Miata Mailing List: March 1996, Message #259
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   From: RSAlder@aol.com
Subject: Re: DIY 60,000 miler?
   Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 09:48:23 -0500

In a message dated 96-03-03 15:47:58 EST, keith@miata.net (Keith Tanner)
writes:

> How feasible is it?  
>She's a 90, so there's that problem with the crankshaft.  I understand
>that's due to the woodruff key (I'll find out what that is when I get my
>manual) being replaced incorrectly.  If I am aware of this, is it easy
>enough to get right?  

Keith,

There may be a lot of good Karma at play here, but I, a person of reasonable
mechanical apptitude and experience (and more importantly one who really
enjoys working under the hood), replaced the dreaded front main oil
seal/front belt pulley on my '90 following a combination of the MCA article
and the service manual.  I did all this before I'd even heard of broken crank
front ends...thus the reference to good Karma.

I suspect that some of the trouble with broken crank noses lay in the maner
of removal and replacement, exacerbated by weak engineering. There are a
number of ways to remove the crank bolt besides using the tools and procedure
in the service manual.  I used a technique given to me by a local Mazda
dealer parts dept. manager.  The correct size socket is placed on a large
breaker bar and placed on the bolt head so that the breaker bar is laying on
some solid part of the chassis.  In my case, I had an 18 inch 1/2 in drive
ratchet which reached the A/C compressor.  By now you would have the cam
cover and spark plug wires off so the next trick is to give the starter motor
just the briefest shot.  While this may at first seem to be a risky thing to
do, after doing it myself, I rushed up to the front of the engine expecting
to see all maner of destruction only to find the ratchet wrench laying
exactly how I had put it which made me wonder if I had hit the starter motor
long enough to do anything.  I had and it did.  The bolt was loosened.

Tightning the bolt up is another problem.  I used the
wrench-on-the-exhaust-cam method.  Thus far, with over a year of happy
motoring, I've had no indication that the nose of the crank is about to
self-destruct.

It is certainly possible to do all the work yourself.  No special tools or
knowledge is required, IMHO.  Besides, I likewise found a better use of the
$300 (bought tools).

Ralph Alder
SoCal 90 Red A