What have you done to your Miata today?

man I hope that fixes your issue. You've had some crazy issues with that damn thing :(
 
Today I swapped over to the silver Flatouts with S-Drives since the temperatures are such that the Rivals aren't too happy.
 
Installed Apply CarPlay today. Needed to rip the right side of the lower dash apart and the top of the center console. Wiring was added and the USB hub was replaced. Installed new firmware and put it all back together. Took about 2 hrs....I now have a mirror image on the infotainment screen with my useful apps, Waze, google maps, messages, and SIRI etc. pretty cool!
 
Yesterday, I replaced my h/u. Nothing wrong with the old JVC, I simply wanted to upgrade to a touch screen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto functions. Took longer than expected thanks to my screw up. The SWC module I got did not have a spot for the parking brake wire so I had to splice into the factory wire. A quick call to Crutchfield and they sent me a pic of where it was and I was good to go.... I cut it no problem and made sure to give myself as much extra wire from the connector as I could. When I went to strip the end coming out of the connector I accidentally cut it more! Ugh! Thankfully there was just enough to strip, but had to do it with a utility knife. The PITA was trying to get it crimped. Couldn't get my crimpers in there so had to use channel locks and every time I thought it was good and crimped...it wasn't. Let's just say a handful of connectors and some four letter words were uttered. After a good hour, man prevailed over machine and the connection was made. :D Would have been easier had I not been laying upside down contorted between the seat and dash and under the steering wheel. lol

Since my SNAFU carried over into a longer than anticipated lunch, I finished the install at home. Finding a home for all of those wires and the SWC module to fit behind the h/u was fun! (bang) When I was done, I played around with the settings for a bit but forgot one thing. I didn't have the car running....so I finish up and go to start it to pull into the breezeway and nothing. Had to use the 3 to jump it. With winter coming I wasn't taking chances so after work, I stopped at Autozone and had the battery checked. It was confirmed bad so I walked out with a Duralast Gold. That will go in tomorrow.

Sunday is a fun day. A drive up to Mills Mansion in NY to meet up with Mark! :)

man I hope that fixes your issue. You've had some crazy issues with that damn thing :(

x2!!! Hope this is the fix you have been looking for!

Today I swapped over to the silver Flatouts with S-Drives since the temperatures are such that the Rivals aren't too happy.

Yeah, 'tis the season. Meh Checked the tread depth on the all-seasons I have been using for winter and they are at 4/32nds. So today I ordered a set of Firestone Winterforce 2s and get them mounted on the wheels Monday. Will keep an eye on the temps and get them on the car in the next week or so.

Installed Apply CarPlay today. Needed to rip the right side of the lower dash apart and the top of the center console. Wiring was added and the USB hub was replaced. Installed new firmware and put it all back together. Took about 2 hrs....I now have a *mirror* image on the infotainment screen with my useful apps, Waze, google maps, messages, and SIRI etc. pretty cool!

Cool!!! Do you still have to use the command knob to control everything? It's not hard to navigate using it but it drives me nuts that Mazda locks out the touchscreen while the car is in gear.

Are you using the Miata icon in Waze?
 
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Yesterday, I replaced my h/u. Nothing wrong with the old JVC, I simply wanted to upgrade to a touch screen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto functions. Took longer than expected thanks to my screw up. The SWC module I got did not have a spot for the parking brake wire so I had to splice into the factory wire. A quick call to Crutchfield and they sent me a pic of where it was and I was good to go.... I cut it no problem and made sure to give myself as much extra wire from the connector as I could. When I went to strip the end coming out of the connector I accidentally cut it more! Ugh! Thankfully there was just enough to strip, but had to do it with a utility knife. The PITA was trying to get it crimped. Couldn't get my crimpers in there so had to use channel locks and every time I thought it was good and crimped...it wasn't. Let's just say a handful of connectors and some four letter words were uttered. After a good hour, man prevailed over machine and the connection was made. :D Would have been easier had I not been laying upside down contorted between the seat and dash and under the steering wheel. lol

Since my SNAFU carried over into a longer than anticipated lunch, I finished the install at home. Finding a home for all of those wires and the SWC module to fit behind the h/u was fun! (bang) When I was done, I played around with the settings for a bit but forgot one thing. I didn't have the car running....so I finish up and go to start it to pull into the breezeway and nothing. Had to use the 3 to jump it. With winter coming I wasn't taking chances so after work, I stopped at Autozone and had the battery checked. It was confirmed bad so I walked out with a Duralast Gold. That will go in tomorrow.

Sunday is a fun day. A drive up to Mills Mansion in NY to meet up with Mark!



Cool!!! Do you still have to use the command knob to control everything? It's not hard to navigate using it but it drives me nuts that Mazda locks out the touchscreen while the car is in gear.

Are you using the Miata icon in Waze?

Well I had a tweak that got rid of the lockout feature, but I had to update the firmware and it broke my tweaks....Im hoping a new tweak will be out soon. So yes, I have to use the knob....but I can use Siri now, so that works even better!
 
Installed a Duralast Gold battery this morning.

After finishing the h/u install Thursday night and playing around with the settings, the car wouldnt start. Used my sons car to jump it and it started right up.

Stopped at Autozone to have them check it and it was bad. With winter fast approaching, I bought one on the spot. I have used them in the padt on other cars with good results.

Now I have a P0506 code. After reconnnecting the battery Thursday it was idling rough and nearly stalled twice but no CEL. I let her run a good 15 minutes and then let her sit overnight. Friday morning she started right up and had a bit of a rough idle but not as bad as the night before. Within two blocks she was acting normal and no CEL. I figured the ECM was simply re-learning.

After installing the new battery, she ran rough again and this time the CEL popped? I cleared it and then drove to Autozone to get the core charge for my old battery. Again, after a couple of blocks she was running better. They pulled the code and said to replace the crankshaft position sensor. Everything I have been reading is suggesting to clean the TB?
Well I had a tweak that got rid of the lockout feature, but I had to update the firmware and it broke my tweaks....Im hoping a new tweak will be out soon. So yes, I have to use the knob....but I can use Siri now, so that works even better!
Ah ok. I am surprised that a tweak isnt available yet.

At least Siri allows you to go hands free.
 
man I hope that fixes your issue. You've had some crazy issues with that damn thing :(

You and me both brother. So far seems good.

Installed Apply CarPlay today. Needed to rip the right side of the lower dash apart and the top of the center console. Wiring was added and the USB hub was replaced. Installed new firmware and put it all back together. Took about 2 hrs....I now have a *mirror* image on the infotainment screen with my useful apps, Waze, google maps, messages, and SIRI etc. pretty cool!

Nice to be able to have that functionality.

Yesterday, I replaced my h/u. Nothing wrong with the old JVC, I simply wanted to upgrade to a touch screen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto functions. Took longer than expected thanks to my screw up. The SWC module I got did not have a spot for the parking brake wire so I had to splice into the factory wire. A quick call to Crutchfield and they sent me a pic of where it was and I was good to go.... I cut it no problem and made sure to give myself as much extra wire from the connector as I could. When I went to strip the end coming out of the connector I accidentally cut it more! Ugh! Thankfully there was just enough to strip, but had to do it with a utility knife. The PITA was trying to get it crimped. Couldn't get my crimpers in there so had to use channel locks and every time I thought it was good and crimped...it wasn't. Let's just say a handful of connectors and some four letter words were uttered. After a good hour, man prevailed over machine and the connection was made. :D Would have been easier had I not been laying upside down contorted between the seat and dash and under the steering wheel. lol

Since my SNAFU carried over into a longer than anticipated lunch, I finished the install at home. Finding a home for all of those wires and the SWC module to fit behind the h/u was fun! (bang) When I was done, I played around with the settings for a bit but forgot one thing. I didn't have the car running....so I finish up and go to start it to pull into the breezeway and nothing. Had to use the 3 to jump it. With winter coming I wasn't taking chances so after work, I stopped at Autozone and had the battery checked. It was confirmed bad so I walked out with a Duralast Gold. That will go in tomorrow.

Sunday is a fun day. A drive up to Mills Mansion in NY to meet up with Mark! :)



x2!!! Hope this is the fix you have been looking for!



Yeah, 'tis the season. Meh Checked the tread depth on the all-seasons I have been using for winter and they are at 4/32nds. So today I ordered a set of Firestone Winterforce 2s and get them mounted on the wheels Monday. Will keep an eye on the temps and get them on the car in the next week or so.



Cool!!! Do you still have to use the command knob to control everything? It's not hard to navigate using it but it drives me nuts that Mazda locks out the touchscreen while the car is in gear.

Are you using the Miata icon in Waze?

Thanks Jeff. Nice job on the new stereo install (I'm old so allowed to call it that).

So, I picked up the gaskets from the dealer Saturday. They are these:

45455683272_bdd924fabd_h.jpg


You can see they are using aluminum now, just like oil drain plug gaskets. The recess on the thermostat housing for the reroute I have is a little smaller on the OD than the factory one so I used a sanding wheel on my Dremel to pare the gasket down to size. After a drive I checked and it's leaking a little so I will try making it a little smaller. If that doesn't cut it I'll go back to the neoprene gasket I was using.

Forgot but the other day when changing wheels over I went to adjust the muffler hanger I had installed to shift things more to the right. Turned out one of the nuts had come off the U-bolt. I had one the same size lying around so put that on, but I think I will get some Nyloc nuts from Ace to keep it from happening again.
 
Replaced the oil pressure warning light sensor that we broke when we pulled the engine a couple months ago. Oops (rlaugh)
 
Bout time!

Yep. Oil pressure is one of those things that's *never* been a problem in my car (thankfully), and as such I never really prioritized it. And, like... I'm lazy, and it's a pain in the ass to get to. Under the intake manifold with fuel lines, electric harnesses and the big coolant reroute upper rad hose in the way. But then I'd be pretty POd if I popped a motor because I didn't feel like installing a $10 sensor, so I figured I probably should get to it before our big year-end next month.
 
After sanding the OD of the factory washer down some more it was still leaking, so I put the neoprene one back in. Swung by Harbor Freight and got their copper washer assortment. Compared measurements between the 7/16" copper washer and the factory aluminum one, the only difference was the copper one was 0.09mm thicker. After looking at the sensor itself and how it fits into the thermostat housing I have, it appeared as though the sensor was bottoming on the housing before it was completely seated. The way around this was to relieve the outer edge of the sensor. I tried a couple of methods (file, Dremel metal file and sanding disc), the sanding disc worked the best. Note I tested this on the old sensor so I didn't screw up the new one. After some work I ended up with this:

44672926775_5df39aec24_h.jpg


Here are the copper washers:

31714644538_a6aea44a40_h.jpg


Cost was around $7.00 and now I have lots of those suckers for other uses. Sensor is back in place, weather sucks right now here so a test will have to wait.
 
Yep. Oil pressure is one of those things that's *never* been a problem in my car (thankfully), and as such I never really prioritized it. And, like... I'm lazy, and it's a pain in the ass to get to. Under the intake manifold with fuel lines, electric harnesses and the big coolant reroute upper rad hose in the way. But then I'd be pretty POd if I popped a motor because I didn't feel like installing a $10 sensor, so I figured I probably should get to it before our big year-end next month.

Ya, wouldnt take long if you had a leak....I added an oil cooler and put in a pressure gauge. With the extra hose and remote sensor I want monitor the pressure just in case. I like the alarm idea....that way you dont have to look down. I think the old rx7s had an oil pressure alarm
 
After sanding the OD of the factory washer down some more it was still leaking, so I put the neoprene one back in. Swung by Harbor Freight and got their copper washer assortment. Compared measurements between the 7/16" copper washer and the factory aluminum one, the only difference was the copper one was 0.09mm thicker. After looking at the sensor itself and how it fits into the thermostat housing I have, it appeared as though the sensor was bottoming on the housing before it was completely seated. The way around this was to relieve the outer edge of the sensor. I tried a couple of methods (file, Dremel metal file and sanding disc), the sanding disc worked the best. Note I tested this on the old sensor so I didn't screw up the new one. After some work I ended up with this:

44672926775_5df39aec24_h.jpg


Here are the copper washers:

31714644538_a6aea44a40_h.jpg


Cost was around $7.00 and now I have lots of those suckers for other uses. Sensor is back in place, weather sucks right now here so a test will have to wait.

Nice fix!
 
Those Pull a Part e-mail notifications totally paid off this weekend. I got an e-mail on Friday that there was a 2001 at the lot closest to me, so I packed up a shiteload of tools and hit the yard. I was HOPING to find a car with ABS so I could pull the full system, pump, wiring, lines and all off, but I knew that was a long shot.
Sadly, it didn't have ABS.
What it did have...was a 4.3:1 Torsen 2.
I will say, that pulling a Miata diff, on my back, with no help and not even a jack, is one of the sketchiest things I've ever done, but I was very careful and made sure to keep any appendages I was particularly fond of out of anything that might fall and smash it.
Probably the cheapest Torsen (much less a 4.3) I've come across. Sub $100 because they don't car what kind it is, a diff is a diff is a diff.



It also had a power steering system, so I scavenged the rack out of it to depower.




I've got 3 NB PS racks now (plus the depowered NA rack) that I plan on depowering. 1 or 2 of them and the NA rack will likely be for sale once the KMiata swap happens next year.
 
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Bought the kids' birthday present:



And my present to me for their birthday, so I can lift the thing on my own at the track:







Had to add an in line fuel shutoff because, to get the kart onto the stand it's gotta be lifted nearly to vertical, and that was causing it to puke fuel out of the carb and into the engine. I'm told (after I installed this...) that for W2W (which we're not really planning on doing at this point) tech wants nothing between the fuel pump and carb, so I may eventually relocate it, but it'll work for the test day at a minimum. I've tested it several times now. I shut the valve and let it run itself dry. Tipping it up and down didn't leak at all, and it fires with 1 or 2 pulls after opening the valve back up (so it's clearly not flooding the engine like it was without the valve).

 
Bought the kids' birthday present:



And my present to me for their birthday, so I can lift the thing on my own at the track:







Had to add an in line fuel shutoff because, to get the kart onto the stand it's gotta be lifted nearly to vertical, and that was causing it to puke fuel out of the carb and into the engine. I'm told (after I installed this...) that for W2W (which we're not really planning on doing at this point) tech wants nothing between the fuel pump and carb, so I may eventually relocate it, but it'll work for the test day at a minimum. I've tested it several times now. I shut the valve and let it run itself dry. Tipping it up and down didn't leak at all, and it fires with 1 or 2 pulls after opening the valve back up (so it's clearly not flooding the engine like it was without the valve).


Very nice! My first ride was old school!
1f47d911ce61d425d18272bdd6c4a278.jpg
 
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