mx5cartalk.com

I fixed my starter motor last night, and discovered a few bolts missing in various places.

I'll come clean and say that I'm starting to realise that I'm a terrible mechanic. After I changed the engine last year, I must have forgotten to loctite a few bolts, so I'm missing one bolt from the RHS engine mount (other 3 are tight though) and one bellhousing bolt. There are also a few other incidental ones around the engine bay.

Where would be the best place to get replacements? Can I rock up to my local mazda dealer with a diagram, or are they going to try and sell me a complete engine mount kit etc?

I'd forgotten how lovely my NA6 is to drive though. I've been banging around in the Hyundai khanacross car while I've been waiting for the new starter to arrive. Relieved I didn't get pulled over by the cops (no interior, no standard seat belts, no bumper structure etc). In comparison, the -5 feels like a limosine...

Go to mazda, have them pull up the part diagrams and order them.

I have ordered individual bolts you just have to be specific. (over zelous with the file)

Please share which nuts and bolts you can run without...

Bunnings or Supercrap have little packets of bolts in various metric sizes, they carry most of the standard sizes.

There's a great fastener place behind the Bunnings on the cnr of High Rd and Leech Hwy.

You have to know what size/thread bolt etc you're after or bring in one that is the same so you can match it.

Their very pricey but i've been able to find a lot of unique bolts there.

Searle's fasteners is the name of the place I think.

I'm thinking that'll be the best option. Might take a few other bolts off in the carpark to match up with, hehe.

Cheers.

Bolts ain't bolts. I'd get the mazda part for anything critical.

Mazda, as CT said.

Two easy ways of avoidng this is the future;

1: Buy a box of Glad Zip Lock bags and a permanent marker. When disassembling ANYTHING, put the bolts/clips/small easy to lose bits into the bag and write what part of the car they're from (Ie, \"Gearbox\", or \"Front Left Engine Mount\") Simple, cheap, and you should never loose a part again!

2: For more critical items, lay them out on the ground in the same order you remove them, and loosly put each bolt back into it's original hole. This works well for driveshafts, exhausts, gearboxes and the like...

Personally i prefer to put all bolts into the bags though, I've found this works really well for me, especially when you're doing something big like a gearbox and you have to remove about 40 different parts to get to it...

Havent lost a bolt yet doing this...

So, you've got odd nuts ?

sirbob wrote:Havent lost a bolt yet doing this...

Yeah, me either, in fact I usually end up with a few spares for next time

Cheers,
Alf