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US-Miata checking in (imported, I live in Germany) Now, up until a few years ago you were not allowed to have the US-Style turn signal. As far as I know in the US the Miata had the turn signals always on at about 50% of full brightness, flashing with 100% brightness when used. Now the previous owner had a shop change this turn signal behaviour to the standard EU kind, meaning the turn signals really just get power when used, like this:  Now I want to convert it back to the US style, since it has been street legal here since quite a few years. Does anyone have an idea what the shop could have done to convert the signal behaviour, and how I have to re-wire it?
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Oct 11, 2007 12:23
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:19 |
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Ziploc posted:Decent shocks could be had for under 500$. Maybe a good more aggressive alignment will sharpen things up too. I am in Germany, and looking for some new shocks and an alignment ('91 US Miata). Concerning the shocks... I find mostly Bilstein, Kayaba and Konis here. Kayabas seem to be the cheapest, Bilstein costs about the same, and Konis are expensive. http://www.ilmotorsport.de/shop/article_list.php5?depth=2&oid=29&show=true for example gives me 600 - 800€ total for Koni shocks ($900 - $1200). That's way more than I want to spend. Bilsteins will be around 480€ ($700), about the same for Kayaba. [edit: found a special offer for Bilstein, would be a little over $400] Are Bilsteins or Kayabas worth the money? Will I have to get the alignment after changing the shocks? It should not change the alignment, since I'm not lowering it or anything, right? Also, regarding the alignment... do I just go to a shop and say "Hay guyz, I need some more aggressive alignment!" or do I have to come up with actual numbers? If yes, what would be recommended numbers for the ambitious street driver (lots of boring Autobahn twice per week, other than that just city cruising)? Mo Hawk fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Nov 29, 2007 |
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Nov 29, 2007 00:28
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Savington posted:I'd find a vendor in the US who'd be willing to ship to Germany. Bilsteins aren't great unless you have them revalved. I'd really try to find a set of Koni Sports. You WILL need an alignment, since the shocks do lower the car slightly just from changing the perch height. Bring them these specs, and make sure they match them exactly. Thanks for the numbers and the explanation, it's going to help a lot. So basically the Konis are the only real choice? With a mileage of almost 200k miles next year, should I also replace the bushings and what-not on the axles since I am already partially taking them apart? I did all this before on other cars, so I guess I will be able to do it on a Miata, but it sure is quite a bit more work than just replacing the shocks 
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Nov 29, 2007 01:04
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Schwack posted:There sure is a lot of dick talk in this here Miata thread. Go figure. Haha, I just bought one for 20€ because I think it looks good. Well, also I need to transport some bigger stuff from time to time. My luggage rack btw. is just fastened on the sides with some kind of mounting brackets. No damage at all, you can just unfasten it and take it off.
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Dec 5, 2007 23:01
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destructo posted:
Where can I get the windshield wiper?  It's so awesome I'd even pay delivery from the US or Japan...
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Dec 8, 2007 04:37
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Did it overheat afterwards?
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Jan 27, 2008 00:02
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nic2128 posted:Question: Will an older Miata be fun to drive even though it only has the 1.6l motor, or should I not bother until I have enough money to afford a newer model? Get it, whatever you want to buy, younger can be better but doesn't have to be if it has been taken care of. You can replace the whole suspension and everything, so don't worry about an older model not being fun. The speed doesn't make it fun, but the handling.
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Jan 29, 2008 14:24
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Vitamin J posted:They are awesome motors. You can pull apart a 150k mile Miata motor, and still see the honing marks on the piston walls. 150k is just break in on these cars. I love it when people look at my mileage counter and go: "Wow, 170.000 kilometers, and it still runs! How much does it cost in repairs every year?" Then I tell them I do all the work myself. To some of them it is surprising, they don't even know how to change their tires, so they go like  Then I tell them that it's not, as they assumed, 170.000 kilometers (Germany), but it's over 270.000 kilometers (170.000 miles, US model).  Even though with todays cars it's not as rare as some make it out to be that they are capable of a lifespan beyond 200.000 miles. It's not like they're gonna rust faster than you can weld like some cars of the 60s and 70s. The biggest problem for oldtimer fans in 20 years are going to be the electronics of the current models, as I am sure that there is going to be almost no one around with the know how and equipment to troubleshoot and repair them.
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Feb 6, 2008 17:22
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Guinness posted:170,000 km is like just over 100,000 miles, right? Any car I buy better drat well still be running fine after 100,000 miles. It really makes you wonder how people treat their cars if they're amazed at a well-running 100k+ mile car made in the past 20 years. Even 170k miles isn't a lot if taken care of. It's up there, but it's far from death and/or money pit status (especially for a Miata). Most of them are spoiled by their parents, have never bought a used car and sell them when they have about 60.000 km on them.  At least they help poorer people like me being able to afford cool used cars by purchasing them new and selling them with a huge loss shortly after. 
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Feb 7, 2008 12:38
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destructo posted:
Usually I hate "artistically" painted cars, but this one's awesome. The air scoop's not my favorite, but the monster makes up for it.
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Feb 11, 2008 19:42
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I just found out that my third cylinder doesn't build up enough compression (rough idle etc). When I put a llittle bit of motor oil into the cylinder and measure again it builds up a little bit more for a few strokes. Since I only paid 2.300 € for the car in total I don't want to spend the 700 € I calculated for getting it back into normal condition. Therefore I will do an engine swap (it's the 1.6 engine). Is there any engine that is compatible aside from the Miata's engine? The 323 is very similar, but is a switch plug & play?
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Mar 15, 2008 18:13
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http://members.aol.com/solomiata/MX5Engine.html tells me that the 1.6 DOHC B6P which is in my Miata was also used by the 323 GTX, Mercury Capri/XR2 and 94-95 MX-3. Does this mean I could take the MX-3 offered here: http://www.autoscout24.de/Details.aspx?id=lmyrttmbrodj and drop it into my 1991 Miata without too much effort?
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Mar 16, 2008 19:07
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Slothophile posted:I'd love to see you try to put on a hard top at 70mph... 70mph is excessive, but it is definately possible to pull it up while cruising up to 40mph. Somehow it's even easier than in the Z3, even though it weighs less.
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Apr 26, 2008 10:50
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Hay guys, look at my valve... :iamafag: Took me three weeks to get it sorted out, and I am still waiting on one screw for the cam bearings which broke in the process (I just used a different screw, which is probably not suitable for that kind of force over a longer period of time, so I will replace it next week). But now I don't have to rev up to 4500 to get the car moving  Feels like a whole new engine to me, I wonder how I managed to not notice this faulty valve during the first year of owning it. It ran louder and was vibrating when idling, but it ran up to 110mph 
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Apr 29, 2008 08:35
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Hi guys, I just did the light minder conversion as described in http://www.miata.net/garage/buzzer.html A few days later I noticed that my parking brake light is constantly on. I took the handbrake cover off and checked, it stays on even if I ground the parking brake light connector manually on the chassis. I checked the connector I unplugged earlier under the dash during the light minder conversion, but it is firmly attached. I am not 100% sure the events are correlated, but they might. What else can I check now?
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Jul 29, 2008 22:34
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Guinness posted:I accidentally left my parking lights on in my '95 today at work, so I needed a jump to get home. No problem there. This might have been due to your battery charging and therefore not being able to keep the voltage steady. edit: Why was your battery drained when you just left on the parking lights? A healthy battery should be able to start after leaving the parking lights on for many many hours! Baby Hitler posted:Check your brake fluid level. The reed switch on your brake fluid reservoir could be acting up, that light is a general brake system warning light, indicating low fluid level or ebrake actuation. Thanksl, I will check!
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Jul 30, 2008 03:36
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azzenco posted:How slow can you go with the top down before you start to get wet? I was going down the highway when it started to rain so I put the top back up when I found an overpass and was amazed I wasn't wet. It depends on how hard it rains. I tested it several times and for me and regular rain it works from about 60 mph. For hard rain this might not suffice. At 80 mph the rain won't touch you no matter how hard it pours. Obviously this depends on how tall you are and if you've got a wind blocker (I do).
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Aug 1, 2008 15:45
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joey deere posted:I noticed that the NC's 2L engine is rated at 166 HP in the US, while europe's version is rated at 160 and Australia's is rated at 158. Does anyone know why that is? Do they use a more restrictive exhaust or different tune to comply with emissions or something? Or is it down to the way it's measured? I know that Americans measure the engine horse power without the drivetrain, and the Europeans measure the wheel horse power.
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Aug 30, 2008 01:01
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kimbo305 posted:What's people's opinion on windblockers? Do they work? Is it worth making my own? I do not like the self made Plexiglas ones at all. They look ridiculous and do not have the same effect as the real ones. You can get them for not too much money used, look around on ebay etc. But yes, they do keep the wind out of your hair and away from your neck and back. I love being able to drive on the autobahn for two hours even when its cold outside without getting a stiff neck.
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Sep 7, 2008 17:31
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Now I seem to have run into a serious problem, my cooler blew up... I noticed, after driving on the Autobahn for one hour, that within one minute the temperature went up from the "normal" level to very-very-hot to the-needle-doesn't-go-any-further-than-that within one minute. I stopped immediately, and when I opened the hood I was blasted with evaporating cooling liquid. The connector, where the hose comes in from the engine, had a hairline crack. After waiting for quite a few minutes I filled the cooler with water I had with me and tried to start again, but was only able to do so with full throttle. So I had to get a friend of mine tow me to my dorm. Now it feels like I have lost compression, and I suspect I blew the head gasket? I ordered a new cooler already, but I will only be able to really diagnose the engine once I get my tools from home... e: talking about the radiator Mo Hawk fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Sep 22, 2008 |
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Sep 22, 2008 18:11
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Savington posted:Not sure, honestly. The last real owner was a track junkie from Novato. The rear latches do look like total poo poo. I'm going to try to find a set of stock latches and just bolt them down on top of those to make it look decent. Other than that, though, I loving stole the thing (paid $1300, sold my other top for $1200) and it's in pretty nice shape. The clear is a little faded in a couple of places but I've heard some tricks that can bring it back, and my car is garaged 22 hours a day so I don't need to worry about any further sun fading. I am going to do a carbon hood and probably a carbon trunk at some point to match the top. Here tops go for about €300, how come y'all pay so much for them?
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Nov 2, 2008 18:13
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Hypnolobster posted:Relevant post: My first idea was to complain that he doesn't have any style or class because his dipstick wasn't yellow ...but then I checked, and he even has that!
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Dec 20, 2008 10:45
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Ok guys, now I am really stuck... maybe AI can help me out. My power windows, windshield wipers and heating fan do not work. It stopped working occasionally in the beginning but now nothing works at all. It seems the three are all connected to the same power that is on when ignition is on, but I am unable to locate where those three meet. Is there a relay that might be responsible for this?
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Jan 5, 2009 23:13
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So I might be able to get a low-mileage used set of shocks and springs from a 2005 NB-FL. I am unable to locate information about whether it will fit my NA though... it could help out quite a bit, since my rear shocks are practically gone by now (pro probably never been changed, so almost 200.000 miles).
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Mar 29, 2009 01:44
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:19 |
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duep posted:Unfortunately I'm stuck with German suppliers, which want you to bring your car in for the easiest of tasks and try to rip you off no matter what. Maybe too late now, but LOCTITE Flächendichtung is what you're looking for. Alternatively ask for any Silikon-Flächendichtung and they might be able to help you.
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Apr 14, 2009 13:52
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