MIATA THREAD - My Third Gear Syncro Is On Grindr

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > MIATA THREAD - My Third Gear Syncro Is On Grindr

King-Kong: Oct 15, 2003; Leader of the Apes

Phone posted:

If you haven't gotten an alignment, do that first.

Alignment obtained... but they were unable to get the driver front camber past -1.2... guy even invited me back to see. Said to drive it / race it more, and see if everything will settle bring it back. I made them do ballast... about 150lbs... was that a mistake?

# ? Nov 22, 2015 23:19

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# ? May 14, 2024 08:34

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Nah, that's the way to go.

# ? Nov 22, 2015 23:27

Applebees Appetizer: Jan 23, 2006

ionn posted:

I have an injector with a crack in the pintle cap. The crack runs along the side of the cap, up around the end of it, and down again. The crack is a little bit away from the actual fuel-spraying business end, and ends just where the rubber seal sits. It doesn't look too bad, the cap doesn't seem to want to come off, and when I push on it the crack closes up neatly. Wiggling it around (and comparing to other injectors) it doesn't seem to be loose at all.

How much of a reason for concern is this? Will this somehow affect the performance of the injector? I have another spare injector that is broken/blocked but the pintle cap seems good, can that be transplanted somehow?

Just get some new injectors, it's not like they're outrageously expensive or something, and it will probably help the car run better.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 00:49

Partial Octopus: Feb 4, 2006

The 2nd gear synchro on my nb is failing. I have no experience working on transmissions. Should I pay to get it fixed or just buy a new trans?

# ? Nov 23, 2015 01:50

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

I've talked to three dealers about the ND. Two won't give me a penny off MSRP ("Everyone else is marking them up, so you're still getting a deal!") and the third is offering $250 off. Everyone claims the Club is so rare but has at least two on the lot. And then I go to the price thread on miata.net (it's the first time I've been there, I swear) and everyone is getting like $2k off. Am I bad at negotiating, or is there a lot of e-penis waving going on with people who are posting their deals? I'm pre-approved for a loan and my credit union issued me a blank check to pay for it, so it should be an easy deal on any dealer's part.

Between being a current Mazda owner and test driving one at the auto show, I've got $1k in coupons so it's not all bad. But the dealers have some room, too, no?

Also, I saw the Fiata in person today. It's a little generic, but better than it looks in photos. I originally thought the overhangs looked long and awkward, but they are fine. It will be available in Mazda's Titanium Flash color, which is what I would get the Miata in. But they don't offer that.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 01:57

Suburban Dad: Jan 10, 2007; Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself

Partial Octopus posted:

The 2nd gear synchro on my nb is failing. I have no experience working on transmissions. Should I pay to get it fixed or just buy a new trans?

Buy a used trans. They're fairly cheap. I paid about $200 for one a couple years ago, though they're probably a little more than that now.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 01:58

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Find a dealer that will honor S or E plan and grab one that way.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 01:59

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Phone posted:

Find a dealer that will honor S or E plan and grab one that way.

Is it really as easy as joining SCCA and requesting a PIN? I'm going to ask some dealers if they'll honor the plan and then sign up and get one.

PS, Phone, your PM box is full.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 02:44

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Try again.

I got S Plan via Mazdaspeed and autocross. My dealer told me to fly a kite though and I wanted the car, so I only got it slightly under sticker OTD.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 03:01

Partial Octopus: Feb 4, 2006

Phone posted:

Find a dealer that will honor S or E plan and grab one that way.

What is the S and E plan? Tried searching but nothing relevant came up.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 03:40

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

S Plan is employee pricing, it's basically invoice: http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=ProgramGuideline

E Plan is 4% under invoice.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 03:44

Partial Octopus: Feb 4, 2006

Is it really as simple as being something like an SCCA member?

# ? Nov 23, 2015 03:47

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

TheGoatTrick posted:

I've talked to three dealers about the ND. Two won't give me a penny off MSRP ("Everyone else is marking them up, so you're still getting a deal!") and the third is offering $250 off. Everyone claims the Club is so rare but has at least two on the lot. And then I go to the price thread on miata.net (it's the first time I've been there, I swear) and everyone is getting like $2k off. Am I bad at negotiating, or is there a lot of e-penis waving going on with people who are posting their deals? I'm pre-approved for a loan and my credit union issued me a blank check to pay for it, so it should be an easy deal on any dealer's part.

Between being a current Mazda owner and test driving one at the auto show, I've got $1k in coupons so it's not all bad. But the dealers have some room, too, no?

Also, I saw the Fiata in person today. It's a little generic, but better than it looks in photos. I originally thought the overhangs looked long and awkward, but they are fine. It will be available in Mazda's Titanium Flash color, which is what I would get the Miata in. But they don't offer that.

Where are you located?

# ? Nov 23, 2015 04:34

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Nodoze posted:

Where are you located?

I'm in Southern California.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 05:58

King of all Machines Operate: Sep 23, 2005; uterus puncher ):

Anyone have any experience with the TR Motorsport C1M wheels? Looks like it's a Tire Rack brand wheel specifically for Miatas and the miata.net dudes seem to like them (ugh). There's a guy near me selling a set of these with Hoosier R7s with 4 heat cycles.

Don't know much about these wheels or tires but I'm just looking for a set of cheap track set for the two or three track days a year I'd do.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 07:08

ionn: Jan 23, 2004; Din morsa.; Grimey Drawer

leica posted:

Just get some new injectors, it's not like they're outrageously expensive or something, and it will probably help the car run better.

I'm just being cheap and want to hold that off for a while if possible. I'm going megasquirt and turbo, but since I want to change as little as possible at a time and maybe need to swap ECU back and forth a couple times, I want to get the new ECU going for a while with the stock injectors before changing to a higher-flow set.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 08:15

mobby_6kl: Aug 9, 2009; by Fluffdaddy

Partial Octopus posted:

The 2nd gear synchro on my nb is failing. I have no experience working on transmissions. Should I pay to get it fixed or just buy a new trans?

This wouldn't have happened if you double clutched like you should.

Seriously though, my 2nd gear seems to be a bit sketchy too, and it's pretty difficult to get in while cold. Double clutching and rev-matching seems to help though, and it's better when up to temperature, so I'm ignoring the issue for now and so could you if you're a cheap bastard like myself.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 19:06

Elysium: Aug 21, 2003; It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

Just rev it in 1st and then switch to 3rd.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 19:20

kimcicle: Feb 23, 2003

TheGoatTrick posted:

I've talked to three dealers about the ND. Two won't give me a penny off MSRP ("Everyone else is marking them up, so you're still getting a deal!") and the third is offering $250 off. Everyone claims the Club is so rare but has at least two on the lot. And then I go to the price thread on miata.net (it's the first time I've been there, I swear) and everyone is getting like $2k off. Am I bad at negotiating, or is there a lot of e-penis waving going on with people who are posting their deals? I'm pre-approved for a loan and my credit union issued me a blank check to pay for it, so it should be an easy deal on any dealer's part.

Between being a current Mazda owner and test driving one at the auto show, I've got $1k in coupons so it's not all bad. But the dealers have some room, too, no?

Also, I saw the Fiata in person today. It's a little generic, but better than it looks in photos. I originally thought the overhangs looked long and awkward, but they are fine. It will be available in Mazda's Titanium Flash color, which is what I would get the Miata in. But they don't offer that.

Did they have any manual transmission Miatas to drive? I'm going to swing by the auto show on Friday.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 19:23

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

kimcicle posted:

Did they have any manual transmission Miatas to drive? I'm going to swing by the auto show on Friday.

I don't know, the wait to drive the Miata was an hour so I drove something else and still got the coupon. I would be surprised if the one they had was a manual. Besides, doing a lap around a block in downtown LA won't tell you much.

I did the ride and drive they set up just for the Miata at Irvine amphitheater last week. They did have manuals there and you got three laps of an autocross they set up.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 19:44

kimcicle: Feb 23, 2003

TheGoatTrick posted:

I did the ride and drive they set up just for the Miata at Irvine amphitheater last week. They did have manuals there and you got three laps of an autocross they set up.

gently caress. I wish I was aware of this.

# ? Nov 23, 2015 20:46

The Casualty: Sep 29, 2006; Security Clearance: Pop Secret

Whiny baby

Hi everyone. I'd love to get some advice from the experts. I'm looking for an inexpensive daily driver with both a manual transmission and RWD or AWD. I wasn't considering roadsters at first because I don't like convertables that much, but then I came across this hardtop-equipped 2002 Miata SE in Titanum Gray yesterday. Frankly I'd prefer something with a back seat but I've always had a soft spot for the Miata's clean lines and world-class handling, and I don't have any kids or 2x4's to haul around so gently caress it. In spite of suspecting that at $6500 it's being overvalued quite a bit, I decided it was worth checking out.Check out the Craigslist ad for pictures, it's not super helpful otherwise. I'm sorry that I don't have pictures of my own, but my phone won't turn the camera on when the battery is low, and I had no charger in my borrowed ride

It's unfortunate because the pictures he posted are probably not recent.

Here's a list of things I noticed, some of these things already raise a couple alarm bells but let me know if I'm missing anything.

Walkaround
-The front bumper's paint is chipping right above the Mazda logo, and combined with cosmetic scuffs and dings on the back bumper, it looks like someone isn't very good at parallel parking. A prominent scuff is on the RR fender but it looks like it'd buff out. I'd give the exterior a 7/10 overall but a 5/10 on the bumpers.
-The car comes with a matching hard top which has been properly installed and looks really clean inside and out.
-Interior is in great shape save for a tear in the passenger seat leather on one of the bolsters. It's been taped up so it won't expand, and it looks like it was caused by something sharp, not long-term wear, so I can mend it. The radio and every other button and control function as intended except the driver side door lock toggle switch, which is broken and fits loosely in its receptacle. The odometer is at 132,000 and change. Interior gets an 8/10.
-He's got a fog light out, hadn't noticed until I told him.

Powertrain and Suspension
-Engine bay is pretty clean, no noticeable leaks and the fluids are all topped off. The radiator wasn't seeping any coolant and all the hoses looked good. No visible leaks. The oil was a uniform grayish color so was obviously old, but didn't have any particulate in it.
:siren:

Upon seeing the oil, I asked the owner for details about the last oil change. There's no window sticker so I figured he did it himself. He said his "dad took care of it" but he didn't know how long ago, how many miles, or what grade of oil was used. He's owned the car for 7 months so, yeesh. Definitely wold have to get a PPI done just for that little detail alone, assuming I should even want to take the next step now. I told him that no matter what happens with a sale, he should get it changed asap.
-Current owner claims that the clutch was changed two weeks ago, but he has no documentation :what:

The pedal felt sorta stiff but not what I'd call "new clutch stiff." I'm waiting to find out more details because, again, "dad took care of it." Sensing a pattern?
-The shifter travels loosely, I mean in neutral it flops around all over and has a weak-feeling return to center. I've read conflicting stuff about how normal this is. The shifter is OEM, I'm guessing it needs a lower boot rebuild?
- :siren:

The muffler has been deleted. The exhaust note's still decently throaty, instead of raspy like I'd expect of a rice exhaust mod to a 4-banger, but it's also borderline Illegally Loud over 4k rpm's and I would be putting a real cat-back exhaust on this thing immediately. Theoretically it's CARB-legal since it has still has a cat (the "Cadillac Converter" according to the owner) but I really wouldn't want to gamble with a smog check as-is either.
-The car has been lowered by the ~~current owner~~ current owner's dad (why have a vested interest in your car when you can just have dad arrange everything?). I'd estimate it's been lowered about an inch and the wheels spaced out enough to make them protrude past the fenders. He still has the stock SE rims in his garage, which I like better than the 5-spoke deep dishes he has on there now; I didn't think to ask if the tires are the stock width but there wasn't any rubbing when I went lock-to-lock.
-Pushing down on the car's corners didn't yield any indication of worn components.
-Tires have fresh tread, I'd estimate only 15-20% worn.

The Test Drive
-Cold started it, didn't notice any smoke or adverse noises.
-The car feels dialed in. The roads in this guy's town were all immaculately smooth so I couldn't really test how it takes bumps or uneven pavement, but it didn't wander if I let go of the wheel. It takes corners as well as I'd expect from a Miata. Brakes are strong and don't squeal or vibrate.
-Straight line acceleration wasn't going to blow me away but the engine revs strongly to redline and the transmission shifts great, with no slipping or grinding. I had trouble finding 5th once but I think that's because of the aforementioned loosey goosey shifter.
-The sound is deafening at speed, even with the hard top muffling it somewhat. Considering this test drive was at 10pm on a Sunday, in a quiet neighborhood we were probably waking up some of the neighbors.
HOWEVER, halfway through the drive, I began to faintly smell gasoline. I thought it was coming from the engine bay but apparently it's a known issue for fuel to leak from the hoses attaching to the gas tank? I didn't see anything leaking from underneath so I guess it's being trapped somewhere. I asked the guy about it and he said "oh, yeah, it's been that way for a while," and couldn't elaborate further. Thanks, bro.
-Once the drive was over, I checked the oil again. No changes to level or consistency. That minimalist dipstick handle though, lol.

Conclusion
The general lack of interest or good information from the owner is actually a far bigger problem to me than anything I could find wrong on the car myself. It doesn't lead me to believe that he took good care of it, fortunately he hasn't owned it long enough to permanently damage something important through neglect... I hope. It needs an inspection which I expect will reveal a fuel leak somewhere and maybe some wear items. The car has some rather nice things about it but also a stupid muffler delete that forces me to buy a new exhaust for it. Blue book on this car in "Good" condition is about $4,400 and he wants two grand more than that. I do believe KBB undervalues the hardtop but that's still seems steeper than it's worth. That makes it one of the 5 most expensive NB's in my area. The only other nearby NB w/hardtop I can find is a salvage title'd hunk of rolling bondo, so nope (funny enough, THAT guy is asking $4,500, which is insane).

Let's suppose that I can talk this guy down closer to that blue book value though, say $5,000. Given it's been on the market for a month and I'm the first person who has come calling, it's reasonable that I can convince them they're asking way too much. Would you do it? If you would, what's the most you would pay?

The Casualty fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Nov 24, 2015

# ? Nov 24, 2015 01:17

howling_mad: May 11, 2014

Honestly 132k for 6500, hardtop or not, seems quite step. Especially if there are any drivetrain concerns. Any documentation for the belt, pump, clutch, etc over the years?

# ? Nov 24, 2015 01:33

Sadi: Jan 18, 2005; SC - Where there are more rednecks than people

So I read about the 124 on Fiats web site. Not overly impressed but the idea of 200hp or more has me interested. Also mention of an electronic locking diff. I didnt know Fiat had an locking diff they used.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 01:54

The Casualty: Sep 29, 2006; Security Clearance: Pop Secret

Whiny baby

howling_mad posted:

Honestly 132k for 6500, hardtop or not, seems quite step. Especially if there are any drivetrain concerns. Any documentation for the belt, pump, clutch, etc over the years?

Like I mentioned, the claim is the clutch was just replaced, but he couldn't prove it to me when I went over there. The guy was totally clueless. It felt pretty good, at least. I texted him today asking for maintenance records and/or a Carfax report but I haven't heard back yet.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 02:14

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

The Casualty posted:

Like I mentioned, the claim is the clutch was just replaced, but he couldn't prove it to me when I went over there. The guy was totally clueless. It felt pretty good, at least. I texted him today asking for maintenance records and/or a Carfax report but I haven't heard back yet.

Speaking from experience, get the VIN and run the Carfax yourself (not that CF is foolproof). It's not very difficult to doctor a CF report and save it as a pdf.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 02:17

TheGoatTrick: Aug 1, 2002; Semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable douchery

Sadi posted:

So I read about the 124 on Fiats web site. Not overly impressed but the idea of 200hp or more has me interested. Also mention of an electronic locking diff. I didnt know Fiat had an locking diff they used.

It's not a locking diff; it uses electronics to simulate a diff by applying the brakes. I think the 500 Abarth has something similar.

Partial Octopus posted:

Is it really as simple as being something like an SCCA member?

I found out it's the same thing as Ford's X-plan. A lot of people qualify for that in different ways. You might qualify for it through work; I did at my last job. If you know someone who qualifies, they can get you a code as a friend. I qualify by being a Ford stockholder. I submitted the stockholder forms to request a PIN, but I'm not sure how long it takes. If it's faster just to sign up for SCCA and get that code (does anyone know how long that takes?) I might just do that so that I can have the car for the long weekend. The dealer with the car I want says they will honor S-plan, so hopefully I can get a code while the car's available and all of my coupons still apply. :ohdear:

# ? Nov 24, 2015 03:04

Sadi: Jan 18, 2005; SC - Where there are more rednecks than people

TheGoatTrick posted:

It's not a locking diff; it uses electronics to simulate a diff by applying the brakes. I think the 500 Abarth has something similar.

Major bummer, I was hoping for a trick diff, not dumb traction control.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 03:05

mariooncrack: Dec 27, 2008

The Casualty posted:

My gut feeling is to pass based on the owner's apathy. He doesn't seem to know anything about his own car. I don't think the owner's dad did those mods for no reason so I'm guessing the owner asked him to do it. Miatas aren't rare and he's asking for too much.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 05:07

The Casualty: Sep 29, 2006; Security Clearance: Pop Secret

Whiny baby

Rhyno posted:

Speaking from experience, get the VIN and run the Carfax yourself (not that CF is foolproof). It's not very difficult to doctor a CF report and save it as a pdf.

Got the VIN just now. Waiting to hear back from my brother, he's the family gearhead and he's got unlimited reports. I did do one of those free ones through Autocheck in the mean time and found some interesting poo poo. It was a rental or fleet car for its first 24 months, and in that time it racked up its first 50,000 miles. It also suffered damage to the left front in a 2009 accident, they did a good job on the repair because I didn't notice anything.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 05:47

GutBomb: Jun 15, 2005; Dude?

Run far away from that car.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 14:13

The Casualty: Sep 29, 2006; Security Clearance: Pop Secret

Whiny baby

GutBomb posted:

Run far away from that car.

Yup. I was suppressing my gut instincts before but I can go no further. I can only imagine the hijinks that car has been in.

Thanks for the help, goons. If another Miata catches my eye, I'll be back.

# ? Nov 24, 2015 18:41

Atomizer: Jun 24, 2007

mariooncrack posted:

My gut feeling is to pass based on the owner's apathy. He doesn't seem to know anything about his own car. I don't think the owner's dad did those mods for no reason so I'm guessing the owner asked him to do it. Miatas aren't rare and he's asking for too much.

I agree with this sentiment. I actually bought my Miata site unseen because the PO was clearly a car guy and was very knowledgeable about it. If he hadn't have been so enthusiastic and experienced then I wouldn't have made the purchase.

# ? Nov 27, 2015 01:12

Hog Obituary: Jun 11, 2006; start the day right

Anybody wanna buy a black passenger side NA power mirror? $40 or make me an offer. In San Francisco, CA but can ship.

# ? Nov 27, 2015 07:18

urakawa: Feb 6, 2012

Welp I'm going to my first drift track day tomorrow.

Took out my open diff and installed a vlsd (got it for cheap). Changed diff fluid with red line, tranny fluid with motorcraft, shifter boot/bushing overhaul, and put on a flyin Miata front sway bar.

Wish me luck!! Hopefully nothing catastrophic happens..

# ? Nov 27, 2015 09:39