Mazda MX-6 Forum banner

Maintenance on a 95 LS with 50k miles?

2K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Robert Lawson 
#1 ·
My grandmother is 91 and a lovely lady, but her driving years are past her and it looks like I'm getting her car in a few weeks. It's a 1995 MX-6 LS automatic with about 50k miles (she didn't drive much, to say the least)

Does anyone have suggestions as to maintenance I should do? In particular, I would imagine hoses, belts, fluids, and tires, but anything else? I'm figuring a timing belt would be a good idea (it's original) but I must admit I'm surprised they didn't put a chain on this engine. I changed the belt on a Jetta once and it was a less than delightful experience.

If there are things I can do to prevent what is in many respects an almost-new car (been garaged its whole life, no less) from falling apart under actual use I'm all ears!
 
#2 ·
I too got my car from my grandmother, very good memories.

Do all the stuff you've mentioned. What is the milage? hard to believe its not had a timing belt done in 23+ years.

I'd get that changed pronto in my opinion.

Now be warned. If you are going to start putting some serious milage on it, you may start finding that you will be doing a few repairs in the first year. Things like valve cover gaskets, water pump things like that. If it has so little milage, age may just catch up.

Start with the basics. Check for engine codes. replace the spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Oil change, and I would also recommend a tranny flush. Well over due for that.

If you feel adventurous like me, gut the automatic and install a manual :)
 
#3 ·
Thanks! To clarify, the car is a 95, so only ~20 years. Just to confirm the V6 is non-interference, right? Obviously doing the timing belt and water pump anyway since I don't want to get stranded but it's good to know. I suspect it could use some struts, too. I'll get the transmission flushed, thanks for the tip. The plugs and wires are actually still relatively new (4-5 years and maybe 10,000 miles?), I changed them for her a while back.

A manual swap could be in the works at some point down the line but it wouldn't be for a while yet. It would be a pretty awesome ride with a manual in it, though. I've been living abroad for a few years and just got back to the states; I miss manual transmissions now.
 
#4 ·
Yes, the V6 is definitely non-interference. Still, you don't want to need a tow at an inconvenient time.

Normally, it's recommended to change the water pump at the same time as the timing belt, while you have it all apart.

The struts tend to last; it may not need them replaced.
 
#7 ·
With only 50k miles, and in CA, if you have the previous maintenance records, you are really in luck. A lot of the parts on the car are going to last a lot longer. Probably just do routine maintenance at this point.

If you are inclined, you could start up a savings fund, and replace some parts every year regardless to keep it like new. New brake rotors really give the car a new car feel compared to any worn rotors, and are easy to install, and inexpensive. New struts from Monroe are very cheap now. If you learn how to install those, that will save you about $ 700 from what I've seen.

You will be able to recognize telltale noises when some parts start to go bad: clicks, thunks, ghost like sounds, groaning sounds.

I really didn't start up a fund like that until I go to 200,000 miles. At that time, I decided I was going to keep the car running as long as possible. Every year I replace some parts whether they are broken or not. Now I am at 230k miles, and just went on a 3,000 mile road trip.

I see CA has no end to emissions testing for older cars, meaning they will have to keep getting tested and pass every year no matter how old they get.
 
#8 ·
Yeah, I've had a few high-mileage cars (old Volvos mostly) and my approach was usually "if something needs replacing, replace any other stuff you're pulling out at the same time". I suspect I could figure out struts; I did half-shafts on a '90 Sentra and that seems to be a similar degree of difficulty. The biggest challenge in that case was just pounding them out of the transmission. I've done rotors plenty and they do indeed help a lot. I guess I just never had a car where things were likely to rot due to age instead of miles so thought maybe I hadn't thought of stuff.

CA does have strict emissions rules, but then, I also like that I live in the middle of a city and the air is nice, so I suppose it's a fair deal. The central valley in the summer can be astoundingly smoggy; Bakersfield in particular has some disgusting, vile air, and it's mostly from the cities on the coast.
 
#9 ·
In addition to timing belt and water pump do both accessory drive belts, change every fluid, trans, power steering, brake fluid, everything. Also take a hard look at anything made of rubber. Including coolant hoses power steering hoses and brake hoses, steering rack boots etc.

Consider an AC service to be sure there's a proper amount of Freon in the system which is what circulates the oil and keeps the compressor lubricated.

How old is the battery? If older than 4-5 years it's worth replacing.
 
#10 ·
If you're in there with the struts anyway, look at the control arm bushings. Check if they are visibly drying and cracking.

In my experience, at around 20 years, all rubber starts to rot. My MX6 started to lurch to the side, especially if I went across uneven pavement while accelerating. Turns out the front control arm bushings were rotting out and had some play. Apply power and a bit of flex, and the whole control arm would angle backwards, pulling me to the side. Just something to be aware of; it's an easy $50-100 fix.
 
#11 ·
Thanks!

Thanks for the comments guys!

I took possession of the car on Sunday. Grandma was sorry to see it go but understanding. It's still weird to drive a 20 year old car with 47,000 miles on it; even the leather is in surprisingly decent shape all things considered. Based on the service sticker on the windshield it had gone 500 miles in the last 9 months.

So far it's gotten a new battery, and the only major issue is that the transmission leaks intermittently. When it does leak, though, it dumps quite a bit of fluid on the ground. I nursed it home for 450 miles with a bottle of bar's leak and a few quarts of new fluid, but it still seems to leak a decent amount of fluid every time I get it hot and then stop for a while. Is that a common issue? For what it's worth it still seems to shift perfectly (I expected worse from a Ford automatic from the 90's).

There's a bit of groaning/clicking which I suspect are CV joints, so I may be adding new half shafts as well. A/C is dead, though I may just live without it. The hoses and belts all seem to be in decent shape, at least, though as mentioned a timing belt will be going in soon.

Overall I'm pretty pleased! One thing I'm realizing is that it's a pain to work on a car when you don't have a decent parking spot (I only have street parking). Any serious transmission work may be infeasible. It's not quite as fast as my last car (RSX type S) but it certainly isn't as slow as car2go, which is what I've been using.
 
#15 ·
I stuck a funnel in the transmission dipstick tube and poured it in. Trust me, I didn't want to, but I was in the middle of nowhere and needed to get home. I figured the worst case scenario is I get to put in a manual, which I kind of want to anyway. Given that every car I've owned has been old, I've driven far more manuals in great shape than automatics. They're also just more fun.

It's already in the shop to get the leak diagnosed and a flush, so either way the stuff will be out of there before it gets driven again.
 
#14 ·
That sounds like a lot of fluid lost in 450 miles. Usually when you have a leak, if you leave the car sitting for a while you will get considerable loss of fluid, but then when you go on a trip, you don't lose fluid like that. Maybe a small hole in a hose or connection.

It is a pain when you don't have a place to work. A lot of apartment complexes won't even let you work on your car at your parking spot.

Some won't even allow you to feed the stray cats !
 
#16 ·
Incidentally I was watching this last night, and figure it shouldn't be too horrible to fix the leak if I can get to whatever it is without pulling the transmission. Nice that you can get so far inside without removal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=832P2LM1yJQ

I normally would've done it myself but really don't have time for it right now.

On the bright side, I'm riding my 170cc scooter everywhere for the time being and had it up to 74 last night, which is.... exhilarating, if nothing else.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top