http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...ersHome.action

go here, enter vin, if it came from a MS, it will show trim level as "MS"

also check that the 12th vin charachter is a 4 or a 5 which IIRC should show that this is the 4th or 5th year that this version (NB2 started as a '1' in 2001) was offered, which would place the year as 2004 or 2005.

So there's the way to tell if a trans came from a MSM, but does the MSM trans actually have a different part number than a non-MSM trans? That's the key bit right there...

Different part #

I would like to know how hot we can safely run them as well. The shop i took my broken 99 6-speed too told me the gears had gotten "hot" at some point in there life. Which most likely weakened the gears, eventually leading to them failing.

Trans cooler anyone?

The problem is that electric oil pumps are not cheap at all. By the time you get a cooler, fittings, pump, and the lines, you're looking at $700-800 for a tranny cooler setup.

I always wondered about the feasability of using a power steering pump for a trans. oil cooler.

I was poking around regarding NC trannies and it appears that the NC 6 speeds basically use the same gear sets as NB 6 speeds. So at least there will be replacements aplenty in a few years. Wish the MZR had the same bolt pattern as the 1.8, but thats just asking too much.

Would one of these help you guys? Put the inlet in the drain plug, and the outlet in the fill plug, with the cooler being mixed somewhere in the center. Just remember, motors have an easier time pushing then they do pulling. Not much flow is needed, as it will give the cooler time to do what its supposed to.
http://www.amazon.com/6-5L-1-7gal-Co.../dp/B002PDBRXE

So you're suggesting using a CPU/fish tank pump to move hot gear oil?

Or are you thinking of something more like this: http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pro....asp?RecId=156

More like that, but it doesn't need to flow much of anything.

A bit cheaper source for that pump from Tilton.
http://eastcoastspeed.com/cart/index...word=TIL40-524

I jsut barely hit 241* trans temps yesterday in 94* heat at the track.

You have a temp sender or just a sticker on the case? 250 on the sticker means you have a toasty downpipe or we're immeasurably fucked.

The sticker was on the passenger side of the trans between "webbing" on the case.

edit: I looked again and was wrong. It hit 230*f and just started to kick over 241* but didn't fully turn black on the sticker, just gray in the center.

If the case is 230+, god knows how hot the fluid is.

http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/oilsystems.htm

I came on this a long time ago when I was looking at oil pump issues at high RPM ( I now know to just rev to 7K, get a Boundary pump, and call it a day.) and its not only a good read, the equipment looks pretty nice. Their stuff, some lines and fittings, and maybe a 100 dollar oil cooler might just do the trick. Maybe 500 bucks or so. Not exactly cheap, but if it saves a 6 speed its not a bad idea. Eventually they will get rare.

Who is running FI Miatas in endurance racing? Anyone?

Edit: Maybe Eyesore Racing has some input on this?

Finally got mine pulled apart today. Any thoughts?

Attachment 196711

too much torque. looks very similar to my 07 wrx transmission except even more so:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g9...Picture033.jpg


Never launched hard, never mis shifted, never power shifted. Went over 330wtq and it said "SEE YA"

How does the helical gear tooth angle compare to the 5-speed?

Matt's exhaust is like 2 feet long......

Time to heat shield the downpipe and trans from each other and re-test.....

Bump, I lost my 6-speed at Laguna this weekend. Steady pull in 4th and it let go. :(