Hello everyone, I have been driving my 92 MX-3 for about a year now. When i bought it there were many issues with it, but over the past year, i got most of those issues fixed. Just recently I used a car charging air pump, plugged it into the cigarate lighter and started pumping my tires. I know this was a dumb idea because of the car being so old but once i finished I believe one of my fuses blew. Now, the radio does not work anymore. I have not really noticed anything else not working. Does anyone know what fuse i need to change and where it is/ how it needs to be changed? Also, when driving my car lags to shift, sometimes not shifting until like 4000 rpm. I usually manually attempt to shift putting it into Lower then second. Just to clarify, my car is an auto I4. Another issue i have is really loud rattling coming from the back. Usually when waiting for a red light and when my foot is on the brake, the car will rattle loudly for a couple seconds, to the point that if you were sitting in the back seat, you would not be able to hear what is being said in the front. It happens for a couple seconds, then stops, then starts up again. I just got my muffler replaced, so I dont think thats the issue. Lastly, my seat belt keeps beeping when moved to a certain spot. It is very annoying, is there a fuse i can pull for this to stop? Sorry for the long essay but ANY help would be highly appreciated because im very desperate. Thank you!

 

Hi there:
I don't know where exactly the fuse for the radio is. I would look in the fuse box in the cabin, driverside kick panel. Just ckeck all the fuses. Go to Youtube and look for auto electic basics by ericthecarguy or briansmobile. I am sure the cigarette lighter does not work either.

I hope you had the transmission serviced. If not do this first. This should include a filter change. If a transmission has not been serviced for a long time there is a danger of varnish coming of the walls and clogging the filter and passages leading to a complete failure within a few months. There is not much one can do but crossing the fingers. I would avoid flushing the transmission. I would go with replacing the fluid by dropping the pan. That way only 2/3rd of the fluid gets replaced which is less of a shock.
Asfar as the rattle goes i would inspect the exhaust pipes and muffler. I bet there is a rubber hanger missing or the muffler is to close to something.

I can't help with the seatbelt. Does it have automatic seatbelts?

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the seatbelts are automatic. I bought the car when it had 173,000 miles on it, and since then i put about 6-7 thousand so i have no gotten it serviced. How much does something like this cost? Is the filter something I can do myself like the air filter? I will definitely check out those youtube channels once im free later today. Thanks again for the help.

 

You need to buy a kit that contains the transmission pan gasket, the o-ring and the filter. You also need a nice large vat to put under the transmission. After a warm-up drive, jack up the car place the vat under the transmission and loosen the pan screws. Let the old fluid drain then remove the pan completely. Clean the magnet area and use brake cleaner to clean the pan. Pull the old filter off and make sure you get the old O-ring seal off. Put the new seal on, put the new filter on, make sure it is properly seated. Put the pan on with the new gasket. Put the new ATF fluid in. Get the right type of fluid. You need to check the fluid level at operating temperature while the engine is idling in P.
A shop should do this for less than $100.

 

Awesome, ill definitely look into that. Do you think there's a good chance this will fix my problem? Also, my passenger side window will not go all the way down. It stops at about half way. Do you know anyone that has had this issue/ a fix for it? Do you know of any DIY's to change the air filter/ cabin filter? This is something that i have been putting off for too long. Another major issue im having is my brakes are not biting when i hit the pedal. My front rotors dont look bad, however my rear rotors look like their about to fall apart because they have so much rust on them. I was trying to find the brake calipers on my rears but i couldnt see them. Do these even have calipers in the rear? If it does not have calipers, would changing the rotors help my braking ability? Rear rotors are fairly cheap and that is something i can do myself so if i can fix my brakes that way i would do it. I really appreciate your time. Cant thank you enough! I actually just fixed the radio and both my headlights and tail light issues.

 

New to mx3's myself but I'm thinking that these cars likely have rear drum brakes, not discs. That would explain why you couldn't find the caliper too....

 

Pwntu:

May I suggest you buy a Haynes Manual for your car. They are available on amazon.com and if you are lucky your local parts store has a copy.
It appears that you are a novice to fixing cars. That's great! I remember my novice times and how exciting it is to take something apart and make it work again.

A cabin air filter should be really easy to exchange. In most cases you get access to it under the hood at the upper edge of the fire wall (the cowl area).

If you want to approach something new, go to Youtube and search for "replace cabin air filter". Don't worry which make and model they show it on. Yours is similar.

I am sure the rusty brake parts are the drums. They are always rusty, except when new. The most "bite" comes from the front brakes anyway. I am sure your brake fluid is old and should be replaced. That alone can bring back the bite. The Haynes manual or a Youtube will show you how to check the front brakes and the rear brakes. Just looking at the disk wont do.

I can't promise that the tranny service will fix the problem. But a clogged filter can lead to delayed shifts.

 

Thanks for the advice guys! I was honestly just trying to see what were some easy fixes before i sell the car. I need a new daily driver. However, after looking up videos on changing brake drums, I do not think I will be attempting this. Seems like too much of a risk.
I do however have ONE last question. Today, i tried fixing my turn signals on the right hand side of my car. I thought it was a bulb so i changed both the front and rear, however that did not work. I looked through the fuse box to the left of the steering wheel area but could not figure out which fuse to change to i just did some trial and error, but still nothing. Any ideas? Is there a second fuse box i dont know of? Or is it some bad wiring? If its the wiring is that a hard fix? thanks.

 

Hard to tell unless you use a volt meter and measure voltage along the circuit, for example at the lamp holders. If you have voltage there but the light does not come on than it is a bad ground connection....