Driving o the repair shop today the 94 died. mechanic tells me it is a 700.00 cam sensor (installed). Still have intermittant battery light going on problem. Im a retired social worker. Do old miata owners have a high suicide rate at the poor house? Is this common failure stuff, or do I have a pineapple/ I mean lemon?

 

The CAS should be a maximum of $30-60 on the forums, $208 brand new on RockAuto Parts Catalog. It is only $470 brand new from Mazda, which is always high. You can replace it yourself with ordinary hand tools in about 15 minutes if you've never done it before.

Your mechanic is financially exploiting your lack of knowledge regarding these cars.

The common cause of this failure is a leaking internal o-ring inside the CAS, due to engine oil changes not being done frequently enough during the life of the engine. Acids form in the crankcase as a part of the combustion process. Additives in the oil neutralize those acid formations, but they become depleted over time if the oil is not changed often enough. The acids attack the various rubber seals in the engine, making them less pliable, brittle, and hard, causing them to leak. The good news is it took 20 years for this one to finally fail, so you won't have to ever worry about it again.

If you choose to replace it yourself, I can direct you to a tutorial.

 

 

If Ive been had , I am really disappointed. The latest call from the dealer is that mice had chewed thru the wire insulation on or near the part and it was shorting the system out. A friend of mine had a mice problem in his boxster, we are very rural(boon docks). Any really good ideas for mazda eating mice?

 

Rat poison. If the wiring is bad then the CAS is ok?

 

Im told it is burned out

 

From one rural area to another this rodent solution works for me. Your local feed and supply store will carry some type of rat poison. I use "Ramik", but that may be a regional brand. Either bars or nuggets works equally well.

Get a two foot length of two inch pipe, large enough for a rat to crawl into. The pipe itself is to ensure that Fido and Fluffy don't get to the poison. Place a small amount of poison in the center of the pipe and set the pipe near the vehicle you want to protect. Any type of rigid pipe will work, pvc or steel are fine. Poly pipe is not - too easy for Fido to chew up. Secure the pipe to keep pets from carrying it away.