The fun part about cheap Miatas is that they all come with their own set of challenges! It seems like I am starting a rescue service for unloved Miatas. The most recent is a 92 that followed us home. It is pretty solid for an Ohio car, has fairly small holes on the rear rockers, but otherwise very little rust. Actually we can call this a "rust free" car because the PO cut out all of the rust! The new metal just wasn't welded back in! Still not bad for an $1100 Miata w/ a hard top.
But I digress... The reason for this post is that said Miata is running like crap! It feels like it is running on 3 cylinders (and it probably is). I know that the compression is down on the #3 cylinder, but it seems to have other issues. I knew that the timing belt had been replaced, so I pulled it apart and checked to make sure that it isn't off a tooth, it's fine. I have changed the ignition wires and checked the plugs. Adjusting the timing doesn't seem to help. I still need to replace the fuel filter.
It is showing fault code 9, which is the Water Thermistor. The only time that I have had to replace a thermistor on a 1.6 car it was causing it to run poorly, but not this bad. What effect should I expect from this problem?
Any other ideas on things to check? I have access to another 1.6L car, so I can swap sensors without having to buy new ones. Where should I start?
