What is wrong when the coolant tank starts bubbling after driving your vehicle for a while?
I assume you mean that the coolant is boiling up into and out of the overflow bottle.(picture is of a fancy stainless steel bottle … I have never owned a car with anything other than a plastic one, but they look pretty much like that … and who knew finding a decent photo would be so difficult)So why is your coolant boiling over? Could be:Cooling fan is not running - because:motor brokerelay brokefuse is brokebelt is slipping (if you happen to have a mechanical fan instead of an eletrical one)Water pump is not working - because:motor brokerelay brokefuse is broke (if you happen to have an electrical water pump).belt is slippingRadiator is gacked / corroded and no longer flowingInsufficient coolant - so you don’t have enough material to exchange enough heat … and what you do have is getting boiled … so where did the coolant go? You have a leak somewhere?water pumpradiatorhoseoverflow bottleBad coolant mix (either way too much anti-freeze or none) - this seems unlikely as a sudden onset thing (the chemistry in your cooling system doesn’t just change overnight and many cars will run plenty cool on just water).Cracked head gasket - although you should see coolant / water in the oil and probably be getting smoke out out of the tailpipe (you can usually smell it too) - depends on how bad the crack is I supposeThermostat is broken - this is the thermostat that is inside the engine, and used to either pass collant through the engine block or shunt it from the block (this doesn’t usually present as a boil-over but it could - and it is usually cheap to check and relatively easy fix).All of these things can cause a coolant over-temp … and hence the boil-over into the overflow bottle.
How is the Mazda MX-5 as a daily commuter car?
I have both a '95 NA and '08 NC and I consider both poor commute cars. Here are a few things to consider:It's low to the ground and designed to make you feel the road. So, if your commute route isn't a fast, smooth highway, you'll feel every bone-jarring pothole and crack. Even with the top up, it's loud. Maybe the PRHT is quieter but no convertible will ever be really quiet which can be an issue, say, if you want to make phone calls on your commute. Stick shifts are an absolute blast when you're driving on a twisty road. Not so fun when you're stuck in traffic. But don't even think about getting an automatic transmission on your Miata. The car is tiny. I've been almost run over by big SUVs that don't see me when changing lanes many times. You have to be very alert in this car. Luckily, you're far more agile than pretty much every other car on the road so your reaction time can be good. It has no trunk and only carries one passenger. But, given most commutes are single-person without much more than maybe a laptop bag, this is probably one of the better cars for a commute. But, despite it's size, the Miata isn't exactly an efficient gas-burner. I love the Miatas I've owned and consider them some of the best designed and engineered vehicles out there. However, after trying to commute in them for many years, I would not use one as my primary commute car for the reasons mentioned above and in other answers.
Does a rotary engine in an older Miata sound different than a regular engine?
Hate to break it to you, but the Miata/MX-5 don’t use rotaries. They have a normal piston-driven In-line-4 engines ever since their introduction.Though you are correct that a MX-5’s DOHC I4 sounds quite different to a rotary from say, a RX-7.NA FC stock soundMazda MX5 1.6 na stock sound !Here’s my personal analysis:The FC sounded a bit rougher at lower revs, but smooths out as the revs get higher. And it’s slightly different to piston engines where you could hear the rotaries whirling when the throttle is off.The MX-5…man it screams. As soon as the throttle is stepped on the engine just screams at a higher pitch. It makes the whole engine sounded raw and rough, while the FC sounded more silkier and smoother.I would say the MX-5 sounded more like a sports bike while the FC sounded like a proper sports car, though unique since it have the whirling sounds of the rotaries.Nothing beats the LFA though… :pLexus LFA PURE SOUND - Accelerations & DownshiftsHoped this helped :)
I have a 6 speed manual transmission Mazda Miata. I never use 6th because I'm afraid I'll hit reverse by mistake. What are the odds of this happening?
I have (probably) the same 6-speed transmission in my 2001 Mazda Miata SE.It actually doesn’t have nearly as strong of a lock-out on the reverse gear transmission gate as I might like; over the decade I’ve owned it I’ve mis-shifted and hit reverse instead of sixth maybe once a year or so. The good news is that the gears absolutely do not mesh, and other than a squealing, grinding sound in the moment of attempted engagement that makes your heart skip a beat, my transmission seems none the worse for wear.There is a bit of a detent in the transmission gate, so you’re really not likely to miss when pulling straight back from 5th gear. Skip-shifting from 3rd or 4th up to 6th is more risky to overshoot, but generally in those cases you can be a little more leisurely about making the shift, and feel for the detent.Anyway, don’t worry about it so much. Practice a bit with the feel of it, rowing through the gears with the car stationary or even with the engine off. But even if you miss, you’re extremely unlikely to cause any damage to the transmission.Have fun driving!
What does a burning smell from the vehicle's clutch mean?
It means you have a heavy foot and you do not know how to drive a car with manual gears very well.When you are driving a non automatic, your left foot should always be away from the clutch pedal. You only use the pedal when you need to use the clutch. Straight away you should move your foot to the left of the pedal and keep it there until needed again.When you keep your foot on the pedal, even the weight of the foot on it may be enough to keep some kind of force on the pedal. When you do this, the clutch disc is not completely pressed.This generates heat because it starts skipping (even if you do not notice it). This will eventually burn out the clutch disc pads and thus the smell.
Why does my mazda mx-3 squeal all the time?
I have had this car for 3 years and it now has 132,xxx miles on it. Its a 1993, with the 1.6L in-line 4. It wasn't a problem until recently when the belt disappeared while driving. So after replacing the belt is still squealed but 3 days later the belt burnt off, again replaced it, squeal stopped a day later it started and then the belt snapped and looks like it burned up. This is the alternator belt, so i replaced the alternator (15year old alternator seem like a good cause) but it still squeals and i am going crazy trying to figure this out, because i have a good understanding of cars. The only things on this belt are the Cam pulley (the other belt on this pulley is fine), a free floating pulley, spins very freely, and the alternator. Any ideas as to what could be causing this and possibly how to fix it? Is it possible that this could be electrical, i notice it most when lights are one as well as the fan?
What problems go along with a bad catalytic converter?
A clogged catalytic convertor causes the symptoms of a loss of power when accelerating or going up a hill. This is an often overlooked cause of loss of power, can cause check engine fault codes and lights, and mechanics will often change a few parts unnecessarily , especially if it is only partially plugged. A couple ways I check for plugged cats when a low power complaint is a symptom, and other obvious basic maintenance items have been checked for service is to have someone hold the rpm at about 1800 to 2000 steady. Then check for a good push of exhaust with my hand from behind the tailpipe. A plugged or partially plugged cat typically leaves a hot sickly feeling exhaust flow from the tailpipe. Compare to a known good working car nearby, known to be performing properly and with the same amount of cylinders. That slow , hot sickly flow at 2000 rpm compared to the hard push blowing your hand away of a not clogged cat is a dead giveaway, and I have NEVER misdiagnosed a plugged cat , or made false diagnosis with this method. Another way is watching a vacuum gauge connected to the intake manifold. When revving up, if the exhaust is plugged the gauge reading will climb then begin to slowly drop as the exhaust pressure builds up. Further testing will be needed to verify which part of the exhaust is plugged. Diagnostic by codes is unreliable and until now I had not heard of it. A code p420 only refers to catalyst efficiency. And can be set by faulty o2 sensors. Removing the exhaust and testing for engine power returning to normal works. But the hot sickly flow has been most accurate with my experience, in several cases where shops had missed it, were stumped and called me to come check. They are always embarrassed for missing the simplicity, but need not, as cars and their complicated electronics and even age old problems can lead to loss of power without any immediately obvious cause.
What are some symptoms of too much transmission fluid?
Excess transmission fluid will cause foaming in any transmission. Foam does not flow like oil, reducing cooling and lubrication. It also implodes on compression between gears or in the hydraulics of automatic transmissions, causing severe damage (pitting).In an automatic transmission, you will have higher temperatures and poor shifting, as it depends on solid hydraulic pressure, not spongy foam to move the clutches and bands.Automatic transmissions with dip sticks should be measured with the engine running, and consider the operating temperature. Note here how the heat affects the measurement. It should not be filled to the top when cold, or checked not running.If it does not have a dipstick, it is measured with the plugs on the side, depending on specific instructions per brand of car.Manual transmissions normally don't have dipsticks (some do). They are checked from a plug on the side of the transmission, and the level should normally be at the level of the plug, not above.