Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Mx5 Gearbox Oil Level

I've mentioned this before. The Mx5 gearbox is canted over to the left on both Duratec and GDI Plus 4s.

So the level plug is angled downwards. When I changed the oil on my 2012, I lifted the nearside a couple of inches or so to get the level plug horizontal. This improved the gear change. More recently I did the same with my GDI. I've written about this in next months Miscellany.

It turns out that in the Mx5, the engine is canted 10 degrees to the right, so the level plug in this application is horizontal.

So it looks like my instinct to lift the nearside was the right thing to do.

I have serviced loads of Mk3 MX5's and do not believe that the engine is canted 10 degrees to the right!

Can you link to the source of this info Dave.

Although I found this yesterday, today I can't find it. I'll look again though.

Not sure if it's just later models, but it said the engine is canted 10 degrees to the right to make space for the induction system.

Ten degrees isn't much, but the level plug on Plus 4's is visibly low.

As an aside the Duratec in Plus 4s isn't centred either, it's offset, but unless you look hard, you wouldn't know!

Don't remember the engine in my Mk1 MX-5 being canted over. Still have a decent manual somewhere, but I doubt it mentions such things.
Only kept the book as it gave a very good description of modern(ish) fuel injection systems.

I don't know how the engine is in an MX5 but I certainly noticed in my 2014 GDI Plus 4 the gearbox is canted over with the filler/level plug lower than the horizontal. I just raised the pads on one side of the two-post lift and lowered them on the other side to get the box more or less level. I then filled with Fuchs Titan Race 75-90 full ester sythetic gear oil. After the change I too thought the gear change was improved - though whether this was my imagination, the improvement in the oil quality over the original or the higher oil level in the box I don't know.

Still can't find the file which mentions 10 degrees, but this image shows it I think!

No Graham, we are talking about the MK3 or NC in Mazda talk from mid 2005 to mid 2015. The ND produced from 2015 onwards had a different engine and gearbox.

I will go out and check a MK3 MX5 next week.

Looking at Dave's photo I realise it's a much later generation.
Only owned the first (1.8i) and driven the current (pre-release) generation.
Ta for the heads up Eddie.

I'm with Dave on this one. When I first got my GDI I had read Dave's idea that the mx5 gearbox was canted to the left so I searched the MX5 forum to look for the volume of oil advised by the manufacturer - it was 2 litres. The Morgan handbook states 1.5 litres. When I first got the car I decided to change the gearbox oil. I jacked up the car from the left and filled the gearbox with 2 litres. The gearchange was immediately much smoother. After its annual MOT and service I noticed that the gearbox was notchy, the mechanic had obviously checked the gearbox oil on the level and let out the surplus oil from the level plug. In future I will exdclude a gearbox oil check from the service checks.