"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
01/03/2019 at 23:11 • Filed to: miatalopnik, timing belt
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"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
01/03/2019 at 23:11 • Filed to: miatalopnik, timing belt | 6
| 20 |
I’ve got my Dad’s Miata down here for a timing belt service/tune up/svending for the next week or two. The racecar gets some fellow red company in the garage. His 05 Miata has finally hit 61k, which is another way of saying his commute is 3 miles round-trip (and he only works 3 days per week/semi-retired) and their 2016 Mazda 6 is the car they drive on trips/weekends/run errands with. I’m not really sure why I’m doing this, as the shop labor isn’t meaningful to his budget, but he’s been bugging me to do it for most of the last year. After spending most of this week hanging out with the doggies and learning to drive all over again in F 1 2 018 via my new wheel for the PC, I decided this afternoon that it was time to get started on the Miata.
After five or six years of driving his former 95 R package (that had 50k on it when he finally sold in 2012ish), he was ready for a more comfortable Miata experience. He bought it from a customer of the Miata shop (owned by my mechanical mentor) with 30-something K on it in 2012ish. It had a tune up/clutch slave cylinder/shift boots replaced on it before he bought it, but otherwise it has needed nothing but an oil change once or twice a year and a couple of alignments since. It’s ready for a little attention.
Looks and nice and clean under the valve cover, which is what I would expect with having run conservative oil change intervals and synthetic oil for it’s entire life.
I stopped here when it was time to make dinner. I’ll get back at it tomorrow. Miata always remind me that if there is a timing belt job with better access, I don’t know what it is.
daender
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/03/2019 at 23:35 |
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Out of curiosity, are the low-beam headlight bulbs 9006 or H1? 2005 is a funny year, some got 9006 and others got H1 as if Mazda was using up whatever wasn’t cooked by that factory fire. Anyway, that’s a clean ‘05!
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> daender
01/03/2019 at 23:39 |
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That’s a good question. I'll have to look. The driver's side fog light is the only bulb that has ever been replaced on it.
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> daender
01/03/2019 at 23:45 |
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It has H1 bulbs for the low beam.
Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/03/2019 at 23:49 |
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Honest answer?
Dodge 2.2 Turbo.
1. Remove passenger wheel
2. Remove passenger fender well liner (4 pins)
3. Remove timing belt cover (2 bolts)
4. Remove timing belt.
His Stigness
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 01:33 |
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I see your Miata access and raise you VW service mode 2.0. It only takes me a few minutes and then I can do the work while sitting down.
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> His Stigness
01/04/2019 at 05:00 |
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Ha! I’ve seen that service mode. I’ll stick to the Miata access that required only removing an undercover via 11 bolts and a pair of bolts, hose clamps and two clips to pull the radiator and fans.
I suppose I should have qualified that statement with better access for least amount of work to achieve it.
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> His Stigness
01/04/2019 at 05:03 |
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It's good to hear from you, by the way. :)
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daender
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 06:25 |
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Huh, interesting! I’ll never fully understand how or why Mazda suddenly switched bulb types right at the end of NB2 production.
IJustWantMyZBack
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 06:42 |
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What do estimate your total time to do the timing belt on the Miata? I am looking to do this on my NB2 granted it will be my first timin g belt
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> IJustWantMyZBack
01/04/2019 at 10:14 |
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Plan on doing it over a weekend. especially for the first time . It also depends on how diligent you are about replacing other wear items in the course of the job . The cam and crankshaft front oil seals should obviously be done along with the water pump, and they certainly add some time to the job. The spark plugs and wires are another thing that you’re removing in the process of doing the job. Ditto with the accessory belts. The thermostat and gasket are also right there. We usually did all the cooling system hoses as well at the miata shop (radiator hoses come out in the course of the job, heater hoses are a common failure point on NA/NB miatas and all the hoses are available for reasonable money). Replacing all the small hoses to the throttle body and especially the two running under the intake manifold to oil cooler take some time also. You’ll be removing the PVC and breather hoses when taking the valve cover off, and they’re worth inspecting ahead of time on your car to see if they should be added to your parts list . They tend to get brittle with age, and there is a risk of cracking them in removal once they’re brittle .
At the miata shop we usually did the belts, oil seals and water pump on the first timing belt change at 60k, and then did all the cooling system hoses at the 2nd service at 120k. On this car, I’m doing all the hoses at the first timing belt service, just because the car is 14 years old even if the mileage is low.
Treasure coast miata has timing belt kits with quality parts. You can usually beat their prices sourcing parts individually, but they’re a convenient way to make sure you actually get everything you need.
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His Stigness
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 11:19 |
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That service mode only takes me about half an hour to get to. It’s just bumper cover, a few hoses and electrical connectors, and drain the AC. Then I get to sit there. And you want to sit down for the 1.8t. It’s a bitch to do when you don’t have all that access.
The normal service mode, though, that takes five minutes and then you have a normal amount of room. I have the bolts for service mode but I’ve only used it to aid me in getting the whole carrier off and back on.
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> His Stigness
01/04/2019 at 12:11 |
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That’s impressive that it is accomplished that quick ly. The good Germans...
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His Stigness
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 12:45 |
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For the most part I find their designs are generally very smart, like VW’s service mode. I think it’s really smart to decrease the front overhang but have a way to create space with a few bolts. But of course, the internet finds that UNACCEPTABLE because “special tools.” But then, the internet usually finds torx sockets (both external and internal) to be “special” tools.
Automotive repair wasn’t meant to be done by just anyone. Lots of things require special tools and special training.
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> His Stigness
01/04/2019 at 12:48 |
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This was very much the experience of working on my E39. There was always a method to the madness, and it was usually pretty damn nifty.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> daender
01/04/2019 at 16:15 |
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Yeah I ran into this fun discovery when I put mazdaspeed headlights in my ‘01. Thankfully there are vendors that sell custom wiring harnesses to deal with it. But I was just perplexed to find out that they made such an odd change. It is the same exact housing just with a different bulb in there and a different connector because of it. Lights seem to work the same.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 16:15 |
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Unbroken oil dipstick!
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> IJustWantMyZBack
01/04/2019 at 16:18 |
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My first time doing it (with help from a friend who also came with power tools) and we finished it in about 5 hours. We actually got the timing wrong because he had only ever done an NA before and its slightly different than the NB2. It ran like shit the first time we started it. Then after disassembling it almost entirely, we got it right because it was off by a tooth. Once it was all back together a second time , it ran great. Lots of hair pulling due to that fiasco. But if you do it right, it should take less time. I’d budget at least a whole day though and follow a thorough guide. Its non-interference so you dont have to worry about doing it wrong at least!
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ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 16:20 |
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This car has been treated gently and maintained mostly by either myself or the miata shop before my Dad bought it.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/04/2019 at 16:38 |
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Yeah, its just so rare to see! That was how I knew the Miata I looked at was quality, it had an unbroken dipstick lol. First one I looked at had a broken one and never had any maintenance done to it pretty much in 130k miles. Just oil, brakes, and tires. Glad I passed up on that one! These motors will gladly last a while with nothing done but it helps reliability a little if some care is taken haha.
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daender
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 19:35 |
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...I just-now realized I could’ve been in the same situation when I bought my Mazdaspeed head lights from Parts Group.