it to replace or test, be ready just in case the fluid starts to come out with a new one or some way to plug the hole. If you go to buy one, make sure you get the one for the 4 speed. Total parts cost should be less than $20.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Another note, I have had problems with the 192 stat in this car here. After a while it tends to blow radiators. Just a note for future reference. This one seems to do better with a 180 in the south especially when the a/c is on.
  • gwheelrgwheelr Member Posts: 1
    Hello and good day,

    My daughter has a 93 mazda 323 with the 1.6 litre motor and 238,000 kms (150k miles). I did a head gasket on it about a month ago and then two weeks after that the car would not shift from 2nd to third gear. The linkage is moving ok and the accelerator cables appear to be working ok. What would cause this ? Is it something that I can fix or is it a sign that the transmission will have to be replaced.
    She can drive it but it is at about 4000 rpms at 100km/h (60 mph).
    I did notice she has a slight tranny fluid leak but she keeps it topped up (she checks it every time she puts gas in the car). I just drained and refilled the transmission fluid today. I do not believe it will help too much but it can not hurt.
    Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

    The car also has a wiper problem. When you turn off the wipers they stay where they are (in whatever position they are in when you turn them off). If you use squirters the wipers also stay in whatever position they are in. Can you tell me where i can find the part that is doing this so i can get one from the wreckers ?

  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    If the transmission has been well maintained, then 238K miles is an excellent service record in between overhauls. If not, it is not uncommon for failure to occur in less than 100k. Secret to making an automatic last is, change the fluid or keep it well cooled with an excellent heavy duty external oil cooler. Change the filters and locate an inline filter sold by Transtar for transmissions. This same filter can be used in power steering systems to reduce wear in power steering systems. This info is trucking and fleet industry secrets. That inline filter must be changed every 10K miles but it will cut your service requirements combined with that cooler to almost nil!

    Wiper, seems to be a failure in the electrical parking system usually located in with the wiper motor. Rather than replace it, I would time my turning it off to just before the swipe is returning to the low end. By the time your reflexes it it it should be low enough to view the windshield well enough. LKQ junk yards on the net. Many dealers should be able to get it for you or parts houses. Check with O'Reilly's who has many lifetime warranties on parts they sell. Keep a folder and copies of those receipts. Many of my 100K-200K cars have more warranty than a new car at O'Reilly's! People like me are killing the lifetime warranty idea.

    If you put a new overhauled tranny in, best to go with a lifetime warranty deal. It hurts, but is cheaper than car notes in the long run. Next car you should plan on at least a four speed automatic or a 5 speed tranny to get better gas mileage. Remember that cooler and add on filter will extend you tranny's life making it cheaper for you in the log run. Cheap to run is what I like.Let me pull manual for 89 here to see if any more on 2-3 upshift problem. Will add more later if it has anything.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Okay, check to see if that tranny has a modulator valve. If so, inspect it and pipping for leakage. Repalce parts as needed. The older units also have some kind of kickdown soleniod. Inspect that and wiring as well if you have them. The next thing list is the control valve assemblly internal, I would leave that up to a transmission shop. Good luck with it.
  • sprikzysprikzy Member Posts: 2
    Hi all - I have a 91 323 with 188K, pic below.

    The right turn signal is acting weird - sometimes it works fine, and sometimes it clicks twice as fast as usual with no blinking from the lights. The bulbs seem fine, and the problem comes and goes. Anyone else have this issue? Thanks in advance.

    image
  • kitkat250kitkat250 Member Posts: 13
    I had the same problem with my car when I first got it and it was the box under the dash that controls the turn signals. When it started to click and flash quickly it is wearing out. I got one from a wrecker and I don't think I paid more than maybe $40.00 for it. I can't remember the price but the new one has worked great for the time I have owned the car.
  • kitkat250kitkat250 Member Posts: 13
    Hey all, just wanted to let you know that I had to have my alternator replaced today as it was charging to much and just about wrecked my electrical system. It blew out my low beams on my headlights. If your charge light comes on get the car checked out right away. I was really lucky the mechanic said, I don't know how lucky almost $500.00 bucks is but it is now fixed.
  • kitkat250kitkat250 Member Posts: 13
    Hey does anyone know how the rear washer works?? Mine has never worked the wiper is fine it just won' squirt water out on to the back window. Kind of irritating when you have a really dirty window. :confuse:
  • monterussomonterusso Member Posts: 1
    My manual 89 323 is losing power as soon as you get into 3rd gear feels to be bogging down and wanting to stall. Have checked the trans oil and the distributor. What else could be causing this?
  • kujhackujhac Member Posts: 14
    Fuel filter maybe.

    It'd be best if you gave more detail as to exactly what is happening.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    You gave no mileage info, so I will assume regular pm is needed. These engines must have a full tune up every 30K miles. Change plugs, fuel filter, cap, rotor and air filter as directed by any good service manual I have mention before.

    Would not hurt to do a fuel pressure check to make sure it is running like it should.
  • thacherthacher Member Posts: 15
    Hi,
    1987; 323 -- How much torque on the locknut that holds the rear drum in place?
    Thank you,
    Henry
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    You lucked out, I have a factory manual that covers the 87! Which should also be the almost same for 86-89! Our unit is an '89. Rear drum spindle preload tightrning torque is listed at 18.1-21.7 ft. lbs. Bear in mind that is for new bearings. I would tend to go a bit lower if you did a repack at 50K. You could also resort to the old preload method used by many old timer mechanics like myself. I repack mine at 50K after new, then run to almost failure because they are pretty much trash around a 100K any way! By the way, get new nuts for safety sake. No fun driving on three wheels if one comes off. Save your old nuts, because you never know when they will quit selling parts to us! Those nuts where pretty common still last time I looked. Dorman makes them. There is a left hand and a right hand nut! So pay attention.
  • thacherthacher Member Posts: 15
    Hello,
    Thank you for your reply. I'm not even re packing the bearings. I wanted to look at the condition of the rear brakes. So for now I only need to put the drums back on. Looking at the spindle nuts, they look like they have been reused a few times. For sure I will try and locate new ones. So do you think a preload of about 19ft. lbs. would be about just right for my situation?
    Thanks,
    Henry
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Resetting wheel bearings without repacking can be bad news if you over tighten! Reason is there is little grease left at times. What I do here is the following. 1) install hub assembly, with spindle nut. 2) tighten down to just snug. 3) remove any center piece decoration on wheel assembly. 4) install wheel assembly with just two lug nuts tight enough to wheel on assembly. 5) go back to spindle nut, snug it up just enough so that there is no play in wheel assembly when you grab top and bottom of tire and tire to shake it back and forth. Back off nut until you have play in wheel assembly and recheck again to see that for sure. Tighten back just enough to take that play out and verify it again. Stake the nut or cotter pin it when you get there. This technique is not for zero tolerance bearing setups! Usually found on front wheel drive bearing systems and "non-serviceable" bearing assemblies. I have found a way to get grease in those expensive things!

    On the Mazda, those wheel nuts were also available and I have been getting mine from the dealer for about $5 each. They are about $3 at the parts store if you can get them. Not worth the $4 searching for them at times I feel.
  • needwheels2needwheels2 Member Posts: 31
    Hiya girlcarbuilder - I'm back! Guess what, after leaving my poor old 323 to rust in the parking lot for the past half year, a new neighbor came by the other day and offered to work on it after asking the landlord who owned it.They have car experience, tools and a dad who apparently was a former mechanic or something like that. So I'm fixing their computer in trade which is all I can afford...

    Today they started on it, checked my fuel pump replacement which they said I did a good job. They they went through the distributor and timing, which there was a great deal of confusion over the wiring as there seems to be two different configurations but in the end I think they figured it out and it has spark. They also agree that it still has compression. So spark and fuel are tested good.

    But here's the interesting part. They took off the cover to the timing belt and they insist the belt seems brand spanking new. (I only put on like 5k miles after the last owner). So they are going to check later this week if it's the tensioner?

    Anyway it seems like it's in capable hands now so it might come back from the dead and wanted to let you know. They want me to buy the book for it so I might have to cough up the local price instead of getting it off ebay cheaper so they can keep the momentum they have now.
  • hatchbackqueenhatchbackqueen Member Posts: 10
    Sorry, I was too busy to return to the forum. I just bought a Kia Rio Cinco wagon and sold the '92 323 for $600! So no parts available! Sold it to a girl whose brother is a mechanic and he was satisfied after demanding oil and water when he checked the engine out. Glad it's gone to someone who has the skills to keep it running--it was a great little car.
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    I am a big fan when it comes to swapping out services. Sounds like it is coming together. Everyone, guard your old cars, gas going up and so is the value of those that run cheap! I am quicker to park one for a few months then repair rather than sell and buy!

    I have noticed the parts supply has improved even for my 22 year old Toyota. Though our Mazda is currently down waiting on the steering rack to come back for repairs from A! Cardone. It failed after 50K of service. I bet they will be suprised to see how clean it still is! Love those warranty parts on an old car!
  • ahab_2001ahab_2001 Member Posts: 4
    Hi -- I'm new to this forum, which I'm glad I found. This is probably going to seem like a rather ridiculous question, but here goes. I own a 1991 Mazda 323, which still runs quite well after 120,000 miles. I'm going to be taking on more maintenance myself after a number of years of just letting my shop handle things. (Long story.)

    My question is, where is the air filter? I have the Chilton's manual for this car, and the setup in my engine compartment (at least where the air filter is concerned) looks nothing like what's in the manual, which shows a box with a clip-on housing that holds the flat air filter. Instead, what I'm seeing is in the two pics linked below:

    www.specksynder.com/airflow.jpg

    www.specksynder.com/airflow_detail.jpg

    Is the air filter element actually *beneath* the airflow meter -- that is, do I need to physically remove the AFM to get to the filter? That seems hard to believe for something as routine as changing the air filter. Anyway, any information that anyone on this forum might have would be much appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Stewart
  • needwheels2needwheels2 Member Posts: 31
    Bad news, they came over today to tell me that they figured it out (and it's nothing like we thought). Apparently the crankshaft has separated or something like that. They say the parts are like $275 to fix it, so no way I'm doing that. Oh well.
  • needwheels2needwheels2 Member Posts: 31
    Here's another update - I walked over to talk to them some more today to get details and they really insist that they want to fix it. Here's the story, you tell me how accurate it sounds and how plausible the cost is to fix it:

    Apparently the "cotter pin" (?) on the crankshaft has never been right and has slowly shaved down until the point where the crankshaft has just been spinning which is why it lost power and then won't start. Since the previous owner was some kind of mechanic this new guy believes they rigged the pin to hold in place long enough to sell the car (welded?)

    He doesn't want to just replace the cotter pin though - he says the crankshaft is damaged now to the point where it won't hold the pin right so even if he managed to make it hold (via a weld?) that not old would it fail again, it could fail in a bad way where the engine would seize.

    What he wants to do is go to the junkyard and get a replacement "short block" (isn't that the whole engine???) for like $70 and then I think he said it would need replacement gaskets? (I think, may have that wrong) for $100 or so tops. He says he could just replace the crankshaft but those parts would actually be more than replacing the block which can be more easily found.

    I pointed out that the amount of labor he needs to do on this would be insane and something a non-mechanic would never pay for because it would be worth more than the car but he says it's worth the computer I had promised in trade and still wants to fix it regardless.

    I think this guy is being way too optimistic and I bet there are going to be other things along the way. He offered to buy the car instead at my asking price of $200 and insists it's worth saving.

    So what do you think I should do? I have a bad feeling about replacing the entire block (engine) and then other things always go wrong after that.

    ps. he says there was absolutely nothing wrong with the timing belt and the water pump seems like it's in good shape - those other mechanics would have just taken my money!
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    I smell fish. First, there are no cotter pins on the crankshaft! There is a woodruff key in the front that holds pulley and gear from spinning. Very rarely do they ever cause trouble. If ever! At the worst the gear might be worn, but that is even very rare.

    He wants to buy the car for $200.....he knows it is cheap on gas. You need to try to find a way to look at some parts and see what they look like new. Search the net and see what a woodruff key, crankshaft timing gear for a belt and the nose of the crankshaft looks like.

    Never a good idea to swap parts from one engine to another without doing the proper machine work needed. Oh, machine shops that do enigine work do have to rebuild crankshafts at times by adding metal by welding it on and re machine the whole thing again.
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