|
Looks like my engine is pretty much on the verge of making GBS threads itself. Would it be worth more to try and craigslist it, or to part it out (96 no limited slip with NB rims)?
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 03:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 22:11 |
|
|
compton rear end terry posted:Looks like my engine is pretty much on the verge of making GBS threads itself. Would it be worth more to try and craigslist it, or to part it out (96 no limited slip with NB rims)? How about buy a Ford Escort engine for $300 from a junk yard and put it in?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 03:51
|
|
|
Are the engines really that cheap? And is there any way to know that they are in good shape before I buy them?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 06:43
|
|
|
compton rear end terry posted:Are the engines really that cheap? And is there any way to know that they are in good shape before I buy them?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 09:27
|
|
|
compton rear end terry posted:Are the engines really that cheap? And is there any way to know that they are in good shape before I buy them? Ideally the rest of the car will be in good enough shape to fire it up for at least a few seconds. Keep in mind that if you're looking for Escorts, the only ones that had it were the Escort GTs - the regular Escorts had the 1.9L Ford instead of the 1.8L Mazda.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 14:36
|
|
|
Slothophile posted:The mk2 and mk2.5 are both NB, the latter being a facelift with space for foglights on the front. The original NB's (99-00) had foglights as an option too. My 1999 has them stock. 1999  2001 
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 14:41
|
|
|
destructo posted:Kia also used the same engine in some models, they're cheap as gently caress. 1989-1994 Mazda Familia GT (European & Australian Market) 1989-1994 Ford Laser TX3 (Australian Market) 1990-1994 Mazda Protege LX (with VICS) 1990-1991 and 1993 Mazda Protege GT (Canadian Market) 1990-1993 Mazda 323 (European Market) 1992-1993 Ford Escort LX-E 1991-1996 Ford Escort GT 1991-1996 Mercury Tracer LTS 1994-1997 Kia Sephia GS 1997 Kia Sephia RS 1994-1998 Mazda Familia (Japanese Market) 1994-1997 Mazda MX-5/Miata (this did not have VICS until 1999)
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 14:49
|
|
|
So I'm gonna join the Miata army on Saturday with a '99 NB with 45,000 miles on it for $6k. The bad news: The top is a bit ripped, with a cheapo duct-tape fix. I was gonna use plasti-cote or something as a short-term fix. Does anyone know a good source of a used/new/aftermarket top for <$600 that's as good as the standard one? Conversely, does anyone know of a hard-top in or around Massachusetts for around $1000-1200?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 17:06
|
|
|
FluffGrenade posted:So I'm gonna join the Miata army on Saturday with a '99 NB with 45,000 miles on it for $6k. NB prices seems to be getting pretty low now. I'm probably selling my 92 in the next few weeks  but will probably try to pick up a NB next year when I have a bit more money and can be picky.miatamania.com sells the Robbins replacement tops, it looks like they run just under $500 with the glass window and no rain rail. Enjoy the car.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 17:46
|
|
|
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX posted:The original NB's (99-00) had foglights as an option too. My 1999 has them stock. My bad. Well the mk2.5 had a restyled front with foglights as standard, bigger brakes on some models, uprated 1.8 engines with vvt and a stiffened chassis. A few other things I forget as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 17:50
|
|
|
FireTora posted:NB prices seems to be getting pretty low now. I'm probably selling my 92 in the next few weeks Why not get another OEM used NB top from someone parting theirs out? You can sometimes get the frame with it too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 18:19
|
|
|
Are the tops easy enough to replace yourself? I can do most mechanical work, but from what I've found online, a lot of people regard top replacement as a huge pain in the rear end. For reference, I've essentially rebuilt a Honda CB from used parts in the past year. Also, do you have to remove the soft-top to install a hard-top?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 18:43
|
|
|
I'm in the market for a cheap turbo manifold to modify for the GTX, anyone know of a good one that I'd probably have to hack up anyway? It will be hooked up to a GT25, is a 1.6L B6T, and I'm looking for one that hugs the block as much as possible since I'm transverse and have a radiator in somewhat close proximity. I don't mind chopping off a t3 exhaust and closing off an external wastegate port, but I don't want to get stuck welding up holes in a SS AutoCrime manifold halfway through a rally. There is THIS lovely eBay manifold for $99 with what looks like a t3 flange, at that price I could build support plates and stuff to keep the weight of the turbo off the manifold completely. This one too looks okay, its already the right flange I do need something that holds the turbo square, I don't think I can have it too close to the hood given my turbo piping goes up rather than down. DJ Commie fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Jul 17, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 18:57
|
|
|
FluffGrenade posted:Are the tops easy enough to replace yourself? I can do most mechanical work, but from what I've found online, a lot of people regard top replacement as a huge pain in the rear end. Getting an all new OEM top with the frame attached might make it easier, but my Robbins top was a huge pain in the rear end. Although, if given the chance, I would probably do it again, and do it much faster this time. Basically, if you take your time and have a decently warm work area it shouldnt be too bad. It really helps to have a second pair of hands as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 18:59
|
|
|
A couple pages back I had a link listing a set of wheels for sale. Well, the ebay auction ended, I went to get the tires removed so I could ship the wheels, and Big O Tire scraped the black paint off the lips of all four wheels! I emailed pics to the winning bidder and ended up refunding his money. The wheels were professionally repainted. Now they look amazing! Brand: Black Racing Size: 14x6 4x100 +40 So, now they are for sale again. Here is the link to the auction and a couple pictures: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270256712292     
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 20:21
|
|
|
So...ah...anyone near MA selling a hardtop? Miata.net has the closest person at NY with a red one, and the car's green Not that I care much, I guess. You can paint it. But if anyone's nearby with one they'd be willing to part with for, say, a grand, I'd appreciate it 
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2008 23:41
|
|
|
Alright, so maybe you guys can help me. My 1990 Mazda Miata died on the way home tonight. From research, it looks like I may have fried my ignition module, and have no idea how that happened (I drive fast, but never redline, I'm talking a max of ~5500-6000 RPM) So anyway, I'm driving home from work, in gridlock traffic. I bring it into neutral, and lift off the clutch while I wait for the light. Light turns green, I engage 1st gear, and....it dies. It shuddered really bad when this happen, I thought I was dumb and just stalled out, but apparently not, because the whole thing wouldn't start. Engine doesn't turn over, nor do I hear a click when I try to turn the ignition. What's weird, is the electrical system was freaking out when I tried to start the car. Like it was draining the alternator almost. I wouldn't have power for a few minutes, then it would slowly return power to the car. I tried to look at the wiring under the hood, nothing looks burnt, and my timing belt and all that good stuff is still intact, so I'm absolutely perplexed as to what happened. Car has worked flawlessly just about, except for minor shuddering when coming out of first. I just thought maybe the gears were slipping a little. A friend of mine who has an RX7 said he had the same problem, and it was an electrical problem, though he wasn't specific as to what exactly fixed is. I'm sorry if this is a basic question, but I have no clue.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 04:15
|
|
|
FluffGrenade posted:So...ah...anyone near MA selling a hardtop? Miata.net has the closest person at NY with a red one, and the car's green in the same vein, if anyone has a hardtop for sale near minnesota (willing to drive around the midwest to pick it up) i'm very interested. Any color will do (car is a '96 merlot mica)
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 04:19
|
|
|
Pledio posted:Alright, so maybe you guys can help me. Check your grounds. Make sure they're all tight and clean. I haven't worked on Miatas in a few years, but you should find a list of all the grounding points on m.net - I had a similar problem and turns out I had a loose ground from my lovely 4-wire O2 installation that was causing the issues. If it's not grounds, I would troubleshoot the ignition switch and the main relay that's in the relay box under the hood on the passenger side (that's what clicks when you turn the keys).
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 05:29
|
|
|
I've replaced 3 tops now, despite the first time saying never again. First time - 20 hours or so Second - 12 hours Third - 8 It's a real pain in the rear end. topsonline.com has good prices, especially if you can find what you're looking for through ebay (price is a little better there). Take your time, get a rain rail, do as much possible with the frame off the car. Make sure you have fresh rubber cement, put the hardware in baggies in steps and take both seats out of the car. Alternatively, if the top other than the hole is in good shape, you can probably scrounge up some similar material, sew the hole up (I had to sew up a 12 inch slash from someone breaking in) then glued a patch over the rip with vinyl adhesive. Keeps the rain out, looks better than ducttape. iscariot fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Jul 18, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 05:53
|
|
|
iscariot posted:take both seats out of the car. Best advice right here. I wish I had done this, the seats make bolting down the back of the top and INCREDIBLE pain in the rear end. I would also add that you might want to get something to put down on the parcel shelf to catch any nuts/washers that come off the studs while attempting this part. I had 3 go into the trunk, and fishing them out with a magnet at 3am was a real bitch.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 07:27
|
|
|
I hate the lovely Metro I've been driving, so I want to buy another Miata. Most of the vehicles I'm seeing in my price range here are early 90s (90-91) models. Is it going to be fun to drive one of these, with the 1.6? Or should I go a little out of my planned range to get a 1.8 with Torsen? My only MX-5 driving experience so far has been with the NC, so I don't really know what to look for.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 15:59
|
|
|
GoblinBomb posted:Is it going to be fun to drive one of these, with the 1.6? Or should I go a little out of my planned range to get a 1.8 with Torsen? I've had both and it isn't ridiculously different--I'm sure someone with a tuned butt-meter could tell the difference between a 94/97 or even the 90/93(weight/rigidity) but I can't. The 1.8 has some more low-end but isn't all that much faster. I will say that the Torsen is night/day with the open/VLSD on the 1.6's though--I love it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 16:29
|
|
|
ChiliMac posted:I will say that the Torsen is night/day with the open/VLSD on the 1.6's though--I love it. This is my main concern. The power/weight difference isn't that much between the 1.6 and 1.8 as far as I can tell from my reading, but the LSD on the NC was awesome and I don't want to be disappointed. Is it still going to be awesome to drive without a Torsen?
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 16:49
|
|
|
GoblinBomb posted:Is it still going to be awesome to drive without a Torsen? I'm pretty sure my 93 had the VLSD [never confirmed]--not that it seemed to accomplish anything--but I never drove it super hard or on a track so I can't offer that perspective. It's still plenty fun as long as you intend to keep both tires gripping. The times I really notice it is in the wet where the torsen will [obviously] break both tires loose rather than just spinning one--so if it happens while turning I find it's more predictable and easier to control. I'd rather have an open diff Miata than no Miata at all, you can always get a torsen later. v  v
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 17:15
|
|
|
ChiliMac posted:I'm pretty sure my 93 had the VLSD [never confirmed]--not that it seemed to accomplish anything--but I never drove it super hard or on a track so I can't offer that perspective. It's still plenty fun as long as you intend to keep both tires gripping. The VLSD wears out fairly quickly so it's safe to say that any Miata these days that hasn't had the VLSD seriously repaired or replaced by a different style of limited-slip is essentially an open-diff car anyway - so you may be right, your VLSD may not have done a goddamn thing My '99 is an open-diff car and I'll be perfectly honest, I've come across very few situations where I've been able to say "wow, I do wish I had an LSD there". I guarantee you I would have ordered it with one if I had bought the car new instead of used, but the car sticks so well, especially with good rubber, that you've got to be flogging the absolute hell out of it to get to the point where a LSD will really make a big difference. Trust me, driving an open-diff Miata is nothing like trying to drive an open-diff pickup with a V8 that will smoke one tire if you give it half a chance.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 17:38
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:that you've got to be flogging the absolute hell out of it to get to the point where a LSD will really make a big difference. Which is why I mentioned in the wet--where my massive torque can regularly break the tires free without too much effort on my part.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2008 18:00
|
|
|
Here is two pictures I took of my Miata a few hours ago on what was possibly my last drive in it.   Just put it up on craigslist and will see if anyone gives me what I want.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2008 00:18
|
|
|
FireTora posted:Here is two pictures I took of my Miata a few hours ago on what was possibly my last drive in it. Wanna part out the hard top?
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2008 00:30
|
|
|
Hot drat So my dad's miata has had a problem with overheating - first, one of the lines blew and he overheated it quite badly. I thought it blew a headgasket, but it seemed to work fine. I ended up replacing the HLA's, timing belt, water pump, spark plugs and wires, and throwing out my back in the process. I also replaced the O-Ring that goes from the head to the thermostat housing, since I was right there.. That turned out to be a mistake. The car continued to lose coolant and with my back thrown out I was not in a mood to work on it. 3 mechanics found various loose hoses, one charged $70 for the radiator cap, but it would still overheat spontaneously on long trips. 6 weeks later, my back is up to it and I start tearing into it tonight. Recheck the hoses, pressure tester still registers a drop, albeit very very slowly. I've been pulling my hair out about this for 6 weeks, and dreading it was the o-ring I replaced - since I couldn't find an exact match, I got one that was slightly smaller but the correct width, heated it up in a pan of water and stretched it out over a socket. I took off the valve cover and top timing cover, dreading to see water drip from the O-ring - which would mean pulling the timing belt, which would mean radiator (to get some room - I've done timing belts about 6 times now - trust me, pull the radiator), pulley, timing covers, timing belt, and dust shield just to get at the drat o-ring. Pressurized, and... nothing. Checked the floor for puddles - nothing. Well, that was fine and good, but no closer to finding the drat leak. Tried listening for bubbles with a stethascope. Got pissed, and realized I didn't have any cigarettes. Ran up to the store, bought a pack, and when I got back home -  well now, that's a puddle. I left the system pressurized on my smoke run. Now, where is that coming from...  It's really hard to get a camera to get a good shot of it - but, isn't that a body hole? We've had some misdirection on the puddles before, dripping into the k-member then puddling further back, but this one is behind the firewall.. That would mean...  A-ha!  loving heater core. Far too often when you look for a leak, you look for it outside the drat car. Goes to show you... Now I just need to find some 5/8ths OD pipe and bypass until fall. But this has been a huge pain in the rear end, and I'm relieved that I finally have a solution. Also coming soon - whats in the box(es) that are being stockpiled for the 94..
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2008 05:26
|
|
|
What's best for cleaning a plastic back window on the convertible top?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2008 02:59
|
|
|
So I'm getting a hardtop because my softtop is ragged and leaky. I just noticed my trunk leaks as well (hooray). I'm gonna clean the rain gutters, but in case it's the rain rail, is that used at all for rain flow when the hardtop is on? So far, I've noticed the following issues with my car: 1. Leaks up in the corners of the softtop; it doesn't appear to make a full seal with the windshield, despite my having tightened the latches all the way. 2. Leaks in the passenger window seal about midway across the seat. 3. Aforementioned trunk leak. Can these be sealed up easily? Will the hardtop alleviate at least the first two? I presume so, but I'd like to be sure. Maybe next summer I'll get a new softtop, but for now I'd just like the easiest way of getting the damned thing weather sealed, and the hardtop is only $650.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2008 17:00
|
|
|
FluffGrenade posted:So I'm getting a hardtop because my softtop is ragged and leaky. I just noticed my trunk leaks as well (hooray). I'm gonna clean the rain gutters, but in case it's the rain rail, is that used at all for rain flow when the hardtop is on? The rain rail is still used as far as i can tell, theres a gap between the body and the bottom of the hardtop so water can still get in if it gets sprayed in. The front seal should be no issue. The window may still leak but you can adjust the stops on the window so that it rises a bit higher and touches more of the seal, I had to do that the other days since my windows were only touching about 2mm of the seal.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2008 18:21
|
|
|
FireTora posted:The rain rail is still used as far as i can tell, theres a gap between the body and the bottom of the hardtop so water can still get in if it gets sprayed in. The front seal should be no issue. The window may still leak but you can adjust the stops on the window so that it rises a bit higher and touches more of the seal, I had to do that the other days since my windows were only touching about 2mm of the seal. ..or just don't spray water directly into that slot. My softtop is totally removed (no rain rail) and I don't get any leaks with the hardtop on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2008 18:36
|
|
|
If the front lip of the soft top isn't making a good seal and the latches are tightened up all the way, you can use some washers to force the latch receiver lower.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 03:49
|
|
|
http://www.gomiata.com/matouppa.html Is this touch-up paint good for larger (4-5" on a side) areas? There are a couple places where the paint is flaking on my new used 90 and I don't want to get a full repaint just yet.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 07:09
|
|
|
GoblinBomb posted:http://www.gomiata.com/matouppa.html Yes? but don't expect that to be the only place to flake Is your's white? I had a white 93, it's like a cancer.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 16:57
|
|
|
iscariot posted:If the front lip of the soft top isn't making a good seal and the latches are tightened up all the way, you can use some washers to force the latch receiver lower. This appears to have worked swimmingly, thank you. We'll find out when it rains, but the latch will clamp fully now, and the tiny spot where I could once see the sun has shrunk to (hopefully!) nothing. I also hope this fixes the stupid leak on the roof midway over the window, where the seams fit on the passenger side. My girlfriend discovered this leak accidentally Also, can somebody post a picture of where the damned drainage tubes for the top are? I can't find them for the life of me, but I know they're clogged. My trunk was a sauna the other day, and I had to clear the gas cap drain tube with compressed air as well, so I figure the drain tubes are also clogged. Everything I've read says they're behind the seat around the door jamb, but I can't find them. Probably because they're so damned clogged. George RR Fartin fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jul 26, 2008 |
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 17:26
|
|
|
Look where the seat belt attaches. It's behind that.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 18:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 22:11 |
|
|
http://picasaweb.google.com/iscariot/Miata/photo#5106310063591528450 Has pictures from my top install, should show you the drain.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2008 19:28
|
|