This article will cover the replacement of a water pump on a 1996 miata. This is generally done when the timing belt is being replaced. You should start off by following this link to a Timing Belt replacement. Then come back to this article to finish. It is always recommended to replace the water pump when the timing belt is replaced as it saves alot of labor. If you do not need to replace the timing belt you can use the plastic tie strap method which will make things go much faster. This picture shows the water pump pulley located in the center of the picture. The four bolts will need to be removed and the pulley taken off. The thermostat housing bolts (arrows) will not need to be removed.
Oxygen sensors also known as o2 sensors will go bad somewhere around 60,000 miles. When an oxygen sensor goes bad your check engine light will come on. You will need to have your computer scanned, autozone does this for free. Most newer cars, especially 1996 and newer vehicles will have two o2 sensors. Scanning the computer will tell which o2 sensor is bad. The primary o2 is located in the exhaust header manifold. It is visible in this picture in the bottom, slightly left of the middle. The secondary oxygen sensor will be located next to the catylitic converter. The location of the two sensors are generally the same on all vehicles. This vehicle is a 2001 2.2 liter chevy cavalier.
If your car revs up when it shifts or when the gas is stepped on, the transmission filter may need to be replaced. This generally happens by the time a vehicle has reached 100,000 miles. The transmission filter should actually be replaced every 60,000 miles. Always check the transmission fluid level first, since this can cause the same problems. Almost all automatic transmission filters are the same to replace, this transmission is from a 1991 mustang. The bolts shown, run all the way around the transmission pan and will all need to be removed. Place a catch pan underneath the trans pan so it can catch the fluid that it will leak out.
If your fuel pump is not working there is a possibility that your fuel pump relay is bad. When you turn the ignition key forward the coil inside the relay is energized. When the coil is energized you can generally quietly hear the fuel pump buzzing for a few seconds. The fuel pump will come on before the engine has a chance to start up so that the fuel system will be pre pressurized. If the relay has gone bad the fuel pump will never come on. If you don’t hear the fuel pump turn on, look under the hood, probably inside the fuse panel to locate the relay. The air conditioning circuit will probably use a similar relay. If the relays are the same, you can swap the two to test the fuel pump relay.
