mechanical squeak??

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Fri May 09, 2014 2:07 am

Hey there, just received a 1993 na8. 2nd mx5 that I have owned. Took it for a decent test drive tonight and I noticed a little squeak noise coming from the front part of the car when driving, close to the dash area and near the windscreen. Unable to pin point it I put it into neutral in an attempt to reduce noise and hear it better. What I found was the squeak noise went away. Every time I put it back into gear it would come back soon after. Only happens when cruising and on relatively even road surface. First thought was suspension bushings so I went over some speed bumps but only typical mx5 interior rattles took centre stage. Any ideas? Possible gearbox mounts? Rubbing?

Thank You.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Fri May 09, 2014 1:58 pm

Finding the source of a squeak in a 20 year old car is hard work.... there's hundreds of things it could be.

If you can narrow down the exact scenario it happens it drops the number a bit. (moving, in gear. Does it change with revs? speed? does clutch stop it? what about neutral with clutch out?)

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Fri May 09, 2014 7:53 pm

yeah as soon as i posted it i thought to myself "wow, this could be one of a 1000 possible squeaks" it does stop most of the time when i push the clutch in an stick it in neutral, but I’m thinking this is only because i have now cut a large amount of vibration out of the body. i am pretty sure it is an interior related squeak now, and not a mechanical one. i will get a passenger in the car with me to help id it. Thinking either soft top hinges and leavers, or possibly a bonnet hinge.

Moderators, please feel free to remove this or shift it to a more appropriate thread, thank you.

taminga16 · Postby **taminga16** » Fri May 09, 2014 8:18 pm

Purchase a can of 'Lanoline', put the car onto some stands and lube every bush and check the engine mounts, use a lever and don't forget the rear one.
Greg.

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Fri May 09, 2014 9:03 pm

taminga16 wrote:Purchase a can of 'Lanoline', put the car onto some stands and lube every bush and check the engine mounts, use a lever and don't forget the rear one.
Greg.

Thanks for that tip, much appreciated!
Sounds like a simple way to start eliminating some rattles and squeaks. i will head down to a local auto store or Bunnings and get myself a can of that. It just had a rwc done so i doubt it will be the mounts but i will check for peace of mind. Can I use that stuff on the soft top frame hinges? Also things like door and bonnet hinges, a lithium grease?

cookie · Postby **cookie** » Fri May 09, 2014 9:58 pm

Lanolin is from sheep. It smells like them too. It'd be a baaaad idea to use on soft top as it will stay slightly gooey and moist. And smell. (very runny hot and solid when really cold)

pezchops · Postby **pezchops** » Fri May 09, 2014 10:40 pm

i have posted twice...lol

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Fri May 09, 2014 10:46 pm

cookie wrote:Lanolin is from sheep. It smells like them too. It'd be a baaaad idea to use on soft top as it will stay slightly gooey and moist. And smell. (very runny hot and solid when really cold)

i don't want sheep inside my mx5 so thanks for that!

i will start of with this sheep spray on all the suspension bushes. i will grease up the clutch pivot points, lithium grease in the door hinges and bonnet hinges. i will see what that fixes.

pezchops · Postby **pezchops** » Fri May 09, 2014 10:55 pm

i have a very similar noise with my nb8b...and from researching posts i think it may be the clutch actuater pivot/hinge...or whatever its real name is...
where the slave cylinder meets the pivot arm.
my squeak goes as soon as i ever so lightly depress the clutch pedal...way before the pedal does anything.
its is not always there..but most of the time..
ive been meaning to get under and put some grease on the contact point.
that is if nb8b is the same as yours...the write up i read was for an na.
i find if you GOOGLE any problem at all with the mx5 you will get pages of answers...so many mx5 out there.
http://miata.net/garage/tsb/s003_95.htmlthis is a service bulletin .
hope this helps

pezchops · Postby **pezchops** » Fri May 23, 2014 10:16 pm

looks like the thread has died but should anyone search this topic:- i put a dab of grease on the clutch actuator and the annoying noise has gone.
in my case i think the seller steam cleaned the engine bay and removed all the lube from the spot.

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Fri May 23, 2014 11:09 pm

Ah ok, might give that a go. A passanger seems to think they can hear it coming out of the ball vents. I almost think it it coming from the top of the windscreen where it joins with the soft top. Like a side to side movement. I can not recreate it though when stationary.

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pezchops · Postby **pezchops** » Sat May 24, 2014 12:07 am

i reckon soft tops are like a giant speaker..they take in every noise input and bounce it back louder.
that makes it hard to pin point any squeaks and rattles.

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Sat May 24, 2014 12:25 am

True, didn't think of it lile that. As if it wasn't hard enough to eliminate the squeaks already! I am going to attack the car with foam weather stripping on alot of the plastic panel gaps, mainly around the glove box. From there I should be able to detect the more stealthy squeaks.

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pezchops · Postby **pezchops** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:14 pm

revhead · Postby **revhead** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:45 pm

I have spent more time fixing the car than removing squeaks. Still have that original squeak, but got rid of some rattles by replacing the rusted parcel shelf. Adding the roll cage has introduced new noises as it is carrying noise into the cabin from the chassis at low speed, but at high speed it is fine. I have bought weather stripping for the glove box but have not applied it yet. The previous owner has pulled appart the lower dash to route blue tooth mic, and done a poot job at putting it back together as it vibrates badly at certain rpm. Need to fix that soon when I remove the blue tooth mic.