I am a) amazed at how many hockey pucks you just so happen to have in your garage and b) how you have managed to use them in so many of your mods! Awesome videos though man, super detailed and thorough! How-to videos done properly!
I see I'm not the only one that uses the spare tire as a catch all for small things in the trunk. I'd bet that C-clip, Circlip or snap ring pliers would work for taking off the antenna nut. Thanks for another well done video. The best Miata how to videos on You Tube.
FORK TRICK, LOVE IT! I bought a set of adapters JUST to do this with all my old vehicles and the socket works but the nut is at such an angle that it doesn't even sit properly(98 legacy limited). Definitely doing this trick, thank you man!
Just deleted my antenna with the help of this video, thank you! The hack to use the windshield wiper plug as a plug for this hole was perfect! I my case, it will be temporary, as I’ll soon be installing a battery kill switch here, mostly for anti theft purposes, but the race car vibe is a plus! 😊
Hi Nachbar, das liebe ich an den Holländern, sie haben immer eine kreative Lösung :-) Eine IKEA Gabel verbiegt sich zu leicht, muss eine richtig gute gewesen sein :-D Danke für´s Video und den klasse Tip mit der Gabel. Thumbs up !
Mine goes halfway down as well. I always Bluetooth and was going to do an antenna delete. I saw a plug online for $19.99 and I had the idea to use a bolt that was dome shaped with a grinder and a o ring to seal it but your wiper trick could save me time and effort!
4:38 - You are a legend! I was looking for a nice way to seal it up and thought to buy some "Würth" plugs but this is way better! Thanks a bunch man ! Greetings from Germany PS: waterpomptang ;-D
Hallo! Grüße aus Deutschland. Bin 17 Jahre und habe mir einen NA gekauft! Ein bisschen rost und ein paar Kleinigkeiten müssen gemacht werden (auch die Antenne, die ist komplett abgebrochen) tolles Video! Daumen hoch und ein Abonnent mehr!
It is possible the original antenna needed some type of slide grease like they use on brass instruments. If you rub some along the edge of the antenna where it gets stuck and try pushing it down by hand (carefully of course), it might actually fix it. Don't throw it out, it could possibly be repaired!
I copied you again 😂. I found a unit for 25€. I tried the fork trick, but just succeeded in wrecking a fork. Then I tried my needle nosed pliers, and they worked no problem. It took all of 15 mins. The longest bit was getting the black plastic bung off the drain hose and putting it on the new one. Thanks for once again making life easier.
MiataMods Sorry mate couldn't wait. I changed my transmission and diff oil yesterday. I used GL5 75W90 for both. Fortunately I have a mate who has an inspection pit in his garage which made things much easier. All good fun.. But there's a funny thing, the stuff I drained from the gearbox was pink, very liquid and didn't stink as it should have. Wierd. I wonder if the previous owner put in automatic transmission fluid in by mistake ? The oil in the diff seemed normal. Took her for a 45 min test drive. No more gearbox whine in low gears and slicker changes so well worth doing. Next job will be various drive belts. Since its been colder and wetter, something screams at me every morning. Probably the alternator belt. Its driving me crazy!
I’m having the exact same problem! I think that in my case it’s the alternator (belt) as well because it screams louder under load.. let me know how you fixed the problem!
MiataMods I fear the reason is simple. Time to replace the belt. There are a few tutorials on RU-vid. It looks à bugger to remove. You have to loosen the alternator to relieve the tension. I suspect the power steering belt has to come off too, I'll know when I get to the end of the video. ..,
Fun Fact: If you're poor and between paychecks, the same wing-bolt that holds down your spare tire in the trunk, also fits the bracket where alternator adjustment bolt would normally go.
Also fun fact: That same wing bolt can fit in the threaded hole in your rotors. You can thread the wing nut into the hole to pry off any seized rotors that your mallet is having trouble with.
Its the wing bolt that holds down the spare tire, the one GrimmWarrior is talking about. Fits right in the threaded hole in your rotors. Insert the wing bolt and thread it through and rotor pops right off.
At the 4:00 minute mark your removing the antenna assembly with the plastic box on the left side....when you install the asssembly the plastic box is on the right side.
I didn't even noticed that until now.. good eye! Yes you are right, apparently the units are a bit different but they work the same so it's not a problem.
Thanks for the pro tip with the windscreen wipers plug :) I will switch to DAB+ Radio, so I guess I won't need the antenna anymore. Would you recommend using some silikone to really make the plug waterproof?
Also putting in a stubby aerial is even easier. Just buy a manual aerial adapter + stubby aerial. Takes 15 minutes to do. No more 1980's big electric aerial!
Great vid again ! But one serious question : from where comes the water that you need to drain with the drain plug next to the antenna? I dont have one 😳😳
When the antenna is extended, water can get inside the mast and run down into the unit. That little bit of water needs to go somewhere so that’s why there is a drain plug. Do you have a electrical antenna like I have?
MiataMods Yes I do, but my radio unit is not installed yet so I havent seen it working properly. I will send you a pic from trunk today through messenger
It's just the original antenna from another Miata haha. My friends from Gear Heads Garage have a video on how to install a stubby antenna if you are planning to install one of those.
MiataMods that’s strange, maybe the uk model doesn’t come with one as I have a fixed antenna which is like a metre tall and just looks so out of place😂
Really? Hmm I've seen a few MX5's with that type of antenna but I always figured it's aftermarket but maybe it's OEM after all.. o well, it shouldn't be too hard to find a second hand 'electrical' unit right? Good luck!
There are two types of antennas. One is fixed antenna Exhaust-ed is talking about. It was standard for NA. Electrical antenna that MiataMods has was optional. I'm not sure how it worked with optional stuff when ordering NA but usually if your pre-fl NA has power windows it usually has also electrical antenna.
I don’t think so because I love the OEM popups too much! I will maybe switch to a proper HID setup eventually, but it would still be a round light so I can keep the full popup functionality 😏
Does anybody have an idea how to remove the nut if its somehow fused and wont turn to the left. Nothing ive tried seems to do anything. Wd40 didnt help either
Nice teaching video. I'm installing an electric antenna to replace my whip and there are 2 empty 4 prong plugs in that area. One is coming from the battery harness (4 wires) and the other is separate and comes from the front of the car (3 wire). Any suggestions which one is for the power antenna? I think it's the Battery harness one. Oh, and it's on a 1997 model. I'm also using a "used/untested" power antenna so not sure if that even works.
Yeah I would say the battery harness as well but I'm not sure. Keep in mind that if the electric antenna is not working, it could also be your headunit who is causing the problem. A lot of times people just cut the wires at the back of the headunit. Your best bet would be to find another miata driver who has a working electric antenna and connect your antenna to his wiring harness. That way you 1) will know your antenna works and 2) you can see with plug is the right one. Send an e-mail to info@miatamods.net if you need any help!
To be honest, when I replaced the radio last year I can't remember if I connected the power antenna wire up since it just had the whip antenna at that time. The unit is giving me a hard time taking it back out to check. Thanks for the advice, I love my "new" 97' Miata, it was meant for my missus but she doesn't like driving stick, so I guess I'll just have to keep it for myself. What A Shame ;)
What a shame indeed haha! The power antenna wire is a blue/white wire which is called the signal wire. It's a wire with low voltage so keep that in mind if you want the test the antenna with a 12V source. Good luck!
Quick Question guys (This is my first car so correct me if im wrong), My miata (NA 93) has an antena like the one in this video, however before i bought the car some thief broke it from the base, id like to change it from a retractable to a Stubby 2inch rubber one (since antenna stealing is common where i live). Can i make a change from retractable to fixed? do i have to change the base or what? and if its posible how?
Antenna stealing? Who does that.. that’s really weird. Anyway, yeah you can switch to a stubby no problem. I think GearHeads on RU-vid has a video on that topic
Anyone have any idea why my metal bushing wont detach from the rubber one underneath? It rotates but it seems to just spin in place. Swearing at it hasnt helped
im in the process of fixing my powered unit, sure its bit of a pain, but i want to keep the retro feeling of the miata. pieces of the previous mast broke off inside the unit itself so the whole assembly is coming out in my case
