Hello all,

I have a 1994 BG 323F auto 1.6, owned from new, still used as my every day car

I've been told that the air filter can't be changed, because the airbox is so corroded it won't go back together if taken apart

I understand that the part is replaceable, but Mazda don't make them so it's a matter of finding a second hand one.

Please, could anyone help me? Any suggestions and/or advice on what options there are would be extremely welcome

I love my car, she's my best friend! I was only 31 when I bought her, I'm 60 now. So there's a huge amount of sentimental value for me invested in this pretty red fastback! Also because the only reason I could afford her originally was because I lost my Dad, a fabulous guy who taught me to drive and love it!



My grateful thanks to you for reading my post - I hope I have chosen the correct section!

Kind regards,

Angie

You must have one of the the longest-owned BG 323f in the country. And if the consecutive 626 is still around, that is even more of a rarity. As for bits, there will be people here who could have an air box. SerenaJ now has a BG in white, and she is always a goldmine of advice.

There is an online parts catalogue that list the BG air box with part numbers etc:

https://partsouq.com/en/catalog/genuine ... PLEMENT&q=

Scroll down a bit and there are some diagrams for air cleaners: the 'pancake' shape and the 'box' shape. You should check if they look visually like yours; if so it might help identify bits from the matching part numbers. If I've given you the wrong link have a rummage on that site and you'll probably find the right one.

There is every reason to keep such a lovely car going, especially as you've had cills done and sounds like regular servicing too. It won't be hard to fix, even if it means finding a 'near enough' air box from some other model; all it needs to do is let enough clean air into the engine for it to run, so a temporary alternative could see you sorted. Anyway, its great to hear the car is still going. Definitely worth thinking about taking it along to some car shows, maybe along with the 626. I'll be at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport on May 14 with my BA, then Luton Festival of Transport on June 11, but the one you're probably closest to might be 'Simply Jap' at Beulieu on July 23 and the British Motor Show at Farnborough August 17th to 20th. So keep enjoying your lovely 323f and let us know how you get on.

Hello Angie,
I feel that second hand is the only way, and although I don't have one I can advise that you'll probably need one from the facelift model which came out in May 1991. Before that the engines were carburettor, and I think therefore the air filter box was a different shape (but I'm not 100% sure!).
(Also: Your auto is a 4-speed, and the older ones were 3-speed.)
.

Hi,

Thank you Fon and jinglebells for replying!

Please forgive me for not responding sooner

It doesn't feel like a long time (29 years) and yes, the consecutive 626 is also still going strong

Yes I've had both serviced annually with the odd bit in between, including welding on the sills and crossbar of my 323 - the 626 is utterly original, must be built like a tank!

Thank you Fon for the link to the online parts catalogue; I've looked at the diagrams and I believe mine is more of a pancake shape! I'm no mechanic though so I could be wrong.

I will get the details/part number from the Mazda garage and post them here later on, hopefully it'll clarify things somewhat.

Jinglebells, is my automatic injection then? I'm unsure what the facelift model was, can you elaborate?

All I can tell you with any confidence is that she is a BG body shape, a 1.6l engine with 16 valves and has automatic transmission with park, reverse, neutral,1,2, and drive, so is that a 3 speed? Sorry, I'm fairly clueless

Had life been different then I would've loved to take her to the shows, although she's had no modifications and has had a fairly hard existence (lives outdoors) so doesn't look as fabulous any more, but I still put the polish on! I have spent the past ten years mostly restricted by family commitments, but these have come to an end so there's a good chance of it in the future, if I can keep her going!

I'll be back later on when I've got the important information!

Many thanks again

Angie

[quote="Angie94"]Hi,


Jinglebells, is my automatic injection then? I'm unsure what the facelift model was, can you elaborate?

All I can tell you with any confidence is that she is a BG body shape, a 1.6l engine with 16 valves and has automatic transmission with park, reverse, neutral,1,2, and drive, so is that a 3 speed? Sorry, I'm fairly clueless

Many thanks again

Angie[/quote]
Hi Angie,
Yes, yours should be a fuel injection model. As far as I know (in the UK anyway) the BG was upgraded and facelifted in May 1991. So Sept 1989 - May 1991 were carburettor, and May 1991 to August 1994 were injection. There was an overlap in 1991, (so for a 1991 model the other facelift upgrades should match and tell you which it is).
The new one also has the different badge, stripier seats, new colours (like the red one on yours) and a 4-speed auto instead of 3-speed. Perhaps the 4th speed is in the box but not on the selector - you'll have to listen for an extra change when driving it! The models were renamed from the old SE or SE-Exec to LX and GLX. They also re-positioned the switches for the electric mirrors. Most also had ABS but some didn't.

Hi,

Thank you Jinglebells for the extra information

Yes you are absolutely correct! She does have a fourth gear change, stripey blue seats and is a GLX with ABS

Although she is registered as an "M" she had been an "L", so I am unsure what year she would've been manufactured, I think they said they had registered her in January 1994 when she was delivered. A bit of trivia - apparently Anita Roddick of The Body Shop thought she would have a fleet of these as their staff cars, but changed her mind. I don't know what they had instead!

All I am sure of is she was the last BG automatic for sale new in the UK at that time, when the BA was to replace it.

My Mum's 626 is the same colour, but she chose it.... Mum "went home" last November at 96, so her car has become another important link for me, I'm now the registered keeper of two really ancient Mazdas!!

Next week I'm visiting the garage and hope to get a diagram of the airbox that confirms what is (ideally) needed and any other information that might help to find a similar one.

On that thought - if the airbox is specific to an engine type - were there other Mazda models of that era fitted with the same engine? I was told that the 323 had many parts that also were used on the MX5(?)

Anyway, I'll be back again later on in the week!

Thank you again, hope everyone's enjoying the weekend!

Kind regards,

Angie

Hi Angie!

Check your PMs


Serena

Hi Angie,
For reference this picture shows the older model, the carburettor version from 1990.
Have a look and compare with yours.
As for other Mazdas having the same engine, I'm not totally sure if the airbox would fit. The MX5 had a 1.6 but was rear-wheel-drive, so the installation was different. But there were 4-door models of the 323 as well, with the same engine as the 5-door "F".
There was also the MX3, which came as a 1.6 auto or 1.8 manual. But they are quite rare too!

Hi,

Finally I have some photos to put up here; it does say I'm allowed to post attachments but I can't see how to

The official Mazda part number is B6S7-13-320A

There is a diagram of the part that I've photographed; the owners manual also has a diagram of the air box for the 323, showing both carburettor and injection versions; I've taken a photo of this too.

Thank you jinglebells for the pictures you posted I did think the air box was a pancake shape, but the parts diagram is more of a box shape. I don't recall there being anything going over the cylinder head like that. Best that I get a picture of the engine itself so there's no ambiguity!

Should I contact the forum administrator about uploading attachments? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again to everyone who's reading this Hope the rest of the holiday is good for you all!

Kind regards,

Angie

[quote="Angie94"]Should I contact the forum administrator about uploading attachments? Any advice would be very much appreciated.[/quote]

It's best to upload them to personal web space elsewhere, then import them to your post with BB code. Imgur is good for this.

I'll PM you my email address. Send the images to me and I'll upload them to my imgur account and send you the links

S

Ref adding photos:
Serena's Imgur way works for many, and the photo quality can be high (compared to the other way I'm about to describe!):-
The other way is to use the forum's "Upload attachment" facility which is cleverly hidden below the bit where most people stop reading. Use "Choose file" from your computer, then "Add the file", but it complains if the file is too big (250Kb I think). You can reduce the size (as I do) by making a JPG from within PowerPoint. A bit of a faff but it works for me. That's how I uploaded my photos a few posts ago! And this one:-

Hi everyone,

Here are some pictures of the airbox diagrams I have; the first is the official Mazda diagram:

[attachment=0]
DIAGRAM OF AIRBOX 323f 1.6i BG (1994).jpg [ 188.78 KiB | Viewed 5784 times ]
[/attachment]

This is from the owners manual:

[attachment=1]
AIR BOX FROM 323f OWNERS MANUAL 1994 (2).jpg [ 178.84 KiB | Viewed 5784 times ]
[/attachment]

I haven't taken a photo of the engine itself yet, but will!

Hopefully these may help somehow!

Thank you for reading/ looking!

Kind regards,

Angie

Hi again,

Looking at the diagrams that Fon directed me to, it is this one;

[attachment=0]
AIR BOX BG 1994.jpg [ 252.97 KiB | Viewed 5782 times ]
[/attachment]

This is a screenshot of the diagram and only shows part of it; the whole thing is here;

https://partsouq.com/en/catalog/genuine ... d=67757&q=

It's the fourth diagram on the sixth row, AIR CLEANER (GASOLINE) (EGI>OHC) if Fon's link is followed (see his post above!)

Part number is B6S7-13-320A

Is that all of the parts shown in the separate box in that diagram? (Marked in red)

Can anyone help me decipher this so I can search online for a second hand one? I'm thinking of breakers yards or anyone who might have second hand parts

If anyone can give me some advice on how to go about this; also, what in all this is the important information to provide, I'd be immensely grateful!

Thanks again for reading

Angie

Special thanks and hugs to Jinglebells and SerenaJ - for your support and help with the forum xx

[quote="Angie94"]Special thanks and hugs to Jinglebells and SerenaJ - for your support and help with the forum xx[/quote]
You're very welcome, it's how we roll

S

Angie,
Going back to the original problem, do you know what exactly is so corroded that it won't go back together,? The corroded bits are the ones you need.
Have you tried undoing it yourself.? It could be just the bolts ...?

Looks to me like 13-320 is a collection of all 6 of those individual bits.
I think for a search for a used one the part number may be less relevant than the make, model and year.
Also that it's the facelift injection one you want of course!