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Miata AT to manual conversion

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Steve P.

Steve P.

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I've been thinking about getting a Miata to add to the
collection. In my mind, they are Brit style sports cars
built in Japan. While looking I've noticed that the
5-speed cars almost always have high mileage....far more
than I'd like. The few lower mileage cars (about 100K)
I've come across sell for a lot more. I've also noticed
that Miatas with AT's have lower miles and sell for
considerably less.

My question is how hard is it to convert a Miata with
an AT to a manual transmission? Wrecked 5-speed cars
come up regularly here.

Steve
 
Truthfully, high-mileage Miatas are nothing to be afraid of.

The engines are virtually bullet-proof and even if they snap a timing belt, they're "non-interference", so it's no big deal.

There are four 100,000+ Miatas at my job (one is built in '89 with 160K on it). Nothing ever seems to go wrong with any of them. Mine only has 80,000 on it. I have only done brake pads and tires; nothing else (I bought it new....It's an '00).

Doing a AT to manual swap is probably more tropuble than it's worth. I did one with my old Escort GT NASA racer. FWD but similar engine. The electronics can make it sort of an ordeal and I didn't even care about most of the street equipment. I only did it because I got the car for free.

If you're really worried, you can get a manuall trans "JDM" Miata engine pretty cheap. Lots of life left in those and it would be easier than the trans swap.

Here's an example of ~JDM Engines~
 
I agree with Nial.
I have a 90 (built in May of 89, one of the first 4000 ever built)
It has 225,000 miles and runs like a top.
Another consideration is, the auto's had different cams and are not as powerful as the sticks are.
Don't be afraid of a high miler, be more concerned with service records.
JMHO

Dave :savewave:
 
14dna said:
I agree with Nial.
I have a 90 (built in May of 89, one of the first 4000 ever built)
It has 225,000 miles and runs like a top.
Another consideration is, the auto's had different cams and are not as powerful as the sticks are.
Don't be afraid of a high miler, be more concerned with service records.
JMHO

Dave :savewave:
Click to expand...

I thought it was the other way around-the AT's had a little extra HP and twist to overcome the automatic's power sappiness.

I agree, though. Converting to a manual transmission on something like a Miata, where there are zillions of manuals running around already, is a waste of time. Especially on cars as cheap as Miatas.

-Wm.
 
Its not that hard, did it with a friends. The best way would be to go to one of the miata net sets and look for a how to manual. There are a lot of good write-ups down to the tools needed to do the job. If you are really ambitous it would take about 6 hours.

As far as swapping, get a car you like you have to drive it, get one you like, its just like changing the suspension.
 
William said:
I thought it was the other way around-the AT's had a little extra HP and twist to overcome the automatic's power sappiness.
Click to expand...

Nope. The AT had different cams and lower compression pistons (9:1 vs 9.5:1). It gives them better torque low down (for the slush box) but they run out of breath higher up the rev range.

There were >750,000 Miatas built, so I'd hold out for a better manual. They have higher mileage because they're more fun to drive! There are low mileage examples around, but these are some of the most reliable cars ever and regularly go 200,000 miles without any problem.
 
It was only on the 1.6's ('90-'93) where the cams and compression were lower on the autos, and Mazda did that because the auto trannys they were using in the 1.6's were a bit fragile. I have a Miata ('92 with a supercharger w/manual), and have to agree with the general consensus here...high milage should not scare you away. I only have 92k on my Miata, but it's been blown for about 40k of those miles. It's a good engine, and getting 200k-300k miles out of it is not unusual. Just buy it with the manual if that's what you want. I don't think that the expense and hassle of switching trannys is worth it. There are so many Miatas out there, that finding one that you like at the right price, with lots of life left in it should be easy.
 
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