Function>Everything

[Pyr0monk3y]

So when I cranked up to leave the RDU meet tonight, the car would barely rev. By the time I got belted in, the car would rev, but there was an alarming smell of gasoline on my way out of the parking lot. By the time I got on brier creek parkway, everything was fine.

Here's the dash cam video:




KFJ mentioned fuel smell as a sign of FPR failure. It looks easy enough to replace, I'll probably grab one tomorrow. Injectors and fuel pump are high on my list. I'm trying to decide where to send the injectors, I'm replacing those regardless. Fuel pump will be ordered if FPR doesn't resolve the issue.

Thank you for your help everyone. This is a valuable learning experience.

[— kung fu jesus —]

You can remove the vacuum line on the FPR and see if it is wet or smells of fuel. The fuel smell may also be the charcoal can. I have a strong suspicion it is fuel system related, just not certain which component.

Test your IAC by unplugging it while the motor is idling. The ECU takes over at around 1800rpm at idle and kicks it down. it would idle between 1200 and 1800 rpm unplugged.

[Pyr0monk3y]

I think it's fixed. I replaced the FPR on Saturday. When replacing the FPR I found two pieces of evidence supporting FPR failure: The vacuum hose was extremely brittle on the fpr end, and soft on the intake end. I'm guessing this is from fuel in the vacuum line. Also, there was some evidence of a fuel leak around the base of the fpr. The o-ring on the old fpr was hard as a rock and had one small nick. spooky...

When priming the fuel system I got the chance to take a good long listen at the fuel pump. It sounded consistent and strong. This week has been hot as hell and, unlike before, the car has been running fantastic! I'm getting around 23mpg and the idle is extremely consistent.

Today I parked the car in the hot sun after a short drive and came back 4 hours later. When I went to lunch I had to use a rag to buckle my seat belt and I burned my hand on the hardtop bracket when lowering myself into the car. It was hot. Usually this kind of heat would cause the car to run like crap but everything was fine. When I drove back from lunch I hammered the car pretty hard. It revved willingly and pulled strong as ever. It used to stumble after upshifts.

It was an intermittent problem, so time will tell, but for now I'm declaring the car fixed!

Thank you for your help everyone!

BTW, I am considering a track day next week and I have some concerns about brake rotors. I have a full set of replacement rotors sitting in my closet to take to the track as spares. The question is, will I need spare rotors? I installed them when I installed the pads but the pads are so aggressive that they have worn grooves in the rotors. The pads are still >50%. There's no stress cracks and they are not warped, how do you know when rotors are done? I can't measure thickness accurately because of the ridges on the edges of the the rotors.

PS, there is much less black soot coating the shop floor when I back out of the garage.

[— kung fu jesus —]

AWESOME!

Start a log book for the car.

I have done this with the NA, NB and e30...considering the advancing age of your car, it would probably be beneficial to write down a checklist. List each system, breakout each component of the system and just inspect and list the date and a few simple notes on the condition. If you have replaced parts, list the date and mileage, brand and type if you prefer. I started this with the e30. It has been REALLY helpful because I can lose track of the receipts and mileage I replaced something and it helps me to narrow down areas to inspect if/when I have other problems.

It seems a bit drastic, but considering the amount of time you are at the track and some of the issues you had recently, it can be a useful tool when reaching out for help. It will also help you see what areas you should consider updating next.

As for the rotors...I inspect for unusual coloring in the metal. You could measure the thickness by laying them on a table, put a straight edge on the rotor face to the hat and measure the gap.

A log book is good for that kind of stuff too, like spares. I usually used painters tape or a fat Sharpie and wrote on the parts to kep track of how much time or miles where on them. A little logbook in the glovebox is perfect to track this stuff.

Here's a logbook I have for the e30. Just like a little pocket diary I bought at Office Max or something. It has little pockets on the cover so I can keep my registration, insurance cards, etc in there, too.

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[Inspecta]

A log book is a great idea! It is something I need to do.

Got that Martha Stewart swag too. Lol

[DK AFFECT]

Replace the rotors now, they're cheap and I'd much rather do the work beforehand versus doing an emergency brake change when it's 95F outside.

[Rogue]

Get out the checkbook!
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[WASABI]

Replace the rotors now, they're cheap and I'd much rather do the work beforehand versus doing an emergency brake change when it's 95F outside.

Good point! Provided you can do the work, and bed the new brakes before your car sees the track, then it's preventative maintenance, and safer all around. And why risk missing track time, rushing with an emergency brake job.

[Pyr0monk3y]

I have an excel spread sheet.



I guess I'll do the rotors one night. I'm starting to feel bad about the stack of miata rotors in my shop. I might have 3 sets of rotors that were replaced as a precaution rather than necessity. The current rotors only have 5,000 miles on them. That includes 2 track days and a trip to the dragon. These pads eat the rotors so bad I might try something different next time.

[WASABI]

I'm starting to feel bad about the stack of miata rotors in my shop. I might have 3 sets of rotors that were replaced as a precaution rather than necessity. The current rotors only have 5,000 miles on them.

Repurpose them!

[riefdaddy]

I guess I'll do the rotors one night. I'm starting to feel bad about the stack of miata rotors in my shop. I might have 3 sets of rotors that were replaced as a precaution rather than necessity. The current rotors only have 5,000 miles on them. That includes 2 track days and a trip to the dragon. These pads eat the rotors so bad I might try something different next time.

Do you find that you go through fronts more than rears? No real reason for asking beyond curiosity. For re purposing, you could weld on a piece of steel tube and make a set of extremely stout, fixed height jack stands that would be very stable.

[Pyr0monk3y]

Do you find that you go through fronts more than rears? No real reason for asking beyond curiosity. For re purposing, you could weld on a piece of steel tube and make a set of extremely stout, fixed height jack stands that would be very stable.

I think they wear at about the same rate.

Jack stands are a great idea, I'll look into that.

[Pyr0monk3y]

I got 99 problems and seating position ain't one. I put a 3 inch wheel spacer in today. Now my knees aren't banging up against the wheel. The wheel and I are a bit more intimate too. Blinkers are going to take some getting used to, but some say I have unusually long fingers which make certain things easier.

On another note, I've been driving several friend's cars lately as well as test driving lots of cars. In a civic I tilt my foot on the brake pedal to revmatch whereas, in my miata, I pivot the foot and do a traditional heel toe. I much prefer the tilt method. It isn't as safe but it is much faster and much more conducive to maintaining consistent brake pressure. In my miata, I can do it both ways, but the throttle pedal has some side to side play making the tilt method very difficult. Maybe I'm blind but I can't pinpoint what causes this play. Any ideas?

Pics:

[JamieH]

...some say I have unusually long fingers which make certain things easier.

That's what she said!

[Pyr0monk3y]

I swapped the front rotors. Upon closer inspection, I decided the rears were ok. I am very concerned about the thickness of the front brake pads. They are tapered, thicker at the bottom. Also, the pad that was on the piston side of the caliper had significantly more wear than the pad on the other side. So, I flipped them...

I always get super anxious before track days. I've had to pull over on the way to the track because I was so anxious. It doesn't usually go away until the lunch break at the track day when I get a good chance to chill out and remind myself how well the first half of the day has gone. In reality, the worst thing that could happen is I will have to get towed or limp back to the paddock and swap brake pads. All of the safety critical parts of the car are 100%.

I am officially registered for a track day. It's about damn time.