Planning a trip to Italy in 2018 and wondering whether to take a spare coil pack or possibly replace now and keep old one as a spare to take with. Is there any way of checking the general condition of the coil pack before it starts to cause problems?
Firstly have tried searching for advice on the best replacement without much luck. I gather it is a potential weak point and wonder whether OEM or aftermarket would be more reliable.
Also I have read that leaving ignition on without engine running can fry the coil pack which is a worry as I am sure I have done this quite a bit while tinkering. Would be helpful to know if this only applies to position II on the key ignition switch which is what I would suspect - I often listen to stereo while working on the car.
If you are going on a significant trip it is definitely a spare worth having, along with a MAF, ECU(assuming standalone) and CAS.
If your car is 1.6, I would say it has the most robust of the cradled coil packs. The 1.8 is reasonably strong too but fails more frequently in my experience than the 1.6. There are two possibilities with the MK1 1.8. Yours is most likely to have a four pin coilpack rather than the later three pin.
Not aware of a way to easily test coil packs particularly as they tend to show first signs of failure when hot and in use. I would buy a spare and test it on the car for a while to prove its worth, same with ECU and MAF. Less easy to test CAS but these can be bench tested - PM me if you want advice in this respect.
Leaving the ignition on overnight fried my MK2 1.8 coil but took some months to fail. I was of the opinion that was not such a problem with the early cars.
I would agree with Rhino’s spare parts goodie bag contents to take with you.
Sorry for delay in replying – Boxing Day family visit/hosting
Thanks for all the advice particularly re the other spares I will need for this trip - I will also consider the coil pack mod to make it easier to take on and off. Also I dont fancy having to replace CAS O ring (if leaking) myself while abroad as not done this before and sounds tricky to do without removing Cam shaft cover.
Still interested to know what people think about aftermarket coil packs in terms of reliability given the apparent problems in the original manufacturer’s.
Also am I right in thinking that position I is okay to leave on the ignition switch without damaging the coil pack
No coil unit(pack) , aftermarket or genuine Mazda can handle abuse ie ignition left on without car running. Position 1 will cause damage as energises coils. On my MK1 1.6 can unplug the coilpack from loom if I need to leave ignition on for any reason without engine running - not so easy on yours as both low tension plugs would need to be removed from coil units. In your position I would buy a used genuine Mazda coilpack as a spare as not familiar with the aftermarket offerings.
A spare CAS with new ‘O’ ring just saves a lot of time finding one in Italy or even in this country, if it were needed. They can be fitted without removal of the cam cover but finding a mechanic to fit will be easy, it’s sourcing the part that would cause problems/delays.
If going to Italy, just rock up at Miataland. Worst comes to the worst, you’ve got a few days sitting by the pool deciding whether you want to try out the Monster Miata V8 or the M2-1001.
If deciding which parts can suddenly go wrong without warning, then the list is:
Coil Pack; but on the 4-pin cars at least, you can get some prior notice by a wobbling tachometer. In 200k kms of driving my 96 Roadster, I have had occasion to replace the coil pack once, and not as a result of coil pack failure. 3 pin version, maybe they last longer CAS: Never had to replace one on my Roadsters in 20 years, perhaps plain lucky. PO of my 93 Roadster had a CAS replaced upon the advice of a very prominent MX5 specialist, to cure an intermittent starting problem. Years later, I found this intermittent starting problem was caused by a faulty fuel injector relay. Leading to Relays; carry a full compliment, new not used. In tracking down the faulty relay, I fitted an apparently good used relay from a specialist parts supplier. It was no good; the way it had been ripped from the fusebox meant that the retaining tangs had no hope of keeping the relay in place. Be warned, when I brought the new relay, it was on 4 week backorder from Mazda. Slave Cylinder: When they hit 50k miles, get nervous. On all my Roadsters, slave cylinders last no more than 50-60k miles, whether aftermarket or OE. To be fair, I managed to get 65k miles out of the latest random offering from MX5parts; I sensed a sudden lightness in the clutch, no leaks but the rubber boot disintegrated to touch. Clutch master cylinder; they do fail. With all Mk1s now more than 20 years old, how much do you really trust the seals. Heater hoses; on a 1.8, liable to fail without warning. Radiator; the top can develop hairline cracks that open up when the car is hot, and close up when cold, and near invisible to the eye. If still on the original radiator, assume whatever you have is near death. Brake calipers; in the course of a 5000 mile trip, can one of these seize on? Yes they could.
It can get very painful trying to imagine every eventuality during a holiday, based on reading a forum. Forums are biased, because 90% of technical posts revolve around “help, this has broken”. It doesn’t sound much of a holiday worrying whether you have packed enough spares, or if the car will make the next corner.
Alternatively, get the suspect parts replaced before you go on holiday, which sounds better than carrying 100lbs of deadweight on the trip. And spend time reaching out to the various MX5 communities along the route. At the very least, you might end up with some willing local contacts. And because the MX5 is relatively unpopular in France and Italy, it seems that the clubs that exist are super enthusiastic.
There was a member here who brought a Mk2, and then 3 weeks later, decided to go touring in the Baltic states, overland. No problems. I recall the next year, he decided to solo tour Ukraine. No issues.
And if you are still convinced you need a sackful of spares, the best place to ask which ones, is over on Miataforum, where there are a lot more people used to coast to coast Miata runs.
The perception of risk is interesting and in part relates our own past experiences. I feel relaxed about leaving the spare wheel at home and carrying a can of tyre sealant instead - I have never had a tyre blowout in 35 years of driving here or abroad and would hope to be able source a tyre while on the continent. I worry about those parts that are most likely to fail and least likely to be able to obtain quickly. I don’t want to take a boot rack so space will be at a premium and the dilemma is whether to replace vulnerable parts before I go and hope for the best as you suggest or carry a lot of spares and sacrifice space.
Slave cylinder and clutch master cylinder - Hadn’t really considered these- Mmmmm!
Actually I think one of the pleasures of this type of travelling is the planning/having to make certain compromises and then seeing if all the judgements work out as the trip progresses. The element of risk is an important part of the adventure - You want the feeling of rolling the dice while at the same time mitigating against getting the wrong number. My wife is travelling with me so I want her to feel that as much as possible the angles are covered but also accepting there are no guarantees.
Would be interested to know where you buy your new relays from as I imagine a full set might be quite expensive.
Right, now to look into Miataland as wasn’t aware of this. However I do spend quite a bit of time on the Miata forum which is informative and the American culture and language make an interesting contrast.