New to import cars and new to here.

[scorpio_vette]

Hi,

I've always loved v8's, and even more than that, the 4.0L engine jeeps.
so i've always been a jeep guy, been wrenching on and off for 10years at a couple dealerships/shops, but generally always been into Jeep wranglers and cherokees. i can tell you almost everything about them in my sleep.

then gas prices went up, and we tried to offset the cost of gas by getting motorcycles, and i started getting into working on and modifying motorcycles on the side a little.

well then it got to expensive to keep the jeeps or trucks even for occasional use, so i traded my cherokee for a manual transmission grand am and for the first time had a 4-wheeled vehicle that got better than 15mpg. LOL at 30mpg it was almost (not quite) as good as our bikes. Unfortunately since I don't have a job anymore (medical reasons), when the grand am decided to take a dump earlier this year, I couldn't afford the parts to fix it, and sold it. Well now it's getting to cold to use the bikes daily, so I needed to start looking for a car for this stupid cold weather that's coming up.


So here I am with a 92 mazda mx-3, 1.8L, manual transmission.

THE GOOD:
starts and runs
only 137,000 miles
power mirrors, windows and sunroof work
still has owners manual and emergency allen wrench tool
subwoofer/amp/wiring already installed
it's paid for

THE BAD:
driver side window switch is bad
driver side cv-axle is bad
driver side door and quarter panel are dented from somebody backing into it
driver side electric seat belt track is missing
driver side rear swaybar end link is broken
driver side door weather strip is ripped
driver seat is torn down the left side
passenger front is missing a wheel stud
passenger front strut to knuckle bolts were loose
passenger rear brake was worn THROUGH the pads, the backing plates and the caliper piston
sunroof seal was bad, so one of the previous owners gorilla glued the seal
passenger side coolant cap adapter (not sure what it's called or what it's for) was cracked,
so he gorilla glued that too
both front tires are bald
both rear seats are ripped at the seams
center console is broken
rear hatch cover (that piece that hangs from the glass to hide what's in the trunk) is
deformed and damaged
lots of little leaks in the engine compartment (hey it's a 20year old car)
rust under the rockers (surprisingly very little to no visible rust on the visible parts of the
exterior of the car)
somebody stole the stereo face, so i had no tunes driving home.
paid $900

so right now she's sitting on 4 jackstands in my shop all torn apart, waiting on new parts to arrive. Already did the oil change, and will change transmission fluid later today. Already installed a new mp3 deck (don't own any cd's, so it sounds weird to say cd deck. LOL)

so all in all not overly bad. most of the problems are basically lack of maintenance. still think I paid a little to much for it, but if it gets me close to another 10,000 miles, it'll be worth it.




So what can you guys tell me about these cars, and where can you point me for all the tips & tricks, etc... (haven't had much time to read around yet. to busy trying to keep up with the work on the house and property and now the car)???


Thanks

[fowljesse]

Welcome.
I started with air cooled VWs, and went to V8s, then everywhere from there, from 0 to 8 cyl. I've had every type of car/ scooter, motorcycle from all continents, and my MX-3 has made me as happy as my muscle cars, Mercedes', Motorcycles, etc.. Maybe even more happy. There is more to learn about this car, although I thought I pretty much new it all, growing up literally in my Dad's mechanic shop. Now I'm fine tuning with a stand alone engine management system, and have tweaked just about everything possible. 90% of what you need to know is right here in the forums, and you probably know the rest already.
In all, you still got a decent deal on the car, and you will most likely find the parts you need here for a good price. You may even catch the bug that most of us got, and when you get the money, swap in an engine with 2x the HP, and go from there!
I'll look forward to your worklog.
Any time you get a question, use the search function, and you'll probably find the answer, and more.

[Nd4SpdSe]

driver side window switch is bad

Common

driver side electric seat belt track is missing

Common failure actually. Would be easier just to convert to manual belts.

rear hatch cover (that piece that hangs from the glass to hide what's in the trunk) is
deformed and damaged

Common

[scorpio_vette]

driver side window switch is bad

Common
Is there a cheap fix for it, or some type of mod to replace it??? cheapest switch I've found so far is bout $100. (seems that EVERY part for this car starts at $100)

driver side electric seat belt track is missing

Common failure actually. Would be easier just to convert to manual belts.
I would like to keep the electric seat belts, cuz I think they're kinda cool. But haven't been able to find any since I started looking. Otherwise, do you have a writeup, or suggestions on manual belt donors/swaps???

rear hatch cover (that piece that hangs from the glass to hide what's in the trunk) is
deformed and damaged

Common
Any source for replacements, or mods to fix them???

Thanks.

[stepchyld]

Welcome to the forum! Lot of information and a lot of good people here.
Been fiddling with cherokees myself, my 88 is being a stubborn piece!

Check the For Sale section of the forum for the window switch. SuperK may still have some.
I've done a rig by jumping wires on the harness to operate my windows. Bit of a hassle, but it's practically free.

I think there's a write up on auto to manual seatbelt conversion on the site. Mazda did a recall on the autos, but you may need the track for them to do anything on it. If you want a track, I have a set from a 92 I had several years back. It probably doesn't function, but should hold your seatbelt. I've driven my 93 for 6+ years with auto belts not working, just reach up over the shoulder and click em in place... I'd sell one or both for cost of shipping. Would just need to dig them out of storage.

On the cover, people have done several things with them. I haven't, yet. I'm lucky the ones in my driven mx3's are in good shape. My other mx3's were missing theirs when I got them.
Check the For Sale section, someone may be selling one from a part-out...

Already installed a new mp3 deck (don't own any cd's, so it sounds weird to say cd deck. LOL)

so all in all not overly bad. most of the problems are basically lack of maintenance. still think I paid a little to much for it, but if it gets me close to another 10,000 miles, it'll be worth it.

lol, I've always called them Head Units, pretty much covers all the functions...
I would've tried talking them down given all the work you're going to be doing to it, but it'll be worth it and you should easily get well over 10k out of it, and when you get everything right on it, you'll enjoy that car! Good mileage and a blast to drive

[Daninski]

Post what you need in the [WTB] section. Most of the stuff yu mentioned is well know to us. We have the parts, we can rebuild her. If you think your up to the task,,,,Mr V8 Jeep man.

PS Those old Jeep Commandos were bad azz with the V8 in them.

Double PS. If I can find my extra drivers side weather strip I'll send it to ya. $5 bucks plus shipping if that sounds reasonable.

[Demonic1]

driver side window switch is bad

Common
Is there a cheap fix for it, or some type of mod to replace it??? cheapest switch I've found so far is bout $100. (seems that EVERY part for this car starts at $100)

Any source for replacements, or mods to fix them???

Thanks.

This method requires minimal electronics knowledge and moderate soldering, with a touch of "jury rigging".
Go grab a set of early 90's Mazda window switches (626, 323, Protege, etc.) While it appears that the only style that used our switch style was the MX3, pretty much any DPDT switch will do the job.
The bottom of the DPDT switches have 6 pins on them like this image. (Image shows driver and pass sides)

The two center pins of each switch will go to the motor.
You will need to connect the top right/bottom left to one another, and the top left/bottom right together.
This makes an X
Attach the 12v (+) to the top right temporarily
Attach the Grd (-) to the top left temporarily
Test switch.
Is up up, and down down? Solder them in place if so.
Up is down, down is up? Switch the + and - around, test, solder.

Repeat for the other side.

You'll need to modify the switch housing to fit the new style switches. Dremel is your friend.
Put a layer of non-conducting material over the circuit board
Use the board to hold the switches in place.

I've had this in place for almost 3 years and it's never given me problems.
I did lose my auto down function though...

http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=72042 (my thread)
http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=66265 Another switch thread *edit*(The thread he talks about in the next post below)
http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=59527 Good images of the internals of our switches (for reference)

Here's an image off an RX7 board showing how a DPDT switch works for this function.


I'll find some more pictures soon. I'll take one of the switch style I used.
Maybe I should just put the real switch I have in my stuff in place.
Maybe I should pull the switch out and do a write up...

[Daninski]

What, no auto down,,,EPIC FAIL! There is a mod for a 94+ switch so it will work in a 92-93 car as well. You'd have to use the Search feature though.

[mazda915]

Welcome bro this site is great and you will learn about the mx more than anybody else glad to see A new member I'v owned my mx-3 for about 5years had ups and downs but still love my mx and great gas mileage with great power is the best !!