Weekend wrapup: Miata work and engine prep

The Miata that we've been driving for Auto-X this year has had a progressively deteriorating clutch. We decided after a few too many slow launches at the starting cones that it was time to solve that problem.

We put the car up on jackstands during the week, and started pulling exhaust, wiring, etc out of the way of the transmission. Also pulled the driveshaft. We decided to fix the rattle in the exhaust "while we were at it".

..Cue a half hour of exhaust maze work, trying to untangle it from the rear subframe brace, bumper, etc. The cat-back is a pretty big piece on an NA miata. We finally got it out, cut off the heat shield, only to find it still rattled. Sigh.

Further investigation proved that it was the resonator that was being noisy- ironic. Tamra called around for quotes on replacing it with a bit of tubing. Seems exhaust shops in the northeast are proud of their work. So, I cut into it in a big T shape, all around one end, peeled back a section across the side, slid the solid liner out, and cleaned out most of the sound absorbing insulation. Next up, 30-45 minutes of quality time with my work's TIG. Came out decently, but the contamination from the inside of the exhaust system definitely wasn't doing me any favors. It's a little ugly, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any pinholes.

Saturday, we pulled the transmission. One short sentence. Definitely easier said than done- I'm still sore from bench pressing ~75 lbs while trying to shift it gently away from the engine. The main drive spline is pretty sticky when trying to disengage it. All bolts were easy to get to with a few feet worth of impact extensions, an impact universal, and deep sockets. It'll go back on this week, as we got the unpleasant surprise of a flywheel with some small cracks from heat spots. We're glad for the Mazdaspeed Motorsports discount.

Old on left, new on right. Yeah, it was about time.

Back in Subaru world, a new toy arrived this week. (support legs fold up for storage)

We also pulled heater hoses and the TMIC to improve access for pulling the engine.

Our security torx keys arrived too, so we were able to pull the airbag control unit, then the main dash bar. The center AC/heater unit is still stuck in place from the small heat exchanger and tubes running to it, and as a result, I think it's pinning a bit of the harness in place.

As an aside, the air lines had been spraying a disconcerting amount of water from the high ambient humidity, so I set up this catch reservoir about 25' down the line, before it splits for the two lines that I run for each side of the car. Seems to work pretty well, despite the fact that the line leading to it is hose, not copper tube as advised. It has caught a few ounces worth of water already, definitely glad not to have that passing through my tools.