Hi, I got confused from the picture in the manual and the actual oil sending unit. the one I have is quite small while the picute in the manual shows a much larger one. my jobber says that the one i have is for a indicator lite rather than for gauge, (which we all know the miata has). indeed, his books show that the correct one, (the one i have), should be for a lite.
so, whats up with this? is the "gauge" really just a "lite"? or is the sending unit just especially small ?
thanks,\ peter
What manual?
No, we don't all know that. ;)
Unless you've got a pretty old NA, the "gauge" isn't really a gauge (it only goes to two positions). The sender is indeed the idiot-light type of sender. Apparently, too many Miata owners were complaining about their oil pressure going up and down.
What year is your Miata? 1994 was the last year for a true oil pressure gauge, at least on American marketed models. For 1995 and later it is an idiot light.
I heard a rumor that Mazda re-introduced a real gauge in 2006 for the NC, but have never verified this, I never paid attention during the test drive. I'm sure that John M. knows what his NC oil pressure gauge is doing.
I have a real pressure sender and gauge from a 1991 model that will fit any 1995 - 1997 Miata for an upgrade. If anyone is interested, I will let it go for $40.00 OBO plus shipping for a one pound package from central Texas (zip code 78757).
Otherwise, it will go on Feebay next week along with some other Miata goodies.
Pat
That, along with replacing the chrome door handles, are too of the worst things that Mazda did to the Miata, imo. The door handle would still look good on the NC, and it is just sad that so many people do not know that oil pressures vary based on many factors.
Still, my guess is that at best, 1 out of 5 American drivers understand what happens with weight transfer when braking or accelerating, so I should not be surprised at an inability to properly read a pressure gauge.
I took an informal survey at a company that I worked for one time and less than 1 out of 4 of them, out of about 40 people total, had any idea if their car was RWD, FWD, or AWD. One of the people who had no idea, BTW, drove a pickup truck with "4WD" in big letters on both sides........
Pat
Oh man, make that "two" of the worst things that they did. I am truly ashamed.
For sale: One defective brain - make offer......
Pat
You were one of those that didn't know RWD, FWD or AWD, weren't you? Hehehehe......
factory
ok, gaug-ette :)
95 M-edsigh...you would think someone buying a sports car would know better...maybe it is just cause i grow'd up with brit cars, bikes
tough sell in this economy...most 'mericans are just keeping the one they have now :)
ping me off list
pmicaza -> gmail DOT com
thanks for the info. peter in ct
I was driving a Miata at the time, so I would truly throw in the towel if I could not get that one right. ;-)
Pat
The best way to deal with this problem is to go to Miata.net and look in the garage section. There is more info than you would care to know concerning oil pressure senders, gauge mods and the like. A major problem is the type of thread used on the sender and block. An adapter is usually necessary to use a "standard" sender. There can be clearance issues as well. I've thought about doing such a mod several times. A complication is that there is a "tee" used to connect a line going to a turbo. I'd need to obtain two different length lines, and tee a new sender into the junction between the lines. A remote filter kit may also be used to host a "standard" sender.
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