MIATA THREAD - My Third Gear Syncro Is On Grindr

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blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Thx man - I hit you on FB.

# ? Mar 15, 2014 06:04

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 03:19

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

Just picked up my 97. It's great, with a few things:

The key turns in the passenger side lock but it doesn't seem to ever unlock. The lock sliders on both handles take a lot of effort to slide.
A belt "witters" as I go up in RPM/speed; I think it's the power steering accessory belt. It doesn't sound like a traditional belt squealing but more like a pulley is wobbling. I'll have to figure out a way to determine what's at fault.
The power antenna won't retract when the car is turned off. I can hear the motor doing gangbusters when the car is shut off but I can't retract the antenna by hand (except for a little bit of squash/stretch). Grease?
It has a soft top that I don't recognize which has a zipper running around the entire back half of the top, not just the window. I'll give it a shot trying to fold it down in the next little bit, but it looks like the PO creased the window a few times judging from my rear view mirror.
It needs an alignment.
Radiator is getting into the scary brown zone. I will get a Koyo from the US when I visit next month.
Shifting from a stop seems difficult once the car has been running for awhile. I replaced the clutch slave cylinder on my 91 when it started acting like this, so I'm guessing it's the same case here.

If you'll excuse me, I need to figure out if I have a Torsen or not.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 01:33

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

This is a $500 car at most right?

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/cto/4372062602.html

# ? Mar 16, 2014 01:45

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Well considering that the only thing that's "worth" anything on that car is the body panels and half of them are banged up...

# ? Mar 16, 2014 01:54

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

That car is scrap. I don't even think I could register it here.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 01:57

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

That car is junk, look at the left rear, that subframe is all sorts of hosed up.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 02:00

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

Phone posted:

Well considering that the only thing that's "worth" anything on that car is the body panels and half of them are banged up...

I'm not trying to buy it, it just keeps popping up on CL every few weeks.

Edit: I'm still hounding a dude over a '90 that he listed for $1000 without pictures.
http://limaohio.craigslist.org/cto/4366369770.html

Then this guy who's like "make an offer" and won't give any clue what he's asking for it. "I just want to trade but would sell for the right price which is like $10,000 I guess because that's what its worth to me"

http://limaohio.craigslist.org/cto/4371479278.html

Rhyno fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Mar 16, 2014

# ? Mar 16, 2014 02:03

Beach Bum: Jan 13, 2010

The Miata now has a new: timing belt, associated timing stuff, water pump, and assorted radiator hoses. I found the (hopefully last) leak in the cooling system, so my heat should be good to go now that the warm weather is starting to seep in. It's been giving me fits all winter. I found out that one of the hoses (the one going from the pipe under the exhaust manifold to the water pump) took a rock to the face and made a nice clean puncture invisible while car is stopped, and because of the heat the coolant was evaporating from it almost immediately. All the other little hoses have been replaced, and the upper/lower radiator hoses looked fine when I installed the new Koyo radiator so I left them alone.

Now I'm just waiting on Monday to get here so I can go to Fastenal and grab an M14x1.5 thread chaser and see if I can't clean up the threads in the crank.

Let's try to keep track of the mileage on this one so it doesn't snap 40 miles from home again, shall we...

# ? Mar 16, 2014 05:42

8ender: Sep 24, 2003; clown is watching you sleep

Rhyno posted:

This is a $500 car at most right?

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/cto/4372062602.html

tags drift car, rally car, race car, awesome, slammed, fast, honda, civic, FRAME REPAIR, LEARN TO WELD, DONOR CAR, SPIDERS, ENDLESS PAIN AND SUFFERING

# ? Mar 16, 2014 07:06

Hikaki: Oct 11, 2005; Motherfucking Fujitsu Heavy Industries

Speaking of spiders, when I bought my Miata a few months ago it turned out that there was an infestation of what looked like yellow sac spiders. I would find 5-6 of them every night creeping around the trunk area. Eventually they went away but they were definitely the thing that made me regret buying this car the most out of the many other things wrong with it.

Hikaki fucked around with this message at 11:06 on Mar 16, 2014

# ? Mar 16, 2014 07:53

televiper: Feb 12, 2007

Hikaki posted:

yellow sac spiders. I would find 5-6 of them every night creeping around the trunk area.

Did you have a fuel leak? Wiki suggests that they may be attracted to gasoline.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 08:13

Hikaki: Oct 11, 2005; Motherfucking Fujitsu Heavy Industries

televiper posted:

Did you have a fuel leak? Wiki suggests that they may be attracted to gasoline.

I heard about that too. There was a recall for the Mazda3 due to a fuel leak that attracted these spiders. I haven't noticed any fuel leaks in the few months I've had the Miata though.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 11:03

Viper915: Sep 18, 2005; Pokey Little Puppy

Help! After putting everything back together after this winter's timing belt maintenance, I have two big bolts left that I can't figure out where they go. I'll have to go tomorrow and see if I can size them, but they seem like the same size and pitch of the bolts that hold on the cam gears and timing belt idler and tensioner pulleys, all of which are installed. One is slightly longer than the other. Where else are bolts of this size supposed to go?

# ? Mar 16, 2014 16:09

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

lol, maybe the water pump? This is why you stay organized, people.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 16:48

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

17mm bolt head, I'm going pivot on the AC and PS brackets.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 16:50

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

He said it seems like the same size as the cam gear bolts (heads), an exact measurement would be helpful I suppose. Cam gear bolts are 17mm? drat, guess it's been awhile since I've had the front of a BP opened up, I don't remember them being that big.

Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Mar 16, 2014

# ? Mar 16, 2014 16:56

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

You're probably right, they're probably 14mm... which narrows it down to.... nothing.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 17:03

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

While I've been looking at NCs, an NB (99) fell in my lap - under 50k miles, reasonable price and in my neighborhood. It does have a lot of mods that I'm unfamiliar with; can anyone comment?

2 sets of 99 alloy wheels with tires (14" and 15"), JR supercharger, JR timing box (runs great on 91 octane), boost gauge, Borla SS touring (quieter) dual tip muffler, front shock tower brace (Cobalt 3-pt), front sway bar brace (RB), rear control arm brace (Cobalt), stock sway bars but have a set of heavier bars not installed, original engine, clutch, brakes, shocks. I saved all the original parts from the SC install.

Would I want to keep the supercharger?

# ? Mar 16, 2014 18:50

Viper915: Sep 18, 2005; Pokey Little Puppy

So I didn't even think of the head size, I was too focused on the threads since I was looking for the right sized hole. Although the pivot bolts were accounted for, that reminded me that I had undone the PS bracket the pivot bolt runs through. Thanks for the push in the right direction! The bolts, which were 14mm heads, are now in their homes. I kept track of everything behind the timing cover, but figured everything else would be easier to figure out, especially the two big bolts that outsized everything else. I was wrong! Anyways, after I eat some lunch, it's time to add some coolant and see if this thing will run now that I've hosed with it. First timing belt job, wish me luck!

# ? Mar 16, 2014 19:27

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

My squealing PS belt is actually a squeaking speedo cable. I figured this out by identifying a photo radar police officer, checking my speedometer and watching it rapidly oscillate between 75 and 95. On the plus side, I may have an exciting new action shot of my car getting mailed to me soon!

blk posted:

Would I want to keep the supercharger?

Does the Pope poo poo in the woods?

# ? Mar 16, 2014 19:44

Viper915: Sep 18, 2005; Pokey Little Puppy

After a little persuading, I got the car to start, bit I'm not sure if this is normal lifter noise after being winterized and not run for like 4 months or if my timing belt is off, or perhaps something else fun! If anyone has some suggestions let me know.

http://youtu.be/PwQYKVXZewo

# ? Mar 16, 2014 20:56

Savington: Apr 9, 2007; I'm not Stinkmeister, this title is here so waar can tell the difference between Stinkmeister and myself in mafia games.

Viper915 posted:

Help! After putting everything back together after this winter's timing belt maintenance, I have two big bolts left that I can't figure out where they go. I'll have to go tomorrow and see if I can size them, but they seem like the same size and pitch of the bolts that hold on the cam gears and timing belt idler and tensioner pulleys, all of which are installed. One is slightly longer than the other. Where else are bolts of this size supposed to go?

Take a picture of them and I'll tell you where they go.

e: I cannot read, glad you found them a home.

# ? Mar 16, 2014 21:42

Hikaki: Oct 11, 2005; Motherfucking Fujitsu Heavy Industries

Viper915 posted:

After a little persuading, I got the car to start, bit I'm not sure if this is normal lifter noise after being winterized and not run for like 4 months or if my timing belt is off, or perhaps something else fun! If anyone has some suggestions let me know.

http://youtu.be/PwQYKVXZewo

I get this noise when it's about time for an oil change and goes away afterward. Here are some suggestions from miata.net:

miata.net posted:

Question: I have a tapping noise coming from the engine after startup or hard driving.

A1:
Mazda has issued several service bulletins on this problem. Consult your dealer for more information on these bulletins. Remedies range from switching oil weights (see A2) to changing to newer lifters with larger oil passages (see A3). These items can be fixed under the Mazda warranty if your car is new enough to still be in the warranty period.

A2:
Most lifter noise is cured by switching weights of oil. Mazda recommends trying 5W30 oil first. Some Miata owners report switching to a heavier oil like 20W50 to stop the noise. additionally, some owners report switching to a synthetic oil such as Amsoil or Redline to alleviate the noises.

A3:
When lifter noise is not cured by switching oil weights another option is available. Mazda has valve lifters with larger oil passages. These lifters will solve the noise problem. Note that changing the lifters is not a simple task. Consult your dealer or a reputable mechanic before doing this procedure yourself.

# ? Mar 17, 2014 00:49

Viper915: Sep 18, 2005; Pokey Little Puppy

Hikaki posted:

I get this noise when it's about time for an oil change and goes away afterward. Here are some suggestions from miata.net:

As long as it's just lifter noise then I'm OK. I did an oil change right before winterizing it so I'm assuming this is just super dry lifters after 4 months not seeing oil. I'm also working out of a basement this year instead of a garage so it may just be sounding louder than I'm used to. I just wanted to be sure there wasn't something more damaging to be found in that noise, this is the loudest I've heard it

# ? Mar 17, 2014 02:37

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

blk posted:

While I've been looking at NCs, an NB (99) fell in my lap - under 50k miles, reasonable price and in my neighborhood. It does have a lot of mods that I'm unfamiliar with; can anyone comment?

2 sets of 99 alloy wheels with tires (14" and 15"), JR supercharger, JR timing box (runs great on 91 octane), boost gauge, Borla SS touring (quieter) dual tip muffler, front shock tower brace (Cobalt 3-pt), front sway bar brace (RB), rear control arm brace (Cobalt), stock sway bars but have a set of heavier bars not installed, original engine, clutch, brakes, shocks. I saved all the original parts from the SC install.

Would I want to keep the supercharger?

OK, should I buy this thing for $5500?

http://s252.photobucket.com/user/azemigh/library/1999Miata?sort=3&page=1
http://s252.photobucket.com/user/azemigh/library/more%20miata%20pictures/exterior?sort=3&page=1

The cons are that the interior looks tired; I don't like the looks of NB1s and I don't like green cars, but that money for a 48k mile seemingly well-loved Miata with a quasi-desirable mod makes me think it might be a good value.

# ? Mar 17, 2014 20:37

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

As much as I love the idea of a SC I dunno if you want to jump on a car like that.

# ? Mar 17, 2014 20:40

Tactical Bonnet: Nov 5, 2005; You'd be distressed too if some pile of bones just told you your favorite hat was stupid.

I make it general practice to never buy someone else's project. Who knows what corners started getting cut when they gave up on it and decided to "just get it running" so they could sell it. Or what exactly has gone wrong to force them to sell it.

# ? Mar 17, 2014 21:13

8ender: Sep 24, 2003; clown is watching you sleep

Viper915 posted:

As long as it's just lifter noise then I'm OK. I did an oil change right before winterizing it so I'm assuming this is just super dry lifters after 4 months not seeing oil. I'm also working out of a basement this year instead of a garage so it may just be sounding louder than I'm used to. I just wanted to be sure there wasn't something more damaging to be found in that noise, this is the loudest I've heard it

Wait, you have your car in a basement? I need pics of this

# ? Mar 18, 2014 05:40

Viper915: Sep 18, 2005; Pokey Little Puppy

8ender posted:

Wait, you have your car in a basement? I need pics of this

I had to take the mirrors off to fit it in past those double doors, and also use planks to drive it up over some curbing, but it fit! I had about an inch or two on either side through the door frame. Also when I put it in there was already two inches of snow and those are star specs. Good thing the car is light enough to push easily! Getting it back out should be smoother.

Viper915 fucked around with this message at 10:35 on Mar 18, 2014

# ? Mar 18, 2014 10:32

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

You need to take a YouTube video where you throw the double doors open, rev the engine, flip the headlights up and launch out of the basement, leaving huge tire marks behind on the concrete on your way out.

I have never wanted double doors for my house more.

# ? Mar 18, 2014 17:05

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

What do you guys think this is worth?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...366779109&Log=0

# ? Mar 19, 2014 05:15

Nodoze: Aug 17, 2006; If it's only for a night I can live without you

blk posted:

What do you guys think this is worth?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...366779109&Log=0

Depending on your area I think that price is pretty good. Around here that would pass as a good deal for the mileage/condition assuming theres no nasty hidden secrets. Keep in mind hardtop resale value if you don't really want it too. That car looks immaculate honestly, although it's hard to tell for sure without better pictures.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 05:18

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

blk posted:

What do you guys think this is worth?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...366779109&Log=0

Since it's a low mileage M edition I'd say the price about right. If you don't need a hard top, you can get 1k back pretty easily.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 05:33

Elephanthead: Sep 11, 2008; Toilet Rascal

Texas miata prices are really cheap. The AC is probably broke. I would pay $5,000 for that and smile like a mofo. Where else are you going to get a 100% reliable car for $6,000?

# ? Mar 19, 2014 14:14

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Looks like an awesome buy to me but he doesn't mention the timing belt.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 15:24

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

If it's a straight car it's still worth it.

Learn how to do timing belts people, it's not that hard, and then buying Miatas that need one will be a non issue.

Even then you can drive it till it snaps if you want to, not gonna hurt anything.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 15:39

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

If the timing belt snaps, the car will stop moving! :ohdear:

He might need to get a tow home or even... Walk.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 15:44

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Phone posted:

If the timing belt snaps, the car will stop moving!

He might need to get a tow home or even... Walk.

And budget for the replacement.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 15:55

Beach Bum: Jan 13, 2010

And you'll need an Act of God to find an M14x1.5 tap to chase your crankshaft threads when they turn out to be trashed. Finally ordered one on Amazon after hitting up all my local sources with no luck. Car will be on the ground soon, I hope. The rest of the job was easy, other than finagling a cam lock out of various tools.

In regards to cost I got the Gates timing kit and the waterpump for $180. I ordered another $60 in miscellaneous parts, seals and gaskets from Rosenthal's.

Beach Bum fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Mar 19, 2014

# ? Mar 19, 2014 16:04

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# ? Jun 10, 2024 03:19

Elephanthead: Sep 11, 2008; Toilet Rascal

A professionally installed timing belt is less then a shiny S2000 muffler is it not? I would never change one on a car with only 79K miles anyway unless I was racing it.

# ? Mar 19, 2014 16:14

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