Miata Mailing List: March 1993, Message #102
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Oil pressure problems
   Date: (none)

	Little bit of a delay following up after a few people sent me replies
on my oil pressure problems.  I've been driving the car for a week now getting
used to it and wanted to "wait and see" before posting.  The car has a new
personality, as one would expect following major work such as tearing the
engine down, and I'm trying to sort out the differences...

	One responder queried concerning the oil changes.  I've had them done
on a fairly regular 3k mile basis since I bought the car, once at Quick 10
(ahem) and once at the dealer (just before the problems set in).  I bought
the car with 8700 miles on it, and it's sitting at 14700 now.  I don't know
if the previous owner followed a reasonable schedule for sure, she said she
did.  Another responder asked about the oil pressure regulator; I'm not sure
if anything has been done in that department, it's something I'll have to
check into.

	One week report: the pressure is still low at 1k rpm idle after warm-
up (around 20 psi, or halfway between 0 and 30 on the gauge).  I'm getting
good pressure at 3k rpm, so I'm happy about that, but I'm not satisfied.
Mazda didn't give the dealer any help on the repair (ie, give me the new oil
pump), so I'm going to call them and see if they'll reconsider.  I've also
picked up a low "growl" after warm-up at low rpm in first thru third gear,
and a fairly nasty knocking on starting with a warm engine.  The car will be
going back to the trusted non-dealer garage in a few days to have these
things checked, and I will _not_ be going back to the dealer.  In this case
I was hoping they or Mazda would spring for the oil pump which is why I went
there in the first place.

	Horror story: I picked up the car from the dealer and made it about
one mile before I heard metal banging around the engine compartment and saw
a bolt fly out from underneath.  Further inspection and repair showed that the
bolt holding the bracket for the AC compressor hadn't had a nut put on it.
When the car had it's pressure fixed it was time for the owner's to bottom
out :-)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Michael Garvin - Systems Programmer                       garvin@mmrc.ncsu.edu
Mars Mission Research Center                            (919) 515-5250 [Voice]
North Carolina State University                           (919) 515-7968 [Fax]