Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Also, 120K is a major maintenace point. Read some of my earlier posts that cover this critical service time. This serice point will decide if you get to 180K miles or not.
150K or so is also serivce point for front wheel bearings! Surprise for those who thought they were not serviceable! Pay closer attention to your suspension components and steering rack. Problems begin to occur there as well. Still cheaper to keep her than replace with new car notes.
I don't think he is trying to trick me or anything like that (I meant we are neighbors, not like he can hide anything from me, he shows me all the parts, etc).
I need to get ahold of a camera somehow to take some pictures to show you.
His dad actually did suggest they could just weld the pin/key/whatever back on and it would be a $2 part. They didn't hide that from me at all. They just told me the consequences of that part failing could be bad and make the engine seize? You think I should just insist they should just rig it anyway?
He wants to buy the car because he knows he can work on it easily since it has no computers controlling all the timing etc.
I really don't like the engine swap idea. He's so gung-ho, young kid and trying to impress his young wife-to-be with all his knowledge and skills and I easily suspect he's being way, way too optimistic about everything going smoothly.
Stewart
There is abetter fix that works without replacing the crank. You will need a good woodruff key and a good timing gear. I got mine from an old engine at the salvage yard. Then you need a new front seal and a tube of octite pressfit along with atube of loctite blue. Then go to http://www.miata.net/garage/hsue/LoctiteCrank1.html. Matter of fact just go there first. The timing belts on these can be changed without taking the crank bolt loose just a bit more work but worth it to not have to worry about this problem. THese cars are worth the repair they are known to get 300,000 miles when cared for properly. I have done it all welding and the loctite repair. The welding of the pully to the crank works for awhile but the loctite repair worked even better. THe weld will torch the seal and even when I used abottle of water onit the weld wound up breakiking after wearing a hole in the oil pump. I cut the weld out and done the miata repair just as described and got all the mileage still left in the engine.
Hope Iam not to late I just saw your post.">
I figure it sat this long, I'll wait for the fall when it's cooler.
Meanwhile I've turned my bike into an e-bike to get through the heat.
This guy has resisted any kind of other fix than an engine replacement, so I am going to be curious how he reacts when I show him your information. Your way HAS to be easier.
Further research on the different years of 323's at Advance Auto's website revealed that there were several different snout sizes used from year to year. Somewhat different topic about the crank, but may give you a bit more insight into what you are dealing with.
Taking a break from the car during the summer is not a bad idea. It can give you time to go to the library and try to find some Mitchell manuals and read up on it. See if you can find any service bulletins about it as well. It also pays to try to pick the brains of a dealer parts person about it as well. They are more than happy to give info when they make sales also. On the other hand, they would like to see us bury our 323 and buy new!
As for GTX's idea, I am not crazy about it, but I would be game to try it before pulling a motor for a overhaul. The worse that can happen is still the piston and the valve dance. Then at that point you could address a proper repair to the crankshaft again during a overhaul. Still cheaper than buying new. Couple it with a 5 speed, that car should pulll better than 40 mpg after an overhaul..
Every ones help is welcome. I really wanna get this car going by august the latest.
Thanks everyone.
Sean
Unfortunatly attention should have paid to individual items, one being brown trans fluid said to be burnt & need changing.
The problem has become more obvious and my question is: have I done damage to the tranny? or will a new filter/fluid change turn back the clock to smooth shifting of the past?
Also posting for others to pay attention to trans fluid condition if I indeed greatly reduced future life of trans, still under 100,000
I have had 1 problem with car stalling, no spark and oil in distributor.
Changed cap & rotor only to have the problem resurface in another 20 miles.
Ignitor was the problem.
Thanks in advance for any feedback on the tranny,
~Art
I have a project 1980 Grand Marquis that wouldn't shift out of first gear until 45 MPH.
Drained the tranny pan fluid and put in a new filter and it shifts perfectly. Of course, it's not electronically controlled like newer models.
I don't take a garage's diagnosis on face value without researching and knowing what's the real situation. Many garages will take advantage of you if you let them.
I recommend when you rebuild to have a good cooler installed and also an inline filter installed. Transmission supply houses carry them, not the regular parts houses. Many fleets use in line transmission filters and change them every 10K miles to keep from having to do trannny rebuilds. Lots of discussion as to whether you install before or after your coolers. Always still use the cooler in the radiator in addition to the heavy duty cooler you add on. Same story, discussion on the pros and cons on how to hook it up. Find a good transmission man by word of mouth and the BBB.
The chat opens at 8:45 pm ET and runs until 10 pm ET. I hope you're able to join us tonight to meet and greet with your fellow CarSpace members!
See you there!
Replaced distributor, worked for a short time. Ignitor was then replaced and still running strong.
I'm no pro, just throwing it out there.
~A
Much of the freeway system here in Southern California is constructed of concrete, with lots of parallel grooves cut into the surface. My car is very unstable now when driving on this, and I feel dangerously close to losing control when traveling over about 60 mph. Low speed driving is OK, but on emergency maneuvers the car has pretty scary over steer - possibly due to the soft sidewalls on the Kumhos.
I never experienced any of this with the Michelins, and now I'm looking for something to replace the Kumhos with - they are just too dangerous. Although there are only a handful of other tires made in the right size, I'm not sure what to get.
After my experience with the Kumhos, I'm not interested in Hankook or any other tire made in China. I'm not sure about Toyo or Uniroyal, but the reviews I've seen seem to suggest that handling on these Japanese made tires is similar to the Chinese ones. If so, I want nothing to do with them, either. Before you say "why not just buy Michelins again?" Well ...I can't - they only make snow & ice versions in a 13" tire - useless for So Cal driving.
Here are the choices that I could find in my tire size (155 80 13):
* BFGoodrich Control Plus (discontinued, but some stores have them)
* Dayton Quadra SE
* BF Goodrich Revelation Touring (discontinued, but some stores have them)
Please help me choose. If you have another recommendation, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks!
I have 12 Volts on the Coil with the key ON. I also have the 12V at the Rotor cap with the key ON.
I have replaced the Coil, cap, rotor, wires, plugs. I don't know what to check next.
Also maybe no GAS????
Any help would be great
Thanks
Any way, the pick up gets the signal when it works, sends it to the computer which amplifies, times and then sends it to the coil. I have yet to have a computer problem on ours with almost 300K on it. Knock on wood.
Note again to everyone who is reading. The older these cars get, the more common this problem will become as the engines wear out. I have also written a modification for this distributor as well. Only for those well versed in mechanics.
I just bought an 89 323 for $150 . . . shockingly, aside from some surface rust, she appears road worthy!
I was planning to give the car to a friend who has two small kids and needs some simple transportation, so there is one issue I need to address before I give it to her:
When accelerating between 40 mph and 50 mph (auto trans), the car begins to jerk and stutter, lose power, feels almost as though she might stall out. This problem can usually be solved by flooring the pedal for a minute in overdrive, and then backing back down to speed . . . obviously not a perfect solution . . . She also seems to down shift kind of violently when slowing to about 50 mph.
Also when idling in drive, there is a "clunk" noise and a slight jerk every 30 seconds or so . . .
I've tested all speeds over the past week, and these seem to be the only windows where there is difficulty.
I've never in my life had a car with an auto trans, so maybe this is a generic thing that is easy to fix and I just don't recognize it. . . .
Any ideas as to what to try? I'm not a mechanic or anything, but I'm not completely afraid of opening the hood, or at least making an informed request of the mechanic rather than just dropping off the car . . .
Car has 120,000 miles, and I have service records if you want me to check for anything in particular.
I'm not looking to put a ton of money into it, but it seems a shame to scrap a car for what might be a simple fix. Zippy little thing, I am kind of enjoying it.
I just bought an 89 323 for $150 . . . shockingly, aside from some surface rust, she appears road worthy!
I was planning to give the car to a friend who has two small kids and needs some simple transportation, so there is one issue I need to address before I give it to her:
When accelerating between 40 mph and 50 mph (auto trans), the car begins to jerk and stutter, lose power, feels almost as though she might stall out. This problem can usually be solved by flooring the pedal for a minute in overdrive, and then backing back down to speed . . . obviously not a perfect solution . . . She also seems to down shift kind of violently when slowing to about 50 mph.
Also when idling in drive, there is a "clunk" noise and a slight jerk every 30 seconds or so . . .
I've tested all speeds over the past week, and these seem to be the only windows where there is difficulty.
I've never in my life had a car with an auto trans, so maybe this is a generic thing that is easy to fix and I just don't recognize it. . . .
Any ideas as to what to try? I'm not a mechanic or anything, but I'm not completely afraid of opening the hood, or at least making an informed request of the mechanic rather than just dropping off the car . . .
Car has 120,000 miles, and I have service records if you want me to check for anything in particular.
I'm not looking to put a ton of money into it, but it seems a shame to scrap a car for what might be a simple fix. Zippy little thing, I am kind of enjoying it.
The chat opens at 8:45 pm ET and runs until 10 pm ET. I hope you're able to join us tonight to meet and greet with your fellow CarSpace members!
See you there!
please help.. thank you . :confuse:
Relay? Main relay is located behind the over flow container on drivers side fender for the cooling system. I have a dealer service manual for 88. Not sure what you bypassed. Give me a better description of location to determine what it is. What other parts is it near, like above heater core, steering column or whatever. Or you can get a hold of a professional Mitchel manual for professional grade, complete wiring diagrams. Be careful not to defeat such systems, I have seen many attempted during the years for someone to get into more trouble and have to junk it out because the new problem became too much for them to resolve.
News for everyone else, our 88 has reached 275K. Just pulled the round of new struts, brakes and front/rear wheel bearings again. Short of overhauling the engine, it should be good for 400K miles! Little car has guts if well maintained! Sure beats new car notes. And oh, the after market a/c is still working. Have website to buy one if you need one.
dc 12v 20 a fuse cover says ig relay. once i pulled it out the beast started right up. dang thing runs good. but between the smog pump and haveing to put a new alt, and temp sensor in it for the fans.I mean it was free will it be worth it to put that much money into it. It has 120 thousand miles on it.extiror is good
the in side looks ugly but it does run pretty dang good.sorry to ramble i thought it should have a smog pump on the side by the alt, but there is not any thing that looks like it would hook up to it.some crazy kid had it and then let sit for 2 years.
Our son's 1990 mazda 323 has 120,000 Km on it and the Transmission went on it.
So we were wondering if this was a persistent problem with this year.
Would it be better to rebuild the Tranny on this car or just get a used one from the auto wrecker.
Any input would be appreciated.
A four speed tranny will also increase the life of the engine because on the road, the engine does not turn over as much as a 3 speed unit does. Typical of what I have seen in junk yards for a 3 speed ayto has been 95K -150K. The same for a 4 speed standard. Many of these same auto's were poorly kept up. Not uncommon to see a 5 speed standard pull well over 200K miles. We did recently run into an auto unit in the yard with 268K miles on it. It all comes down to how well you have kept the maintenance up. Also. If you do rebuild it, I can not over recommend an additional oil cooler to be installed. It increases the life of the tranny that much more. As for troubles, I have heard little during the years, but we run more standard units than auto's. Ours is well past 275K and we recently pulled maintenance that will soon push it well past 350K. Sure beats new car notes. You may have difficulty finding someone willing to work on it. Stay with lifetime warranty shops for a good job.
Son needs to understand that these units do not take kindly to being abused as well.
I never once took it to a shop, did all the repairs and maintence myself. Let me know if you have any ?'s with your 323. Would be glad to help.
Im just new here.Got 94' 323..Exterior is very good and well maintained but aleady have made some renovations over the enigine,i have my clutch change(together w/ all the necessary parts)Now its running good.I only got some problems though,,Whenever i start the car its shaky..Ive tried having the Rpm adjusted but it stil does.And also whenever i tried to step on the clutch it the car shakes,so i have to add some gas,,i dont know what could be the problem.same thing happens everytime i switch on my lights.Car get shaky.It is maybe on the electrical wirings or something?Can you please help me figure out this one :confuse:
Might check your transmission mount too. The one on my '88 went bad and it shakes like crazy at idle.
Im having problems with my gauges light at the moment,they are so dark seems it has no light bulb at all!already have changed the bulb but theres no improvement...it is about the wirings or maybe i just have to tear the gauges part out into pieces to clean it :P