Reply to: Smoking MX5…..

[OwlHoot]

There is a MX5 up for sale, absolute minter, G reg, immaculate interior with lovely leather seats.

With a sting in the tail.

When starts up, plumes of smoke. After a few minutes, smoke goes and works absolutely perfectly well.

My understanding is that this can only be a sticking valve seal, which should be a very straightforward fix.

But, there is a nagging doubt.

Being a minter this is worth over £2K and hard to find in such good body condition.

Mine for a grand.

Am I boomed, or uber doomed getting this?

Fun for the summer, NOT my main drive!

Does this smoke smell a bit "breakfasty", for want of a better word, like a fry-up?

I wonder if it's the old sausages-stuffed-into-the-engine trick, to make it glide like a Roller for a couple of miles and then abruptly turn into something out of a Laurel and Hardy film (lurch BANG! lurch BANG! BOOM!!).

[BA to the Stars]

How can a permie afford 2 cars

Good old Wilmslow can play at being in the Red Arrows with smoke coming out, the trick is to get the red and blue smoke

[Sysman]

You've got more than one drive?
I guess having multiple drives makes parking easier

makes putting it up on ramps to fix it easier.

[milanbenes]

Wilmsloooooooooooooooooooooooooooow,

by the way, this smoking MX5, what does it smoke ?

Montecristo

Romeo Juliet

?

Milan.

[Moscow Mule]

what is an "absolute minter"?

The opposite of this?
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...286/munter.jpg

[Xenophon]

This could be the one we seek. The one true worn ring. It's mine it is.

Nice one, TW.

milanbenes, Lord of the (Worn) Rings.

[TimberWolf]

Milan,

I am struggling to decipher this post. How do you identify these warn rings? A ring that expands to prevent the release of oil into one's chamber does sound useful. I am intrigued, can you expand this ring theory for me please?

This could be the one we seek. The one true worn ring. It's mine it is.

[cupidstunt]

Might it also be warn rings ? which expand once the engine is warm and therefore don't let anymore oil into the chamber hence the smoke disappearing ala common condition with Gardners

Milan,

I am struggling to decipher this post. How do you identify these warn rings? A ring that expands to prevent the release of oil into one's chamber does sound useful. I am intrigued, can you expand this ring theory for me please?

[Bagpuss]

I seem to recall that some MX5 were turbo's (possibly only imports with a miata badge?) any way, in this case the oil seals starting to fail in the turbo could be indicative of this - provide smoke is white. What happens is if the engine is switched off while the turbo is still spinning oil can be forced though the seals and into the intakes. This sits around waiting for it to be stated when it finds it's way into the chambers and gets burnt with a white oil smoke. Though this would only be early stage seal failure, as it progresses you'll get the same effect on any lift off after a few seconds on the overrun.

A compression test would very quickly see if all is reasonably well in order in the chambers, but problem is as an 18 year old car it's likely out of tolerance anyway through general wear and tear even if something is about to fail/seriously worn.

Yes, it's almost certainly a complete pile of fetid dingos kidneys. In this market I'm sure one can find a decent example that works for not much more than a grand.

Eunos, Miata is the US name.

[ASB]

ASB,

ok,

Wilmsloooooooow,

if it's rings then the compression should be crap and therefore when you rev it up high then it should take a long time for the revs to drop down to idle cos the engine has no compression

so make that test

secondly agree with ASB, sounds like a crocketh of merdeth

Milan.

I seem to recall that some MX5 were turbo's (possibly only imports with a miata badge?) any way, in this case the oil seals starting to fail in the turbo could be indicative of this - provide smoke is white. What happens is if the engine is switched off while the turbo is still spinning oil can be forced though the seals and into the intakes. This sits around waiting for it to be stated when it finds it's way into the chambers and gets burnt with a white oil smoke. Though this would only be early stage seal failure, as it progresses you'll get the same effect on any lift off after a few seconds on the overrun.

A compression test would very quickly see if all is reasonably well in order in the chambers, but problem is as an 18 year old car it's likely out of tolerance anyway through general wear and tear even if something is about to fail/seriously worn.

Yes, it's almost certainly a complete pile of fetid dingos kidneys. In this market I'm sure one can find a decent example that works for not much more than a grand.

[DS23]

what is an "absolute minter"?

[Crusoe101]

Nice little run around

In red

[Bagpuss]

No you're a Nanny with a daft hat

[wobbegong]

You've got more than one drive?
I guess having multiple drives makes parking easier

Noooooooooo! Don't get him started on that again, please.

[MaryPoppins]

Um, also, sorry. An MX5?

My Mum had one, and I drove it a couple of times and while it was a v fun roadster to drive, I felt too much like a hairdresser. And I'm a girl! Nowt wrong with being a hairdresser course, just that um, I'm not one.