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saint gerald posted:"Open vide, zis von't hurt a bit..." I have leather seats so I cant drop much if I wanted to cut foam. I think I'm going to look into race seats since I cant find cheap cloth ones. Havent picked out exactly what I want yet, but the OMP Chaps are high up on my list right now. They seem comfy, FIA certified, and not too expensive. The $$$$ really seem to add up with race seats though :/
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Dec 4, 2012 05:28
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| # ? May 26, 2024 19:54 |
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Sadi posted:I have leather seats so I cant drop much if I wanted to cut foam. I think I'm going to look into race seats since I cant find cheap cloth ones. Havent picked out exactly what I want yet, but the OMP Chaps are high up on my list right now. They seem comfy, FIA certified, and not too expensive. The $$$$ really seem to add up with race seats though :/ I think I'm going to start by flush trimming that lump that sits down into the seat pan. I may need more, I'd ideally like to lose more like 2-2.5 inches. Think I should rust-treat the pan? It's looking a little crappy, like it got damp at some point. It seems to be just a little surface corrosion, though, and I'm not sure it's really an issue worth bothering with.
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Dec 4, 2012 17:56
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A gang of skateboarding middle schoolers just complimented my car. I don't know how I feel about this.
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Dec 4, 2012 22:37
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Piano posted:A gang of skateboarding middle schoolers just complimented my car. I don't know how I feel about this. I guess it's just a car that's easy to like.
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Dec 4, 2012 22:43
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The year is 2042. After the baby boomers died off, a wave of radical progressivism sweeped the world and the Mazda Miata became the world's foremost pussy magnet. Glorious beloved world leader Kim Jung IV, under extreme pressure to curb the world's overpopulation crisis, puts out an executive order for the immediate destruction of all miatas. "It's not fair" I cried, "when I bought this car, it was only driven by young homosexuals". But my words fell on deaf ears, and a single tear ran down my cheek as the compactor crushed my roadster into a small cube and ejected it onto the international trash mound, the former state of Florida.
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Dec 4, 2012 23:54
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Piano posted:The year is 2042. After the baby boomers died off, a wave of radical progressivism sweeped the world and the Mazda Miata became the world's foremost pussy magnet. Glorious beloved world leader Kim Jung IV, under extreme pressure to curb the world's overpopulation crisis, puts out an executive order for the immediate destruction of all miatas. "It's not fair" I cried, "when I bought this car, it was only driven by young homosexuals". But my words fell on deaf ears, and a single tear ran down my cheek as the compactor crushed my roadster into a small cube and ejected it onto the international trash mound, the former state of Florida. You joke, but have you seen Looper? Futuristic NA miata ahoy! Also a few weeks after I bought my NA this spring, I drove down one street where some kids playing street hockey had to move out of the way. As I rolled past, they shouted an insult to me... I had prepared myself for the gay jokes and hairdresser comparisons, but I was caught off guard as they shouted a hateful, hateful word at me: "NERD!" To this day, I don't know how they found out 
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Dec 5, 2012 01:42
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I've gotten nothing but compliments driving my NC. I was behind a school bus one day and a teenage girl got off, turned to me and yelled "I love your car!" I would have offered to give her a ride, if that weren't so loving creepy.
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Dec 5, 2012 04:02
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I had a hobo ask me what car it was because he had been in jail for the past 15 years (NA), and then tell me it was a sick car and to have a good day. The car is called gay far less than I expected. Though I am still incredibly uncomfortable when people compliment it because I figure there has got to be a gay joke coming. Especially one really big redneck guy with a confederate flag on the back of his truck who told me he liked my car at a gas station. Didnt know what to think of that. Sadi fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Dec 5, 2012 |
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Dec 5, 2012 05:05
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Mine looks ratty enough that I haven't gotten any compliments from people just looking at it. I have gotten a lot of "Oh holy hell this is faster than I thought it would be" from people I've given rides to. Some of them refuse to accept that it has (maybe) 140hp. power/weight ratio, baby 
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Dec 5, 2012 05:12
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Closer to 105.
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Dec 5, 2012 05:48
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Sadi posted:I had a hobo ask me what car it was because he had been in jail for the past 15 years (NA), and then tell me it was a sick car and to have a good day. Once I had guy at a red light tell me "nice car" with his clearly drunk girlfriend instantly retorting "YEAH NICE CAR human being". The guy told her to shut the gently caress up and slapped her in the head
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Dec 5, 2012 06:09
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I just remembered that I had a friend tell me "that's a gay car, dude". I took him for a spin and made him nearly lose his lunch from how it cornered. It feels much more aggressive from the passenger seat. Anyway, he didn't talk any poo poo after that. Still, nothing but compliments from strangers.
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Dec 5, 2012 06:32
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When I got mine, my friends thought I got it as a joke and would sell it after a few months of having a convertible for the summer or something. I guess some people just don't realize that its an amazingly balanced RWD enthusiasts car. Taking them out for a spirited drive usually sends the point home.
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Dec 5, 2012 07:33
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I am apparently going to die at age 50 because this is my midlife crisis car.
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Dec 5, 2012 07:59
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Well, I'm about half done removing the old top. The B-pillar retainer screws are about to make me poo poo piss. I got one out, but I just can't seem to get enough torque on the other. May end up pulling off the whole frame, which I was trying to avoid, but I think it might end up being the easiest way.
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Dec 7, 2012 04:12
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I think my alternator just died. For about 6 weeks, I've been getting a nice sharp squealing noise when I would first shift into gear (not reverse though) and start or rev the engine. Feeling the belt, it's not new, but seemed to be functioning fine. Today while driving... the lights seemed dimmer than usual, and there was no squeaking noise. While going, the radio cut off, then the ABS light and Airbag light popped on, then a bit later my headlights got noticeably dimmer, then the low battery light came on. The belt is still in place, so I believe it's likely the alternator, the battery is about 8 months old. Any ideas how to confirm it's the alternator, and... looking online it seems straight forward enough to replace, is this indeed true? The most complex thing I've done to date has been to replace the brakes. '95 M Edition. Edit: Related to the above strangers at red light conversation, the most bizzarre was a drunk girl out with her friends complimenting the car, asking if me and my friend where a gay couple, and then finding out we were not, asking us to join her birthday celebration. 1st_Panzer_Div. fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 07:07
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1st_Panzer_Div. posted:I think my alternator just died. For about 6 weeks, I've been getting a nice sharp squealing noise when I would first shift into gear (not reverse though) and start or rev the engine. Feeling the belt, it's not new, but seemed to be functioning fine. Today while driving... the lights seemed dimmer than usual, and there was no squeaking noise. While going, the radio cut off, then the ABS light and Airbag light popped on, then a bit later my headlights got noticeably dimmer, then the low battery light came on. Just take it to AutoZone or Advance Auto Parts or whererever and they'll pull out a test kit and tell you whether your alternator is charging the battery for free.
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Dec 7, 2012 20:14
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My leather seats are beyond repair. I was thinking of picking a set of these to go over existing seats. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? I have some Clazzio's in my other car and you can't even tell they are seat covers which is what I am hoping these are like.
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Dec 7, 2012 22:53
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djfooboo posted:My leather seats are beyond repair. I was thinking of picking a set of these to go over existing seats. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? I have some Clazzio's in my other car and you can't even tell they are seat covers which is what I am hoping these are like. That looks terrible, just find some cloth seats for $250.
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Dec 7, 2012 23:11
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So, weird issue cropped up today. In 4th gear, below 2K rpm, if I floor it the car will accelerate, but feels like it's surging, or the driveline is bucking. RPM's don't change. It doesn't happen all the time, and doesn't really happen in any other gear. Car pulls strongly from <2K RPM to redline in 1st and 2nd, so I'm at a loss. The clutch engagement has also felt a bit off today, sometimes doing a bit of surging when changing gears. RPM's don't spike. I've never driven a car with a slipping clutch before, so I don't really have anything to compare against in that department. Clutch is original, at ~155km/96k miles, slave cylinder is also original. Anyone have any ideas?
TrueChaos fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 23:38
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TrueChaos posted:Clutch is original, at ~155km/96k miles, slave cylinder is also original. Anyone have any ideas? It could be either or both of these things. Based on what you're saying, I'm inclined to think both. A bad slave cylinder will reduce clutch resistance, and you won't be able to shift gears. If you press the pedal down, but your engine doesn't disengage and you can't shift, time to get a new slave cylinder. They're like $20 and they're easy to replace, so don't let it strand you somewhere. Pro-tip, flare head wrenches make working on hydraulic lines a lot easier. If a clutch is slipping, you'll hear the engine rev real high when you gas it with little to no movement of the car, then the revs will drop as the clutch catches. A broke-rear end road test I do on clutches is to go about 50mph in 4th gear or so, then start accelerating a lot. Then mash the clutch down all the way, then release the clutch. Your RPMs will spike as you disengage the clutch, and then when you drop it, they'll either go down quickly (meaning your clutch is grabby and has some life) or they'll gradually fall down as your clutch slips like a sonofabitch, which means it's time for a clutch.
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Dec 8, 2012 00:03
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Korwen posted:A bad slave cylinder will reduce clutch resistance, and you won't be able to shift gears. If you press the pedal down, but your engine doesn't disengage and you can't shift, time to get a new slave cylinder. I'm leaning against this one, as I don't have any trouble shifting. Clutch disengages fine, no extra force needed to get in and out of gear. Korwen posted:If a clutch is slipping, you'll hear the engine rev real high when you gas it with little to no movement of the car, then the revs will drop as the clutch catches. Just did this test, how fast should it drop? Seems to drop back down in the same or less amount of time that it took to rev up when I disengaged the clutch. No hovering at high rpm's, immediate drop, etc. I also over-reved a downshift or two and there's an immediate jump forward when engaging the clutch. Few more test runs, and the bucking is gone by 2600ish RPM. It'll buck somewhere between 1-4 times between ~1800RPM & 2600RPM in 4th, and will only buck when my foot is to the floor. Not sure about the lower gears, as I'm through that RPM range too quickly to notice. I took a look at the clutch fluid, and it's really, really dark. Did the brake fluid at the same time, and the brake fluid is way cleaner. I'll flush the clutch again soon and see if that helps. After reproducing it a few more times, it almost feels like not starting off in first correctly - bucking a bit, like the first time driving a stick, except it's nowhere close to stalling and the RPM isn't jumping around at all - just a smooth increase. I'm at a loss. Might throw new plugs & wires at it, because I bought it at 125km's and have no idea when they were last done. Wires are blue & relatively clean, but they looked that way when I bought it and haven't changed. The PO hadn't done timing belt/water pump, and that's also the spark plug service. I immediately did timing belt, water pump, transmission, differential, and engine oil change when I bought it. It occasionally has to crank a fair bit to catch as well. Leaning towards plugs & wires more - the description in the m.net garage section about misfire/studder under load at low RPM's sounds dead on. Plus, they're a 30k-50k mile replacement, and I'm at 96k miles on what I believe to be the original set. TrueChaos fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Dec 8, 2012 |
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Dec 8, 2012 00:49
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djfooboo posted:My leather seats are beyond repair. I was thinking of picking a set of these to go over existing seats. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? I have some Clazzio's in my other car and you can't even tell they are seat covers which is what I am hoping these are like. THese are supposed to be reasonable for the money, at least on an NA. Not such a good fit on later models, by all accounts.
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Dec 8, 2012 01:05
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Korwen posted:If a clutch is slipping, you'll hear the engine rev real high when you gas it with little to no movement of the car, then the revs will drop as the clutch catches. Oh god loving damnit, I'm pretty sure my clutch is slipping. This is my first manual car, but I'm pretty sure it's doing what you're describing. I'm gonna test it out tomorrow when I'm not full of beer.
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Dec 8, 2012 02:32
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That's how you burn out clutches. Just get it on the highway in 4th gear and floor it between 4 and 5k rpm and see if the rpm jumps without changing the speed. (Or 3rd gear, it's been a while since I drove a Miata, whatever keeps you at safe speeds but in the power band) I'd take a guess the engine mounts are bad because that's kind of what happened when mine failed. I couldn't exactly dial in on what was wrong but the whole car felt kind of sloppy. Plugs and wires is a better starting point based on the other information you provided though.
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Dec 8, 2012 03:54
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Engine mounts in my NB improved things quite a bit. I did not enjoy that job one bit though.
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Dec 8, 2012 05:08
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grumplestiltzkin posted:Oh god loving damnit, I'm pretty sure my clutch is slipping. This is my first manual car, but I'm pretty sure it's doing what you're describing. I'm gonna test it out tomorrow when I'm not full of beer. Fortunately a clutch job on a miata isnt that bad of a diy.
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Dec 8, 2012 06:00
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craig588 posted:That's how you burn out clutches. Just get it on the highway in 4th gear and floor it between 4 and 5k rpm and see if the rpm jumps without changing the speed. (Or 3rd gear, it's been a while since I drove a Miata, whatever keeps you at safe speeds but in the power band) Yeah I wouldn't recommend doing my test more than once or twice, and if your clutch is really really slipping then what craig588 said above works too. Also echo what is said about plugs and wires, especially if you don't know when they were changed last. You said it's only happening at WOT in low RPMs correct?
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Dec 8, 2012 06:52
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Korwen posted:You said it's only happening at WOT in low RPMs correct? Yup, in 4th & 5th gear, but I suspect that's just because its through the RPM range too quickly in the lower gears.
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Dec 8, 2012 11:38
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Mine was having sputtering at high load, low rpm situations, and new plugs and wires fixed it right up. Now all I have to do is track down my coolant leaks, oil leaks, replace my shift boots and transmission oil, figure out whatever else is consuming oil, and it'll be (mostly) good to go! Edit: when i did my plugs and peeked in the cylinders, the tops of the pistons were covered in some rough looking carbon buildup. Is this normal or should I be worried? Maybe just seafoam the crap out of it when I take it back out of storage in the spring?
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Dec 8, 2012 16:20
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Viper915 posted:Edit: when i did my plugs and peeked in the cylinders, the tops of the pistons were covered in some rough looking carbon buildup. Is this normal or should I be worried? Maybe just seafoam the crap out of it when I take it back out of storage in the spring? Seafoam can't hurt, and would probably be good for it. When yours was sputtering at high load, did your tach bounce around at all?
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Dec 8, 2012 23:43
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TrueChaos posted:Seafoam can't hurt, and would probably be good for it. Nope, tach was steady. I replaced the valve cover gasket over the summer too and it was deteriorated enough that one or two plugs were a little oily so that may have done it.
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Dec 9, 2012 06:00
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There's a gearbox/clutch noise in my NB that I'd like to diagnose... With the car in neutral and the clutch engaged there is a whirring noise. When I disengage the clutch the noise quickly stops and the whole driveline is much quieter. I'm assuming it's some kind of bearing related to the clutch, but I don't think it's the throwout bearing since it would make itself known with the clutch disengaged, correct? It's progressively gotten louder over the past 6 months or so, and it's not a particularly alarming sort of noise, but I thought it would be best to work out what it is and if I should ignore it.
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Dec 9, 2012 07:15
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Mine has a similar noise, it seems to be more pronounced when the car is cold and then gets quieter. My completely unqualified diagnosis is that it's the pilot bearing, but I couldn't be bothered to do anything about it so far.
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Dec 9, 2012 11:22
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Granite Octopus posted:There's a gearbox/clutch noise in my NB that I'd like to diagnose... If it's a high-pitch squaking it's probably the release bearing, if it's more like a shattling noice, it's probably worn clutch springs and if it's more like a whirring or buzzing constant sound, it's probably "just" normal gearbox wear - you could try an oil change on the gearbox if that's the case. A video with sound would help us help you to diagnose the problem.
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Dec 9, 2012 11:58
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Got a multi part quesrion. I want to actually start working on my car some, but I don't know dick about car maintenance. I'm used to working with tools (I was a mechanic in the navy) but I have zero car specific experience. What would be some good beginner level stuff to start working on, just to get used to working on my actual car? What sort of tools/equipment would I need, and are there any good work guides online that anyone wants to link me to?
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Dec 9, 2012 14:56
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Remove the intake brace. You can pretty much disassemble the whole car with a 10, 12 and 14mm socket. If you don't already have a lot of tools Flyin Miata has a lot of one use Miata specific tools that seem like they'd be cool to have if I didn't already own other stuff that did the same thing almost as well.
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Dec 9, 2012 15:12
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craig588 posted:Remove the intake brace. You can pretty much disassemble the whole car with a 10, 12 and 14mm socket. If you don't already have a lot of tools Flyin Miata has a lot of one use Miata specific tools that seem like they'd be cool to have if I didn't already own other stuff that did the same thing almost as well. I did a little bit of googling/reading and the general consensus is that removing the brce doesn't actually affect the engine at all, and saved a couple of pounds in the process, while making oil filter access easier. Is that pretty much it? Also, it sounds like its just three bolts that need to be taken off; maybe I undersold my mechanical skillz some, but I was thinking of more actual maintenance jobs. edit: Thanks for the tip though, I would have never thought of that. I'm gonna be getting some tools soon and I think I will be having that brace off. grumplestiltzkin fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Dec 9, 2012 |
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Dec 9, 2012 18:26
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Yeah take it off. I've had mine off my car for many a track weekend without issues.
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Dec 9, 2012 19:16
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I finished up fitting my $160 eBay top over the weekend. Overall, I think it's definitely good value -- you can see where they cut corners compared to the Robbins top I pulled off it, but the stitching seemed good quality, the vinyl is plenty thick, and the rear window (plastic, no zipper) is nice and clear. Obligatory before shot. Knackered window, assorted holes. Was also starting to pull away from the window frame on the right.  The install process is time-consuming, but not really difficult as such, even for a noob like me. I took the seats out, which was ten minutes well spent -- it's tight enough in there even without the seats.  The skeleton. I reused the rain rail I already had. Luckily, it looked to be in good condition, and there's definitely no evidence of rust on the rear shelf.  This is where they cheap out a little. Rather than making pockets for the bows to sit in, there's two of these straps, one on each side, that tie the rearmost two bows together. You stick velcro patches onto the rails to hold the straps in place, and the far end attaches with a grommet to one of the bolts that secures the rain rail. Sounds a bit gimcrack, but it seems to work OK. Guess that's what you get for $160. Proper routing of tension cable (I hope)  Turns out whoever installed the previous top didn't bother to reattach the top end of the tension cables -- they run from the B-pillar up around the window frame and rivet to the side rail. It seemed to be working OK without them, but what the hell. Not having any rivets long enough, I stuck a regular old nut and bolt through it and called it done.  Nearly there. As I had read, the retaining clips that fit down in the B-pillars were far and away the most difficult thing about the install. They were on pretty tight, and there was next to no access. One side I managed to extract with a stubby screwdriver and lots of patience, but I ended up running out for an offset screwdriver for the other, it was just too tight. That helped, but it was still slow going.  Fitting the back. Getting the curved metal retainers that fit behind the rain rail was quite a feat -- the trick is to put the two sides on first, then put the middle on. It seems like it's too wide for its space, but you just need to get it all the way back into the curve before it'll seat properly. Tightening the nuts one at a time, working along the length, worked fine...but then you have to loosen them all in order to retighten in the order recommended in the instructions. Time-consuming, but easy enough. That air ratchet was a real life-saver, as there isn't much room for a regular ratchet back there. And...done.    The passenger side came out better than the driver's. It's still a little loose, as I had to slacken off the top adjusters all the way to get it latched. I'll let it stretch out for a few days and re-assess...I might end up reworking it a little round the window frames, and one of the weatherstrips doesn't seem to be sitting quite in the right place.
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Dec 11, 2012 01:43
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