I'm a potential BA Hatch 1.8L 5spd Owner..

[zero1]

Hey guys,

I'm an obvious newbie to Mazdas (previous Corolla owner) but am considering buying a neglected '94 BA 1.8L 5 Speed Hatch from a friend, and I was just after some advice as to whether it would be worth buying and how much I'd be looking at spending in order for it to be in good running order..

Here's a few of the problems (that I know of):
- clutch/brake fluid has leaked down the clutch, I was told it has something to do with the slave and/or master cylinder
- oil leaking from the engine (gasket?) onto a radiator hose
- oil is frequently needed to be topped up
- a bit of panel damage and poor paint
- the wipers only come up half way in intermittant mode
- hole starting to form in the exhaust

I have searched through the forums and found this clutch leaking is not an uncommon problem in BAs and BGs - but is it easily fixed?\


Basically I just wanna find out if these are common problems, if they'll be expensive to fix, and if there are any other mechanical issues associated with the 1.8 engine and the BA Hatches in general that I should look for..

And also any trusted/knowledgable mechanics for astinas around northside brissy.. (so far I've heard J&S at Brendale are pretty good)

Cheers

[AstinaBoiV6]

unless ur geting a very good deal on it id stay away. cars that have these sort of problems are likley to have more problems later.. panel damage is always expensive to fix as they have to blend it in other panels to do a proper job depending on the colour.

thats what i think but hey if u like the car and u think its worth spending $$ and time to fix it go 4 it otherwise use the $$ u need for repairs along with other $$ and buy a decent 1.

[skitz]

hey welcome to the family :P

mind if i ask u how much he wants for it?

[zero1]

Well we've agreed on $350 for it..

he just wants to get rid of it, so i was thinking id be getting a pretty decent deal at that price..

it's done 159,xxx ks but no rego

i hav a couple of sprayer/panel beater contacts, so the body damage isnt a big $$ issue

so with that price in mind, is it worth it?
and if worse comes to worse, couldnt i jus drop a BPT in it..?

[Rupewrecht]

Welcome to the forums.

Well, for $350, it's worth more than that in parts. Bargain buy. I'd buy it for that!

Sounds like the valve stem seals might be gone in the engine (or is just hasn't been looked after/serviced reguarly). Does it blow much smoke on startup?
Gasket leaks are fairly common with the BP 1.8 engine.

As for the wipers, that's an odd one - never heard of that before.

[CHiMPY]

For $350 it has to be worth it. even with a full engine transplant you would still get out of it for less than you will pay for a better condition car..

[zero1]

yeh thats what im thinking.. definitely an opportunity too good to miss


i was only able to have a quick look at the engine bay yesterday arv and i didnt get to turn it over cause the battery needs charging (it has been sitting for about a mth)

from my very limited mechanical knowledge, it appeared to be a gasket leak, but i really cant be sure

and from what i could see it definitely hasnt been well looked after (the owner previous to my mate was a careless female - hence the body damage lol)

but i think with a bit of effort and tlc, this car could be a nice little runaround

would you hav a rough idea on prices for replacing the clutch cylinder(s), the gasket and the valve stems?

also i was wondering if i should get an racq check, so i can find out exactly everything thats wrong with it, or should i just take it to a mechanic that knows a lot about mazdas..?

[mill_mobile]

Originally Posted by zero1

also i was wondering if i should get an racq check, so i can find out exactly everything thats wrong with it, or should i just take it to a mechanic that knows a lot about mazdas..?

If the RACQ is anything like the RACT i would just take it to a mechanic, before i got my Astina i had a RACT (Tasmania) check done on it.... went to start it the next day and battery was buggered, they then admitted to not giving it a load test and therefore i scammed a battery out of them.
Also, there were a few things they pointed out and noted down what it was... it was actually just what they 'thought' it was and turns out they knew sh!t.

I know a few other people that have had a few other people that have had these checks too, they will tell you things need replacing when in actual fact they are fine and other things they seem to miss completely.

If you ask me the checks are overrated and they know next to nothing (or only check what they can be bothered checking at the time)

In my opinion i will never get a check form them again and i would fully just:
SPEND THE $$ ON A MECHANIC CHECK (SOMEONE YOU KNOW PREFERABLY)

J

[skitz]

yeah buy it man!!! as for the pannels lol get bourbon to hook u up with parts lol if i havent wiped him out of BA hatch parts that is :P

[bourbon]

yep we still got em hahaha. if not im sure we can chase em down. just PM me if ya interested in any panels or lights. also do the clear tail lights and guard repeaters for these.

[project.r.racing]

sounds like a great deal to me, buy it!!! and welcome to AGT...

you in brisbane?

ryan

[AstinaBoiV6]

wow $350 dam i didnt kno it was that cheap for a BA.. i was thinkin in the 6-7k price range but 350 buy it and u still have $$ for a BPT

[zero1]

cheers for the responses guys, i will try to get some pics up soon

iv had a quick read thru the sticky threads on BP -> BPT conversions, just got a few questions:

-the expected total costs given for the conversions were posted a couple of yrs ago.. have they changed much at all?
-how much do BPT half-cuts go for these days, and where can i find one in brissy?
-somewhere along the line iv been led to believe that you can only drop engines in that are newer than the car, is this true?
-and if so, were BPTs made after 94?
-are there many difficulties in the conversion with in a BA? or is it a very straight forward bolt on?
-would i also need to upgrade the suspension setup and rear brakes?

(sorry if this has been covered b4 - still a newbie)

[AstinaBoiV6]

i think ryan (deejayryry) is selling 1 for like $500 or something. ask him

- yes you will need stiffer springs to handle the extra power not much cost ther
- no rear brakes are fine from what i know of but you mite want to either get performance pads on the front or get some DBA slotted rotors.

= ur getin the car for $300 man u can afford to buy some springs and brakes and a heck of alot of other things. Im sure if a member found this car for $300 after just selling theirs they would buy it and make it into the best BA around. cheap cheap i woulda bought this even if it was just a solid shell.

[bourbon]

sticka boi he doesnt need stiffer suspension with the turbo conversion...stockies are fine!

and ryans engine he is sellin is with out a wiring lume and some other stuff...BPT conversion normally costs around the $5000 mark.

i would be buyin this car, gettin your engine reco'ed or getin a reco engine put in. and fixin up all the other stuf wrong with it. its aquit a steal.

[Astro Boy]

So... why would you want less traction to handle more power?! I'm confused sticka boi....

[AstinaBoiV6]

what do u mean less traction? WOuldnt you want stiffer suspension like coilovers to reduce body roll when taking corners faster? Well that blows the idea out of the water. funny how most decent turbo cars have coilovers i guess even the ppl on the race track are stoopid for puting in stffer suspension in the high power cars... im sorry but ur notion makes no sense.

IM not having a go just curious as 2 why every1 does it yet u say u lose traction.

[bourbon]

haha stickaboi, you said he would need stiffer suspension, he doesnt need it.

[project.r.racing]

GTX half cut = $2500 normally

reco BP engine = $2000 minimum

BPT engine = $5000

and yes i am selling a GTX engine - doesn't require a loom if installing a aftermarket ecu in it eg:- mircotech, haltech, wolf ems.

ryan

[CHiMPY]

Originally Posted by deejayryry

and yes i am selling a GTX engine - doesn't require a loom if installing a aftermarket ecu in it eg:- mircotech, haltech, wolf ems.

Really?? Care to PM me some more details..