11/2/2008 6:28:18 PM

is that on the miata? how thw hell did the cam sproket get loose

11/2/2008 6:47:26 PM

ya the Miata, and that's the crank sprocket

according to the Miata forums it's not an uncommon issue, one has to pretty much lick the threads clean to get an accurate torque reading, and it's advised to use thread locker for best results, otherwise the bolt has a tendency to back out eventually and the crank gouging fun starts

I didn't know this when I did the water pump last winter

[Edited on November 2, 2008 at 7:08 PM. Reason : in short, I have a new-found love for Loctite products in general]

11/2/2008 6:57:47 PM

Yeah, all the early 1.6L's do that. It's best to avoid pulling the crank pulley as long as possible and just let the front seal leak. Well, maybe not best, but easiest.

11/2/2008 8:27:43 PM

this was on a 1.8L, it's much less common on the 1.8L but let me tell you it can still happen

[Edited on November 2, 2008 at 8:37 PM. Reason : you gotta pull that bitch to do the water pump and timing belt on a 1.8L, not sure about the 1.6L]

[Edited on November 2, 2008 at 8:38 PM. Reason : though I think some of my pics may have been ganked from the 1.6L writeup]

11/2/2008 8:36:39 PM

yeah, good luck with that. loctite products are good stuff, but i'll be amazed if that turns into a long lasting fix in that area.

on another note, how was the car running before this?? i'll bet it picks up 10hp now that it's not constantly adjusting the cam timing.

11/2/2008 8:40:29 PM

haha funny you should ask that

just before I started to realize I had a problem I had bought a timing light to bump the timing up, and I was pretty freaked to find the best power without knock was a good bit further than the last marking on the timing cover... I went back to what I thought was the stock timing for a few days and it barely ran

[Edited on November 2, 2008 at 9:22 PM. Reason : .]

11/2/2008 9:02:45 PM