1998 NB Specifications

[ast]

@rhino666

@saz9961

@rhino666

The MK1 bonnet  is all aluminium aside from hinges, rivet bodies and closing mech.

If you want to see evidence of galvanic corrosion, take a look at a tired MK2 alternator where the steel body and casing screws are in contact with the aluminium casings.

As Scottishfiver says, the way around this as used at Jaguar is bonding the metals together, avoiding conductive contact.   

 

Ask owners of Jaguar X350s about galvanic corrosion; aluminium body with steel bits bolted on. Leads to rotted rear subframes and fuel tanks falling off (as the tank straps end up looking like twigs). More commonly, leads to electrical issues as steel earthing bolts corrode around aluminium captive nuts.

 

Most of the X350 body used steel rivets, and on some cars, this lead to paint falling off. Aviation adhesive is used in some places, but not everywhere.

 

My 96 has some strange corrosion going on the bonnet; a couple of the rivets for the bonnet latch have just crumbled away. Steel rivet body, aluminium rivets… I may have to see if I can get a nut and bolt in there,

I was working at Jaguar, Whitley from 2000 up until about 2007. I saw quite a lot of development including the use of aluminium in crucial areas and the struggle to engineer this into a working solution.

Here is Wikis explanation of Galvanic Corrosion. With aluminium and steel the sacrificial metal is the steel, so little wonder there is issue in damp conditions where the two are in direct contact. If the two metals are kept separate and insufficient electrolite(water) present to promote electrolytic activity, there would still be the usual corrosion but not the accelerated variety caused by galvanic corrosion. 

Not knowledgeable on Land Rovers but imagine the use of aluminium combined with steel on these has been somewhat of a challenge in their 70+ year history.    

 

 

Obviously, not enough development. Its not uncommon for X350 owners to have to replace theit 2005 rear subframes due to proper, deep, rot. My tank straps are looking a bit twig like. I’m hanging on for someone to produce stainless steel versions; Jaguar jacked up the price of these straps fro  £25 to over £100 over  night

Broken 10p earthing studs is very common. Owners shopping in B&Q came up with a better solution than the Whitley engineers.

As a kid growing up in the middle east, dad had a clapped out Range Rover (no roads), which had a non-functioning London installed aircon. Blocked drain on that managed to cause the passenger floor to fall out… Aluminium body on a steel chassis, like every other proper land rover. No issues with electrics on that, as I suspect everything was earthed back to the steel frame.

[Planet_Claire]

@Drumtochty

@Planet Claire

Hmmm… I have a 10AE, an 1.8iS with extras, and I’m sure one of those extras was Bilsteins (yellow ones), which suggests that the standard 1.8iS didn’t come with them, or at least that variant. I’ll have to check through all my paperwork and brochures and report back.

 

Helen would you mind posting me your VIN number via PM to check it through the Mazda parts sytsem as I believe yours will have what the parts system calls hard suspension ( Bilstien)

Eddie, I’ve sent you a PM with the details.

 

[rhino666]

@saz9961

Obviously, not enough development. Its not uncommon for X350 owners to have to replace theit 2005 rear subframes due to proper, deep, rot. My tank straps are looking a bit twig like. I’m hanging on for someone to produce stainless steel versions; Jaguar jacked up the price of these straps fro  £25 to over £100 over  night

Broken 10p earthing studs is very common. Owners shopping in B&Q came up with a better solution than the Whitley engineers.

As a kid growing up in the middle east, dad had a clapped out Range Rover (no roads), which had a non-functioning London installed aircon. Blocked drain on that managed to cause the passenger floor to fall out… Aluminium body on a steel chassis, like every other proper land rover. No issues with electrics on that, as I suspect everything was earthed back to the steel frame.

Not my problem although you can be forgiven for assuming it was. I was an IT contractor at the Jag, no direct connection to engineering decisions that may or may not have been the best.

Surely the tank straps are suffering standard corrosion not galvanic. Apparently some stainless steel, the lesser grades as I understand it suffer more with galvanic corrosion than mild steel.

The sacrificial anode on the Land Rover is obviously the chassis, galvanised or not. 

In retrospect most cars have a long list of poor engineering decisions. The persons who designed/implemented MK2/MK2.5 front chassis rails deserve a good kicking. I don’t think B&Q stock a solution for that. Generally speaking the beauty of the MX5 is a lack of poor engineering decisions making ownership that much more pleasurable.    

 

[Drumtochty]

Helen,

Thanks for providing your 10AE VIN number.

According to the Mazda parts listing.

The 10AE has

A standard front antiroll bar and bushes.

A rear antiroll bar and bushes suited to hard suspension but the metal rear antiroll bar bush cover and drop links are standard.

Hard suspension front and rear springs and dampers.

A six speed gearbox.

No aircon, the 10AE had in some but not all markets. OTOH not all markets got the model car and the his and her watches that the UK buyers received.

[Drumtochty]

@Gerryn

As far as I’m aware, the NB Sport edition did not have stiffer springs or Bilstein shocks either. Paint has had critics since way back when.

 

Gerry it appears the NB Sport was based on the 1.8iS with addons.

I would assume it has the Sport front springs and dampers rather than the standard front springs and dampers.

I drove a Mk2 1.6 after changing the cambelt two years ago or so and while both cars had around 100k miles on them, the standard springs and dampers that the 1.6i had appeared to make no difference to the handling or ride compared to the 1.8iS.

100,000 miles on both cars would tend to soften the suspension over the years.

I have no idea who supplied the Sports dampers and Springs to Mazda.