- My model of MX-5 is: NA__
- I’m based near: ULSTER__
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __ DASH BINNACLE SWOP
THOUGHT it would be straight forward anything but, wanted a UK speedo so bought another dash supposed to be mk1 but had faint middle window signs showing security and abs stuff when they would be lit up with a bulb, pulled those bulbs, fitted it ,so the temp guage didn’t work, neither did the fuel guage or rev counter or oil pressure so i went back to my jap dash and fitted the speedo of the UK one, tipped the needles with her reddist nail paint, cleaned the copper tracks on the film made sure everything was as right as i could see and refitted it, and not much difference, what its going wrong all was ok before i took on the swop…w
I just replaced the dials with ones from Lockwood on my Eunos
https://lockwoodinternational.co.uk/product/mx5-mk1-dials-part-no-40ttt1/
Anyone know of a company who could delve deeper into the issues i’m getting, replaced Binnacle again today after cleaning light corrison under some screws, Rev counter working, Fuel guage not, nor is the Oil Pressure and these were working fine before removal…short of any assistance i may seek another working dash… anyone??w
There are several variations of Mk1 dash, differences 1.6 to 1.8 Phase 1 and 1.8 Phase 2, ABS v non-ABS let alone JDM v other markets.
A long while ago, I found a Canadian Miata in a Dublin scrapyard of all places. I naturally pulled the clocks out of it; these had a 0-240kph speedo. Back in Belfast, I tried out the Canadian clocks. Nada. Warning lights completely screwed up.
I ended up swapping the Canadian speedo with a Belgium owner who had just imported a Miata. He needed a 240khp speedo, I wanted a 140mph speedo. Perfect match. The US spec speedo worked perfectly in my 1991 Eunos Roadster.
I think you have broken something on the clocks. Its cheaper to just get the correct one for your car rather than attempting to repair.
I don’t know what model you have. You need to match the code that’s on the binnacle.
Autolinkuk have 3 of them
MX5heaven have a few
MX5restorer have several
MX5city have some
The Speedo should be cross compatible with all, as its just mechanical, but I would not be mixing and matching the other clocks.
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I hear what you say, thanks for your input as always, But why wouldn’t the originals work… as far as i can see and we have looked very closely, i haven’t broken anything there’s complete traceable contact on all the plastic wire foil and no evidence of any bad contacts or breakages, if i 'm foxed i’ll just fit stand alone Guages .I would rather have the water temp and the oil pressure measured accurately than by computer assimilation , As I think thats whats happening here, nor do i really understand why another dash won’t hook up, and work, my ST170 Focus is running one out of an 1800 sport or and 1.6 and its easier to read at nite than the original and it’s running way more computer power than a 30 year old mx5…no one yet has successfully broken into the 170’s ecu commercially… They cannot even cut the traction control thingy for track days except you use another ECU…w
Resisters on a 1.8 temperature gauge are completely different to 1.6 for a start. 1.8 speedos don’t have a pickup for the 180kph speedo, so speed limiter applid by other means.
Standard temperature gauge us damened, You nee to change out a resister to “linearise” the response.
Contrary to popular belief, the early oil pressure guage is not a real oil pressure guage. Its picking up a variable electrical signal from the rheostat sender unit, which looks like this inside.
Watch the behaviour of this gauge at 1:54, its like a switch flipped on. 30 year old sender worn out.
Another reason for the original clocks not working now is in all your butchery swapping clocks, you’ve snagged a wire in the multiplugs.
Corrosion under the screws? Your car been underwater? Get your multimeter out and check continuities.
Butchery, choice of words !!! really… this yoke is my 35 th build so i do know how to remove a dash without trailing wires, the wee ones on the left were the main issue wrapped in light foam and hard to find the tang… they gave me a fight and what do they do? i put power to the wires and found a sign light up like one on a diesel glow plug warning lamp… …
And underwater !! dear God, its a bloody softtop and in its 29 years likely got wet a time or two, sans top, but I had it stripped to under its knickers… theres no water line other than in the passenger floor just below the ecu. caught the last corner but ok inside…its off last nite to have the auto box replaced by a 5sp manual, complete with Miata’s guide on the do’s and don’ts, when it comes back next week i’ll have real guages ready…thx , w
Obviously if it was working before witn the original parts, and now its not working with the original parts fitted, something is broken. In 26 years of various Mk1 ownerships, and swapping clocks, I’ve never had this problem.
I assume you have double checked for mice damage and a blown meter fuse.
LOL Is it mice now, We have 4 cats, albeit well fed, so any plucky visiting mouse within a townland ,you being from here know what I mean, is hunted & eaten history… and a guage, + rev counter, water temp are showing signs of operation, I doubt very much that its fuse related , as I said last time its off with a chum for the box switch, and my experienced electrics man and I will get some time when it returns… the strange thing is when i disconnect either side plug one at a time the rev counter stops… we will dig deeper and report the results , as surely i’m not the only one to have issues like this… w
2 months later… we found 2 broken connections side by side in the right dash plug between the plug and the fused supply, and a fault in the actual foil causing nothing to work so sourced another jap dash and while stuff like the fuel gauge and the temp guage were initially slow to operate they are now working as they should…w