2008 MX-5 factory workshop manual doesn't explain how stuff works?

hillpc wrote:
> This is my first Mazda; what a sweet little car. As I do with every
> car I buy, new or used, I bought the service manual and wiring
> diagram. Compared to the GM or Ford service manuals, though, there's
> virtually nothing in there about how the systems work. For instance I
> was hoping to learn about the Xenon headlamps, the variable valve
> timing, but there's nothing except what bolts to take off in what
> order. Seems pretty lame to me. Is this kind of info in another
> manual?
i have used haynes manuals for my ol brit stuff, (there is some really
fun(ny) stuff in there), and was a bit disconcerted with the format of
the mazda manual...at first. while i like learning.knowing how things
work, i now find the mazda manual to be fairly clear. i do wish they
would say things like leave the three right side tranny bolts loose so
it will be easy to install the clucth cylinder and wiring harness.

guess where i left off installing the motor yeaterday

peter in ct

peter wrote:

> i have used haynes manuals for my ol brit stuff, (there is some really
> fun(ny) stuff in there), and was a bit disconcerted with the format of
> the mazda manual...at first. while i like learning.knowing how things
> work, i now find the mazda manual to be fairly clear. i do wish they
> would say things like leave the three right side tranny bolts loose so
> it will be easy to install the clucth cylinder and wiring harness.
>
> guess where i left off installing the motor yeaterday
>
> peter in ct

I'm not sure if the enthusiasts manual mentions that or not, but I have
found it to be sufficient for most of the repairs on the first
generation Miata.

I wonder about this one by Haynes, never seen it but I'm sure that I
will read it eventually.

http://www.amazon.com/Mazda-MX-5-Mia.../dp/1844252434

Pat

pws > wrote:

> I wonder about this one by Haynes, never seen it but I'm sure that
> I will read it eventually.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Mazda-MX-5-Mia.../dp/1844252434

I have to wonder about renovating a Miata since good used ones seem
fairly easy to come by at prices that aren't too terribly high?

--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org

XS11E wrote:

> I have to wonder about renovating a Miata since good used ones seem
> fairly easy to come by at prices that aren't too terribly high?

It depends. If bodywork is involved, that almost automatically knocks it
out as a practical restoration project since both bodywork and paint are
so terribly high.

I have seen this two times, where the bodywork/paint repair costs would
have come close to or even exceeded the value of the car when after it
was fixed.

If the problem is just some parts that have worn out, then that can be a
deal depending on what is wrong with it, especially if you have extra
parts sitting around.
A lot of Miatas are finally getting old enough that people will dump
them for next to nothing rather than do that $800.00 transmission job,
$800.00 top replacement, high-dollar head gasket repair, etc.

Obviously labor is saved from doing the job yourself, and used parts in
good condition are available in high quantities because there are so
many of these cars, and it appears that a fair percentage are wrecked.

There was a '94 listed as having steering damage and a bad top for
$600.00, just over 100K miles.
It looked great in the pictures, but who knows without a good look-over?

It was worth far more than $600.00 in parts, especially if it had a
torsen differential, but it was also a possible candidate for getting
back on the road.

It was gone within 2 hours of the seller posting it on Craigslist.

If those two issues were the only major problems, I could have put a
cheap top on it using my own labor, replaced the steering with a unit
that I already have, (or I could have bought one for $125.00 at the time
if I had needed it), and then sold the car for something in the $3000.00
range, possibly as high as $3500.00 if it drove as nice as it looked in
the pictures after being fixed.

Car - $600.00
Top - $400.00ish
steering - $150.00ish, or free in this case.
My labor- priceless, maybe 12 hours total.

So, for two days work, or one long day, it might have been possible to
make over $2000.00 turning this car around.
It might have also had a nightmare list of other problems, but with the
parts value as an alternative, I would have checked it out.

Still, in so many cases, it does not makes sense to restore them.
Why spend $5000.00 reconditioning a car that has a blue book value of
$3000.00 when you are done?

I would rather find a 5-speed version of that cherry-looking white 1993
Miata that I linked you to the other day and just pay the extra money at
the time, it's not like a bank is going to finance "me" on a 16 year old
car anyway.

I might do that with a low-mileage '96M one day. That is still the best
car that I have ever owned, nothing else has ever come close to the
combination of fun and reliability for 5 years.
There were literally zero problems that were not caused by aftermarket
parts giving out or by running into something.
The '95M is also a consideration, they are my two favorite Miata models.

If you are still reading this, you must be really bored today........ :-)

Pat

pws > wrote:

> XS11E wrote:
>
>> I have to wonder about renovating a Miata since good used ones
>> seem fairly easy to come by at prices that aren't too terribly
>> high?
>
> It depends. If bodywork is involved, that almost automatically
> knocks it out as a practical restoration project since both
> bodywork and paint are so terribly high.

Before I got mine, I looked at an "M" edition, the Merlot one.
Mechanically excellent but some body damage in more than one area. I
*KNOW* from experience I cannot do body work (no patience at all) so I
didn't waste time on it. The seller, realizing how much work was
required, had dropped the price to only $1,000 over high book for that
model(!).

> If you are still reading this, you must be really bored
> today........ :-)

I quit after "It depends." ;-)



--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org

Ya, I guess I was bored ;-) Whatever! Hey, I have to agree that I like the
95-96 M-Edition quite a bit but mostly because of the seats (separate
headrests, as good functionally as all of the NA seats but better looking
with those headrests) of course, you lose the headrest speakers :-(

cd
99BBB

"pws" > wrote in message
...
> XS11E wrote:
>
>> I have to wonder about renovating a Miata since good used ones seem
>> fairly easy to come by at prices that aren't too terribly high?
>
> It depends. If bodywork is involved, that almost automatically knocks it
> out as a practical restoration project since both bodywork and paint are
> so terribly high.
>
> I have seen this two times, where the bodywork/paint repair costs would
> have come close to or even exceeded the value of the car when after it was
> fixed.
>
> If the problem is just some parts that have worn out, then that can be a
> deal depending on what is wrong with it, especially if you have extra
> parts sitting around.
> A lot of Miatas are finally getting old enough that people will dump them
> for next to nothing rather than do that $800.00 transmission job, $800.00
> top replacement, high-dollar head gasket repair, etc.
>
> Obviously labor is saved from doing the job yourself, and used parts in
> good condition are available in high quantities because there are so many
> of these cars, and it appears that a fair percentage are wrecked.
>
> There was a '94 listed as having steering damage and a bad top for
> $600.00, just over 100K miles.
> It looked great in the pictures, but who knows without a good look-over?
>
> It was worth far more than $600.00 in parts, especially if it had a torsen
> differential, but it was also a possible candidate for getting back on the
> road.
>
> It was gone within 2 hours of the seller posting it on Craigslist.
>
> If those two issues were the only major problems, I could have put a cheap
> top on it using my own labor, replaced the steering with a unit that I
> already have, (or I could have bought one for $125.00 at the time if I had
> needed it), and then sold the car for something in the $3000.00 range,
> possibly as high as $3500.00 if it drove as nice as it looked in the
> pictures after being fixed.
>
> Car - $600.00
> Top - $400.00ish
> steering - $150.00ish, or free in this case.
> My labor- priceless, maybe 12 hours total.
>
> So, for two days work, or one long day, it might have been possible to
> make over $2000.00 turning this car around.
> It might have also had a nightmare list of other problems, but with the
> parts value as an alternative, I would have checked it out.
>
> Still, in so many cases, it does not makes sense to restore them.
> Why spend $5000.00 reconditioning a car that has a blue book value of
> $3000.00 when you are done?
>
> I would rather find a 5-speed version of that cherry-looking white 1993
> Miata that I linked you to the other day and just pay the extra money at
> the time, it's not like a bank is going to finance "me" on a 16 year old
> car anyway.
>
> I might do that with a low-mileage '96M one day. That is still the best
> car that I have ever owned, nothing else has ever come close to the
> combination of fun and reliability for 5 years.
> There were literally zero problems that were not caused by aftermarket
> parts giving out or by running into something.
> The '95M is also a consideration, they are my two favorite Miata models.
>
> If you are still reading this, you must be really bored today........
> :-)
>
> Pat

well, you did pretty good then, lol!

Chris
99BBB


>
> I quit after "It depends." ;-)
>
>
>
> --
> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project:
> http://improve-usenet.org

Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
> Ya, I guess I was bored ;-) Whatever! Hey, I have to agree that I like
> the 95-96 M-Edition quite a bit but mostly because of the seats
> (separate headrests, as good functionally as all of the NA seats but
> better looking with those headrests) of course, you lose the headrest
> speakers :-(
>
> cd
> 99BBB

It's the '95M that has seats without the attached headrests or speakers,
the '96M has the same seats as the other leather packages, just with the
"M" logo embroidered into it.

I'm not really worried about having the headrest speakers, but I do like
the color of the '96 better.
The shift knob is much better on the '95M than the '96M, imo, but I
would replace either one with a round voodoo so that is not a factor for me.

Wouldn't turn down either one with low, but not too low miles.....I do
like the Merlot color a lot as well.

New shocks, FM sways, good tires, a rollbar, and a real oil pressure
gauge and it would be ready to go.

Pat

Agreed, that would be a nice ride! I'll have to keep that in mind that my
favorite miata seats are only '95 M Edition' seats! Hey, I really liked the
headrest speakers. I replaced the factory ones with the Max-5's IIRC and
they were very functional.

Chris


"pws" > wrote in message
...
> Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
>> Ya, I guess I was bored ;-) Whatever! Hey, I have to agree that I like
>> the 95-96 M-Edition quite a bit but mostly because of the seats (separate
>> headrests, as good functionally as all of the NA seats but better looking
>> with those headrests) of course, you lose the headrest speakers :-(
>>
>> cd
>> 99BBB
>
> It's the '95M that has seats without the attached headrests or speakers,
> the '96M has the same seats as the other leather packages, just with the
> "M" logo embroidered into it.
>
> I'm not really worried about having the headrest speakers, but I do like
> the color of the '96 better.
> The shift knob is much better on the '95M than the '96M, imo, but I would
> replace either one with a round voodoo so that is not a factor for me.
>
> Wouldn't turn down either one with low, but not too low miles.....I do
> like the Merlot color a lot as well.
>
> New shocks, FM sways, good tires, a rollbar, and a real oil pressure gauge
> and it would be ready to go.
>
> Pat