Hi guys! info needed on AY-AX Telstar TX5's

[SPK-250]

We are thinking of buying one of these cars as a second car as they are well appointed and not too bad looking. I was wondering if any body owns or has owned one of these and can shed some light on your thought's about the car, like economy and such. Also would like to know about any problems these cars may encounter with engine, driveline, suspension, interior etc etc.

Cheers
Shane

[duaned]

My wife has the V6 version and I must say it is quite a nippy little thing on the flat but come to a hill it loves to rev hard to produce power, but it does this so easily. Only timing belt we had to change ($650) and it is great on fuel and is over enginnered for it's day, no wonder it won car of the year! Ours is sitting on 121000kms and still no rattles or vibrations etc. Only negatives would be not the best turning circle and feels a little heavy over the front wheels but I would suspect the 4 cyl. versions would be OK there.

[outback_ute]

My mum just traded her 92/93 TX5 Ghia 4cyl manual about a month ago, it had been a good car - goes well, great economy, comfortable, cheap to run. Just make sure you get any car checked out for any work needed as hers was coming due for some suspension work (bushes, strut mounts from memory) which is pretty normal for the age of the car by now. Also check CV joints as with any fwd car.

[Dave_au]

Good car but fragile in the v6 models - I went through countless driveshafts and engine mounts.

[SPK-250]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Good car but fragile in the v6 models - I went through countless driveshafts and engine mounts.

Was that from revving it to 7000 and dropping the clutch??

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by SPK-383

Was that from revving it to 7000 and dropping the clutch??

No - I don't do that to my cars. I don't even pull handbrakes or do burnouts......but I do however overservice them.

The engine mounts and cv boots and driveshaft issues were all wear and tear items on my car.

I found that the 1989 model 2.2L AT TX5 Ghia was a stronger car than the 1993 2.5L AX2 Tx5 Ghia (I owned both). The 2.5L engine was very good for the time but some had several issues like sticky valves etc, which creates a pretty bad tapping noise. Some also start to blow a little bit of smoke here and there around the 180k mark. Mine had a pretty mean rocker cover dribble too - but it wasnt really that bad on oil.

Other comments I've heard is that the manual gearbox is the same as the 4 cyl, and can have a habit of going. Luckily I never experienced this. The car can be a bit of a pain to work on yourself too - the engine bay is very tight and from memory the oil fitler is in a stupid location.



Anyway, Mitchay had one too I believe (athough his profile shows an AT?) send him a PM, he might have had a different experience.

It was a good car - I just found it a little too fragile for me towards the end of it all.

[ThoR_]

the 2.5L V6 manual cracks 8.5 0-100kph!

[normxb]

Originally Posted by ThoR_

the 2.5L V6 manual cracks 8.5 0-100kph!

Thor , not everone wants to do a 0-100 "Crack" !

SPK-383 , Going back a step further , we had a 1986 AS 2L model for the kids , 218,000k's on it when we got it 290,000+ when we sold it , other than general work to it , it was a strong little car . Had no experience with the 6's ( see Dave-AU on that) but the 4 Cyl. was a great little car , we took it on 200-400k trips and not a minutes problem , so I would assume the newer models would be even better .

Cheers
Norm

Weren't Mazda automatics fairly weak in that era.

[Martys_EL_V8]

only problem i have ever found is valve stem steals when the engine hasnt been serviced or is tired, If you get a 4WS model have the rear rack looked at and if possible check to see if it was replaced under recall when it was made. we had one and they were all recalled due to a faulty rack. That being said good luck if you can even find a 4WS model for sale!

They are a very solid, tight little car...

and if you can find one of the last models they came with auto climate control, leather, all the fruit

[SPK-250]

there is a couple of 4WS models on carsguide or carsales, cant remember which. So everyone speaking pretty well of them so i reckon i might go ahead once the SS is sold.

Thanks again

[Mechan1k]

Expensive to fix ... just hope you don't get a blown head gasket .... it's cheaper to throw the engine out and replace it. As mentioned CV's and driveshafts were a very weak link ... and so were the autos.

They are nice when they came out ... but aren't that strong really ... a shame as I really liked that model when they were first released.

Also if needing to replace the engine ... AX to AY models used totally different looms and connectors ... and sensors were different as well in several places ... hardly any of the loom matched.

If getting one ... I suggest the 4-cyl version ... as it is cheaper/easier to fix/maintain ... a shame really ... they were a nice car.

[graham7773]

Noticed that nobody mentioned the distributor and rear calipers on the AX and AY. Distributors have a very bad habit of giving up the ghost while driving. My 5 speed manual did, in the middle of the Great Western Highway a few months ago. I replaced it, problem solved? No and now the new one is doing similar things ie major missfire when idling. Everything else is good. As for the rear calipers, they begin to leak brake fluid on to the rear tyres out of the hand brake piston (?) which cannot be a good thing. Rest of the car? Love it. Air, steer, cruise, power windows and external rear vision mirrors, remote boot and fuel cap, very good velour upholstery which one of my grand daughters wants me to give to her (the car) Good economy, 67 liters Sydney to Beaudesert in Queensland, 840k..... Second gear (4cylinder 2 liter) will take you from 5kph to 85kph in very short order. 3rd will do similar from 15kph to 110kph, on the expressway. Great car except for the problems already mentioned.

[duaned]

We had ours for 6 years (120,000kms) and never had a single issue. The V6 was a great ride, really sorry we traded it.

[JimStone]

So out of curiosity, what is the site record for a thread mine? This one is almost 5 1/2 years....