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Hey everyone at mx3 forum!

as the topic suggests i'm about to buy my first car! allthough there is a couple of issues before this baby can be mine, first off:
the car is not starting and the current owner claims that its "probably" the fuel pump he also makes it clear that he is not a mechanic
now the car is an import with no records before 2005 and its a -92 1.8L V6 the cars exterior seems to have been seeing better days but that can be change with a litte love to the car.

so my question is:
What are the known usual problems with this car? since it does not have any records i suppose this is the most important thing to look at.
and also what other problems ( more sireous ) could have the effect that the car wont start? i've not yet seen the car but i will do at the end of next week.
so to summon it up:
What are the "watch out for" things for a -92 1,8 V6 when you basicly cant find anything in the cars " previous life"

Sorry for my bad english and thanks for some awesome input!

The distributor tends to go bad. That would cause it not to start. Also, depending on mileage, the timing belt could have broke.

Savin wrote:The distributor tends to go bad. That would cause it not to start. Also, depending on mileage, the timing belt could have broke.

+1

Also pull a spark plug or 2 and check for any oil on them, see if the ends are burnt while you've got them out.

Thanks for the quick replies, the milage is between 200'000 and 250'000 Km

EDIT:

and also, what would the oily spark plugs indicate?

EDiT 2:

how can i identify any of the problems listed abowe while buying the car? i mean i cant just start taking the thing apart before i bought it. any thing to listen for menwile turning the ignition?

Oily spark plugs means that there oil getting in the combustion chamber somehow, piston rings, ect. When you get in the car turn the ignition to on, you should be able to hear the fuel pump prime from the back seat.

http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... nk#p550992

Plus...

Lots.

No start can be distributor and F/P like mentioned, but it could also be an array of things, you need to do proper diagnostics before you replace parts at random. All of the procedures for checking stuff can be found on here...

While you're there, you can simply listen for signs of compression out the tail pipe while cranking to determine if T belt is gone. You can hold a spark plug lead close to a ground and check for spark, and you can turn ignition to "ON" and jumper F/P and GND in the diag box under hood and listen for the pump, located under the rear seat.

ice_mann wrote:Oily spark plugs means that there oil getting in the combustion chamber somehow, piston rings, ect. When you get in the car turn the ignition to on, you should be able to hear the fuel pump prime from the back seat.

You are wrong, quit telling people this. Pump does not prime when "ON". Pump only runs when the motor is turning.

Ryan wrote:http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... nk#p550992

While you're there, you can simply listen for signs of compression out the tail pipe while cranking to determine if T belt is gone. You can hold a spark plug lead close to a ground and check for spark, and you can turn ignition to "ON" and jumper F/P and GND in the diag box under hood and listen for the pump, located under the rear seat.

So if there is a sound of compression from the tailpipe while startion then the T-belt os allright? i guess that my biggest concern lies just at the T-belt as thats most expensive to repair,

Do you have do pull out the rear seats to hear the fuel pump?

i'd really like to have this car allthough i think my judgement is getting clouded, maybe its just a piece of junk? anyways thanks for the input and please add more tips if you figure out some more. i'll keep you updated but it will be more than a week before i get to see the car IRL i cant barily wait!

Cheers!



EDIT

Here is som pictures of the car anyways

I want that front end!! Tow hook... lip... GLASS headlights!!!

Sorry at this point I cant offer any advice, Im madly in love and would buy it irregardless now...

irregardless is not a word.

wytbishop wrote:irregardless is not a word.

Sorry my brain has been scrambled by such a beautiful sight... btw no word on spindles yet

Just noticed something strange infront of the speedometer? any ideas what that is?

Check for rust everywhere.

Removing the rear seat is easy, there are 2 quick release tabs you can pull beneath the seats themselves. The right side is pulled left(while facing the rear seats), and the left is pulled right. Lift, and remove. After this point, remove the padded sound dampener(if it's there), and there's your fuel pump cover.

As for the sound of the pump, I don't know to terribly much. In my experience, it's easier to hear if you pop open the fuel door, and remove the cap. Have somebody turn the key to on, not start, and listen closely. If 2 or 3 attempts of this yields no result, I would do as recommended with the diagnostic box.

The little box in front of your speedo is likely an interior/exterior temperature gauge. I know a ton of people who slap them in their car, with no regard to the fact that they are typically very inaccurate.

The rest of the advice on the starting problem is very sound. So, oil on the spark plugs is always a bad sign? I believe I had a drop or 2 on mine last time I changed them out... Now I'm paranoid.

from my experience the fuel pump doesnt kick in until you try and actually start the motor. turning it to on does nothing in my car, you need to actually crank the motor, then you should hear the pump for a few seconds. shoulds like a buzzing from the back seat...

as everyone said rust is a major no buy, id also pump the suspension in each corner and see if you hear any clunking/weird noises. have a look under the oil cap (with a flashlight) and look for thick sludge, this is a bad sign. pull the dipstick and if its a light brown colour with foam in it it means the headgasket is bad. have a look at the exhaust, if its rusted out this is also something you can point out for a lower price.

most people here try and buy mx3's that have bodys and paint in better condition with no rust, compared to ugly solid runners. mechanical problems are usually easy enough to fix on your own, but paint and body work has to be paid for most of the time, and that can be very expensive.

if you want you could buy a cheap compression tester, and test the compression. if i remember right each cylinder should be around 170lbs. if there lower, that isnt too bad, they just all need to be relatively close to each other. ie 150 all around is fine but 140 all around with a couple at 170 could give you problems. if any cylinder is giving no or very low compression youd probably want to look at another car, unless you feel comfortable doing a motor swap in the near future. low/no pressure on any cylinder means its not firing properly, which will give you less power and hurt your gas milage.

193 PSI peak.

143 minimum.

But it will run/burn oil at 120...