Problems after problems

[silver280zx]

So as some may know i ran into clutch problems a few weeks ago, with my 91 na. Its funny how when you take something apart, you tend to find more and more parts needing replacing.

So i removed the tranny, and found that my rear tranny seal was leaking. After getting it out, i found that my throwout bearing had mushroomed over, and wore out the pressure plate. Under that, the disk was warn to the rivets. After removing the flywheel, i found that my pilot bushing is warn pretty bad. After doing that, I found that my rear engine seal and the oil pan gasket were leaking.

So today, i was ready to lift the motor up to do the oilpan gasket, and i went to lossen up the motor mounts, and found that 2 of the 3 bolts holding the motor mount to the engine block had backed out and had fallen out somewhere, or that the mechanics that maintained the car for the previous owner didnt put them back in. So i was doing mountain runs and autox, on pretty much one motor mount. Kinda scary.

Anyway, my *****ing is over, I only wish that my miata could handle abuse like my datsun.

[jesseealexander]

heyy that last quote may not be true. theres always gonna be a bad egg in every batch.

my miata took abuse harder than any car ive owned since. some problems (small leaks, rattles, etc) just werent worth addressing unless they had potential to grow. too bad the chassis was WEAK. i could hear my dash flexing pulling into driveways sometimes.

[redrumracer]

there will be a bad one every now and then. hell my car is just starting to mess up on me, the clutch has started slipping on and off, no biggie tho cause i need to replace before fi, and now my valve seals are leaking when it gets really cold. plus the fact that it has put up with my driving for ~55k miles and still going.

although normally when i take the trans out i replace those parts anyway, and hey its also better to find it now while you have it apart than after you put it back together and have to take it back out a month later.

[amaff]

WTF? Honestly it sounds like it's handling the abuse pretty damn well. Sounds like it's been abused for a good long while now...

[metalman]

I only wish that my miata could handle abuse like my datsun.

I would say that a 1.6 Miata can handle abuse on a par with or above any car ever made.
...even a slant six Mopar. :D
Poor mechanical skills/methods applied by an owner to any car can have effects on anything however.

To be honest, most everything you found with the stock clutch is fairly 'normal' in that one should expect to replace the TO, pressure plate, disc, and pilot bearing on EVERY clutch change. I know there are some who skip pilot bearings and the like...but that is NOT recommended. For most, even changing the rear seal would be normal, if not recommended. Motor mounts are broken on 100K Miatas about 50% of the time in my experience. The bolt issue sounds like previous user error. ;) Usually the rubber part separates.
When driven by someone who knows how to drive a stick I have seen oem Miata clutches go 200k. It is however possible to destroy any clutch quickly with the right abuse.

I would agree with amaff :)

[simontibbett]

Yeah mine goes to 8400RPM all the time and I have put over 20k HARD miles on it since I got it, and have only done minor maint.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Yeah it sounds like it's already dealt with a lot of abuse. And the fact that you were still able to take it to the mountains and autox speaks volumes about the car. And do NOT start about your Z being tougher, how long was that thing in your garage for??

[amaff]

Yeah mine goes to 8400RPM all the time...

seriously? Bone stock head / bottom end!? How many miles are on the engine / valve springs?

[jesseealexander]

^^ i think he has somewhere in the neighborhood of 180k on the car...

[Roadster]

Yeah mine goes to 8400RPM all the time and I have put over 20k HARD miles on it since I got it, and have only done minor maint.

^ Can vouch for this being the most consistently and mercilessly abused car I've ever come in contact with. Offroad excursions, tons of mountain runs, track days, and autocrosses + daily driving. It just keeps on ticking, even welllllll past the factory advised rev limit. :p

[metalman]

On second thought...Miatas are crap. I know a guy near Lawrenceville that will probably give you $500 cash for that turd and haul it off. :D

[silver280zx]

Haha im not bashing everybody's miata's guys, im just saying that mine is a piece of ****. It was one owner, and they had somebody do all the maintenance on it. Ive only had it a couple months. Im just irritated with it, im not directing it toward your cars. Its the most fun car ive owned, its just that i havent had a chance to beat it yet, and its already broken. Its about to go back together though so no worries, yet.

[silver280zx]

Yeah it sounds like it's already dealt with a lot of abuse. And the fact that you were still able to take it to the mountains and autox speaks volumes about the car. And do NOT start about your Z being tougher, how long was that thing in your garage for??
Jack, the Z has only been in the garage recently is because of aftermarket parts and body work ive been doing to it. Its 278k running stronger than ever, Ive owned it for 7 years, and really havent had any reliability issues, especially for a 30 year old car. I mean i love my miata i just hope that all this stuff im doing will pay out in the end.

[simontibbett]

Yeah you will get it all worked out past whatever the previous owner did, and you will be happy.

[simontibbett]

seriously? Bone stock head / bottom end!? How many miles are on the engine / valve springs?

Yeah bone stock, has around 180k miles.

[redrumracer]

Yeah bone stock, has around 180k miles.

yeah thats easily do-able, i take mine up there quite often, but he has more miles than me.

[jesseealexander]

^^ youre car hits 8400 how?

[redrumracer]

^^ youre car hits 8400 how?

overclocked the ecu.

[MeFryRice]

Simon, have you not run into any issues with the head hitting 8400 rpms on a consistant basis?

[simontibbett]

Nope.

[MeFryRice]

Any mods done to the head? Have you dyno'd the car to see what the powerband is like (ie: is any power to be had at that high of rpms)?

[simontibbett]

No mods to the head, motor is ENTIRELY stock internally.

Haven't dyno'd it, but butt dyno shows no power that high, as is at least. It's nice to have the spare "room" when driving hard though.

[Roadster]

It does seem like it'd make the gear spacing easier to manage. Upshifting into the meat of the rev range instead of dropping too low. The head gets choked up at that kind of rpm though. Hard to believe the HLA's can keep up with that anyway. Does it sputter at all when you get it up that high? Seems like it should be floating the valves before that rpm.

[amaff]

Seems like it should be floating the valves before that rpm.

That's what I thoguht too...

[Roadster]

Might be why it's not making any more power, more than the head being the restriction, lol.

Swap to 99 buckets/shims and see how it does then. :biggrin:

[silver280zx]

I wonder if it would be possible to put solid lifters in a miata head.

[amaff]

I wonder if it would be possible to put solid lifters in a miata head.
Swap to 99 buckets/shims and see how it does then. :biggrin:

What am I missing? 0.o

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

99 = solid lifters Tyler :)

[silver280zx]

OK, i dont know mazdas yet.

[simontibbett]

No doesn't sputter or anything that high.

[redrumracer]

It does seem like it'd make the gear spacing easier to manage. Upshifting into the meat of the rev range instead of dropping too low. The head gets choked up at that kind of rpm though. Hard to believe the HLA's can keep up with that anyway. Does it sputter at all when you get it up that high? Seems like it should be floating the valves before that rpm.

well when i went to the dyno day several months ago, i made like 120ish whp in 4th gear up there.

id like to go to another dyno to confirm the results tho.

[simontibbett]

^You did NOT make 120whp lol.....what year is your car?

A 98 makes what about 102 not to the wheels?

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Actually that doesn't sound too far off for a 99. They make 140ish at crank don't they?

[metalman]

^You did NOT make 120whp lol.....what year is your car?

A 98 makes what about 102 not to the wheels?

A '98 makes zero hp. They didnt make any 98s. :lol:

Actually, 110-118 whp isnt unheard of for stock 94-7 1.8 with exhaust and intake, so 120 for a 99 might be about right for some. Dont know about redrum's car.

A 1.6 car with the same exhaust etc might see 105 tp 108 whp....on a good day. 101-103 more common.

A well tuned 1.6 spec Miata 120-125 whp...and sometimes more.

[redrumracer]

A '98 makes zero hp. They didnt make any 98s. :lol:

Actually, 115-118 whp isnt unheard of for stock 94-7 1.8 with exhaust and intake, so 120 for a 99 might be about right for some. Dont know about redrum's car.

A 1.6 car with the same exhaust etc might see 105 tp 108 whp.

A well tuned 1.6 spec Miata 120-125 whp...and sometimes more.

what he said about the non existant 98's

Actually that doesn't sound too far off for a 99. They make 140ish at crank don't they?

yes

[simontibbett]

Sorry I don't know **** for model years on Miatas, I like to race them, I don't care about them lol.

I don't think you are lying I think that dyno was screwed up. Because people were saying crazy things coming from there.

[mustangtomiata]

Is it possible to make the same ecu mod on an nb to raise the rev limiter?

[simontibbett]

Yes, redrum's car is an NB

[redrumracer]

Is it possible to make the same ecu mod on an nb to raise the rev limiter?

yes mine is a nb

[mustangtomiata]

how is it done? I don't want to go that high but like you said the extra rev could be very useful when driving hard.

[redrumracer]

how is it done? I don't want to go that high but like you said the extra rev could be very useful when driving hard.

get a ecu crystal then remove the ecu, unsolder the old crystal, swap in new crystal and solder. easy as pie.

[mustangtomiata]

where d I get one and want to help me do it over break?

[redrumracer]

where d I get one and want to help me do it over break?

cant remember the site but sure ill help.

[redrumracer]

take a look at miata.net and search the crystal mod for the site that sells them. if i find it in time ill post it.

[mustangtomiata]

All right cool, thanks we got a litle off topic lol

[silver280zx]

Now, back on topic, Im ready for reassembly now. I can put the tranny and motor in as one piece right?

[RotorNutFD3S]

Yep! And if you want to, go ahead and put the top half of the exhaust on so all you have to do is connect it at the cat. MUCH easier.

[metalman]

Yep! And if you want to, go ahead and put the top half of the exhaust on so all you have to do is connect it at the cat. MUCH easier.

Yep. Install manifold and down pipe prior to dropping in car.

[amaff]

Now, back on topic, Im ready for reassembly now. I can put the tranny and motor in as one piece right?

Simply insert part A into slot B:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a247/amaff/Miata_Engine/IMG_1546.jpg


I opted to do it w/ the exhaust manifold / DP (integrated on my RB header) off the engine. You have more wiggle room to work with in the tunnel when it's off, and it's cake to install after the fact.

[silver280zx]

Thanks guys, ya i have the exhaust manifold on, but im going to leave the downpipe off for now till its mounted.

[metalman]

Thanks guys, ya i have the exhaust manifold on, but im going to leave the downpipe off for now till its mounted.

Trust me, you will want to attach the downpipe while the engine is out....just before you drop it in. Its kind of a ***** to get at when engine is in the car. ;) Have fun.

[amaff]

Thanks guys, ya i have the exhaust manifold on, but im going to leave the downpipe off for now till its mounted.

Trust me, you will want to attach the downpipe while the engine is out....just before you drop it in. Its kind of a ***** to get at when engine is in the car. ;) Have fun.

agreed. If you're using the stocker w/ the separate manifold and down pipe, you want to do it either all together or all off.

I was talking about using one of these:
http://www.racingbeat.com/photos/56006.jpg

[wildfire0310]

well he keeps using the word downpipe and not header and that makes a huge different. Installing a heading with the motor already in isn't that bad since you have more room to move it around were as trying to install a downpipe onto the turbo is more of PITA due to less space.

IE.. if you have the motor out and doing a turbo install at the same time... attach the downpipe. After pulling Eric's motor with the downpipe and everything still attached, it was proof enough how much easier it is.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

He's NA.

[amaff]

the stock manifold a 2 piece header / downpipe

[metalman]

the stock manifold a 2 piece header / downpipe

I think his car has this config.
That downpipe flange and bolts are a ***** to do IN the car...but so easy while engine is out.

[amaff]

I think his car has this config.
That downpipe flange and bolts are a ***** to do IN the car...but so easy while engine is out.

yup. at that point I'd just drop the engine in w/ no exhaust and then do the whole exhaust assembly at once.

[silver280zx]

Ya its in already, i havent put the downpipe on yet, but i dont think it will be too hard. Ya its a little tough to get to the bolt closest to the block, but it wont be so bad, im just glad im just glad the miata has a crossflow head unlike the Z. That thing was hard as crap to get on.

Ya i didnt have the header off anyway, and it was my first time so i didnt put the downpipe on first. But ya, thanks for the help guys.

[silver280zx]

So heres an update, i got the car back together, and the clutch fixed the problem. But however, on my test drive, right after i rolled it out of the garage, it blew a water pump.
ya....

[RotorNutFD3S]

:facepalm: Those are the times I really wonder why I work on or modify cars. It just sucks and you can't win. lol

[amaff]

http://importantshock.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/tactical-face-palm.jpg

:facepalm: Those are the times I really wonder why I work on or modify cars. It just sucks and you can't win. lol

lol damn that sucks. I know how frustrating stuff like that can be. But as a counterpoint to Rotornut, it is DAMN good when a car that is much more than the sum of its parts comes together :D

[RotorNutFD3S]

Tactical FacePalm = LMAO!!!

Very true. I loved my car every second that there wasn't something wrong, and there never really was any big issues. Just be glad that you didn't have the injectors cleaned, you reinstalled them, and then tried to start the car, only to bend a rod. I facepalmed hard that night...

[wildfire0310]

Tactical FacePalm = LMAO!!!

Very true. I loved my car every second that there wasn't something wrong, and there never really was any big issues. Just be glad that you didn't have the injectors cleaned, you reinstalled them, and then tried to start the car, only to bend a rod. I facepalmed hard that night...

i bet. I got a good enough facepalm the night we opened your motor.

[RotorNutFD3S]

I just wanted to give up that night. That was more than just a facepalm.

[wildfire0310]

I just wanted to give up that night. That was more than just a facepalm.

yea that was a bad night. You got bad news about the car, I was drown rat by the time I got home.

Either way, you need to get that new motor together already. BTW where are you doing the install anyway??

[RotorNutFD3S]

lol I forgot about you being on the bike. Reinstall will be at my dad's place. Thinking it might make a good meet. lol Anyway, no more stealing of this thread. :)

[metalman]

Bummer man. Might as well get all the maint. stuff outta the way on your Miata.
Sounds like the PO didnt do any.

[silver280zx]

Ya it is starting to piss me off a bit, lol Ive only put 4k on the car since i bought it and ive already had all these problems. The bad part is, the car isnt even modified, its bone stock and things are going wrong.

[metalman]

Ya it is starting to piss me off a bit, lol Ive only put 4k on the car since i bought it and ive already had all these problems. The bad part is, the car isnt even modified, its bone stock and things are going wrong.

I know the feeling. It all seems maintenance related though. Many people drive these cars for years and do nothing to them. Eventually that must be remedied. Chances are your car never had a TB or WP put on it and sat for a time without being driven too. 18 yrs and some of that will take its toll.

[silver280zx]

Ya true, I dont know though, my car was like a 60 year old woman's daily driver, i dont think it sat. But i will warn people not to go to the Import Works place at the corner of Broad st. and Alps road in athens for maintenance, that is where they used to take it after mazda quit working on cars that old. At least the prior owner changed the oil every 3k.

[silver280zx]

Actually surprisingly, it had the tb replaced at 90k and im at 124k. they supposidly replaced all the engine seals and i had to go back and fix the crappy job that was done prior.

[metalman]

Actually surprisingly, it had the tb replaced at 90k and im at 124k. they supposidly replaced all the engine seals and i had to go back and fix the crappy job that was done prior.

They may have just stuck a belt on it without a WP.
Its also a possibility that a crappy rebuilt WP was used.
Some who service Miatas have had lots of trouble with them.
Even the more recent units from Mazda are not of the same quality as previous.

[metalman]

At least the prior owner changed the oil every 3k.

Well thats a good thing for sure.
Chances are the engine is fine. 1.6 tend to be bullet proof.

I feel your pain though. I have owned cars where I thought...if this damn thing gives
me one more issue...its hammer time! :lol:

[silver280zx]

Yup, well hopefully i can go through there and fix everything the mechanic broke.

[silver280zx]

Ok so heres another update, i got it back together, and it was just thermostat gaskets leaking. So i got it out again today, and the car feels sooooo much better now that i replaced everything i did. Thanks guys

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Glad to hear that mate. Just time to get a rollbar and lose that vagina!

[simontibbett]

^LOL.