mx5cartalk.com

Hi,

Can anybody please tell me what the wire circled in green does? I have a 94 Clubman which is my first MX-5 and have owned for 2 months. I recently took it to a garage which someone recommended to me to have a new water pump fitted as it was leaking coolant and at the same time have a K&N pod filter fitted. I drove around for ages without listening to my ipod or radio because i liked the sound of the K&N! I have now noticed that when i play my ipod (i play it through the radio with an fm connecter) i can here the engine buzzing through it, the buzzing increasing with the revs. I was wondering if the unconnected wire had anything to do with the interference because my ipod played perfectly before i took it to the garage. I could go back to the garage but it's quite far from where i live and to be honest i dont know if the wire was ever connected to anything before i took it to the garage, i hadn't noticed the wire and it might have been tucked away somewhere.

Thanks

AK

Normally connects to the Power-steering?

If I remember correctly, it was surplus (no power steering or aircon).

What they said ^^^

A buzzing sound that changes with engine revs indicates, in my exeperice, a bad earth...or interference on the FM frequency you are using. Try a different frequency if you can.

J.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Juffa i agree with you about a bad earth somewhere, that was my initial feeling. I have tried many different frequencies on the ipod fm transmitter but the interfernce/buzzing noise doesn't go away. That's why i was hoping that the loose wire i indicated was going to make an earth connection if it was reconnected, but seeing as i dont have power steering this wire was probably always loose. I shall have to look around for a bad earth!

Cheers

AK

Is it only though the iPod, or anything through the radio?

Hi Jeo,

It's most noticable through my ipod, but i can hear a faint buzzing on some radio stations. I have tried using my sister's ipod, which is a newer model, with her FM transmitter and it still buzzes, so it's definately not the ipod or ipod transmitter.

Make sure your spark plug leads are in good condition and clean, faulty or dirty ones can be discharging all over the place causing radio interferrence.

If it's happening across the board then it obviously isn't a problem with the iPod or the fm transmitter. Like the others here, I'd be leaning towards a grounding issue.

Have you been playing around behind the centre console recently? Any other recent changes?

Well i have been playing around in the interior . I am trying to track down a metallic rattle which sounds like it's coming from the dashboard just off centre towards the passenger side. This is the only rattle the car has and it's driving my insane! The car has always had this little rattle which starts normally after i go over a small bump in the road. The radio has always been fine though up until about a month ago but i may have screwed it up when i was fiddling about trying to find this rattle. I have checked everything i can get to, to cure this rattle but it's still there. Appologies for going off topic but i believe after reading many "rattle" posts that it is due to either the heater matrix or evaporative cooler being loose in their boxes due to the foam padding which holds them in place shrinking? Does this sound plausable? To get the heater and evaporative cooler out i believe i need to start stripping out the dash board I am not very experienced so i have ordered a MX-5 Haynes Manual (which is due to arrive in a couple of weeks) which will hopefully guide me through this daunting prospect. Whilst the dash is off i am going to get a new radio (1 din size) to replace the original (1.5 din size) which will mean i can play my ipod through a cable and eliminate this buzzing noise hopefully. I will order a new larger cubby hole to fill the gap. I'm also thinking about changing the interior backlighting from green to red. I have read posts about this and it seems straight forward (but for me probably isn't!)

Cheers

AK

Where are you getting a Haynes- these are readily available in Melb- you can order thru the auto places like Repco or from USA direct eg Amazon. Seems really extreme to remove the dash- one would have thought you can get some access without needing to do this. I am amazed still that anyone goes to the trouble of changing the intrument colour- I reckon the instruments are really easy to read and red is as good as any- I would not even think about such a mod.

Hi Mr Morlock, I ordered the Haynes through Amazon, none of the Auto shops seem to have them in stock in Perth apart from one shop which wanted about $60 dollars for it! Dont get me wrong, i really dont want to remove the dash if i can help it but i cant seem to get access to the bits which i think are rattling at the moment. That's where the Haynes Manual will hopefully tell me what to do! Regarding changing the lighting colour to red, it's just an idea i wanted to try but if it's too involved i wont bother, i dont want to open a can of worms so to speak.

Cheers

AK

Having had both the Haynes Manual and the Rod Grainger MX-5 enthusiasts guide I would recommend the Rod Grainger book. I found the Haynes used a lot of generic info/photos, that would suit any car...where is the other book was specific to the MX-5....including the patent method for working under the drivers side dash.

Before you start removing great chunks of dash I would suggest you check in the engine bay and under the car. Many rattles can sound like they are under the dash, but are actually in the engine bay. An example was a bracket on the gearbox bell housing was left loose when a workshop changed the clutch on my first 5. The bracket rubbed against the firewall. Like you I was about to pull the dash apart until I found the bracket by accident. Another is the bonnet latch point. It can wear and allow the bonnet to move around which causes a rattle. Also, Loose bonnet hinges, again caused by wear.

J.

Thanks for the advice Juffa, i shall keep looking around the engine bay and under the car for this illusive rattle. Like i said before, not looking forward to taking the interior apart, i'd probably put it back together and find i've created new rattles!

Cheers

AK

have also read that the rattle you describe can be glove box related:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=29968
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21334