new (used) mx3 owner,looks like i will build a new car soon

[jem1ranger]

i purchased this 1992 mx3 gs (k8) about 260,000km on her,,, body was very nice and no rust anywhere. i have a couple of pics to upload soon of her.

Since i got my new toy i have had to do a bit of work on her... seems like i will have a new car sooner then i thought .. though i dont pay interest,, she does cost me a couple hundred every month .

parts replaced( i hate used parts and purchase new when possible)

water pump and timing belt kit ( cost $750 in shop) water pump leaking and making all sorts of gringing noises.

CV axles - replaced both sides. I had the shop replace water pump and timing belt,, he showed me a cut boot on driver side cv joint(outer boot) started to make noise so i changed it out ( i beleve it was $85 for cv axle) well,, guess what ,, it wasnt the one making the noise.. changed out passenger side cv axle ,,lol,,,

brake pads and rotors- had a weird feeling in brakes ,, figured new brakes and rotors were in order,,, well after that i had to do bearings.. replaced front bearings( $51 a side) and they lasted 2 weeks ,,, turns out hub on driver side wheel was shot. replaced hub ($180)

wheel bearing - complete,, did all the wheel bearings all around,, you need to press the front ones in but the back you need to get the hub assembly ... wish i could just get hub assembly for front too lol,, the cost was $100 front pair with seals and rear was 160 i beleive.

ball joints- now i dont know what to do here,, I have purchased 2 different sets and qualities,, neither one fit, the shaft that goes into bottom of the wheel hub is too large,, and not by a little either but by almost 1/32 of an inch....

seems tie rod end will be next as well...

todays problem though is the alternator...went to start the car this morning and it just clicked,, got a boost and she started right up . then at low idle i noticed the charge light was comming on . when i got back home from a short drive i removed the battery cbale from the positive side and the motor died instantly. $230 for a reman .

(note - the cost of my parts is about half as i have a freind who happens to have an account for parts as he rebuilds classic autos. so needless to say i also have access to a full shop . )

[MrMazda92]

Welcome to the forums! Sounds like you're gonna have a solid runner for sure, you may be able to save even more money by buying on the forums, this site is an amazing resource.

[mikeinaus]

your car sounds like mine did when i bought it, only your having less problems .ive spent probably $3000 in just maintenance on my car in the year and a half ive owned it. once you get it up to snuff there pretty reliable cars thow.

regarding your ball joint. the ones they are giving you are the 94+ ball joints, 92/93 were smaller. when i changed mine i went threw 3 pairs until one fit. the best thing to do is bring your old one to the part shop and compare them in person. in my case the part number was correct, and it was labelled for a 92 but they were too big. i ended up having to goto another company and grabbing proper ones.

dont be too afraid of used parts. wreckers are a great way to save money on certain parts, especially if you can pick the part off the vehicle yourself. if your airflow sensor ever goes on your im sure youll be happy spending the $20 or so a wreckers would charge, instead of the $800 dealer price... im not saying you want to go used for all parts but theres definitely ones that are worth grabbing.

good luck with the car, and if you ever need help theres tuns of info on this forum. just search first before you make a thread, it makes everyones lives easier and will save you some flaming...

oh ebay is also great for certain parts, you can buy stuff alot cheaper there then anything you can get locally...

[jem1ranger]

well for now,im having to replace the alternator,, trying to find the instructions here ... i find it a pita that i cant get a chilton or haynes manual for this car.. were they made???would find it cool if someone could load up pics of jobs in progress,, like when i did my bearings on the front end. i have pics,, just havent figured out how to upload them yet lol.

ordering my halo led headlamps soon as well as new tail lights... would like some ideas on suspension though ... i live in Northern Alberta and our roads SUCK....a freind has a 94 mx3 with lowered kit and all the ground effects ,, but he has to almost stop just to cross train tracks,,, i wont to go the other route and maybe raise the car by 1-2 inchs and add beefy suspension and skid plate.... RALLY !!!!!!

[mikeinaus]

alternator is pretty easy. near your timing belt there should be a screw/bolt on a pole that connects to the belt tensioner. you want to loosen the belt, then there are 2 bolts holding the alternator is place, undo those and pop it out, installation is the reverse... make sure you disconnect the battery, as well as the connectors on the alternator before you go removing bolts thow. depending on the condition of your tensioner it may be rusted in place and give you a hard time undoing. keep in mind tightening the bolt loosens the belt and loosening the bolt tightens the belt.

there is a chiltons manual for our car, its generalized with the 626, probe gt and mx6. its not the best as there are some differences between our cars that the manual doesnt differentiate but it is helpful for certain things. on the main site there is a link for the online shop manuals. there much more informative and are alot more helpful then the chiltons manual.

there is alot of threads describing most repairs, they dont all have pictures but they should give you enough info to complete almost everything. i find the forums search almost useless, however google search does a great job of finding info on our forum. trying "how to replace XXXXXX mx3" with google usually gives you pretty good results from here, and other sites. like i said before, if you search and cant find it feel free to start a thread. no one will give you a hard time for asking a legitimate question, as long as they havnt had to answer it a million times already and can be easily found.

found this with google search for how to change the alternator

1. disconect batter (obviously)
2.remove fresh air duct and rad upper bracket
3.if equipped remove condenser fan
4.disonect electrical conectors from alt.
5.loosen belt tensioner locknut and tension adjusting bolt. remove alternator upper mounting bolt.
6.raise and support vehicle
7.remove right splash sheild
8.remove drive belt from alternator pulley
9.remove a/c compressor mounting bolts and support compressor aside (if equipped of course)
10.remove the alternaotr through-bolt and the alternator

i was able to replace mine without going under the car thow. play around with it and youll figure it out.

oh to put up pics you need to make an account with photo bucket and link to them...