Tidying Up

Changing the oil filter and the oil pressure sensor did the trick - I suspect it was indeed the sensor which was the problem, but in any case I can now see the engine quickly getting up to the right pressure when it is running. Phew!

I removed a bit more wiring, reinstated another bit (I had removed a switch sensor from the clutch and the transmission which altered the idle speed when in neutral or changing gear - not vital but apparently the ECU throws a diagnostic error when it has been driven a while without either switch changing state) and now I think I'm happy with the loom. So I've tidied up the engine bay; finishing the spiwrap binding on the loom, fixing it and any loose pipes into place and I'm pretty happy with the result. In the end I did also replace the flasher relay and that fixed the intermittent (irregularly intermittent) left-hand indicators.

I've also added in the battery tray (lightly improvised as the battery is neither the original Mazda nor the battery that Westfield could supply) - I tried to mount it as close to the centre line as possible. Weight distribution is all over the place anyway with it mounted so high. Other minor jobs completed were the plumbing in of the windscreen washer, and the speedometer cable linkage. With just a little work I was able to use the bulkhead boot for the cable from the MX5, making it nice and tidy. I've read elsewhere that the speedo cable can be destined to failure as it is pretty much bent into place in the transmission tunnel at one end - we shall see.

Then it was onto the dashboard, and an utterly uneccessary change that I had decided to do was to replace the black dials with white for a more sporty look. This took about an hour of careful modification (including re-painting the white needles with a thin application of red model paint).

Getting the dashboard trial-fitted with the instrument pod installed took a little bit of time and patience - the fittings for it come through from behind, in what is now a very restricted and cramped space.

But I like the end result, and the dials illuminate pretty well too!

Remaining tasks are to get the carpet and seats in, pop on the exhaust (then I can tune the engine), fit various bits of trim, install the teenytiny boot, fit the half-tonneau, sort out the front mudguards, get some wheels on, and finally set-up the suspension and tracking.

Oh, and also to finish another utterly uneccessary job I've made for myself - the start of which can be seen by the eagle-eyed in the pictures above.