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.