howdy all, I have a 91 miata with about 75k miles. About 10k miles back (maybe more) I had a bunch of work done including replacing timing belt/water pump etc... and it has run well ever since. tonight on my way home from work it started making a funny noise from the engine that reminded me of coins rattling in aluminum. it was quite loud and lasted for about 30 seconds, which was the time I was looking for a place to stop. before I could stop, the noise stopped and the battery light came on. I drove a bit and pulled into a parking lot and let the car sit there idling. I popped the hood and everything looked normal, but I noticed some air bubbling into my coolant reservoir and a drop of what looked like oily water dripped out. I let it idle for a few more minutes and it idled very smoothly, and with everything else (lights/temp/fan/noises) seeming normal, I decided to drive home (I was only about 10 blocks from my house). While driving home, I thought the temp was running high, not above the "normal range", but higher than I recall, but I got home with no incident (though the battery light stayed on). Once I got home I let it idle as bit more and noticed more of the oily water dripping from the overflow of the coolant reservoir, but everything else seemed normal. I shut the car off and it seems to start with no problems, but the battery light keeps staying on, and I am nervous to actually drive it. Any ideas?
Robert Treat