{"id":5698,"date":"2022-06-04T20:26:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T20:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=5698"},"modified":"2024-02-08T09:43:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T09:43:01","slug":"mx5-engine-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sebpalmer.com\/blog\/?p=5698","title":{"rendered":"CARS: MX5 Engine Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Parked up on the drive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After our car died last Thursday, the AA got us home. At a not inconsiderable cost. So\u2026 with no money for repairs, what to do? I decided to get her up somehow, for inspection. I tried using a trolley jack I have, and some ordinary jacks. But no dice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bought these ramps from Halfords.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was time to buy some ramps. Halfords in March did\u2019nae have any. But the Wisbech branch had some, for \u00a345 a pair. But without wheels, how was I to get \u2018em? Fortunately our pal Ken was kind enough to give me a lift to Wisbech, so I could collect them. Cheers, buddy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These ramps do the job nicely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The ramps will be very useful if I need to access the underside of the vehicle\/engine bay. And I imagine I will<\/em> need to. But I didn\u2019t need to today. Thanks are also due to our neighbour, Sean, for helping me get the car up on the ramps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step one in getting the rocker cover off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I decided to photograph each step. And, starting with the picture above, that\u2019s what this series of photos depict. All I was doing today was removing the \u2018rocker cover\u2019. So I could see if the cam-belt was indeed, as the AA engineer believed, broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Disconnecting wiring..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first thing I discovered on starting this job is that YouTubers routinely make things look very easy. Usually they\u2019ll be doing stuff they\u2019ve done many times before. But if you\u2019re not used to whatever it is? As an example, disconnecting some of the wiring junctions proved much harder than expected. It\u2019s amazing how discouraging that can be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 gradually got easier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gradually things got easier. Which was encouraging. The hoses all came off very nicely and cleanly. This was a relief, as old tubing can be brittle and perish, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Each of these was easier than the last!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
And this was the easiest of them all!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Front end of the spark plug wiring loom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Back of the spark plug wiring loom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
There were a couple of points like this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The above photo shows a point where a male peg goes into a female hole. But it wasn\u2019t actually connected. This one was at the back. There was another, pictured below, on the left side of the engine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another unattached point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One thing that really spooked me was the long doodad in the image below, below the spark plug wiring. None of the YouTube videos I watched had any such parts, so I was stumped. Nor could I find any diagrams online that explained this mysterious appendage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A complete overview of the spark plug wiring.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Luckily I stumbled across a video by an American dude that clarified the matter. Turns out it\u2019s a thing called a VVT, or Variable Valve Timing mechanism. Guess I might need to look into that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jerry-rigged the variable timing mechanism.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One thing I didn\u2019t photograph, and should\u2019ve, was a 19mm nut at the rear of the engine cover, that was a real mother to loosen. I had to use a mallet to get that loosened off! Once I\u2019d done that I was able to lift the whole thing up and secure it with a bungee cord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Front end of variable timing thing, note gasket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the photo below shows, I tried to arrange my nuts n bolts in such way that they\u2019d be easy to replace in their proper order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I tried to keep my nuts in order.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As can be seen below, I got the spark plugs out okay, these were, once again, rather different to anything I\u2019d seenYouTubers dealing with. Fortunately if anything my set up is easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This tube clips into the bracket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then it was the moment of truth; removing all the bolts holding the rocker cover in place, which I did in a cross-cross fashion, a la drum head tuning, to keep the release of tension\/pressure even. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And lo and behold, a busted cam belt!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And so it was that, finally, I was able to get the cover off and see\u2026 And yea, verily, the cam belt was busted. The AA engineer spook sooth! I was able to gently work it out. And it\u2019s lying there, rather tragically, in the above pic. But is the engine itself okay? I can\u2019t tell, to be honest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The engine, in all its glory. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, I managed to get the engine apart, and find the source of the problem. And the AA guy was right. Busted cam belt. Now what do I do? I guess I have a crack at replacing the timing belt? But that\u2019s an even more complex and challenging job. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After our car died last Thursday, the AA got us home. At a not inconsiderable cost. So\u2026 with no money for repairs, what to do? I decided to get her up somehow, for inspection. I tried using a trolley jack I have, and some ordinary jacks. But no dice. It was time to buy some … <\/p>\n

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