NB Battery Replacement
 

My son bought me a NAPA 7551r battery for my MSM....The original battery was on its last legs.... I suspect that an 11 year old battery doesn't have much chance of a warranty claim, so I'll just have it recycled.


While doing the replacement, I noticed a bit of surface rust on the metal bottom of the battery compartment (beneath the plastic battery tray).


So, in historic Miata tradition, I made a 15 minute job into an ongoing 5 hour marathon. I sanded off the rust - which was minimal, vacuumed out the debris, wiped the area with rubbing alcohol, and applied three coats of PlastiDip.


Once that dries, 4 hours minimum, I'll proceed with the battery install.


Also, one of the best purchases I've ever made was a battery disconnect from Flyin Miata. It allows me to easily disconnect the battery....which most repair procedures state should be step one. Consider purchasing one.


Also, if you're charging a battery in the car, the trunk lights stay on when the trunk is open. There is no switch that allows you to easily turn them off, however, if you press down on the trunk latch (in the body) with a screwdriver or needle nose pliers, the latch will rotate, and lock the lights in the off position. Just remember to operate the latch (key or fob) before attempting to close the trunk.

In a truly amazing coincidence, my next few hours will be devoted to a very similar task, albeit on my trusty Toyota pickup. Five years of being virtually ignored, save for oil changes, and I've experienced my first problem with the trusty Tacoma.

Minor Work on my MSM
 

Replaced the drivers side tail light, with a bulb that works! Changeout went easy, except that the tailight assembly needed some persuading with a rubber hammer to release it from the body. I thought there was another attachement that I missed for a few minutes.


Oil and filter changes were done also (6,000 miles, T6, M1-110 filter). Everything looked good. It's up to 217k miles on the chassis now, engine has been rebuilt. I'm always proud of myself when I can do it without any spills!! :D


Changed out the tires from worn out RE-11A's to RE-71R's. It's nice to have tread, appreciated having it two days after the change during a rain storm. Unfortunately, at some point, I'll have to change to the winter steelies and 3 year old blizzaks. It's still unseasonably warm in Connecticut, so I'm not in a hurry to do so yet!


Next up is cleaning the air filter. I keep thinking about moving it from the FM little enchilada location to the front of the engine bay, then I drive through heavy rain or a dust cloud, and appreciate Keith's wisdom. ;)

I got it... FO' FREE! Traded some labor for a '99 with 96K and some goodies, in great shape. Got it home, ripped around a little, then it got a bath and an oil change.

So let me open up my first thread to ask for a LOT of advice...

I was suckered into buying an '03 SE Miata, it was MINT clean, inside and out and it's the dark Purple Nardi version with everything stock.
That was back in May 17... got it for my 50 year b-day present from my wife. Well after owning it a little while I noticed a fluid leak... to dark to be coolant, so I took it into one of the best Miata mechanics in the Phoenix, AZ location to check out... here are the results...

Seal/water pump leak so thats easy... replacing all belts, seals, etc... $650. No biggie right? Then he couldn't start it... it would chug-a-chug but no starting... that was last Saturday at his shop so what he does is let me borrow his '04 Mazda Speed Turbo (silver) so I could have a car to drive to work while he narrows down why it wasn't starting... I got an update tonight that said he only had the crank position off by 1/8th of an inch and it's starting up just fine only it sounds rough and the check engine light does NOT come on before starting the car. After further investigation he found out the check engine light bulb got smashed and after he replaced it, the check engine light remains a constant ON now after it's started... after further investigation he find out (after a compression test) #1 cylinder is 130 while the other 3 cylinders are kicking out 160... so repair on this is close to $1,500-2,000 MORE to fix... he said the car won't be able to pass emissions so it needs repaired.

I bought a lemon I think... the previous owner suckered me into this and wasn't honest at all with me... I'm now left with a broken car and I bought it 8 months ago for $3,600.

I wanted to ask for advice... do I just drive it home and not do the work on the cylinders and store it until I either sell it either being dishonest at the condition of it or fix it and swallow my pride!??

Oh I forgot to mention that the Clutch is about ready to go out and the drive shaft U-Joints are worn so I hear a 'Tink' occasionally when I drive it. Is this car going to suck out all my $$ or what?? Is this a normal thing that happens when buying a used Miata or should I seek revenge to the prior owner? (hehe)

Thanks!

What I did today.
 

I replaced the MAF sensor and connector. to try and fix my bouncy idle at start-up. It didn't work :(. I'm getting tired of throwing money at the car just for it to have the same problem.