Crewing for Miata...suggestions? : Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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March 15, 2011 2:51 p.m. Smack35 Reader

Hey Guys,

Somehow I ended up crewing for a Miata this weekend at the SCCA double drivers school at Summit Point. I've never driven or worked on one so what is something I should look out for as far as failure points, bolts that undo themselves, etc.? I don't think I've met the owner/driver so not knowing his knowledge of cars, I'll probably end up getting there around 7am and do a complete nut and bolt check along with a fluids check and try to figure out how well his brakes are bled.

Please let me know what to look out for, if anybody else is going to be there, I'll let you know what color his car is when I find out.

Thanks, Steven
March 15, 2011 4:13 p.m. mw HalfDork

The eccentric bolts that hold the front lower control arms on and in alignment. I've had those come loose before on track. It's not fun. The battery hold downs in miatas are not the greatest, so make sure the battery is secure. Those are the only issues I've had besides leaving a rag in the intake hose which luckily got stuck at the tb (don't do that one).
March 15, 2011 4:28 p.m. RedS13Coupe Reader

I've been crewing for a miata team for about the past year. Our battery hold down is not OEM, and we (as well as a lot of other miata guys we know) crank the E36 M3 out of the control arm bolts... so never had an issue with either of those.

There isn't much I would point you towards keeping an eye on, just the usual stuff... The engines like to have some oil in them, brakes work best with fluid, radiator is most efficient when there is air going through it...

Pretty stout little cars, was interesting to see the percent of the field that was miatas keep raising throughout the last 25 hours of thunder hill :D
March 15, 2011 4:36 p.m. willy19592 Reader

different years have different quirks, but over all they are bullet proof. check wheel torque every chance you get spark plug wires like to loosen, my son puts zip ties on his to the coil
March 15, 2011 4:56 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

Be the guy with the 32oz ball peen hammer.

Sometimes the E36 M3 needs to be kicked out of stuff.
March 15, 2011 8:00 p.m. Keith SuperDork

The last two hours of the Thunderhill 25 looks like a Mazda parade, between all the little Spec Miatas and the RX7s. It's hilarious.

I'd ping a Spec Miata team. They've discovered problems the rest of us never imagined. As for the eccentrics, definitely crank 'em down and they should be replaced fairly often to be sure. Check the front wheel bearings too.
March 16, 2011 10:56 a.m. Smack35 Reader

Thanks guys. The owner has done AutoX in a different Miata and has had this one out at a few PDX's so I trust him with his prep. I guess I'll just check over the usual stuff. He is in the Red number 97 SSM Miata if anybody is going. Stop by and say hey. If anything else major comes to mind just let me know. I feel responsible for his car/safety/successful weekend so I don't want to berkeley it up for him.

Steven