FAQ: Has my NA (Series 1) got a 1600 or 1800 engine?

FAQs on everything you wanted to know about the MX5 but were afraid to ask.

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zorruno
Black is the new black.
Black is the new black.
Posts: 601
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:20 pm
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FAQ: How to confirm if your engine is either 1.6L or 1.8L

Post by zorruno » Mon May 28, 2007 8:02 pm

A conversation on this topic is here:
http://www.mx5forum.co.nz/viewtopic.php?t=8098

In it, Okibi says, refer to this topic which has photos of both engines:
http://www.aus-cartalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=18552

Summary:
This is THE BEST way to tell:
"The 1600 engine has the coilpacks on the exhaust side of the engine at the rear, the 1800 engine has the coilpacks on the inlet side of the engine at the rear, or on top of the plugs."

Regarding cam covers ..
- The NA (popup headlights) 1.6 has recessed lettering
- The NA (popup headlight)1.8 has raised lettering
- The NB (fixed headlight pre 2005) has recessed lettering on the 1.8
- The NB (fixed headlight pre 2005) was also available in a "povo pack" 1.6lt version, but I don't know what the lettering looks like on those.

The Air Flow Meters also look different.
- The 1.6 one is big and metallic.
- The 1.8 one is only a bit larger than the width of the intake runner and is
black plastic.

Please feel free to add to this discussion, or post your own photos below.
(z)

MX5PWR
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Need, more, 5-ing, time....
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Location: Auckland

FAQ: Has my NA (Series 1) got a 1600 or 1800 engine?

Post by MX5PWR » Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:59 pm

Question: "How do you tell which car has a 1600 engine and which has an 1800 engine?"

There are several ways to tell at a glance. This applies to the NA (or series I with pop up headlights) only. The Series II and onwards has many variations and are a little more difficult to tell apart at a glance.

Badge Colour
Have you ever noticed that some Series I MX5s have a different colour in the “Roadster” badge on the rear of the car (See the photos below).

Yes they do!! If you know your colours you can tell a lot about the car.

BLACK – all 1.6 Litre cars(1989 to 1993/94) have black as the colour of the “Roadster” script inside the chrome badge on the rear

RED - The early 1.8 Litre (1993/94) cars had the “Roadster” script changed to red.

GREEN - August 1995 saw the introduction of the 133bhp Series II 1.8 litre engine which featured a 16 bit ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and a lightweight flywheel to let the engine rev more easily. The 4.3:1 final drive ratio was bought back on the 5 speed cars and the “Roadster” script changed to Green

Electric Mirrors
As a general rule of thumb, if the car has electric rear vision mirrors on the side (heavier stems) then it is a 1.8 Litre, but as a lot of the Limited Edition cars have manual rear vision mirrors, so you need to also check the “Roadster” script colour.

Engine Differences
If you lift the bonnet, the 1600 have the prefix NA6 on the fire wall, while the 1800 have NA8 (the prefix is part of the chassis number).
The 1600 (see photo below) have the spark plug leads coming from the coil packs on the passenger’s side of the Cam Cover and have an aluminium air filter cover. The 1800 (see photo) has the spark plug leads coming from the coil packs on the driver’s side and has a larger plastic air filter cover.

Series II or NB Quick Check
The series II imports are available in both 1600 and 1800 (NZ new are only available in 1800). You need to be able to see the Firewall to be sure of the engine size NB6 for 1600 and NB8 for 1800.


Often cars are advertised as having ABS brakes when in fact they do not. If the MX5 has ABS brakes there will be a square aluminum block with four pipes coming out of the top (refer picture). This is attached to the firewall inside the engine bay on the passenger’s side.

There can be many variations to the above on Imports as they may have been altered in Japan, but at least the above is a rough guide if you are looking to either purchase your first MX5 or upgrade.

MX5PWR

(If anyone else has some useful photos or notes to add, please do so in this forum thread)
Attachments
NA8 engine s.jpg
NA8 1800 Engine
NA6 engine s.jpg
NA6 1600 Engine
Roadster Badge.jpg
Example of Black 1600 engine badge.

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