Just thought to post this as I couldn`t find the original thread on it.
Q. How old is your MX5 and more importantly what mileage has it clocked up on the engine it was born with.
My 92 1.6 [GB model] is on 153,000 miles and going strong.Red lines happily with no dramas, I wouldn`t usually tempt fate by saying it, but, these engines just seem to be so unburstable.
I asked at Moss, over in Feltham, how much their exchange engine would be for when I might need one.
They don`t do them. No need. No market for them as they are so bullet proof. Great answer I thought
my 1990 eunos did only about 90000 by last yr when i sold it. you’re right they are bullet proof (except the very early short nosed crank engine)
my 2006 mk3 which i have had for 4 months has 80000 on the clock & drives like a new one
So your mk1 was just about run in then Sure the 06 will do you proud too.
Those short nose crank engines do last if the centre nut hasn`t been cracked open. no need to do that when changing the timing belt on those, only need to do that if the crank seal is leaking. I would say leave it alone and just keep topping up with the slippery stuff.
Have seen a few short nose engines well into 100,000 mile club. Probably all had their timing belts changed correctly as Mazda intended.
Keep ENJOYING
Drumtochty
No worry on the engines available at all, of course that`s what Moss think too.
96 1.8 has 260k kms on the clock, but around 50k miles on the engine. Oil consumption on the original engine became excessive after about 200k kms and it had to go. 93 Roadster has 100k miles on the clock, but the engine has done about 170k miles; its from Steve Wilmington’s (TrackTec) 93 MX5…
1996 Gleneagles. Just had its nineteenth birthday. Original engine 251,380 miles, did 260 miles in it on Tuesday on the motorway at 70mph+ and 31mpg. When I bought it six years ago it had 198,000 on the clock so I bought a spare engine. Also from a Gleneagles and the breakers assured me it had 49k on it. The spare has sat in my garage ever since. It goes like a train and the most I’ve seen on the clock was 113 mph at 5500rpm so it was probably doing about 108mph. I ran out of track before I could get to 6000rpm. I have often wondered what the red line in fifth would feel like.
1999, will be 16 years old in June, and has done 175,000 miles. That’s approximately 11,000 per year. Don’t want to particularly say much on the engine as I don’t want to jinx things, but she drives well but a few worrying leaks I need to keep an eye on.