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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / January 2008The new sensor is here! The new sensor is here!
"Things are going to start happening to me now"...... If you have seen "The Jerk", the part where Steve Martin gets his phone book while working/living at the gas station was about my reaction when the UPS truck pulled up with my part. Fingers crossed.....tools ready to go. We'll see...... Pat So you're saying you finally got your name in print!? On an Invoice, I guess. Hey it's a start! Chris 99BBB > "Things are going to start happening to me now"...... > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Pat > So you're saying you finally got your name in print!? On an Invoice, I > guess. Hey it's a start! > > Chris > 99BBB Oh yeah! New 3/8" magnetic sensor is in, diagnostics are good, and the car fires up. Now I just need to secure the wiring. The old sensor looked in pretty bad shape. If I somehow keep this car, I will probably upgrade to the 1/2" version eventually. For now, I just want it back on the road and didn't feel like modifying the sensor mount. My one hour time estimate took more like 2 hours total. Not too far off for me....... Pat > Oh yeah! New 3/8" magnetic sensor is in, diagnostics are good, and > the car fires up. Now I just need to secure the wiring. You're out of duct tape? <G>  SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org > You're out of duct tape? <G> Duct tape is more essential to life than oxygen. I would never run out of that, any sooner than I would give up my JB Weld or my BFH...... :-) Pat - going out for a ride, finally. Good luck with the new sensor! Duct (Quack) tape aside, I had to bite the bullet and go back to stock ignition, (no parts for the "spitfire coil over", the supplier didn't bother to call me back). Either one coil over is intermittent, or the control unit has a problem. The symptom is one that generally points to a failing power VFET or a poor connection inside the coil. Naturally, one of the original reasons for going to the "Spitfire" was that the stock ignition was acting like the coils had the dreaded Miata coil pack disease. Frabjous Joy! Replacing the stock coil pack is no fun. Since I forgot to order the rubber bushing at the bottom of the assembly, I had to mount the new coils on the old bracket. Besides that the behind engine clearance was such that none of my socket wrenches fit, so I ended up getting a new socket and adapter to use a smaller ratchet with the correct length and size socket. Had to wear gloves to keep from cutting up my hands as I'm very adept at finding all the sharp edges the hard way. > > You're out of duct tape? <G> > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Pat - going out for a ride, finally. > Good luck with the new sensor! Thank you! It looks like all is well. I was taking the new sensor out to the car and it got near the metal filing cabinet and starting swinging that direction before I pulled it back. Once I had the faulty sensor off, the old one would not even hold its own weight up when used as a magnet against the same filing cabinet. > Duct (Quack) tape aside, I had to bite the bullet and go back to stock > ignition, (no parts for the "spitfire coil over", the supplier didn't bother [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > and adapter to use a smaller ratchet with the correct length and size > socket. If you had trouble with it, I don't ever want to mess with such a thing. The coils on my '91 are located on the firewall where the windshield wiper reservoir used to be. They are about as easy to get to as possible with a 3/8" ratchet. Had to wear gloves to keep from cutting up my hands as I'm very > adept at finding all the sharp edges the hard way. I am sure that a crime lab could find many traces of my blood inside the engine compartment of any car I have owned. Really should wear the gloves more often. The injuries have decreased overall as my auto tools have gotten better. I recently showed a person how ratchet extensions and breaker bars can be your friends and save your knuckles. Pat Well, the all new (coils, wires, plugs) OEM ignition is in. (After small gouge in thumb from stubborn plastic connector, and a couple of small scrapes on the back of my right hand. Fired up this afternoon for the first time, ran OK. Next, I've gotta cleanup the wiring and cabling and find the plug wire gudes that were reomoved when the coil over system was mounted. Then and only then can I put the front brace back on. The 99's coil pack mounts on the rear of the engine, with the primary side cable running to the front of the engine. It's a very poor location from the standpoints of access and heat buildup. > > Good luck with the new sensor! > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Pat > Well, the all new (coils, wires, plugs) OEM ignition is in. (After small > gouge in thumb from stubborn plastic connector, and a couple of small [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > cable running to the front of the engine. It's a very poor location from the > standpoints of access and heat buildup. Don't you love that kind of job? I still have a few wires to finish up myself. My coil packs are entirely exposed, and away from high heat sources, but it did require the removal of the windshield washer reservoir to bolt them to the firewall. Luckily, I have the alternate reservoir system for Miatas with ABS, (located next to the left front wheel under the nose), but I have never gotten around to installing it. Pat I actually stopped and thought about mounting the coil on the other side of the firewall, and making a box for it. Getting the right length plug wires would be a problem, at least with the wires going to #1 & #2. Decided that that was a lot of trouble, and I'd think about it again if the new coilpack fails. > Don't you love that kind of job? I still have a few wires to finish up > myself. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Pat > I actually stopped and thought about mounting the coil on the other side of > the firewall, and making a box for it. > Getting the right length plug wires would be a problem, at least with the > wires going to #1 & #2. > Decided that that was a lot of trouble, and I'd think about it again if the > new coilpack fails. Would this have been easier to deal with? :-) http://img.inkfrog.com/pix/pat/directfireunits.jpg Yeah, I know the engine bay is dirty, so is the outside of the car.... Pat Maybe-- I don't know what is or isn't compatable with the miata primary firing pulse from the ECU. The picture shows a pair of coils mounted over the rear of the engine. This is a fairly hot location that is well sheltered from water. Actually, I'd be more tempted to try and find something like the coil over system that failed. In retrospect, the coil over system controller must have been sick for some time. Removing it solved a bunch of issues, at least for the present. Cold starting after overnight cold soak (24F) with the new OEM coil pack, plugs and NGK "Blues" was much faster than it has ever been, even with the original OEM coil pack. Warm start is usually fast, with the occasional two revolutions or so needed for the ECU to figure out where the timing wheel is. > > I actually stopped and thought about mounting the coil on the other side of > > the firewall, and making a box for it. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Pat > Maybe-- I don't know what is or isn't compatable with the miata primary > firing pulse from the ECU. Ahh, I was referring to physical access, didn't consider compatibility. > The picture shows a pair of coils mounted over the rear of the engine. This > is a fairly hot location that is well sheltered from water. Yes, but it is on the "cold side" of the engine, as I have heard it described. :-) Maybe cooler than the exhaust and turbo side, but it gets hot as hell after driving around for a while. > Actually, I'd be more tempted to try and find something like the coil over > system that failed. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > revolutions or so needed for the ECU to figure out where the timing wheel > is. Excellent! My own car also seems to be driving better. I would think that the ECU would let me know when the magnetic sensor started to fail, but maybe not. It could also be in my head, the car was down for about 3 weeks and it was going to seem fast no matter what after what I have been driving. Pat |
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