Hi, The way yo u’ve described the clutch is identical to how my car behaves (2010 NC Sport Tech). Is this symptomatic of something? Anyone know what causes this, or is it ‘character’? 
Describe how yours is, maybe we can help?
Is it always ready to stall and you need to keep the revs up, does it stall? Does it idle ok around 800rpm? Do you need to floor the pedal to get a smooth change?
Hi,
It’s exactly like this:
“Clutch was difficult and car always felt as if it was either on the point of stalling or revving twice as hard as I needed it to when pulling away from standstill.
No problems with the engine at all and no oil used between services. The car was sheer joy to drive on a clear road but no fun at all in traffic. It went really well, but seemed ill at ease when going slowly.”
That describes my car perfectly.
It’s never stalled, and idles smoothly. It’s like the feeling you have when you drive a different car for the first time - only I’ve never got used to it in the 7 months or so I’ve owned the car. I could describe it as flat spot just as you take up the drive - but I feel it can’t be consistent or I’d be used to it by now 
Idles at around 800 RPM
Hmm… it may help to alter the bite point of the pedal. This can be done at the pedal, it involves getting under there and adjusting the rod connecting to the pedal. It’ll be a small adjustment but may make a big difference to the feel and maybe you will feel more comfortable with moving off.
Worth a twiddle to find out how it feels, you can always readjust it back.
Worth a try unless others have any imput on why you have these problems.
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Would I be correct in saying that yours is a “Throttle” problem and not clutch?
Or both?
I do know that the 3.5 onwards had a fly by wire throttle and the software was revised in the 3.75 due to lets say “Previous problems”.
(Mick would know whether the first NC had this or not?). 
In which case, if it was me I would find a good “Chap” with some diagnostic equipment and plug it in to see if you have any problems?
Just a suggestion as it might save you a lot of time and pain. 
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It’s academic for me I know as I no longer have the car, but my opinion is the problem was a combination of throttle response and “unfriendly” clutch. I always had to almost floor the clutch pedal to get good gear changes and because I’m not particularly long legged, that also meant it was quite a stretch when pulling away from standstill. The throttle always felt as if it progressed in distinct stages rather than a nice seamless flow. The result was that even after 2 years of practice, pulling away from the first (slightly uphill) junction I come to when leaving my home went as follows. All clear in both directions, so let’s go, just as the clutch gets to the biting point, revs drop dramatically, dip the clutch to avoid a stall, give it a bit more throttle, revs rise to the “I’m in a hurry” level and off we go with twice as much urgency as I wanted!! For much the same reason, traffic queues were always stressful and spoilt what was otherwise a very nice roof down journey.
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When I bought my NC it had a tank of regular, the clutch operation was near the floor, and it was a pig in slow stop-start traffic, as mentioned above. But I expected to have to do some work on it because it was a second hand car.
Next day, we bled the clutch, no difference, even though the fluid came out black. The brakes had been done before I bought the car, but they forgot the clutch shares the same reservoir. So I thought about it for a few weeks while getting used to enjoying top down motoring, and avoiding traffic jams.
My Vextra had been cured of flat-spots and pogoing by using V-Power. So, from near empty, fuel warning light on for twenty miles, the next full tank in the NC was V-Power and the flat spot vanished, suddenly it gave me torque over the full rev range. Now I could live with the clutch, but SWMBO still hated it, so left me to drive the car. Result!
After a couple of years as the clutch operation got closer to the floor instead of rising (as normal with wear in a clutch plate) I looked up the pedal adjustment procedure on Mellens, and had a go, with the aid of a bathroom stool to support my hips.
Knowing now how to do it I reckon it is less than a ten minute job, and dead easy with the hip support (but almost impossible otherwise).
I’ve fiddled with it a few times since then and it is just about perfect. But I’ve carefully not mentioned this to SWMBO.
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I would add yes there could have been a slightest flat spot when moving off when I first had my car. Can’t say it’s a problem now, you get use to the way a particular car acts. My daily driver definitely has turbo lag, needs to be revved to get it to take off properly especially in slow moving traffic.
Just a small comment regarding the non retracting seat belts, which also affected my NC when I got it 2 years ago. I fully washed and dried the belts, then sprayed them with PTFE silicon spray which can be got from screw fix for about £4 a tin, works perfectly, and is clean, much cleaner than using wd40
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That’s interesting, the revs don’t fall as quickly as I’d expect when I take my foot off or blip the throttle. Not quite rev hang, but it doesn’t feel responsive.
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The NC also has a fly by wire throttle. My least favourite thing about the car. As MX-pilot says it’s not quite rev hang but it’s not far off. It’s a bit more like a response lag, it’s fractions but it is noticeable. It’s lessened by a more gung ho attitude towards the loud pedal.
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Thanks mate.
To be honest now thinking about it, it was something I did notice when we first picked it up in 2016 and just thought that must be “how it is”.
I have noticed though it’s hardly noticeable having had the remap.
It just may be as others say the difference in fuel… I don’t know.
But certainly worth trying perhaps.
I just love the car now and put that slight glitch to the back of my mind.
Just give it some beans as you say!
Thanks once again.
that is a shame I bought a 2007 mk3 icon 4 years ago and it has been faultless. however I had a Ford mondeo some years ago and it was dreadful. so many faults. it happens. Colin
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My 2004 Jag XJ8 Sport ought to be breaking down every week. But it doesn’t been quite reliable. Annual services are pricey though, and I haven’t gotten away with a bill of less than £1000 thus far. But its worth it for the drive.
I have a 1989 Mk 1 Eunos, I have owned it since 2015 when I bought it with about 150000km on the odometer. It had an intermittent fault which occasionally caused the engine to die, I eventually traced this to a faulty cam angle sensor, since I fitted a good second hand one it has been completely reliable. I fitted new brakes all round when I got it and fitted a new hood in 2016, also had it resprayed then. It is virtually rust free and drives beautifully. Apart from very occasionally blowing out clouds of blue smoke for no apparent reason (although I suspect sticking rings on cylinder No. 4) it never gave me any trouble. In 2018 I bought an early used 100000km engine and rebuilt it over the winter. There was nothing wrong with my old engine but I wanted to see how an early MX5 with a virtually new, slightly breathed on engine would go. There was very little wear on the used engine, all crankshaft journals were unmarked and although the piston ring gaps were a little over tolerance the bores were unworn and there were no signs of any serious problems. I rebuilt the engine with new bearing shells, piston rings, all valves were lapped in, new valve oil seals fitted and the hydraulic tappets were stripped, cleaned and primed with clean engine oil. While the head was off I had 0.030" skimmed off for a slight increase in compression ratio to approximately 10.4 : 1. A new water pump, cam belt and oil seals were fitted all round along with a new oil pump pressure relief valve spring. A new clutch was fitted and the flywheel from my old engine was reused as I found it had already been lightened by around 3kg. I removed my original engine and fitted the rebuilt one in early 2019. The car already had a 4 into 2 into 1 manifold and big bore exhaust which I retained. The rebuild and the modifications have transformed a good car into a brilliant car! Throttle response is precise, the car pulls really well throughout the rev range and it is a real pleasure to drive. I have now put about 7000km on the rebuilt engine and it has never missed a beat. No signs of distress from the increased compression ratio and it has no used a drop of oil since…
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We bought both our 5’s in the same year of 2006. We still have them.
My wife’s came first, a then 2002 Sport with 44k miles on.
It was a victim of it’s day to the well documented clutch issues but it was fixed under the recall stuff by the dealer.
It was her daily until retirement as a Senior Teacher 4 years back.
It only ever really did an exact 6.7 miles round trip to school and back plus ad hoc weekend forays. It now sits at 102k miles. Only put new discs & calipers on 2 years back…believe it or not. Due to better use, I’d say the mill is better than ever. All the leccies work as new.
Needs a new gearchange shroud though which has cracked with age. Leather seats are just getting a nice patina but then I feed them with stuff every so often. The rest of the interior is as new.
None of the electrics or running gear ever gave issues bar drop links, which are made of cheese.
It still has it’s original plipper & Panasonic battery. It has had a comprehensive rot fix, and numerous consumer service/wear & tear expense, like drop links, discs, calipers, and front coil-overs but the rear suspension is original & fine. It did need new twin coil packs last year and it’s always had 4k oil changes. Cambelt & water pump done of course.
The exhaust only started to blow 4 years back, but the CAT is still OEM.
When I divide all the service upkeep & rust work into miles, it works out around 38p per mile.
Only paid £200.00 for the rare Crystal Blue hardtop. It gets an easy 34 mpg if driven Ms Daisy.
Mk1?
Hammered on daily for ten years daily 60 miles round trips in all weathers including snow
Thanks to hands on servicing & sympathetic general upkeep, not one fail…ever.
It once did a rather foot to the boards UK H4H “rally” over 6 days & 2020 miles from Fort Augustus to Portsmouth & back. Needed a boot light bulb. Prior to that it was given a nose to tail service & a new radiator which had gone brown/olive green with age, coolant, oils, and pads and two new rear springs that looked a tad dodgy.
I did nuke the engine on lap 20-odd at a track day. Cracked oil rings, and the valve seals went AWOL. Replaced that with a warranted low miles 1840cc for £250.00 delivered & £200.00 to swap them over. It’s a lovely fit oil tight spinner and vastly better than the original ever was anyhow. No oil burn, no HLA clatter, revs like a fiend.
Mind you, I had it refurbed last year for just over 4k…a whole new chassis, rot sorted, new paint, and numerous bits & bobs. Frankly, I owed it more than it owed me…and I know every single nut and bolt. Plus, where do you get a Mk1 these days that’s plug and play and worth actually having for less than 3k?
I’ve not worked out the total £ per miles. I’d rather not. Then again, it’'s a lovely Ltd Vs, and I’ve enjoyed every yard in it. Nor, and it’s purely personal choice of car owners, have I had to pay a PCP deal or repetitive car loans for 14 years. Let’s say £250.00 per month…that would
equate to over 40K by now. I’d say roughly the Mk1 has so far cost about maybe 9k all in at most…which works out at around £13.00 a week in fixes & servicing. Big deal.
Basically, like most cars especially old ones…just stay on top of them and they will work for you till they drop. Even then they are perfectly fixable with suitable amounts of folding stuff.
Collectively, our 5’s have racked up over 146,000 miles , with a combined age of 44 years (!), have been subjected sometimes to very hard use, but have never once failed to begin or complete a journey. I suspect, purely a personal opinion, that a lot of car owners simply do not apply themselves enough to maintenance / repairs and then wonder why they are lumped with apparent lemons.
I accept, perhaps with numerous but now easily forgotten Mk3 build quality issues ( poor paint, Airfix interior parts, kid-on leather, rust etc) of years back, that owners had to put up with pretty poor production fails which unfortunately for some 1st & 2nd Gen ND owners (thankfully far from the norm) are caught out by quality control matters. Looking back on recalls of Mk1s you will be hard pressed to find any, and the Mk2.5’s were limited. Rot issues aside that is. I’d have an ND tomorrow if I could justify it, but it’d need to be a club car with provenance that had been completely rot proofed!
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I must be lucky then, my NC is same 93000 miles and 13 years old. Only owned it for just over two years and has been a joy mainly trouble free car. Apart from an annoying squeak/squeal which I thought was water pump but new aux belt cured it and a micro switch fault which set alarm off occasionally, yes seatbelt can be slow to retract but a good scrub made them 75% better. Yes was a little grubby like most are underneath but a weekend work made it a lot better. Yes it’s cost me a new set of tyres to get the ditch finders the selling garage fitted and a Cobalt back box but that was to just enhance a brilliant fun car, prob best driving car I’ve owned in 45 years.
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Pretty much what I’d expect and hope for from the majority of them Rich.
Chances are…someone has looked after yours properly as I’m sure you will likely do as well.
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My first NC (2005 launch ed) has been generally reliable, except for a few points - clogged roof drains causing flooding, failed drop-links, the sticking calipers (had 3 new calipers in my 3 year of ownership and now rust. I didn’t heed the warnings and get it rust proofed - hence it is currently now being repaired as I type prior to being sold!!
My new to me NC is going to have a full protection course at pro-tect near Buckingham at the end of the month.
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Just a small comment regarding the non retracting seat belts, which also affected my NC when I got it 2 years ago. I fully washed and dried the belts, then sprayed them with PTFE silicon spray which can be got from screw fix for about £4 a tin, works perfectly, and is clean, much cleaner than using wd40
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