Hi all.
I do love my BJ, and it's now nearly 20 years old ...
but last month I heard a small noise from the exhaust,
So today I took a look underneath... and ... suddenly there's a lot to do!

... and I'm supposed to be getting my BA back on the road as well! With a full time job as well, it could be slow progress.
It's like I have 3 jobs now - (1) Earn money; (2) Maintain BJ; (3) Repair BA !!!!!!!!
.

Join the club, I have the two BAs to look after and both need attention

Sundance's rear subframe looked like that until I Hammerited it last year. Having examined the frame itself, I'm happy to say it appears to be completely solid, it was just surface rust, no deep flaking or splitting of the metal etc.

I'd get yours painted though, if only to stop uber-zealous MOT testers sucking in their breath and going "Ooooh, rusty subframe!" and gleefully adding it to your MOT assessment

S

Yes, I guess Hammerite is a good idea. I made a start today. Oddly it was the lateral bars which picked up the advisory, so I've started on those,
and will do the subframe on another day. Lucky I had a day off work today, and was able to dodge the showers.

The intake pipe was showing its age, so a new one ordered and fitted:-

Getting there slowly: new exhaust, and the rods painted, here's a pic of the old and new:

looking good!
Is it me, or the bolt head on the sway bar bushing bracket is missing?
Maybe the rust ate it?
Cheers!

Hmm I see what you mean! I must get back underneath and have a look.

... meanwhile the rear wiper seized up, so I took a punt on an Ebay "used" one for £15, it seems to be ok now. Not too difficult to fit, but oh, those trim clips! Why make them so awkward, I really wouldn't mind having some small bolt heads showing through, then I can use a proper spanner!

I spent this afternoon under the BJ, and good news is both bolt and nut are there on both sides, but were covered in dirt, giving the impression they weren't there!
Rusty as well, yes. But not too bad for a 20-year old car on the original bits.
Thanks for the alert mazzda.

I'm glad that they are there!
One friend of mine had trouble just because of those bolts rusted as hell and the sway bar snapped them and it fell free from the brackets clunking like the car will split in pieces.I was at the rear seats, so i can tell you, it's the noisiest clunking i've heard from a car..

As I used my BJ today I was reminded how good those genuine Mazda roof bars are! Nice and solid, with no special tools needed to fit them, and I recall getting the Thule bike rack from a Mazda dealer too.
I can really recommend them, if you can find any now.
I'd guess some former 323F owners probably have a set in their loft.

^^^True, true.

Aaaark! Whilst going off season for you, it's just come into season for us here in Oz. Not quite a 323, but almost...I fitted my Rola roof racks +bike carrier to my 2004 BK Mazda 3. Actually the roof racks are designed for a BL or BM, but they're adjustable and fit, even if they do stick out slightly- have to be careful not to scone my noggin getting in and out! My daughter's 27.5"x2.3" tyres only just fit the channel but the holding strap won't go around- I now use an orange supplementary extra!

I also have a set of original Rola aero bars for my BA on my BA, bought 2nd hand for $10 or so. 25 years old, solid as a rock in spite of long exposure to the Oz climate.

Patrick

hi i am paul i had a 323f 2.0 dti for 15 years sadly rusted away underneath had to scrap i had already purchaced facory made arches to change but all underneath rusted to i now own a mazda 3 2.2 dti sport
150 hp runs great but if anyone interested in arches let me no bought from germany cost about £60 around £35 the pair let me know
email. thomastank@sky.com

Unexpected problem with the BJ door switch - it's just stuck in all the time so the interior light doesn't come on. I took the switch out and it's not broken, the spring is still intact, but it's just sticking in the hole it's supposed to slide in! Even WD40 didn't do much. Maybe a new switch is needed!

I had that happen to another car and it's an infernal annoyance. Pull it out, it works just fine, put it back in...

Couple of suggestions:

- Assuming all the interior lamp switches are the same, swap it for one from somewhere else and see if the problem continues. If it follows the switch, it's the switch (replace it). If it stays in the body location...investigate further.
- Check that something hasn't fallen down inside that's blocking/binding it
- Check it's mounted correctly and/or isn't bent and/or isn't fouling on the body. For example, you may find there is a bit of play in the mounting and you can loosen thescrew/bolt and move it slightly to a clear location.

All right, that's three suggestions...buy two, get the third free

Patrick

.. and last week the windscreen washer stopped working. The rear was still ok, so I guessed power (fuses etc) were ok, and I purchased a new motor.
Not too bad a job to put it in. Wheel arch liner a bit muddy of course, and the screws a bit tight after 20 years, but it all worked ok.
I had to guess which of the two motors was the front one, but luckily Mazda have put different pipes on them; the front is black pipe, the rear a clear pipe, and I was able to trace them up, the black one went into the bonnet.
It's a bit fiddly to reach the connector plug, but can be done without removing the bumper or the washer tank. So if you need to, have a go!

Lockdown and working at home has given me the chance to do those jobs I never get around to ..... so over Easter I cleaned behind those wonderful genuine Mazda headlamp covers!
Over time they build up some grime and small leaves settling in the gap. I remembered to heat them up before trying to pull them off! Look sparkling now ...

So, the Rear Fog Light stopped working
Tried the bulb, no difference.
Guessed it was the switch. Plenty on Ebay, so I bought the set of 3 switches that are on the lower right dash.
Very easy to fit, just pop off the end panel (plastic clips), disconnect the wire plug (squeeze the tab on the back) and remove the switch (spring tabs top and bottom of the switch), and the switch slides out towards you.
New switch solved the problem.
I wish all problems were this simple.
(Note: The manual says disconnect the battery whilst doing this job.)