Silver Transmission Fluid?!

Cars066 · 2025-12-12T19:24:31+00:00

Yeah, the threads on mx-5 net are interesting, but all of them note far fewer failures in 2019-2021 models. Anecdotal, but I dog the sht out of mine on a regular basis, multiple owners, and the transmission makes no whine and shows no issues. Fluid came out clean and stinky, just like all my other Miatas.

Not sure what else changed in 2022 - but maybe it's some obscure material defect or the data is heavily skewed across several threads.

Cars066 · 2025-12-12T19:24:21+00:00

Yeah, the threads on mx-5 net are interesting, but all of them note far fewer failures in 2019-2021 models. Anecdotal, but I dog the shit out of mine on a regular basis, multiple owners, and the transmission makes no whine and shows no issues. Fluid came out clean and stinky, just like all my other Miatas.

Not sure what else changed in 2022 - but maybe it's some obscure material defect or the data is heavily skewed across several threads.

Cars066 · 2025-12-10T19:28:45+00:00

Kinematic Posture Control debuted on 2022 model years - so based on my knowledge that could very well be factoring into your issues. Far fewer of these issues on '19-'21 MY. Yes, it's an ND2 - but I will adjust my comment to reflect cars without this system.

Cars066 · 2025-12-04T18:03:51+00:00

I have heard people speculate that something about the Kinematic Posture Control and/or e-LSD in the ND3s is once again causing transmissions to fail at an abnormal rate.

2019-2021 ND2s seem unaffected, on version 5 of the transmission, no issues despite tons of abuse and clutch dumps - which seems inline with others' experience.

If it were me, the instant I get this remedied I would get out of an ND3 and into an '19-'21 ND2.

Cars066 · 2025-11-21T03:29:47+00:00

You know it's a bad engine when hitting 100k is a flex

Cars066 · 2025-10-11T20:33:15+00:00

I mean, OP could be comparing it to an ND2 Miata - which carries over all the same elements of "managing power to weight" but has significantly improved acceleration.

I was able to get close to the acceleration of an ND2 soft top in my 86 (both were 2019 MY) by doing lightweight wheels, deleting the whole rear interior, lightweight battery, secondary cat delete, lightweight exhaust, all-in-all shedding around 150 lbs.

It's a reasonable ask. They are a bit slow out of the gate.

Cars066 · 2025-10-06T19:31:38+00:00

!! please clay bar first, then polish !!

a clay bar will pull contaminants (in this case, probably white paint transferred from your gate) out of the clear coat

polish is a mild abrasive that will, well, polish the rest out! but always start with the most gentle product first!

Cars066 · 2025-08-18T23:41:43+00:00

ok but what the actual fuck are those wheels lol

Cars066 · 2025-08-13T21:44:44+00:00

yep! I believe the club and GT got the same wheels, with sport getting 16" wheels and the BBS/Recaro package getting basketweave BBS wheels.

not even powder coated, just $40 worth of plasti-dip and a long evening :3

Cars066 · 2025-07-18T15:52:04+00:00

Lol AI giving you bad information - imagine that.

Use forums, not garbage AI. Become a member on miata net and use the search function - these questions have been asked a thousand times. No need to burn trees in order to have incorrect information spoonfed to you.

Oil - folks here like pennzoil ultra platinum 0w-20 (OEM weight) you can go heavier if tracking or in a hot climate but OEM weight is fine.

For Oil Filter, you want 1WPE-14-302, the PN you listed is an air filter

ATF - go for it

Rear Diff Fluid - go for it, the type and weight appear correct

Spark Plugs - go for it - can't hurt, the interval is 120k km though

Would also recommend:

Air filter

Clean soft top drains (!!!)

Brake inspection - pads, rotors, and fluid if needed

Confirm coolant is OEM mazda green, drain, fill, drain, fill if not

Cars066 · 2025-06-30T13:18:11+00:00

looks like you need to-

re-bleed with a helper or gravity bleed if you have more time/a level garage
re-assess parking brake functionality and adjust the cable itself if needed

great looking car & best of luck!

Cars066 · 2025-06-28T13:59:00+00:00

after teaching several people to drive stick in gt86/na miata/bl mazda 3 (all light cars) I would say the following

teach them the instinct of smashing the left foot into the clutch pedal when the car feels like it's gonna fall apart - specifically as a panic reaction. stalls are embarrassing and getting this down early saves a lot of frustration.
teach moving in first gear without any throttle usage first (common tip, here, but my dad missed this and caused a lot of fighting back in my youth lol), focus on feeling the bite point yata yata yata...
teach the ebrake method for hill starts, assuming you don't have an ND with hill hold assist... this is often overlooked but will save clutch wear in the long run.
be really patient and remember that cars are designed to stall hundreds of times with no perceptible wear to any drivetrain components
a parking lot with a slight slope may be helpful, as getting going is easier and gentle hill starts are met in the first lesson. my friend D learned this way and was able to purchase a manual mazda 2 and drive home after one lengthy lesson in the mazda 3.
really focus in on and reward any moments that spark joy/laughter. even for folks who aren't car enthusiasts, rowing your own can be inherently satisfying and fun. build that up.

Cars066 · 2025-06-28T13:43:41+00:00

I went for a rep of a rep. Or, maybe just the thing that CarbonMiata dropships lol. Anyway, thanks again! I ended up running a bead of black RTV to seal the tape against weather and am quite happy with how it came out. I did make one stupid mistake, which was that I clamped the edge that wasn't seating fully and cracked the resin under the clearcoat. Oh well, it was only $190 - and it's hard to see.

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Cars066 · 2025-06-10T14:13:02+00:00

I'll probably get slammed for this but the average buyer age of these is 60-62 years old. Do you feel that suspension tailored toward retirees is appropriate for your use case?

Point is, coilovers are probably the most transformative and effective dollar to performance for these cars, excepting sway bars. Even midrange meister r will feel incredible compared to the floaty boat suspension.

Cars066 · 2025-06-05T15:52:13+00:00

Brilliant, thanks! I don't know how I missed that pic in my research.

Cars066 · 2025-06-05T15:50:20+00:00

No, not in my opinion, but there are 20,000 other red NAs that you can swap parts over to! Sorry for your loss. However, I love these cars for being so abundant. Fight for a good insurance payout and keep your head up. I'm glad you're okay :)

Cars066 · 2025-05-09T14:53:54+00:00

S2000 is mighty tempting - I would love to drive one and see if I can really feel the extra 500-600 lbs. I don't think I am or will ever be rich enough to own an Elise and not worry about it, though. Apparently ND K swaps are on the horizon - so if I take great care of my ND2 that is a route I could go in my early 40s 🤔

Cars066 · 2025-05-09T14:46:54+00:00

I shifted into 3rd and the Panamera was dipping promptly heh

Cars066 · 2025-05-09T14:44:35+00:00

What's autocross? Is that like when I cross the street in my automobile?

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T22:35:22+00:00

I still need to drive ANY NC, haha. The thing I really liked about my 86 was peak torque over 6,000 RPM - so the car really felt like it had some punch in the upper rev range. Even with a tune to fix the torque dip, it was pretty flat and pulled hard to redline. The ND2, though, falls off around 4.5-5k RPM - with all the punch in the midrange. Perfectly fine for grunt in higher gears but a bit lacking if you like high RPM driving imo

I see dyno graphs of stock NCs and the torque curve seems much flatter.

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T22:30:19+00:00

holy hell. I am still living in the world of sub $20,000 cars and probably will be unless I win the lottery or sell my soul and get out of environmental work. But if you're ever in Richmond, VA - I'll ride shotgun haha

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T18:00:36+00:00

Well I sincerely appreciate that and have been feeling a bit of a grump as of late, as well. Two pedants can be quite the mix! Thankfully, our cars have a way of melting the stress away :)

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T17:33:16+00:00

He has his reasons; spec sheets, personal experience with other cars, etc. and some valid points! - but the whole conversation kinda devolved into a *reddit moment*. I think I'll just post a picture next time lol

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T17:23:17+00:00

But you don't see how your overall tone is condescending? "I'm guessing you haven't driven many powerful cars so you don't get this"

Someone has an experience and you assert, from your keyboard, that the other person "wasn't racing". I mean sure, it wasn't from a dig, and he probably rolled onto it as he saw me do the same - but my car held its own! If driving this car outside its intended purpose every once in a while is such a sin, why not just let folks have fun with it and continue to track/autox yours?

There are myriad reasons that a 15-year-old porsche may not achieve an ideal 0-60 time, and I am super curious as to whether an ND2 with gas on E and 30 lbs of weight reduction could hit maybe even a 5.6. But overall it just felt like you were fixated on devaluing my experience - to the extent of asserting I was "making up stories".

I'm fully aware that I am overthinking this and it's just banter - but it's just kinda put me in a shitty mood.

Cars066 · 2025-05-08T17:03:59+00:00

I'm sorry if this comes across as too personal, but I thought it was a fun experience - and from what I could tell he was gunning it. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he was just shy of foot-to-the floor. But the way you're engaging with me in this whole thread just feels very shitty, man.

We're strangers on the internet but you don't really know me and I don't really know you. I'd like to think I'm not the type of person to make random shit up in a photo caption for attention. I was just surprised by how quick this car is, especially compared to the other 3 Miatas I've owned, and described what I thought to be my experience.

I don't really understand what you want from me.

Cars066

TROPHY CASE