Astina Owners

[Sparky]

Any other Astina owners on the forum or am I the only one?

[pradfred]

Hi

Well i own a Mazda AZ3 .

lets start a Mazda club mate as there are too few of us who really know the value of these cars.

What say you?

[Sparky]

Interesting thought. I'll join in the other thread.

Which MX-3 model do you own? The RS or GS?

[Twin Turbo]

As a former owner of a BG5P Astina I like to contribute to any querrys you may have.

[GTAm]

I had an Interplay about 7 years ago (19-4453) and really enjoyed it . It used to be green and felt very quick. Almost bought an Astina but the Interplay was in better shape.

[Sparky]

No help needed just yet. Was just wondering if I was the only one.

The Astina was one of the cheapest cars I looked and seemed like it was in good condition but have had a fair few problems since I bought it. Still, it is surprisingly faster than I thought it would be and can be a very good drive on occasion.

[GuruG]

Is this thread only for BG5P? Overall its a gr8 car. It has a very reliable engine as well as a gearbox. I have an interplay where some astina's(EFI) models had the same engine (b5). Here r 2 of the reason y I said it is relaiable.

1. Last year on wesak day I went to 1 of my friends place at ja-ela. When I was about to leave my friend(not much of a car guy) shouted saying there green stuff dripping from my car. When I looked under the bonnet the bottom radiator hose is leaking. I filled it with water n went searching for a garage.

One of friends talled me thares a guy somewhere seeduwa n he is sure to be there. When I found the place that guy has gone a freaking trip. So I went searching n only 2 find a place near negambo . My baby was like a steamer. I had 2 keep it to cool down for 2hrs n there was no water not even steam.

The garage guy talled me that say bye to ur gasket+pistons+etc etc. I talld the guy will c after the engine cools down n went to by a hose n a oil sealer for the tappet(as it was fried). After fixin everything I start the engine. What do u know after all that she was fine. Of course changed the oil instantly cus the oil that was inside is very black n thick due to overheating.

2. When I first bought this car the guy who soled it to me talled that he has done major service a week ago. Added that to me hapinnes I was driving arround to get to know my new toy. Only thing I felt wiered is that the gear knob gettin lil warm. I thought cus I rev high n the car must be new to my style.

When the time came for the next service the guys at the srvice station gave me a terrifying news sayin there was not a drip of oil inside the trasmission. Either the previous owner tricked me or the guys who previously serviced neglect to change it. Filled de oil n still no probs.

One of the stupif thing is that there is no place to fill transmission oil but there is a drain nut. Only way of filling is either if you pump from buttom to up or remove the speedo meter cable on top. So keep in mind that some service guys tend to neglect this cus of the difficulty n not having enough knowledge to refit the speedo cable they might endup with braking it. Which will cost u near Rs.3000.

For today It never lets me down n I never got stuck on the road. Gr8 car to have n loads of fun to drive. Recomend to any1 who is willing to buy.

[pradfred]

Hi Sparky,

Sorry mate just saw your questiion about my MX 3 - its the GS I think - the 4 pot one not the 6 pot.

I have had it now for 10 years and love the thing to bits.

Have driven some fast cars but for Sri Lanka, the Mazda is more than enough and not enough power to do stupid &^%$& and end up looking like an nut.

Will catch you on the Mazda club thread?

guys on this one hope you are all gonna be at the Mazda meet ?

[Sparky]

Hi GuruG. I have a first generation Astina and have had a lot of problems with my Astina since I bought it all of which can be safely attributed to the previous owners. Since I bought it I've replaced the suspension, ball joints, battery, e-brake cables, fuel meter, headlights, a bracket in the gearbox, wheel bearings and engine. And the clock only seems to work once a month. I've also got to replace the tires soon as well as the rear-view mirrors. It's probably spent more time at my mechanic's garage than mine.

I've also had to paint it (twice) because the old paintwork would actually get water-stained if water landed on it and dried. The sunroof and windscreen leaked, the dashboard started falling apart and the power windows didn't close properly. I got this car cheap and even though I checked it out thoroughly before I bought it none of this stuff was apparent then.

Anyway, apart from the problems this car has been great fun to drive when I've had the chance. Hopefully I'll have it back this weekend in time for the Mazda meetup, but if I don't I hope you guys will excuse the old beat-up Lancer I'll be showing up in (that's a whole other story).

And yes, the car is generally hardy. I once drove to Ahungalla and back and then all over Colombo with the radiator cap off.

[GuruG]

Hi GuruG. I have a first generation Astina and have had a lot of problems with my Astina since I bought it all of which can be safely attributed to the previous owners. Since I bought it I've replaced the suspension, ball joints, battery, e-brake cables, fuel meter, headlights, a bracket in the gearbox, wheel bearings and engine. And the clock only seems to work once a month. I've also got to replace the tires soon as well as the rear-view mirrors. It's probably spent more time at my mechanic's garage than mine.

I've also had to paint it (twice) because the old paintwork would actually get water-stained if water landed on it and dried. The sunroof and windscreen leaked, the dashboard started falling apart and the power windows didn't close properly. I got this car cheap and even though I checked it out thoroughly before I bought it none of this stuff was apparent then.

Anyway, apart from the problems this car has been great fun to drive when I've had the chance. Hopefully I'll have it back this weekend in time for the Mazda meetup, but if I don't I hope you guys will excuse the old beat-up Lancer I'll be showing up in (that's a whole other story).

And yes, the car is generally hardy. I once drove to Ahungalla and back and then all over Colombo with the radiator cap off.

Ur one of the unlucky ones. Build it up mate. But make sure u do all @ once in a well known place. I got my car allmost in the same condition. But after fixing the bad stuff it's gr8. Any car will b f@#$d up when its given bad treatment. When cosidering our models it take much more beatin for it 2 get f@#$d up. Hope u have a good garage dude. It all depends on him cus he's the doc for ya baby.

Edited February 11, 2008 by GuruG

[xXx]

boys make a mental note to stay away from GuruG's car when it appears on AL classifieds lol j/k

i don't understand why you drove around in ja-ela with a leaking radiator. you should have atleast taped up the hole.

[Sparky]

Ur one of the unlucky ones. Build it up mate. But make sure u do all @ once in a well known place. I got my car allmost in the same condition. But after fixing the bad stuff it's gr8. Any car will b f@#$d up when its given bad treatment. When cosidering our models it take much more beatin for it 2 get f@#$d up. Hope u have a good garage dude. It all depends on him cus he's the doc for ya baby.

Thanks GuruG, it's good to hear that from someone who's been there. Every time I think of giving up and selling the car I remember just how much fun it can be to drive. I know that eventually most of the major problems will be sorted, and I only have to do the things I want to do instead of what I have to do. Should get most of the really big problems sorted this month. After that it's new tires, dashboard (including meters) and the interior. Anyone know how much a set of replacement power mirrors cost for a BG5P 323/Astina? Also if anyone knows where I can find interior stuff like ashtrays and dashboards for this model car please let me know. I believe most interior components stayed the same from '89 to '91 across the 323s, Astinas and Familias.

xXx, I'm pretty sure that anyone that buys our cars is going to get a good deal 'cos we would have fixed everything before we sell them. I personally wouldn't dream of selling a car that wasn't in perfect condition.

[GuruG]

xXx, I'm pretty sure that anyone that buys our cars is going to get a good deal 'cos we would have fixed everything before we sell them. I personally wouldn't dream of selling a car that wasn't in perfect condition.

Hey I thought I'm the only1 like that. Anyway nice see another clone . I think the reason for that is we want to drive a perfect ride with its best condition. So we build it out from the crap to cool n of course we keep it cool as long as we own it. So who ever buys a car from such guys are the luckiest.

I know some places for parts. I went 2 a place recently and they had lots of astina parts. Its easy to find external parts for astinas than BG5S's since there r losts of astinas comparing to 323 hatch. The most hard to find stuff r the itzi bitzi titzi parts such as ashtrays, switches, handles etc. Parts as such r cheap but its like finding a needle in a haystack.

I'l try my best to help you out.

[charitha19]

well u got me.. still having my astina from 2002... came to the mazda meet... guess u couldnt make it,..

[GuruG]

well u got me.. still having my astina from 2002... came to the mazda meet... guess u couldnt make it,..

Ohhh ya another BG expert who turbo'ed the B5.

I'm still havn't made up my mind on putin a turbo or go for a B6T engine.

More power or better tyres? I was doin wheelies on 2nd gear at the track. The edges of my new N2000s has turnd bold. I think better tyres with more grip should sort that out. Wht ya think?

Wonder y sparky didn't show up? He was sick as saw in a post wonder wht has happend. Any news abt sparky guys???

Edited April 30, 2008 by GuruG

[charitha19]

well it might not be as easy as doing up a honda.. but the satisfaction is much more man.. to know that u are better than these my civic is the best wannabe's.. for all that and more check out this link..... and what this fella has done.. looks completely stock from the outside... but check it out..

http://sturtevant.com/reed/323pics/323dwalsh.htm

if i had the dough to do all this.. i would have kept it...

well do the simple things first guru.. get some good plugs... high flow filter kit... and 1.5 inch to 2 inch maximum ehaust done.. then see the difference.. belive me there is.. i put in an HKS exhaust.. and i can feel the difference.. and i have a K&N filter.. with platinum plugs...

[charitha19]

add to that check this out another astina turbo.. it can be done

http://www.fordlaser.com/viewtopic.php?p=651547

[GuruG]

add to that check this out another astina turbo.. it can be done

http://www.fordlaser.com/viewtopic.php?p=651547

Swap can b done easily. Only problem is ppl have done for cars from B6 n up. B5(interplay) is a rare model n some even havn't heard of. So I rekon turboed B5's very rare.

BPT is too much for our roads I assume. B6T could b da best choice n it'l be a direct fit. Only need to change is da ecu's n of course rear disc conversion.

I'm thinkin of stikin with a whole engine swap than only a turbo. IMHO it'll be cheaper.

[charitha19]

well it depends on the dough too man...

[charitha19]

and guru.. if u do a good turbo conversation on an old engine.. u can get good mileage in normal conditions.. low boost econ running.. i know that for a fact... because ur engine doesnt have to work as hard with the help of the turbo... its kind sad when people say oh turbo ur car and u lose the mileage.. u do if u run high boost and drive like on track on the roads.. but i know with an old engine.. running around .5 boost.. a car that did around 7 did around 10... mine of course.. this is after my previous owner ran gas converted.. i felt like throttling him, i took it off....

[pradfred]

The platinum plugs and wires sound excellent. Where can I get some for my baby?and what's the cost

Also if putting free flow air systems like k&n how do we manage the air flow sensor on the intake plenum?

[GuruG]

Also if putting free flow air systems like k&n how do we manage the air flow sensor on the intake plenum?

Here's a DIY answer. Stock intake looks lil diff but it da almost da same

http://www.club323f.com/content/bg/guides/...filter_fitting/

[charitha19]

well .. no worries on this.. i brough the kit for my BG around 8500.. takes two weeks to come to SL.. i am sure u can find one for the AZ3 but from the looks of it.e looks like mine... the problem is the dealer who sold it to me does not bring down anymore because no business.... dont know if motor cade has it... i did in on my own, using the manual guru G posted above.. but around two years back.. u can feel the differecne on high RPM's.. but nothing on low end.... its to be expected with our 1.5 engine.. but after 2500 or 3000 then u really can dust those idiots on the road.... but if u purchase the cone filters u need ti purchase the cleaning oil as well. as u cant clean them using air or water....

[charitha19]

well .. no worries on this.. i brough the kit for my BG around 8500.. takes two weeks to come to SL.. i am sure u can find one for the AZ3 but from the looks of it.e looks like mine... the problem is the dealer who sold it to me does not bring down anymore because no business.... dont know if motor cade has it... i did in on my own, using the manual guru G posted above.. but around two years back.. u can feel the differecne on high RPM's.. but nothing on low end.... its to be expected with out 1.5 engine.. but after 2500 or 3000 then u really can dust those idiots on the road.... but if u purchase the cone filters u need ti purchase the cleaning oil as well. as u cant clean them using air or water....

[charitha19]

well .. no worries on this.. i brough the kit for my BG around 8500.. takes two weeks to come to SL.. i am sure u can find one for the AZ3 but from the looks of it.e looks like mine... the problem is the dealer who sold it to me does not bring down anymore because no business.... dont know if motor cade has it... i did in on my own, using the manual guru G posted above.. but around two years back.. u can feel the differecne on high RPM's.. but nothing on low end.... its to be expected with our 1.5 engine.. but after 2500 or 3000 then u really can dust those idiots on the road.... but if u purchase the cone filters u need ti purchase the cleaning oil as well. as u cant clean them using air or water....