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soulescape posted:What is causing this? How expensive of a repair am I looking at? How much longer can I drive like this before my car leaves me stranded somewhere? This has pretty much already been answered, but I just wanted to add that the same thing happened to me (I posted a couple pages back) and it's a pretty easy fix, I did it myself, and I don't even do my own oil changes. Like they said, look under the hood at your Clutch Master Cylinder reservoir, it's probably empty or close to empty. This would mean that you have either a bad slave cylinder (extremely likely) or a hole in the line somewhere (less likely). Fill up the reservoir under the hood with Brake fluid (DOT3). That should keep you driveable for a while at least until you can fix the problem. You may have to "pump up" the clutch to get the new fluid into the system, but keep an eye on the fluid level every time you drive, and keep spare fluid with you (it's cheap) Fixing it is extremely simple, order a new slave cylinder for about $50, take off 2 bolts and the clutch line, put new one on, reattach two bolts and clutch line. Then bleed the system. Good illustrated instructions are here: http://bellsouthpwp.net/P/o/PopVII/Clutch%20Slave%20Rebuild.htm Having a mechanic do it will cost you somewhere from $100-200
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Dec 10, 2007 23:06
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What's the best windblocker for the money? I can fabricate my own, but I haven't found any good plans. The premade ones cost waaaay too much.
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Dec 11, 2007 00:30
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Schwack posted:So to go with the NB top I need to replace the whole shebang? How much does that usually cost? Yes, a used NB Miata top is the whole shebang, top on frame, and you can do it yourself in about an hour. Any new top is just the top alone and takes a good amount of labor to install it onto the frame. Not a recommended DIY and is not cheap to have done. A used OEM NB top is better than most new aftermarket tops, and you can do it yourself, so you save a good amount of money and you get the luxury of not having to gently caress with the rear window ever again. 
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Dec 11, 2007 00:53
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leica posted:Yes, a used NB Miata top is the whole shebang, top on frame, and you can do it yourself in about an hour.
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Dec 11, 2007 03:16
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Any suggestions on where to find a tan, used NB top? I suppose Ill go check some junkyards tomorrow, but I'm not hopeful. And to answer your question, yes I did buy the 95M and am glad I did, haha. I've already gotten two compliments from strangers on the purple beast in the 5 hours I've owned it.
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Dec 11, 2007 03:18
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http://planetmiata.com/ Or just check in with your local import used parts store. When I did it, I went to a local place and put a deposit down and they searched one out for me. Just make sure you inspect it good before you take it away and you're golden. Congrats on the 95M Schwack, you lucked out big time. And get to posting pics!
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Dec 11, 2007 03:33
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leica posted:Don't bother with glass unless you're doing a NB top swap (NB tops are glass only anyway). When you lower/raise the top on an NA, you have to unzip/zip the rear window first and a glass window makes it a pain in the rear end because the glass is heavy and awkward when trying to zip it up (compared to plastic). The NB top does not require messing with the window, and goes down and up in one motion. It may not seem like a big deal, but after dealing with the top enough, the NB top makes it seem ten times better. Not to mention, lots of people have issues with glass windows because the weight of the glass tends to rip out the stitches of the zipper over time. My mother in law had this issue and just got a new top with a plastic window, and now she doesn't have a hard time with it anymore. Robbins makes a zipperless glass top for the NA. I have one on my 95M and it's great. I don't miss the zipper AT ALL, and the quality of the Robbins top is as good, or better, than OEM. The glass window is only marginally smaller than the OEM plastic window was, and is so much easier to see through. I don't find the glass window to be too small at all. No part of the top blocks any part of my vision through my rear-view mirror. I paid $400 for the top and shipping, and another $500 for a top-notch professional installation. So yes, it came to be a bit more expensive than swapping a used NB top would have been, but it was less painful than trying to hunt down a good condition NB top+frame, and the inevitable headache that results from the swap not going nearly as smooth as people make it out to be. Plus I have a brand new top with a warranty. It looks and works great. Worth the couple hundred bucks in price difference, in my opinion.
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Dec 11, 2007 06:27
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Schwack posted:And to answer your question, yes I did buy the 95M and am glad I did, haha. I've already gotten two compliments from strangers on the purple beast in the 5 hours I've owned it. Post some photos!
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Dec 11, 2007 12:40
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Guinness posted:Robbins makes a zipperless glass top for the NA. Sounds like a good option. BUT....I have installed Robbins tops and I think the quality is good, but it still doesn't compare to OEM. I have yet to see a top that will last nearly as long as OEM, including Robbins. Although if you are comparing NEW prices, Robbins is a good value considering how much a new OEM top is. However, if you can find a good NB top used it's the best way to go IMO because of money saved and quality you're getting. And IT IS as smooth as people make it out to be HOWEVER.....If you're getting the top off a wrecked car there is the possibility the frame can bend and that obviously can present some problems with fitment. Just make sure the place you buy it from has a return policy, and inspect it thoroughly before accepting it. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Dec 11, 2007 |
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Dec 11, 2007 13:35
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How big of a deal is buying a miata that was autocrossed for a season? Mainly in reference to clutch life and transmission abuse. Already intend to have it looked at by a dealer, but want to be sure I'm not missing anything here. edit: For a more in-dept summary, to get general insight as well: 2002 LS w/ 70k miles & hardtop. Overall good cosmetic condition. 3 previous owners. 1 minor parking lot incident, and sideswiped once (two trips to body shop). Service records from 48k miles onwards - clutch replaced at about 50k, and has one season of autocross on it. Thoughts, comments, or input? $9900 and from a goon. Walked fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Dec 11, 2007 |
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Dec 11, 2007 21:12
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Walked posted:How big of a deal is buying a miata that was autocrossed for a season? Mainly in reference to clutch life and transmission abuse. Well-loved and well cared-for. I'd place  on the fact that the current owner's had the car since 48,000 miles? I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a car that's been autocrossed, but part of that is because I'll do so much worse to it (extensive track use).
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Dec 11, 2007 21:30
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Savington posted:Well-loved and well cared-for. I'd place corrent, current owner has had it from 48k onward. I do not intend to track the car at all, more of a daily driver to supplement the motorcycle.
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Dec 11, 2007 21:42
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Putting a new top on the old frame really isnt that hard. I did it with a helper, and it took us a few hours inclusing a run to Lowes for a rivet gun. It's 100x easier if you just unbolt the whole frame from the car and take it to a place where you can spread it out on the ground. The frame is held in by 3 bolts on each side IIRC.
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Dec 11, 2007 22:20
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Walked posted:How big of a deal is buying a miata that was autocrossed for a season? Mainly in reference to clutch life and transmission abuse. I don't think Autocross is that hard on the car. I don't see anyone launching or shifting particularly hard at the events that I attend. I don't launch or shift that hard either and the car drives as well as the day I bought it last year. EDIT: That said. You better loving autocross it.
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Dec 12, 2007 00:56
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Ziploc posted:EDIT: That said. You better loving autocross it. I say I wont, but the bug will honestly probably get me. But right now my stance is that I'm not going to  
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Dec 12, 2007 00:59
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Walked posted:I say I wont, but the bug will honestly probably get me. But right now my stance is that I'm not going to Your not possibly going to give a good enough reason.
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Dec 12, 2007 04:31
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Ziploc posted:Your not possibly going to give a good enough reason. Agreed, hence the fact that I probably ultimately will. But drat it, I am desperately trying to avoid finding ANOTHER hobby to dump thousands into 
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Dec 12, 2007 05:10
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Walked posted:Agreed, hence the fact that I probably ultimately will. But drat it, I am desperately trying to avoid finding ANOTHER hobby to dump thousands into Pfft. Apart from the 30$ entry fee I have had not a single extra cost come from autocrossing.
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Dec 12, 2007 05:54
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Ok, so now that I own a Miata, Im trying to price out how much it will cost me to turbo it. So far I've got: - BEGI Series 3 w/ GT2860RS (This is based on a few recommendations from here, but I've heard that the 2560 might be a better option) - MSPNP from diyautotune.com - Innovate LC1 WB, I'm kind of on the fence about a A/F gauge though, I suppose it would be nice insurance. So far Im looking at under $5,000 which is good, but am I missing/forgetting anything essential here? I'm only looking for 180-200hp out of this, so maybe the smaller turbo of the S2 would be a better buy.
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Dec 12, 2007 22:54
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I'm waiting for Savington to deliver the word, but I think that even the GT2554 should easily provide decent power up to that mark.
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Dec 12, 2007 23:05
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I need some thoughts again on the miata I'm about to buy. Its the 2002 LS off Sigma X. Problem is it's threw a CEL when I came to see it. P0012 - Cam Timing Over Retarded is the error. He says it cleared up when reset and with fresh gas, and has not since returned. This would typically be alright, if it werent for the TSB out there calling for the replacement of the PCM with this CEL code. Any thoughts? My main issue is purchasing the car, only to replace the PCM for a grand a month after I buy it - yaknow? This is the only lingering issue I've got with the purchase of the car, but I want to be sure before I pull $10k cash out of my pocket.
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Dec 13, 2007 02:46
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Walked posted:I need some thoughts again on the miata I'm about to buy. Then talk to Sigma X and see if you can agree to take $1000 (or whatever the cost of the "repair" will be) off the price of the car.
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Dec 13, 2007 15:58
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obeyasia posted:Then talk to Sigma X and see if you can agree to take $1000 (or whatever the cost of the "repair" will be) off the price of the car. I'd be fine with that, aside from that is not known whether or not the repair is needed, and probably wont know for another thousand or two miles on the car, and I dont want to discount the price unnecessarily - but I also want to protect myself.
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Dec 13, 2007 16:06
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Schwack posted:Ok, so now that I own a Miata, Im trying to price out how much it will cost me to turbo it. Potatos are doing 250-270whp. For 180-200whp, a GT2554R is all you need. Mabye a 2560 if you intend on hitting 240whp someday. The difference was described to me like this: The GT2554R has phenomenal low end, and the GT2560 has OK low end and OK top end. The GT2554R does something really well, while the GT2560 does nothing really well, but a couple of things pretty well. I just did 219whp on a conservative Dynojet with a GT2554R, 3" exhaust, MSPNP, and a lovely tune. On top of your list, which is very good, you will need: -Clutch (ACT HD with a street disc is perfect for your needs, about $300 shipped) -Exhaust (variety of options, I LOVE my 3" Enthuza, but it was pricey at $450) -Radiator (more and more options coming out by the day, the new hot one is the Godspeed radiators available for about $160. All aluminum and cheap as gently caress.) The LC-1 is a great thing to have, even if you just hook it into the MS and forget about it. You can do a pull at any time, datalog it, and have instant peace of mind. If you intend to track the car, I would strongly recommend an oil cooler as well. If you go with push-lock fittings and high-temp silicone/rubber hoses, you can keep the costs under about $220. I like the GT2554R/GT2560R better than the GT28xx turbos, because after 250whp you are going to want to build the shortblock to maintain reliability. You can stuff 220whp through stock internals all day long, but 250whp is pushing it a little bit. If you're going to build the shortblock, you may as well build it for 400whp, which is a pretty simple formula (full rebuild + CAT/Belfab rods and FM Weiscos). If you have a motor capable of 400whp, you may as well get a turbo that is capable of the low 300whp range, which is a GT2871R or a GT3071R. It's a classic "in for a penny in for a pound" case. Third edit now: If your suspension/brakes are not sorted, do that first. At a bare minimum, you will want new shocks, firmer springs, and possibly a set of antiroll bars. For brakes, for street only, I would go with NAPA rotors, Hawk HPS pads, and a quality high-temp fluid like ATE Superblue/Type200. For track, replace Hawk HPS with Hawk Blues in the front and Blacks in the rear. A guy in Norcal just wrecked his supercharged NA on stock suspension; you can't go about doubling the power of a car without upgrading the suspension as well; a 200whp Miata is a pretty serious machine. Shocks are $550, springs/coilovers are $250-400, ARBs are $200 for a set, shock mounts can be $100-200, and a full brake renovation will be around $250 for 1.8 brakes, or a lot more for Sport brakes (cost of rotors). Savington fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Dec 14, 2007 |
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Dec 14, 2007 00:04
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At what power gains do you start having to factor a beefier clutch?
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Dec 14, 2007 00:33
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Ziploc posted:At what power gains do you start having to factor a beefier clutch? Almost immediately for a 1.6, about 165-170whp for a 1.8. If you are not a weight freak, the recommended upgrade for both 1.6 and 1.8 cars is a slightly beefier 1.8 clutch. The only thing needed to swap a 1.8 clutch onto a 1.6 motor is a 1.8 flywheel.
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Dec 14, 2007 00:43
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I'm probably going to get some +36 15x8 6ULs soon, but I have no tires to put on the hot little things. I've heard 225/45/15 Hankook RS2s are the best for street, which is where I spend all my time. The only problem is that I can't find them anywhere. Any alternate suggestions for tires/sizes?
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Dec 14, 2007 03:53
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AkrisD posted:I'm probably going to get some +36 15x8 6ULs soon, but I have no tires to put on the hot little things. I've heard 225/45/15 Hankook RS2s are the best for street, which is where I spend all my time. The only problem is that I can't find them anywhere. Any alternate suggestions for tires/sizes? edgeracing.com carries them. Alternatively the Falken Azenis RT-615s come in 205/50/15 and would fit. I haven't used either myself yet since i have yet to buy a set of 6ULs, can't afford them at the moment sadly.
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Dec 14, 2007 04:01
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FireTora posted:edgeracing.com carries them. Alternatively the Falken Azenis RT-615s come in 205/50/15 and would fit. I haven't used either myself yet since i have yet to buy a set of 6ULs, can't afford them at the moment sadly. http://www.onlinetires.com/ Sells them as well (the RS2s)
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Dec 14, 2007 04:25
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The new Toyo R1R should be an excellent R-S2 competitor as well. Directly aimed at the STS2 market (max 7.5" wheel width, min 140 UTQG), it'll be sticky and wide and fit perfectly on an 8" wheel. The R-S2 shouldn't be terribly hard to find right now, though, unless they are on national backorder again. They will probably be on backorder once the 6ULs ship in January, by the way. Emilio has literally sold every single 225/45-15 Hankook RS2 in the country every time a shipment of wheels arrives in his shop. If you intend on running them, buy them now, either through Emilio or through another shop.
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Dec 14, 2007 08:29
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Just got back from test-driving a 2008 hard-top GT w/ automatic tranny. In all the flak I've taken for wanting an auto, I can't believe none of you mentioned that the NC auto is a paddle  Best of both worlds, as far as I'm concerned! Left in D, it was a little sluggish and disappointing until I revved it up to the top of the RPM band- there's definitely power there- and this was with 150lbs of salesman and probably another 50lbs of hardtop and useless GT options I wouldn't be getting. I didn't play around with the paddels, but that might come later. Radio was excellent (Bose GT package). The side mirrors are too small- they're fine when the top is down, but really need to be bigger for better visibility with the top up. Not a showstopper, but one of the few things I didn't like about the Miata. Also, I'm about 1" too tall- my hair was out in the slipstream, even with the air dam up. Will have to use more hairgel, I guess. And, of course, the Miata still has Best Cupholders in ClassTM which means far more to me than heated seats or power roof. You can see my red 94 camaro in the background I also drove a Saturn Sky and I was a half hour early so went and looked at a 2004 Corvette too. I can't see why the Sky is selling so well- it felt peppier than the Miata, but it has a slightly lower power-to-weight than the miata, so I'll chock that up to power curves. Other things I didn't like: the top sucked. You have to get out, open the trunk, sit in, unlock the latches, raise/lower the top, get up and close the trunk. And if it's not *just* right, you can't close the trunk the whole way and the trunk ajar warning dings at you. (And this is a BRAND new car, mind you). There was NO trunk space, whatsoever- the specs say 2.0 square feet with the top down, but that's in a 4" wide strip along the back. Even with the top up, I don't think you could get a bag of groceries in there. The cockpit would have been comfortable, except this massive box jutted out from the wheel right where my knee should have gone. Oh, and the cupholders were awful (flimsy pop-out kind, but BEHIND you from the wall) and the interior storage space was extremely small. It did have an excellent warranty, but by the sounds of the massive problems, they need it. The salechick working with me was smoking hot though, which is always nice, although she didn't seem to know much about the Sky. The corvette was... well... a corvette. Roomy, comfortable, awesome sounding big V8, and plenty of power to spare- lots of space in the hatchback for storage, and their was plenty of room to maintain the engine. It wasn't really what I'm looking for, though; I've had my Camaro for 10 years and it just seemed like a bigger faster camaro. The interior was still exactly the same style as my 94 camaro. (Was redesigned in... 2006? And much newer/nicer. But the newer ones are more than I can afford.) The HUD on the corvette was exceedingly nice- I wish it were an option on more cars. grover fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Dec 14, 2007 |
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Dec 14, 2007 20:30
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grover posted:The side mirrors are too small- they're fine when the top is down, but really need to be bigger for better visibility with the top up. Not a showstopper, but one of the few things I didn't like about the Miata. This is a problem I have with my 07 too. Luckily I have the top down a lot because the weather still hasn't gotten below 50F.
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Dec 14, 2007 21:13
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doublepost 
destructo fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Dec 14, 2007 |
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Dec 14, 2007 21:14
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Christmas came early  . 949racing 6UL's, 15x8, 12.8lbs  
destructo fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Dec 14, 2007 |
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Dec 14, 2007 21:15
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grover posted:'04 Corvette Yeah, that's the C5 so you're looking at the 1997 interior. The C6 is a good bit faster (+50hp, Z51 suspension handles as well as the C5 Z06) but the driving dynamics, as far as I know, is not exactly a night-and-day deal since the underlying chassis didn't change too much. The C6's interior is vastly improved, though, and IMO the C6 exterior looks much better too.
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Dec 14, 2007 21:39
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Savington posted:stuff Hey Savington, when you say exhaust, do you mean you bought a muffler, or a full 3" exhaust from the downpipe back? If not, why didn't you just run a little straight pipe? I have talked to Corky Bell about the clutch issue and he said that unless you have a 220+ whp car, the clutch is not an immediate issue, as long as you don't dump it at stop lights and such. Does the MSPNP come with injectors or do I need to buy those separately? The spool on the GT2860RS is pretty fast too, and it makes a great amount of power.
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Dec 14, 2007 21:58
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Break. posted:Hey Savington, when you say exhaust, do you mean you bought a muffler, or a full 3" exhaust from the downpipe back? If not, why didn't you just run a little straight pipe? It's a 3" stainless steel catback. I am also running a 3" Magnaflow metal-core catalytic converter (goal is to pass the sniffer with the MS in California). The DP is a standard BEGI stainless DP that was bumped from 2.75" to 3". Break. posted:I have talked to Corky Bell about the clutch issue and he said that unless you have a 220+ whp car, the clutch is not an immediate issue, as long as you don't dump it at stop lights and such. If Corky says it, it's probably true. I really like to abuse my car, though. My ACT HD/6-puck is rated for a lot more torque than I'm putting out, which means I get to stick it in first gear, give it 5000rpm, and just dump the clutch and watch the revs skyrocket as I slither away from the rural intersection I've just terrorized. A stock clutch at 220whp is probably a bit of a pipe dream, but I'd say you could get away with 180, MABYE 190whp if you really babied it. No hard shifts, no long slips, and NO drag racing. Drag racing is what really kills clutches and transmissions.Break. posted:Does the MSPNP come with injectors or do I need to buy those separately? You'll have to get injectors separately. On MiataTurbo.net, Braineack's FAQ has a full list of every injector that is a direct plug-and-play to our harness, dwell, and impedance settings. I am running 460cc Rx7 injectors that literally dropped right into place of the stockers and work exactly like the stockers did, except they flow an extra 200cc/min of fuel each. If you think the Disco Potato spools well, you'll be stunned by a GT2554R. 8psi by 3000rpm on a really poorly tuned spark map. A GT2860RS will take you well past 250whp, probably up to 300whp if you really strained the turbo with a little water/meth injection. The point is that while both turbos will get you 220whp, the smaller turbo will always produce a more driveable, fun car. The big turbo will RIP from about 4500rpm to redline, but with the small turbo, the fun starts at about 3k. destructo posted:Christmas came early Let's see them on the car 
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Dec 14, 2007 22:44
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Savington posted:It's a 3" stainless steel catback. I am also running a 3" Magnaflow metal-core catalytic converter (goal is to pass the sniffer with the MS in California). The DP is a standard BEGI stainless DP that was bumped from 2.75" to 3". thanks for all the info, I guess the turbo choice really comes down to personal preference. I really wish the Bell XEDE wasn't 1500 dollars even with the injectors, because they provide free support as much as you need. I really wish I was almost done with my car.
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Dec 15, 2007 08:59
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Break. posted:thanks for all the info, I guess the turbo choice really comes down to personal preference. I really wish the Bell XEDE wasn't 1500 dollars even with the injectors, because they provide free support as much as you need. I really wish I was almost done with my car. Xede is $1k without the injectors. I would still go with an MSPNP. Jerry's customer service is the best, and there's a wealth of knowledge over at MT.net. Lots of guys running MS boxes, so chances are if you have an issue or are struggling with an aspect of the tuning process, someone there will know how to get you through it. The MSPNP, IMO, has really made most of the other fuel/ignition options obsolete. Complete control for $725 cannot be touched.
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Dec 15, 2007 11:18
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I'm cross posting my problem from miata.net, but my miata is getting me down, haven't had it too long but the colder it gets the worse it's doing. It's killing me because we just got a bunch of snow and I already put my snow tires on... I've been having problems with my 96 NA (130k miles) for a bit, they just got a lot worse. At first I was just getting some blue smoke out the exhaust and hestiation especially after engine braking then applying gas. Changed the plugs and the culprit turned out to be the #4 cylinder, black oil and gunk on the plug tip but not above the threads (so its not the valve cover gasket). Ran a bit better but still burning a good deal of oil, I'm guessing around a quart every 300 miles. I've been worried about it but haven't had a chance to do anything with it at college (I don't drive it too much anyway). I drove it home from school last night and things went bad when I noticed the engine struggling to get up to 80 and making some weird noise. Got off at the first exit to check it out, sounded pretty bad, checked the oil and it was alot lower than I expected, I was waiting to put mobile 1 in that I had back home but I went ahead and bought two quarts at a gas station to put it back up near full. Definitely ran on 3 cylinders for 80 or so miles back. I thought that the 4th cylinder was firing at higher rpms but at least now that I'm home I have found this to not be the case as it runs and sounds the same through the rpm range (just tested up to 4,000rpm) if the #4 plug wire is connected or not. I changed the #4 plug again today, tested the wires (NGK blues), and swaped plug and wire with the #3. The wires are good, all other cylinders are fine, and they are all getting good spark. The plug I put in #4 is already covered in oil... I thought I might not be getting fuel to #4 but I can smell gasoline that I'm guessing is being sent to the cat (great! ) so I don't think its just the injector. I'm going for a compression test tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm looking at new rings? Really hope not...
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Dec 16, 2007 04:16
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