Enter only if bored. Help Ed decide on a Miata.
02-04-2014, 05:03 PM
#63
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Well, i highly doubt I'll need them anytime soon TBH. the brake cooling ducts should increase the effectiveness of stock-ish rotors and calipers, and I've never participated in a real track day. Chances are, my first one will be Miatas at MRLS in September so I'll just be out to have a good time.
I'll upgrade them eventually though
Just got to get the car first!
I'll upgrade them eventually though
Just got to get the car first!
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02-06-2014, 02:46 AM
#64
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I haven't been let down. Tune is super conservative, car runs strong but nothing crazy. That will change
My rear end is going to be so hammered by the end of tomorrow
Seriously though, this driver seat is wayyyyy too small. Maybe Vlad can hook me up with a stock seat on the way......
My rear end is going to be so hammered by the end of tomorrow
Seriously though, this driver seat is wayyyyy too small. Maybe Vlad can hook me up with a stock seat on the way......
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02-06-2014, 09:06 AM
#65
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Woot! Another grey NB to add to the NW stable of grey NBs. Enjoy that ride home. The wife and I just made in it her 3 from Glen Ellen to Oregon City. Shared the driving in a comfortable hatch. No thanks. Plane for me.
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02-06-2014, 11:34 AM
#66
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Very Nice!
Watch your *** driving through CA, we are finally getting some real rain today. I know you are an PacNW Bro so rain is no biggie but the locals get stupid when the rain starts falling.
Watch your *** driving through CA, we are finally getting some real rain today. I know you are an PacNW Bro so rain is no biggie but the locals get stupid when the rain starts falling.
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02-07-2014, 02:13 AM
#69
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So after I took that last pic I got in the car and tried to leave. Car said nope. Can't even get enough traction to move, even rocking the car forward and back. FML. I'm spending the night here.
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02-07-2014, 08:43 AM
#71
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I thought you had gone all club ricer in the first pic, parked under a semi. 
Then I thought you were stuck under said semi..
Hopefully you got out this morning, and hopefully that's the last time the car see's snow.
Then I thought you were stuck under said semi..
Hopefully you got out this morning, and hopefully that's the last time the car see's snow.
Last edited by M.Adamovits; 02-07-2014 at 09:28 AM.
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02-07-2014, 03:36 PM
#73
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So, like Dillon said, I did end up going the rest of the way home.
As I sat in my too-small race seat I realized that was just NOT going to work. It was 11 PM, and the road would still be ice but MORE crowded in the daytime.
I went over to the free newspaper advertizement bin and grabbed a stack of them. laid them out behind the tires and jammed them under and was able to get moving again. Stopped about 18 miles south of Salem to try to get a room but they were all full... and got stuck again. This time it took me about 25 minutes to get the car moving again. Had to stop in Salem for gas and then rolled on in to Portland. I couldn't quite get the car up into our apartment complex, so I had to bust out the TDI to tow it the last 10 feet up the hill. Thank goodness for the tow hook installed by the PO
There is FAR more drama that happened on the trip: I had to stop twice to do repairs on the car, I put a pillow in the bottom of the seat to make it less painful (resulting in my head touching the hardtop), I went sideways in the snow innumerable times... But all in all, I love the car and I'm glad to be home.
Unfortunately it's going to have to wait a while before I'll get to drive it. What a mess Portland is right now!
As I sat in my too-small race seat I realized that was just NOT going to work. It was 11 PM, and the road would still be ice but MORE crowded in the daytime.
I went over to the free newspaper advertizement bin and grabbed a stack of them. laid them out behind the tires and jammed them under and was able to get moving again. Stopped about 18 miles south of Salem to try to get a room but they were all full... and got stuck again. This time it took me about 25 minutes to get the car moving again. Had to stop in Salem for gas and then rolled on in to Portland. I couldn't quite get the car up into our apartment complex, so I had to bust out the TDI to tow it the last 10 feet up the hill. Thank goodness for the tow hook installed by the PO
There is FAR more drama that happened on the trip: I had to stop twice to do repairs on the car, I put a pillow in the bottom of the seat to make it less painful (resulting in my head touching the hardtop), I went sideways in the snow innumerable times... But all in all, I love the car and I'm glad to be home.
Unfortunately it's going to have to wait a while before I'll get to drive it. What a mess Portland is right now!
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02-08-2014, 03:51 PM
#75
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Updated. I keep walking by the car in this awful blizzard. If I had gotten the car just one week sooner I would have been all up and down the awesome roads. Instead it sits cowering, ice hanging off it everywhere. I can't even wash it because I can't even move it.
So so so glad this doesn't happen often here. I hate it.
So so so glad this doesn't happen often here. I hate it.
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02-09-2014, 09:54 PM
#76
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whoah dude, just came across your new avatar in another thread so i had to do a search of your history and found this one. Nice score with the new miata, congrats! I can't believe you found a car and pulled the trigger so quickly, +propz.
What repairs on the card did you have to make on this trip?
What repairs on the card did you have to make on this trip?
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02-10-2014, 02:09 AM
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Funny you should mention about the antifreeze...
So when I picked the car up the coolant was a little low so the P.O insisted on topping it off with distilled water. I could tell there was very little, if any, antifreeze. I also noticed that coolant temps on our drive were down around 130 (spa gauge). He said he wasn't sure if it had the thermostat mounted, but I had seen a thermostat housing in a box of parts so I figured it hadn't been running one. He said it was set up for fans to kick on at 180. I decided not to inform him that this is unwise and too cold.
As I was driving, the temps were often around 130 but sometimes as low as 120. Finally as I got further north, the coolant temperatures were down as low as 115 degrees. I had noticed that there was a black pipe where the thermostat housing should go in the rear out, so I decided to stop at an auto parts store, buy a proper thermostat, and put it in. Based on the super low fan on temperature I chose a 160 degree thermostat. It was a pain to get in but I finally got it in and then coolant temperatures stayed between 155 and 185 degrees.
after a couple of hours of driving like that, I noticed that the car suddenly began running quite rough and would stumble when I try to accelerate. I took the next exit and when I pulled up it was idling very rough and smoking. I thought I had blown the motor. (Note to Vlad: this was when I texted you). After several minutes of poking around under the hood, I couldn't find anything wrong, except the cold side of the radiator actually felt cold to the touch. It occurred to me that perhaps I did not burp the system properly when I installed the thermosEded
I started the car back up and it was running just fine, so I park it in a way appropriate for burping and let it burp for about 30 minutes. Ended up adding over a half gallon of coolant. After that stop the car ran as normal. a couple of times as the gas gauge was getting low but before the fuel light came on the caR would sputter some. I would fill it up and it would run fine again.
All in all I spent over an hour stopped for that. I also had to stop at Walmart to buy a pillow so my butt would stop taking so much punishment. Driver seat is toooooo narrow!
So anyway, that was the extent of the repairs. Car ran strong though. Amazing how it pulls past 100.
Vlad, I don't have a garage but I do have a covered space. The wind still produced icicles, and it's an utter mess after the trip. I wish I had a garage but for now will have to deal with what I have.
Thanks for the props and congrats guys. I have a ton to learn about this car and can't wait to get started. I will start with swapping the seats and doing a coolant flush and fill, the stuff in there didn't look so good (though I did ensure there's enough coolant to avoid freezing).
The car seems pretty solid. It has an exhaust leak somewhere, pretty sure right after the turbo. Will need to check the turbo to downpipe vband connection. I will need to get friendly with the Mazda techs at work.
I Also need to figure out a smog test solution. Exploring some options. I'll be going through the boxes of parts I got. I'll be selling some stuff, like my current driver seat. He almost gave me an FM intercooler kit for free too, but he decided to keep it. Blast!
Anyhow.... I know, too long. Will post more pics once the snow is gone. Should be Tuesday or Wednesday this week.
So when I picked the car up the coolant was a little low so the P.O insisted on topping it off with distilled water. I could tell there was very little, if any, antifreeze. I also noticed that coolant temps on our drive were down around 130 (spa gauge). He said he wasn't sure if it had the thermostat mounted, but I had seen a thermostat housing in a box of parts so I figured it hadn't been running one. He said it was set up for fans to kick on at 180. I decided not to inform him that this is unwise and too cold.
As I was driving, the temps were often around 130 but sometimes as low as 120. Finally as I got further north, the coolant temperatures were down as low as 115 degrees. I had noticed that there was a black pipe where the thermostat housing should go in the rear out, so I decided to stop at an auto parts store, buy a proper thermostat, and put it in. Based on the super low fan on temperature I chose a 160 degree thermostat. It was a pain to get in but I finally got it in and then coolant temperatures stayed between 155 and 185 degrees.
after a couple of hours of driving like that, I noticed that the car suddenly began running quite rough and would stumble when I try to accelerate. I took the next exit and when I pulled up it was idling very rough and smoking. I thought I had blown the motor. (Note to Vlad: this was when I texted you). After several minutes of poking around under the hood, I couldn't find anything wrong, except the cold side of the radiator actually felt cold to the touch. It occurred to me that perhaps I did not burp the system properly when I installed the thermosEded
I started the car back up and it was running just fine, so I park it in a way appropriate for burping and let it burp for about 30 minutes. Ended up adding over a half gallon of coolant. After that stop the car ran as normal. a couple of times as the gas gauge was getting low but before the fuel light came on the caR would sputter some. I would fill it up and it would run fine again.
All in all I spent over an hour stopped for that. I also had to stop at Walmart to buy a pillow so my butt would stop taking so much punishment. Driver seat is toooooo narrow!
So anyway, that was the extent of the repairs. Car ran strong though. Amazing how it pulls past 100.
Vlad, I don't have a garage but I do have a covered space. The wind still produced icicles, and it's an utter mess after the trip. I wish I had a garage but for now will have to deal with what I have.
Thanks for the props and congrats guys. I have a ton to learn about this car and can't wait to get started. I will start with swapping the seats and doing a coolant flush and fill, the stuff in there didn't look so good (though I did ensure there's enough coolant to avoid freezing).
The car seems pretty solid. It has an exhaust leak somewhere, pretty sure right after the turbo. Will need to check the turbo to downpipe vband connection. I will need to get friendly with the Mazda techs at work.
I Also need to figure out a smog test solution. Exploring some options. I'll be going through the boxes of parts I got. I'll be selling some stuff, like my current driver seat. He almost gave me an FM intercooler kit for free too, but he decided to keep it. Blast!
Anyhow.... I know, too long. Will post more pics once the snow is gone. Should be Tuesday or Wednesday this week.
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