New 1992 Miata

[Don M]

Hi folks,

I just bought a 92 Miata that has been parked in a garage under a car cover for most of the past 10 years. I'm in the process of getting it sorted out and would appreciate any advice. My wife and I are retired and plan to use the car for summer touring so comfort is important but I'd also like to improve handling as much as possible.

The car has 97K on it, starts right up, runs great and doesn't leak or smoke. Valve cover leaked at first but the gasket has evidently softened back up and sealed. The tires looked new but had flat spots and the rubber was hard so I'm replacing them. I'm going with 15 inch wheels to try and improve handling a little.

Right now the ride is pretty jittery but I'm hoping a lot of that will go away with new tires. Also going to replace the shocks and would welcome any recommendations.

The car leans quite a bit when cornering and I'm wondering what can be done to eliminate some of that without sacrificing ride.

I'm a little concerned about the transmission. Shifting, particularly down shifting, is slow and requires a fair amount of effort when the transmission is cold but improves when it warms up. Gears don't grind but synchro seems stiff. We had a 2002 Miata for a while and I remember shifting being pretty effortless. Am I expecting too much for this model Miata?

So far the only problem I've found is the air bag warning light. It flashes continuously in 10 flash intervals which I understand is the flash code for a bad control module...not sure what can be done about that other than ignoring it or replacing it.

Thanks in advance any input.

[Slipstreem]

Gratz on the new NA! I'm still very new to the Miata world but, I'll give this a shot.

Valve cover gasket: I would change that just to be on the safe side. Even if it doesn't leak anymore it may be weaker now.

Body roll: From my experience there shouldn't be any. Or at least very little. But, as you said it's more than likely from the flat spot on the tires and the shocks are showing age.

Suspension: I've been doing a lot of research about this for my own NA and there is A LOT of variations and variables to consider. I'm sure someone will know a lot more than me but, here goes nothing. It sounds like you want a nice street car(not a track car or weekend warrior) so a nice strut and spring combo might be what you want. I had koni yellows with stock springs on my first NA. There was room for improvement but, the struts were adjustable which was pretty sweet.

Transmission: Seems like the same deal with my NA. You are right however. Miata shifting should be buttery smooth with zero effort. Is there any play with the shifter? Might be time for some new bushing and some fresh fluid.

Air bag warning light: This is just my personal opinion but, I would just install a aftermarket wheel. The NA steering wheels are big bulky and uncomfortable.

That's all I have. Again I'm sure someone with much more knowledge will chim in. Good luck and enjoy the ride!

[TNRooster3]

Hello you also need to do a new member intro. This is a good place to ask questions, on the body roll question- could be the tires and also the shocks getting old, some of the guys on here may tell you right off what would be the best thing to do better than me, but I'd check out the the Racing Beat site: http://www.racingbeat.com/mazda/performance/miata-swaybars.html, On the shocks - if it is to remain a street car and not autoX I think most folks here like the Bilstiens, plus Mazda put them on the NAs with the R-package, the 1999 10th Ann. Ed and the 2004 and 2005 Mazdaspeeds all had Bilsteins. You may be doing this anyway but I'd change all fluids and filters in a car that has been sitting up, & with new Trany fluid that may solve the shift problem. Hope this helps and there are a bunch of guys on here that are good with answering questions and helping out.

[John J]

An important item that probably needs changed will be the timing belt. It the car has set that long who knows when the belt was changed last.

[Don M]

Thanks for the input everyone.

The shifting issue came to a head last night and we ended up being towed home. Clutch hydraulics gave up and the clutch wouldn't disengage. At this point I don't know whether it's the master or slave but I'm thinking that given the amount of time the fluid has been sitting in the system, I'll probably replace them both. Brake system is going to be next most likely followed by hoses and lines in cooling and fuel systems.

Been a long time since I've owned a machine with this many years on it....having to do a little mental downshifting.

[TNRooster3]

These things can happen when a car has been sitting up for quite a while or you buy one that was stored and not run. My neighbor has an older Toyota that he has sitting under a cover and has not even started it in like 18 months, now the battery is completely dead and will not even jump. I told him that you have to start it every now and then and let it run and it would be best if he at least run it up and down the driveway to keep all the fluids flowing and keep it from going to pot.

[Demon I Am]

Replace both, otherwise you'll be doing the whole job again in a few weeks

[kung fu jesus]

For the intentions of this car, your best move is to "reset" the maintenance. This is the best course of action for reliability and assurance. A car that has sat so long has seals that are most likely original. They are hard and brittle, as you experienced.

To avoid unfortunate breakdowns, I would "reset" the car by doing a full timing belt service; timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, crank seal, cam seals, cam angle sensor seal, accessory belts, ALL the coolant hoses replaced, coolant system flush, radiator flushed (or replaced), new t-stat.

You will find your shift issue requiring the tow is most likely the clutch slave, but I would have both the clutch master AND slave replaced. It eliminates doubt.

All the fluids should be replaced.

Rebuild the shifter (plastic bushings), shift boots, wave washers, etc.

Replace the motor mounts.

For the suspension, new tie rods, new lower ball joints. As far as shocks go, a nice bang for the buck would be hard S or a sport suspension from an NB.. Upgrading the sways with aftermarket would be beneficial, but choose carefully.

Another serious consideration would be to upgrade your clutch hose and brake hoses to braided stainless for response and safety. Those rubber lines are very old and weakened from age.

The goal is to give the reliability the car is known for, but also give you a fresh starting point to reference the maintenance from. You can defer it and fix it as it breaks, but you will find yourself doubting the car for touring after the next breakdown. This isn't fun and not the best way to enjoy your time with it.

At 97k miles, the engine is barely broken in. If it was treated well with regular, simple maintenance, it will go another 150k without much hassle.

The airbag brain should be able to be sourced used, so many have been removed for various reasons.

[kung fu jesus]

Re-read and corrected some phrases. I wrote that out on my phone. Auto correct and such.