Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle Magnesium mtx-75 on Ebay?

I really doubt its pure magnesium! Way too costly to cast that not to mention the difficulties involved. Also, the temperature needed to ignite pure magnesium metal is very high. You might be able to acheive it with electrical arcing, but nothing else in the car would be able to do it. Plus you have to consider the heat capacity of the metals in the transmission and the gear oil. You would have to raise the local temperature of the area you are trying to heat up to the ignition temperature of magnesium so fast that it had no time for the heat to flow to other parts of the trans and cool down (whew!), OR you would have to raise the temp of the whole trans close to the ignition temp of magnesium in order to ignite the metal since the heat wouldn't flow anywhere if the metal was all the same temperature.
Anyone who studied heat transfer even a little bit will understand what I'm referring too.
As far as the alloy bit, I'd bet my car on the fact that its an alloy and not pure magnesium. (remember that an alloy is any mixture in any significant percentage of two or more metals)

This all brings up another question...why bother? I have my transmission apart right now and the case only weighs a few pounds! The gears weigh quite a lot but the case is nothing in comparison!!!

warmonger