|
A couple of things that have come up lately in my 90 NA with 160k+: 1. When dropping in RPM (usually coming to a complete stop) the car stalls on me. I've tried braking in and out or gear with the clutch in and in neutral just coasting to a stop, and the fucker doesn't care. It'll drop down like it normally would, but then it stalls and I look like an idiot. I'm assuming it's the fuel injectors, but I'd love some input. 2. Another thing that happens on occasion is that when I let off the gas, I hear an awesome "pop" come from under the car. My first guess is that one of the u-joints is gone, but as I understand it I'm better off replacing the drive shaft than just the u-joint like I would've done on my Jeep. Is there anything else I should consider before I order one of these?
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 08:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 07:18 |
|
|
goml23 posted:A couple of things that have come up lately in my 90 NA with 160k+: Your positive the pop is driveline related and not exhaust backfiring? My torsen seems to have some freeplay or slack in it. So it clanks here and there. It has put up with many performance launches and general autocross abuse so I imagine its fine and normal I also hear coming from underneath the odd Miata at autocross too. Have you tried resetting the idle?
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 08:52
|
|
|
I get the exhaust pop every now and then, and this is nothing like it. It has a sort-of "metallic" sound to it, and I can feel a slight jolt right under me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 08:58
|
|
|
I'm so glad this is here! I'm in a bit of a predicament and hopefully someone can provide some insight. Me: In the market for a new car. An older student with a moderate income. Previous car was a 1990 Sunbird, ugly as hell but incredibly reliable until some rear end broke into my building, tried to steal it, failed, then vandalized the car beyond repair. So I need a new car, I'm primarily concerned about reliability than anything. I find a 1994 5-speed Miata listed. I'm not looking for a MX5 specifically but it's in my price range. Its been in one family, though 206k miles. Looks like at least worth looking at. Did some research on miata.net before checking it out. Bad first: 206k miles. I don't know how much of a problem this is on this type of car. This family was spread out from Chicago to Atlanta to Salt Lake, and was driven between all of them so most of the miles come from the great American adventure Lots of little cosmetic things. Couple dents, a bit of paint transfer on the front from tapping a bumper, some mystery damage to the very bottom of one door. Soft top has some micro holes that could be patched. Rear window has fogged, I understand this is a very common thing and trivial to replace at a Mazda shop The really big one: It was in an accident about 8 years ago. Carfax lists it as a 'moderate' accident. The thing that gives me pause is he mentioned that they had to bend the frame into a bit, but doubly reinforced it. However, this was 8 years and about 70k miles ago ago, so I don't know how worried I should be about this. Significant Other freaking out about my safety in a tiny convertible in a land ruled by SUVs. I see her point, but I've only been in one accident many years ago and it was my fault. I run from SUVs in any car, they scare the hell out of me in anything smaller than a bus. Good: It ran INCREDIBLY well. I did the whole gamut of testing driving it. Shifting was perfect. Clutch didn't slip dropping it from speed. Handling was a complete joy. Didn't shake at 65mph like I understand a lot do. Ran it up to 80 and it still was going strong. Didn't pull in one direction or another. Drove it in the city stop/go, it was incredibly easy to drive. No knocking or other strange noises. No stalling. VERY easy to drive, it just felt wonderful. The engine compartment looked very clean for a 200k car. Not a drop of any fluids anywhere. No strange smells aside from what you'd expect for a car that was sitting for a few months. No smoke of any sort coming out of the exhaust that I could see Other than the 2 mishaps that he was up front about, Carfax is clean and gives accurate odometer readings. My take: It ran so goddamn beautifully and the engine compartment looked so clean I was willing to just take it right there, but the high(?) miles and the bent-frame accident are holding me up. I'm not so concerned about cosmetics, and with this car there's a lot of little ones of those (torn seats, little dings and the like), but those could be fixed over time. Mechanically I was so impressed and I'm under the assumption that the MX5 is legendary for being mechanically awesome (it is a Mazda after all). If the accident happened recently I'd weight it out and sadly walk away, but it happened so long ago and it doesn't appear to affect the car in any way. Once I'm out of school and back to making real money again, I'd find it fun to fix it up, rebuild/drop a new engine in (if need be, it runs awesome at 206k I don't know if this will even be done), fix or cover up all the little cosmetic things and so forth. At this rate I'm leaning 'yes' but I'd be willing to entertain counter arguments on 'oh god you're a loving retard for even thinking about it' NotShadowStar fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Nov 25, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 21:40
|
|
|
Ask them if any of these have been replaced: the timing belt, clutch, heater core, radiator. Also, just because it's in your price range doesn't mean it's a good deal. What were they asking for?
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 21:51
|
|
|
^^ Even if all that stuff is fixed, I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for it due to your description of it. I got my 92 for $3400 in the bay area at the start of summer last year with a hardtop and roll with 129k on it. Granted it is a 1.6 the the 1.8s are worth a slight amount more, but not that much.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 21:58
|
|
|
Oh yeah. Brakes and timing belt yes. He's selling it for his brother who is Mormon and probably started having a million kids and this thing isn't going to help with that. He didn't seem to think he kept good service records so unless the work is recent he probably wouldn't be able to tell me. I'd assume clutch at some point also unless they really can run 200k miles and still shift perfectly and doesn't slip. Heater core seemed fine, it was 20 degrees when I took a look at it, cranked the heater up and freaking roasted my feet with it. He's asking 1,600, about 1,000 below BB because of the accidents on the title. That's the biggest thing giving me pause is how much I should be worried about that.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 21:59
|
|
|
NotShadowStar posted:Oh yeah. Brakes and timing belt yes. He's selling it for his brother who is Mormon and probably started having a million kids and this thing isn't going to help with that. He didn't seem to think he kept good service records so unless the work is recent he probably wouldn't be able to tell me. I'd assume clutch at some point also unless they really can run 200k miles and still shift perfectly and doesn't slip. If he can give you records of when the timing belt/water pump was changed and it was recent enough I'd probably say $1400 if not I wouldn't give him more than $1200, just due to the fact that I'd want to replace those within a month so I knew it was done and fixed. The accident would worry me, but if they've been driving it for 70k since then and you don't plan on doing much performance driving it'll be a very reliable car for driving around in provided the maintinance has been or will be done. FireTora fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Nov 25, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 22:04
|
|
|
Even with that history, at $1600 there's arguably that much worth of parts in the car. In Arizona I think that car would have sold at asking price within two hours of hitting Craigslist. With 200k+ on the clock, expect to be doing regular maintenance on it, but at least they're easy to work on. My '99 just shat a slave cylinder again today, which is obnoxious...but the part only costs $30 and can be swapped in an hour.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2008 22:27
|
|
|
Some guy near me has a new Robbins top with glass defroster with rainrail on a frame and a plastic window one (don't know if it's zippered or not) for 700 and 500 respectively. Are these decent prices? I've had a Miata for like 1.5 years now and I've never just had a softtop.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 19:49
|
|
|
If they're already on the frame w./rain rail, I think that's not too bad. If they were just the softtop, it would be on the expensive side by ~$200. I've been looking at soft-tops and they tend to run in the $300-600 range as an average WITHOUT frame. The rain rail seems to be included half the time, generally on the more expensive ones.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 20:12
|
|
|
Yeah, if it's already on the frame, doesn't that take care of 9/10 of the labor?
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 20:54
|
|
|
goml23 posted:1. When dropping in RPM (usually coming to a complete stop) the car stalls on me. I've tried braking in and out or gear with the clutch in and in neutral just coasting to a stop, and the fucker doesn't care. It'll drop down like it normally would, but then it stalls and I look like an idiot. I'm assuming it's the fuel injectors, but I'd love some input.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2008 23:23
|
|
|
I've done 3 top replacements now after swearing I would never do it again after the first time took ~14 hours, then 8 hours, then 6. There's only one really difficult part in putting the top on the frame, and thats stretching the top to fit its pockets over the main hoop in the frame. Keep in mind I take the frame into the living room and sit and watch tv while performing the following. Joy your missing by having it already on the frame: * Running tension cables * Drilling out and installing ~10 rivets * Gluing the front down (once frame is halfway reinstalled in car) * Readjusting the window gaskets (halfway reinstalled) * Stretching the canvas (put a towel down, then put your spare tire on top of towel on a preferably warm day to stretch the top before you latch it) Which might be a time saving of about 2 hours, honestly. Putting the frame in is really the hard part, making sure it lays properly without pinching the new top and making a hole, and then stretching the sonofabitch to align the holes in the rain rail, pushing on the hold down bar with all your might while trying to thread a 10mm nut and then repeating 3x while wishing you were born with freak doublejointed elbows or an extra set of wrists in your forearms.. Especially if you have a rollbar. I bought all 3 tops from topsonline.com through ebay - slightly cheaper than their storefront - cheapest I could find for a robbins. iscariot fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Nov 27, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 07:47
|
|
|
goml23 posted:I get the exhaust pop every now and then, and this is nothing like it. It has a sort-of "metallic" sound to it, and I can feel a slight jolt right under me. Get under the car and start yanking on the drive shaft. You'll find where the rotational play is. Mine is at the diff. It makes a lovely clank every now and then when I shift or in some way upset the driveline. Now that I think about it its been more 'vocal' the past few months. I've heard it at autocross from other Miatas though. I also really wonder sometimes if its worth it to have a shop adjust the gear lash in there to help reduce the play. Would that protect the differential from shock or make it last longer?
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 08:49
|
|
|
obeyasia posted:What can you tell me about the vent cut into the front bumper cover? Don't. The bumper distorts at speed and it looks like crap. I did it to mine (I have an oil cooler mounted behind the hole) and I'll be getting a second bumper for street use and keeping this bumper for track days.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 12:39
|
|
|
Yeah, I think I'm going to sell my frame to this guy and get him down to 450 or so for an attached top on a frame with a rainrail (no zipper, plastic). I find it kind of funny that I've owned a Miata for a fairly decent amount of time and really don't partake in the "main attraction" of it being a convertible.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 12:43
|
|
|
Phone posted:I find it kind of funny that I've owned a Miata for a fairly decent amount of time and really don't partake in the "main attraction" of it being a convertible. Do you hate visibility? I never thought I wanted a convertible until I bought a Miata because it was the closest thing to a "new" MR2 I could afford (in terms of weight,size, etc.)
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 18:07
|
|
|
The hardtop's window > Softtop windows.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 21:44
|
|
|
Phone posted:The hardtop's window > Softtop windows. No windows > hardtop's window. Driving with the top down gives you so much goddamn spacial awareness, I love it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2008 21:47
|
|
|
yeah, but driving with the top up isn't that great, especially compared to the hardtop.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2008 13:14
|
|
|
Superior German absorbance: Got some Bilstein monotubes for the NC, I would recommend them to any NC owners who feel the handling is a little soft. They also have a cheaper model which is about the same firmness as OEM. bear scrylls fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Nov 29, 2008 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2008 04:19
|
|
|
Savington is fast. I am slow. That is all. ps. Socal Miata guys + savington. 
Dicker fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Dec 2, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2008 06:37
|
|
|
So I'm thinking about buying a Miata and I'd like to hear people's opinions on NA vs. NB. I think I like the NB styling better but I've also heard that they have less room (I'll obviously need to sit in a few). They also seem to cost 9-10k where as I found a '94 M-Edition with 60k miles for 4.3k. Anyone have some advice to help me make up my mind?
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 19:43
|
|
|
jfreder posted:So I'm thinking about buying a Miata and I'd like to hear people's opinions on NA vs. NB. I think I like the NB styling better but I've also heard that they have less room (I'll obviously need to sit in a few). They also seem to cost 9-10k where as I found a '94 M-Edition with 60k miles for 4.3k. Anyone have some advice to help me make up my mind? NAs and NBs are practically identical except for the styling. If you think the NB is worth the extra cost for the styling then go for it. Personally if I could have afforded it I would have got a NB instead but I can't justify spending 2-3x the money on what boils down to the same car. Especially when I could pick up a 3rd gen RX-7 for not much more...
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 20:46
|
|
|
jfreder posted:So I'm thinking about buying a Miata and I'd like to hear people's opinions on NA vs. NB. I think I like the NB styling better but I've also heard that they have less room (I'll obviously need to sit in a few). They also seem to cost 9-10k where as I found a '94 M-Edition with 60k miles for 4.3k. Anyone have some advice to help me make up my mind? Get the 94 M-Edition. With only 60k miles, and 13 years old, do the CAS seal immediately (back of valve cover). Otherwise there a short list of things that might need replacing at your leisure. 1. Timing belt and water pump (maybe save the pump for 120k) 2. All 5 coolant hoses, or at least the ones at the back of the engine 3. Consider a suspension refresh at your discretion, with bushings Not much else goes wrong with these cars. VVVV M-Editions have nice interiors, the 94 should have the updated dual air bag dash with the camel/black combo and embroidered M-Edition camel leather seats. My only complaint is the 80's looking door cards, which I think you can swap an NB into. For all those with with NA leather seats, go buy a set of Zymol Leather cleaner/conditioner. Gave them a fresh leather smells, did a good job getting dirt out of the cracks and folds, and softened it from vinyl plastic hard to almost supple. Helped hide some of the discolored nicks and scratches, too. goku chewbacca fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Dec 7, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 20:57
|
|
|
jfreder posted:So I'm thinking about buying a Miata and I'd like to hear people's opinions on NA vs. NB. I think I like the NB styling better but I've also heard that they have less room (I'll obviously need to sit in a few). They also seem to cost 9-10k where as I found a '94 M-Edition with 60k miles for 4.3k. Anyone have some advice to help me make up my mind? I like the NB myself, the interior is a little nicer (though if you're big, it's a tighter fit) and I hate popup headlamps. I'd mention the glass window top on the NB as being better, but you can easily bolt a NB top on a NA if you switch the frame along with the top, so that doesn't really matter.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 20:59
|
|
|
The NB is a much stiffer car chassis wise, it's much newer, and the engine has a couple revisions in it. There isn't too much difference mechanically between the two outside of some things not being capable with each other.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 21:19
|
|
|
I'm 5'9" and 160lbs so I wouldn't say I'm big, so hopefully I won't have trouble fitting in either. I also found an '02 LS Emerald Green and tan leather with Emerald OEM hardtop, with 50k miles and costs $10k which is pretty tempting. I really like the green with tan but it's hard to justify when I'd have so much money left over with the M Edition (BEGi?). Guess I'll just have to see both of them.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2008 23:00
|
|
|
Update on the '94 M Edition: got a weird email back about it. Was posted in Ohio yet.... Hi, The car is located in Orlando, Florida (I just moved here after the divorce). The full price is $4,350.00 US dollars with shipping included to your location. You will receive the car with all the necessary papers (clear title, bill of sale, user’s manual, insurance etc). The car has no electrical or mechanical problems, never been involved in any kind of accidents. This is a large purchase and I would like to use a third party for this transaction as I want a smooth and safe transaction. We will use Yahoo Finance protection program for our safety. All your payments will be to Yahoo Finance and please note that Yahoo Finance will hold your money until you will confirm that you received the car and you transferred the title into your name. Seems pretty fishy to me. I won't be pursuing it anyways since I can't go check it out but thought I'd ask what people thought about it. jfreder fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Dec 8, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2008 02:42
|
|
|
just Google Yahoo Finance and see what that is. Hint -- it's no escrow service.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2008 02:44
|
|
|
I have a 96 M-Edition with a zip soft top with defroster glass. It has a defroster button so I assume the wiring is there. What do I need to connect the glass to the harness? The kits I've seen seem way to expensive to be the piece for what I need.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2008 14:38
|
|
|
goku chewbacca posted:I have a 96 M-Edition with a zip soft top with defroster glass. It has a defroster button so I assume the wiring is there. What do I need to connect the glass to the harness? There's a "pig-tail" that you'll need. You could probably find one much cheaper in the Miata.net classifieds. People part out cars regularly there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2008 01:03
|
|
|
So I found a white '95 with 97k miles on it, which isn't exactly my first choice but it has within the last 5k or so miles had all of this work done: New Convertible Top New Tires (brand New 15 miles on them) Timing belt Water Pump Valve Cover Gasket Spark Plugs & Wires New Belts Thermostat Air Filter Clutch & Flywheel New Slave Cylinder New Exhaust System Oil System Flushed Coolant System Flushed Brake Sys Flushed Rear End & Transmission Lube Power Steering System Flush as well as " Looking at my records we also put a new fuel pump in it and the shifter boots, inner and outer." They want $4300 for it which seems like a good deal. It is also mentioned that it was "professionally" repainted within the last year which sets off alarms in my head but I'll have to check that out when I go to see the car. How long could I reasonably expect the car to last if I kept up with regular maintenance and oil changes? Really doesn't seem like there is too much I'd have to worry about, but at what point would things just start falling apart?
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2008 21:53
|
|
|
jfreder posted:How long could I reasonably expect the car to last if I kept up with regular maintenance and oil changes? Really doesn't seem like there is too much I'd have to worry about, but at what point would things just start falling apart?
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2008 21:55
|
|
|
I'd like to use Rain-X on the outside and Rain-X Anti-fog on the inside of my plastic rear window. I've found one hit on Google that advises against Rain-X on the outside, and nothing for Anti-fog on the inside. Anyone have experience with these? edit: in relation to the plastic window. I've been using it and liking it with regular glass.
kimbo305 fucked around with this message at 08:24 on Dec 12, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2008 07:02
|
|
|
kimbo305 posted:I'd like to use Rain-X on the outside and Rain-X Anti-fog on the inside of my plastic rear window. I've found one hit on Google that advises against Rain-X on the outside, and nothing for Anti-fog on the inside. Anyone have experience with these? I've never used the exterior Rain-X though my boss used to swear by it. I did how-ever get much use out of the anti-fog on my old RX7 since I had pulled out the heater, ac and air. It works good for about 1-2 weeks when it fogs up badly in the winter but then really needs a new application since water starts beading up. edit: my memory is a bit foggy since that was 2 years ago but i think thats what it does
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2008 07:34
|
|
|
Relevant post: Crazy jerk builds a scale Miata from scratch. http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4399
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2008 05:23
|
|
|
Hypnolobster posted:Relevant post: His hardtop is wrong  and the hood prop rod is supposed to be black.He spent way too much time on a fake Miata, he could have bought a real one for less. edit: those wheels are way too wide for scale edit2: also the rear view mirror and style bar FireTora fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Dec 20, 2008 |
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2008 07:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 07:18 |
|
|
kimbo305 posted:I'd like to use Rain-X on the outside and Rain-X Anti-fog on the inside of my plastic rear window. I've found one hit on Google that advises against Rain-X on the outside, and nothing for Anti-fog on the inside. Anyone have experience with these? edit: in relation to the plastic window. I've been using it and liking it with regular glass. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Bad nasty Evil things happen when Polymer + RainX meet. One of my dads buddies used RainX on his airplane windshield - a Cessna. It basically melted/fogged 100% and had to be replaced. Not cheap. I like RainX and use it on glass - but dear lord do not let it touch the plastic - and be real careful about getting it on the weatherstripping too much too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2008 07:56
|
|