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So I'm thinking about getting a Miata (or MX-5 as they are called over here) as a daily driver. I spend about 1,5 to 2 hours per day in the car so I figured I might as well enjoy it. I'm thinking NB since NA in good condition are getting pretty expensive. I'm keeping my eyes open for both though. Any general tips on what to look for when checking one out? Common problems and fixes? Models/Versions to avoid/buy at any cost?
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Oct 16, 2016 18:53
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 10:06 |
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So whats smarter/more fun? NA, 90HP, 100000km on the clock, good condition Or NB 110HP, 160000km on the clock, mediocre condition? Cost about the same.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:21
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Yeah I will obviously. Have to get rid of my loving piece of trash Peugeot first though. I guess the question is more about the making sense part. The fun part have to see myself you're right.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:46
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Applebees Appetizer posted:If it's an NB2 ('02+) I'd take the NB no question. Also depends if the NA is a 1.8 or 1.6. Pass on it if it's a 1.6. Is the 1.6 to gutless? Its not a heavy car but i fear that 90HP is not really enough. On the plus side, the NA is bright red and comes with a hardtop...
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Oct 20, 2016 19:36
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ionn posted:Older 1.6 NAs have 115-ish HP, which is somewhat decent. When the 1.8 came out, some markets got a nerfed ~90 hp 1.6. It is perfectly fine for just cruising around in summer with the top down, but in my opinion not enough for a fun driving experience. Yeah its definitely the nerfed 1.6. Might have to skip that one then. Im looking at a nice NB right now that also comes with a hardtop and seems to be in good condition. Cheap as gently caress too...might be because its gold colored with beige leather seats...
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Oct 20, 2016 20:01
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Just bought me a Miata. 1998, 1.8 140 HP about 90k on the clock. No rust, good roof, sadly they hosed around with the front a bit (took the badge off, relocated the license plate) but nothing to bad or irreversible. After mainly lugging around family cars i gotta say: drat this thing is fun to drive!
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Nov 18, 2016 12:29
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Anyone got a good guide for repairing a broken power window on an NB? The motor is still working but I guess it uses steel wires and one broke?
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Nov 19, 2016 21:58
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It's like -10C here and my NB just makes a lot more weird sounds when cornering. Nothing bad just the Body cracks and creaks a bit  . It's also amazing how many smiles and thumbs up you get driving with the roof down in Sub-Zero weather.
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Jan 6, 2017 12:33
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So i was doing the brakes on my NB and the piston in rear left caliper won't retract. I can turn the little screw to push it further out and then retract it a bit so the piston is moving but it just stops retracting at one point and the screw seems to turn freely. Is there a way to fix this without buying a new caliper?
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Feb 4, 2017 17:56
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ionn posted:Might be you have the same thing I had going on an old Mazda 323 BG (which has the same rear caliper). I could get it moving by just pushing on the piston while turning the little screw, using a pair of enormous adjustable pliers. I think there was some corroded spot on the piston that wouldn't move past the seal unless it got some encouragement. If that is the case here, that in itself might be reason to rebuild/replace that caliper soon. Even if you can get the new pads in now, it might lead to a stuck caliper or something later on when it wears down so the piston and seal meet at that spot again. Thanks for the tip. I extended the piston out as far as possible and there was a nice ring of rust around it. I sanded it down a bit and lubed it up and it was able to get it to retract again. Not a permanent solution but it'll do till i have the time/money for a more permanent fix.
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Feb 5, 2017 15:44
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It sucks that the MX-5 is not available in more colors. The only colors you can get is red and "slightly blue. The rest is variations of white, grey and black. Not saying that it doesn't look great in white grey or black but its a fun car, give me some fun colors Mazda!
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Feb 6, 2017 09:08
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Anyone now what this plug in the front right of the engine compartment is for?
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Feb 7, 2017 09:44
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Bless you!
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Mar 5, 2017 09:35
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One of the cables of my electric windows broke. I can buy replacements readymade but only for the NA. I have a NB. Anyone know if the cables are the same?
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Mar 12, 2017 18:23
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Elysium posted:My only issue with the NC is the way the hood line looks, wish they just would have connected it to the headlights like every other Miata. Can't unsee it now. On my drive to work did not see a single car where the hoodline does not touch the headlights. Some newer BMW have some pretty weird hood lines just so they can do it. The only car that stood out was a NC. It looks weird... Also: I like how at least around here MX-5 drivers greet each other. Its a nice acknowledgment of "Hey you also have a cool car. Good for you!"
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May 16, 2017 08:40
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When i did my brakes the left wheel wouldn't react to the handbrake at all. The right wheel was fine. It brakes normal though so i haven't really checked up on it since then. The pistons on mine were pretty rusty so maybe some fuckery like that is happening with your brakes. Maybe a broken seal or dust boot so its slightly rusty and the handbrake handle doesn't generate enough pressure to get it to move while pressing the pedal works.
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May 24, 2017 10:48
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Anyone got a picture of how the spare is secured on an NB? Or Information what kind of bolt is used? Mine is not secured at all. Theres just a round metal plate screwed into the bottom of the trunk with a short bolt and the spare is just lying on top of it. Im guessing this should hold down the spare but the bolt is way to short for that. Every other longer bolt i got lying around has a different thread than the short one though.
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Jul 10, 2017 13:36
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Extend the piston again and pull back the gasket around it to check for rust. Tolerances are pretty tight so a ring of rust around the piston can block it from going back in properly and gently caress up the screw.
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Jul 15, 2017 22:26
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So a weird thing about my NB. If the engine is cold and i brake the idle rpm go down but only when the car is moving. The moment i stop it goes back up even if i don't vary the pressure on the brake pedal. Is that supposed to happen or a sign of something bad coming?
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Aug 14, 2017 13:10
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Welp, I'm finally one of those guys who use the kitchen for car stuff while the wife looks at me like I'm an idiot. 
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Sep 10, 2017 20:17
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I just put on my winter wheels: gently caress steelies!
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Oct 28, 2017 21:13
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So my MX-5 ('99, 1.9l, ~150000km)started making a noise. When the clutch is pressed theres a not very nice sounding slight grinding sound. It goes away while driving or when i release the clutch when the car is not in gear. What do you guys think? Throw out bearing? Should i replace the whole clutch while i'm at it? Makes sense since everythings apart anyway right? Is this a "oh god stop driving right now!" situation?
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Dec 4, 2017 11:24
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Blaise posted:It'll get worse and worse. I ordered a kit. Now i only need to find someone with a lift to do this. I really don't want to lie in the mud in my driveway crammed under my car in the freezing cold. Could you elaborate on the ear cutting part? I don't really wan't to start cutting parts of the transmission without exactly knowing what im supposed to do
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Dec 5, 2017 11:35
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I'd probably able to to it in my driveway but you know...i'd prefer not to. Especially doing it the first time. I'm a bit scared to do it since i never worked on a gearbox or clutch. I did a lot of work on cars in the last year for the first time though so im used to the frustration and "dawn till dusk" work that was supposed to be done in two hours. I've been reading a lot of guides and watching how-to videos while waiting for my parts so i'm going in as well prepared as i can. I'll looking into ear amputation. But i just did the exhaust so the bolts are still relatively rust free. It will be fine! Everything will be fine! My MX-5 will live again!
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Dec 5, 2017 13:29
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Goddammit I put in a new head unit and now the antenna always extends when I turn on the car. The old head unit only extended the antenna when I actually switched to the radio. Pioneer 
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Dec 14, 2017 21:15
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So i'm trying to figure out why my trunk is wet. And while my four year old daughter was very helpful (at least she kept insisting that i would be totally lost without her while she climbed around the car) im still not entirely sure. It looks like there are some traces of water right under the lock but i can't figure out how the water gets there. My best guess so far ist that it somehow creeps through the trunk seal. But its dry on top so it must creep underneath the seal. Is that a thing that happens? The constant dampness of the trunk is starting to piss me off. Oh yeah, its a '99 NB.
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Jan 8, 2018 10:29
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BloodBag posted:On my 95, it turns out the DAPO broke the antenna drain line. If your car has a retracting antenna, make sure the little black tube off the bottom is seated in the hole in the floor of the trunk. Mine was busted off at the floor so it completely flooded the trunk. I tried to take a picture of the spot. I checked the rear lights and the antenna drain. Everything is bone dry and doesn't look like it ever got wet. I thought the brake light in the trunk lid could be the problem but it looks dry as well.   this seems to be the only spot with traces of water and the carpet is wet around that spot as well. Somehow water ist getting in there.
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Jan 8, 2018 13:16
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What parts did you order and what did it cost you? Seems like a good addition to my car if its not to expensive to do.
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Jan 25, 2018 10:44
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Bud posted:I just pulled the unit from Nocheez's 99 - came out intact and I was going to list it for $125. If you're interested shoot me a PM and I will get some pics over. Thanks for the offer but im in germany and shipping would probably be ridiculous. Original cruise control for the MX-5 is pretty rare over here though. I had a look around and couldn't find anything except for third party solutions.
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Jan 25, 2018 15:16
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So I'm driving this dirty little bastard: And I need an expert opinion. I'll need a new softtop in the foreseeable future. Can I pull of a beige one even though I only got the regular black fabric interior? Every car I've seen with a beige roof also had the matching interior so I'm not certain if it would look good. Opinions?
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Feb 2, 2018 18:35
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Yeah ok, i guess it is kinda cold.
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Feb 26, 2018 09:31
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I was lucky. My PO replaced the radio but he used a proper adapter so the cabling is in good shape. The speakers he swapped in are kinda shoddily installed but nothing to bad. They sound pretty good too. I had to rip out the additional power lock system he installed though, because he couldn't figure out that it already had power locks and the micro switch in the driver side door had broken so they didn't work... Also had to remove that CAI because that poo poo isn't legal here. He still had the original intake though with all fasteners still attached so it was no big deal. So all in all a pretty alright PO.
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Mar 5, 2018 19:00
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I'm still thinking of reversing to stock springs instead of the lowered ones the PO installed. I like the look and gotten used to the low ground clearance but I don't know enough about suspension to know if the stuff he put in there is actually any decent.
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Mar 5, 2018 19:42
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Oh gently caress you for making at least one person google that!
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Mar 7, 2018 09:39
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Anyone tried one of the half dozen ways to get a working oil pressure gauge in an NB? I read about replacing the gauge with a VDO one but you need to 3d print an adapter for that and I'm kinda poo poo with CAD software. I might just try to rewire the original gauge but I'm pretty sure I'll just break the wire during one of the hundreds of windings you need to do.
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Mar 17, 2018 18:01
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I think i'll try the "clean the dampening grease with an ultrasonic cleaner" approach combined with replacing a 100 Ohm resistor with an 180 Ohm resistor to give it a bit more linearity. I'm not to concerned with knowing the exact pressure, i just don't like having a gauge that does gently caress all. I'll also have a go at the coolant temperature gauge. I'll put in a couple more resistors to get rid of the flat spot between 75-110 C
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Mar 19, 2018 10:15
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I just replaced the oil pressure switch with a proper VDO Sender. That thing is a loving bitch to get to. Scratched my arm up good because it's so tight. I also did not have a 24mm deep socket so I just bend the contact on the switch to make a regular socket fit. It's not like I'll ever use that thing again. The sender I used (VDO 360-081-030-065k) die not even need any adapters. The thread and plug fit perfectly. Really nice plug an play. I could not get rid of the gauge dampening grease though. I tried soaking it in isopropyl for 24h and put it in an ultrasonic cleaner for an hour with no change. Guess I'll have to figure out how to replace it with a VDO gauge.
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Mar 25, 2018 12:21
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I've put some sealant on the threads and i'm watching the thing like a hawk. I'm looking like an idiot sticking my phone down my engine bay every day to check for leaks. So far everything looks ok. If its not staying dry ill try again with some teflon tape. I've read about the NA gauge as well. But i think its more expensive than a simple aftermarket one by now. In the end alle the gauges look pretty much the same after you get rid of the casing. You just have to figure out how to attach it somewhat safely to the gauge cluster and where to plug it in. How hard can it be! Edit: Also, i think this marks the first time i've replaced a fully functioning part on a car just to improve it. So far i've always just fixed things because inspections were coming up. Feels good man! Shai-Hulud fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Mar 26, 2018 |
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Mar 26, 2018 07:25
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So the oil pressure gauge I ordered on eBay isn't coming cause the seller noticed that he doesn't actually has it anymore... So I said gently caress it and rewound the coils on the original gauge. Took me the better part of my Friday evening (I'm just that kind of wild guy who spends his Friday evenings rewinding coils!) Had a scary moment halfway through when the wire tore and I had to splice it together again but all in all it worked fine. And surprisingly it actually worked! I know have a fully working, undampened OPG. Holy poo poo though...that was a lot of wire!
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Mar 31, 2018 18:50
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 10:06 |
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I'm itching to put my summer wheels on the car but everytime i convince myself its time loving winter comes back. I think this weekend might be it though! They are also ginormous 215/40R16 Wheels that i really need to sell and replace with something more sensible...
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Apr 4, 2018 09:28
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