Miatapower List Archive

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Nick Horianopoulos" <(email redacted)>

Yayyyy!!! Just when I thought I was going to have to endure another =
boring summer of driving my Miata without incurring huge repair bills, I =
was pulling into my church parking lot this evening (annual Greek =
Festival preparation), when I heard huge rattling sounds coming from my =
tranny box.

It stops when you push in the clutch. I was hoping that it might be the =
kevlar clutch, but one of our parisioners owns a tranny repair shop, and =
he heard it, and thinks it's the tranny. He said that a few years back, =
when the F/I Miatas first came out, he did a rash of repairs on broken =
trannies -- apparently they're kind of weak in spotty and unpredictable =
ways when extra power is applied.

I'm praying it's the clutch -- Bill identified a leaky slave, and I was =
a shlocker about replacing it, so if I fucked the FM kevlar clutch, it's =
probably my responsibility. I checked the fluid, but didn't have to top =
off -- maybe he meant that it was leaking internally?=20

Anyway, I've got 20K on the g-damned thing, and a year-and-a-half + of =
driving, with just under 10K and 1 year of 15 pounds of boost. so if it =
was gonna shit the bed, it would have done so earlier.

I'm willing to bet that I'll toss off $1000 (and three weeks) easy on a =
trans job (unless it's a clutch, and every time I've ever had one =
rebuilt, they've come apart less than 4,000 miles later. I don't know =
what to do, or how I'm gonna dredge up the frickin' money to make this =
happen.

Should I let this guy rebuild it (he says that he can build me a tranny =
that's capable of taking power much better than stock; he's done it for =
Miatas before), should I seek one from a rebuilding house, should I look =
for a used tranny, or should I buy one new?

Anybody need any freelance graphic design done? :@)

Anybody got a car I can borrow for a couple to three weeks?

Nick Horianopoulos

Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted)


I'd like to know what he does to increase it's power capabilities. -Randy

<< Should I let this guy rebuild it (he says that he can build me a tranny
that's capable of taking power much better than stock; he's done it for
Miatas before), should I seek one from a rebuilding house, should I look for
a used tranny, or should I buy one new? >>

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted)


As frustrating as it is to have mechanical failures I'd readily pay
$1k/20k miles to have this kind of fun.

Somebody asked me what I'd do if I blew my engine. Without hesitation I
told them if I thought it would ruin the engine I'd have a spare in the
garage.

Drivetrain wounds heal faster than bodywork...

Ralph

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: Larry Alster <(email redacted)>




(email redacted) wrote:

> As frustrating as it is to have mechanical failures I'd readily pay
> $1k/20k miles to have this kind of fun.
>
> Somebody asked me what I'd do if I blew my engine. Without hesitation I
> told them if I thought it would ruin the engine I'd have a spare in the
> garage.
>
> Drivetrain wounds heal faster than bodywork...
>
> Ralph

I hate to sound harsh here Nick but you seem to think that you can modify
your car to a fairly high performance level and never have a bit of trouble
with it. I agree that you should be able to expect a fair level of
reliability but you still need to be realistic. When you are running 15 PSI
of boost you have greatly exceeded the original power levels and have to
expect the possibilities of failures.

If this is your only vehicle and can't afford down time maybe you need to
drop back to a more reasonable level of power.

When we decided to add the turbo to the Silver car my wife asked what would
happen if the motor blew. My answer was that we would just have to get a
new motor.

The old saying "You want to play you got to pay" applies when you go out
side of the envelope on performance modifications.

--
Larry Alster

1991 "White Knight" CSP #99
1992 "Silver Bullet" EM #17 BEGI Stage IV+
1992 "Honey Bee"


________________________________________________________
NetZero - We believe in a FREE Internet. Shouldn't you?
Get your FREE Internet Access and Email at
netzero.net/download/index.html

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Mel Hoagland" <(email redacted)>

It seems, Nick, that we turbocharged Mazda beta testers have found =
another weak link. I lost my transmission a few weeks ago. I had =
approximately 46k on it, and had the turbo in for about 5k. I found a =
used 96 with 17k on it for $295 and Lester had it installed in a day. =
All in all I feel very lucky (except for the precious track time I =
missed!). Total time off the road: 2 days (not counting the weekend).

For an extra $100 I kept the old gearbox. I'll be dismantling it some =
time in the future (might be a good winter project). I'll post what I =
learn.

I hope you get your problem solved as easily as I did. I'm still sold on =
the car (and the transmission).

Happy motoring,

Mel
------------------------------------------------------------
Mel Hoagland ((email redacted))
"Wheezy" black 96 FMII vrrooommmm
-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Horianopoulos <(email redacted)>
To: miata3 <(email redacted)>
Date: Thursday, June 24, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo HOOO!
=20
=20
Yayyyy!!! Just when I thought I was going to have to endure another =
boring summer of driving my Miata without incurring huge repair bills, I =
was pulling into my church parking lot this evening (annual Greek =
Festival preparation), when I heard huge rattling sounds coming from my =
tranny box.
=20
It stops when you push in the clutch. I was hoping that it might be =
the kevlar clutch, but one of our parisioners owns a tranny repair shop, =
and he heard it, and thinks it's the tranny. He said that a few years =
back, when the F/I Miatas first came out, he did a rash of repairs on =
broken trannies -- apparently they're kind of weak in spotty and =
unpredictable ways when extra power is applied.
=20
I'm praying it's the clutch -- Bill identified a leaky slave, and I =
was a shlocker about replacing it, so if I fucked the FM kevlar clutch, =
it's probably my responsibility. I checked the fluid, but didn't have to =
top off -- maybe he meant that it was leaking internally?=20
=20
Anyway, I've got 20K on the g-damned thing, and a year-and-a-half + =
of driving, with just under 10K and 1 year of 15 pounds of boost. so if =
it was gonna shit the bed, it would have done so earlier.
=20
I'm willing to bet that I'll toss off $1000 (and three weeks) easy =
on a trans job (unless it's a clutch, and every time I've ever had one =
rebuilt, they've come apart less than 4,000 miles later. I don't know =
what to do, or how I'm gonna dredge up the frickin' money to make this =
happen.
=20
Should I let this guy rebuild it (he says that he can build me a =
tranny that's capable of taking power much better than stock; he's done =
it for Miatas before), should I seek one from a rebuilding house, should =
I look for a used tranny, or should I buy one new?
=20
Anybody need any freelance graphic design done? :@)
=20
Anybody got a car I can borrow for a couple to three weeks?
=20
Nick Horianopoulos
=20
Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek
=20
=20

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Nick Horianopoulos" <(email redacted)>

Yep, the great additional news is that this mutherfu*king thief =
sonofab*tch I took my car to wants $2,375 to put in a rebuilt tranny =
from a rebuilding house, $1700 to rebuild it himself, or $1,500 to put =
in a tranny from a junkyard.

He can kiss my red rosy, I assure you.

I've been told by numerous folks that I can pick up a tranny for $400, =
and if I'm paying $600, I'm getting screwed, so I wonder if this piece =
of filth is billing me a $300/hr flat rate, or he's rating this as a =
40-hour job?

Unbelievable!

Nick Horianopoulos

Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek


----- Original Message -----=20
From: Mel Hoagland=20
To: miata3=20
Sent: Friday, June 25, 1999 5:03 AM
Subject: Re: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo HOOO!


It seems, Nick, that we turbocharged Mazda beta testers have found =
another weak link. I lost my transmission a few weeks ago. I had =
approximately 46k on it, and had the turbo in for about 5k. I found a =
used 96 with 17k on it for $295 and Lester had it installed in a day. =
All in all I feel very lucky (except for the precious track time I =
missed!). Total time off the road: 2 days (not counting the weekend).
=20
For an extra $100 I kept the old gearbox. I'll be dismantling it some =
time in the future (might be a good winter project). I'll post what I =
learn.
=20
I hope you get your problem solved as easily as I did. I'm still sold =
on the car (and the transmission).
=20
Happy motoring,
=20
Mel
------------------------------------------------------------
Mel Hoagland ((email redacted))
"Wheezy" black 96 FMII vrrooommmm
-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Horianopoulos <(email redacted)>
To: miata3 <(email redacted)>
Date: Thursday, June 24, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo HOOO!


Yayyyy!!! Just when I thought I was going to have to endure another =
boring summer of driving my Miata without incurring huge repair bills, I =
was pulling into my church parking lot this evening (annual Greek =
Festival preparation), when I heard huge rattling sounds coming from my =
tranny box.

It stops when you push in the clutch. I was hoping that it might be =
the kevlar clutch, but one of our parisioners owns a tranny repair shop, =
and he heard it, and thinks it's the tranny. He said that a few years =
back, when the F/I Miatas first came out, he did a rash of repairs on =
broken trannies -- apparently they're kind of weak in spotty and =
unpredictable ways when extra power is applied.

I'm praying it's the clutch -- Bill identified a leaky slave, and I =
was a shlocker about replacing it, so if I fucked the FM kevlar clutch, =
it's probably my responsibility. I checked the fluid, but didn't have to =
top off -- maybe he meant that it was leaking internally?=20
=20
Anyway, I've got 20K on the g-damned thing, and a year-and-a-half + =
of driving, with just under 10K and 1 year of 15 pounds of boost. so if =
it was gonna shit the bed, it would have done so earlier.

I'm willing to bet that I'll toss off $1000 (and three weeks) easy =
on a trans job (unless it's a clutch, and every time I've ever had one =
rebuilt, they've come apart less than 4,000 miles later. I don't know =
what to do, or how I'm gonna dredge up the frickin' money to make this =
happen.

Should I let this guy rebuild it (he says that he can build me a =
tranny that's capable of taking power much better than stock; he's done =
it for Miatas before), should I seek one from a rebuilding house, should =
I look for a used tranny, or should I buy one new?

Anybody need any freelance graphic design done? :@)

Anybody got a car I can borrow for a couple to three weeks?

Nick Horianopoulos

Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek

=20

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: "Mel Hoagland" <(email redacted)>

Nick, if your mechanic hasn't yet done the job, I suggest getting the =
car away from him. No way this job is worth that much money, even if =
your car is brand spankin new (well, maybe if it's BRAND new, but you =
could probably work with the dealer in that case). ABC Used Auto Parts =
in Leominster, MA does a nationwide business. Their number is =
1-800-252-8073. They're huge, computerized and can search for you if =
they don't have something immediately at hand. I've never gone wrong =
with them. When I got my replacement, a 96 with 17k miles on it, they =
had another with 35k on it for $350, which included a $100 core charge.

Good luck and SMILE... ~/` =3D )~

Mel
------------------------------------------------------------
Mel Hoagland ((email redacted))
"Wheezy" black 96 FMII vrrooommmm
-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Horianopoulos <(email redacted)>
To: Mel Hoagland <(email redacted)>; miata3 =
<(email redacted)>
Date: Monday, June 28, 1999 1:16 AM
Subject: Re: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo =
HOOO!
=20
=20
Yep, the great additional news is that this mutherfu*king thief =
sonofab*tch I took my car to wants $2,375 to put in a rebuilt tranny =
from a rebuilding house, $1700 to rebuild it himself, or $1,500 to put =
in a tranny from a junkyard.
=20
He can kiss my red rosy, I assure you.
=20
I've been told by numerous folks that I can pick up a tranny for =
$400, and if I'm paying $600, I'm getting screwed, so I wonder if this =
piece of filth is billing me a $300/hr flat rate, or he's rating this as =
a 40-hour job?
=20
Unbelievable!
=20
Nick Horianopoulos
=20
Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek
=20
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Mel Hoagland=20
To: miata3=20
Sent: Friday, June 25, 1999 5:03 AM
Subject: Re: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo =
HOOO!
=20
=20
It seems, Nick, that we turbocharged Mazda beta testers have =
found another weak link. I lost my transmission a few weeks ago. I had =
approximately 46k on it, and had the turbo in for about 5k. I found a =
used 96 with 17k on it for $295 and Lester had it installed in a day. =
All in all I feel very lucky (except for the precious track time I =
missed!). Total time off the road: 2 days (not counting the weekend).
=20
For an extra $100 I kept the old gearbox. I'll be dismantling it =
some time in the future (might be a good winter project). I'll post what =
I learn.
=20
I hope you get your problem solved as easily as I did. I'm still =
sold on the car (and the transmission).
=20
Happy motoring,
=20
Mel
------------------------------------------------------------
Mel Hoagland ((email redacted))
"Wheezy" black 96 FMII vrrooommmm
-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Horianopoulos <(email redacted)>
To: miata3 <(email redacted)>
Date: Thursday, June 24, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Great frickin' news!! My transmission's hosed! Whoo =
HOOO!
=20
=20
Yayyyy!!! Just when I thought I was going to have to endure =
another boring summer of driving my Miata without incurring huge repair =
bills, I was pulling into my church parking lot this evening (annual =
Greek Festival preparation), when I heard huge rattling sounds coming =
from my tranny box.
=20
It stops when you push in the clutch. I was hoping that it =
might be the kevlar clutch, but one of our parisioners owns a tranny =
repair shop, and he heard it, and thinks it's the tranny. He said that a =
few years back, when the F/I Miatas first came out, he did a rash of =
repairs on broken trannies -- apparently they're kind of weak in spotty =
and unpredictable ways when extra power is applied.
=20
I'm praying it's the clutch -- Bill identified a leaky =
slave, and I was a shlocker about replacing it, so if I fucked the FM =
kevlar clutch, it's probably my responsibility. I checked the fluid, but =
didn't have to top off -- maybe he meant that it was leaking internally? =

=20
Anyway, I've got 20K on the g-damned thing, and a =
year-and-a-half + of driving, with just under 10K and 1 year of 15 =
pounds of boost. so if it was gonna shit the bed, it would have done so =
earlier.
=20
I'm willing to bet that I'll toss off $1000 (and three =
weeks) easy on a trans job (unless it's a clutch, and every time I've =
ever had one rebuilt, they've come apart less than 4,000 miles later. I =
don't know what to do, or how I'm gonna dredge up the frickin' money to =
make this happen.
=20
Should I let this guy rebuild it (he says that he can build =
me a tranny that's capable of taking power much better than stock; he's =
done it for Miatas before), should I seek one from a rebuilding house, =
should I look for a used tranny, or should I buy one new?
=20
Anybody need any freelance graphic design done? :@)
=20
Anybody got a car I can borrow for a couple to three weeks?
=20
Nick Horianopoulos
=20
Come visit my web page at concentric.net/~greek
=20
=20