First, where are you located? You might find local help very close by. So many different issues all mashed together.... Here are a few of my initial thoughts...
The ringing from the front that goes away under braking: - check the brake dust shields and make sure they are not rubbing or loose in any way. If the edge of the rotor makes even the slighted contact, you will hear it. - check that the rotors are in good condition and do not have a rough edge that might be catching on the pad. - make sure you use plenty of caliper grease on the backs and sides of the brake pads (and slider pins). - verify all the metal clips are installed properly A "squeak/ring?" can also come from the contact point on the slave cylinder to the clutch arm. Some heavy grease on the end of the piston quiets this kind of noise. Hard to shift into first/second is usually clutch hydraulics. You could have a leak or it can be "weak". - You said you replaced the salve cylinder, but did you get ALL the air out of the line? It can be difficult to bleed the line. I would re-flush the clutch line with fresh fluid. A vacuum pump is really the best way to get all the air out. (weak) - Master cylinder could be failing. (leak) - It could also be the stock rubber clutch line is worn out and not able to hold adequate pressure. A replacement clutch line firms this up. (weak) One way to test for "leak vs weak": engine running, press in the clutch, put in 1st gear and hold in clutch. Does the clutch start to engage itself after waiting a minute? If so, you have a leak. If the clutch does not engage, you could just have air in the line or a weak clutch line. Possible sources of the knock/pop at 5mph - wheel bearing is possible. - brake rotors touching brake pad. Check that the spring clips are installed properly on the brake pads. - a tire can do this if an internal belt is damaged. - check for a stone in the tread or flat spots on the tire. - check for loose suspension bolts - make sure the sway bar mounts are lubricated. If they are "grabby" they can induce a pop or knock. I use "plumbers" grease ($1 at hardware store) on the rubber bushings which makes them glide smoothly and does not wear off. Headlights would make me suspect the turn stalk switch. The center button overrides the turn stalk. Not sure how repairable these are... You never mentioned how much oil you are using. Oil consumption is not unusual in a car driven hard. I don't consider a half quart every 1000 miles excessive. Its also possible you are losing some oil due to leakage (valve cover, case seal) although heavy leakage usually shows up on the floor. You may not have any of these issues, but they really don't cost anything to check. I always suggest start with the simple things first and rule them out before throwing new parts at it. Also, it would be helpful to break out each issue into a separate thought. Ken Bogart ----------------------------------------------------- 96 Montego Blue FFS Coldside (His) 97 Black & Tan (Hers) 90 Crystal White (sons) ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.miatacare.com http://www.cincimiata.com http://www.bcchallenger.org MiataMail.com list owner On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 8:40 AM, TimothyErskine <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello... > > Great lurker here with a problem which is baffling. I wish I could record > the sound so you could hear it. > > Its coming from the front of the car. It is not the engine. Might be the > brakes because the sound seems to go away when I apply them, though it also > could be that I am slowing down which effects the running gear. Running > gear meaning the drive line including the clutch assembly. Clutch is not > slipping but it is difficult to get into gear and every now and then I get a > distinct clang coming from the flywheel(?). I am guessing here. What metal > part in that area be free enough to ring while meshing the 1st gear and > sometimes 2nd gear. You can kind of feel it clang through the gear shift. > Short duration, no grinding per se. Is it possible the clutch itself is > loose? When it is in gear at very slow speed, under 5 miles an hour on a > very smooth surface you sometimes and feel a beat coming through the > steering wheel and the sound is like a knock. Wheel bearing??? > > I know this is very sketchy information and you can see how ignorant I am > by my attempt to describe the symptoms. A competent mechanic familiar with > miata is over an hour away. I do not trust the local wrenches to trouble > shoot and repair the problem. I am hoping this is something within my > mechanical skill set. I have in recent history done some work on the car > with some success. Mostly regular maintenance stuff. Replacing clutch > slave cylinder, remove and replace front calipers and brake pads, timing > belt and water pump(which was exciting for me cause the car actually ran > perfectly the *second time* I aligned the timing belt to the timing marks > on the cam sprockets), new radiator(best thing I have ever done to improve > cooling reliability) which is of high dollar aluminum very well made, misc > electrical headaches like the headlight switch, etc etc etc. > > > One more piece of information. That garage an hour away did a engine and > transmission replacement about 30k ago. Low mileage engine and tranny @ 46k. > I did lose the ac compressor within about 2.5k after the replacement because > I believe its shaft was mis-aligned or the belt was over tightened. Sitting > in traffic one day all the refrigerant escaped up through the hood. Looked > like smoke..but wasn't. One thing that happens now that didnt happen > before the replacement is the headlights mysteriously close underway but can > reopen if I push the manual black button on the center dash. What's up with > that? And why would I have to top off oil on an engine that young? I did > replace the PCV valve. > > > Sorry to be so windy, just trying to give you as much background as you > might need. Please help if you can. This is my only transportation. > > Thank you.. > > Tim > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Miatapower mailing list > [email protected] > http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower > >
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