1997 MAZDA MX-5 differential

1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES
Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata
TROUBLE SHOOTING
Inspect CV joint boot on axle shaft for cracks, damage, leaking, grease, and looseness in boot band. Inspect axle
shaft for bending, cracks, and wear of joint splines. Repair or replace as necessary.
REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
AXLE SHAFTS
Removal
1. Raise vehicle and support with safety stands. Remove wheel and tire assembly. Remove axle shaft lock
nut. See Fig. 1
.
2. Remove brake caliper assembly. Remove lower control arm bolt at knuckle, and pull knuckle/hub
assembly outward. Using pry bar between differential housing and inner CV joint, remove inner CV joint
from differential. See Fig. 2
. Remove axle shaft from knuckle/hub assembly. NOTE: See DRIVE AXLE NOISE DIAGNOSIS article in GENERAL INFORMATION.
CAUTION: If vehicle is equipped with ABS, before performing following procedure,
remove ABS wheel speed sensor (axle side) and fix it to an appropriate
place where sensor will not be pulled by mistake while servicing vehicle.
NOTE: If axle shaft will not come out of rear hub support easily, install a discarded nut
onto axle shaft so that nut is flush with end of axle shaft. Tap nut with a copper
hammer to loosen axle shaft from wheel hub.

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata
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Fig. 2: Prying Out Axle Shaft
Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
Installation
To install, reverse removal procedure. Install NEW clip. Measure outer diameter of clip after installing. See Fig.
3 . Replace clip if it exceeds specification. With the ends of clip facing upward, push axle shaft into deferential.
After installation, pull outward on double offset joint outer ring and verify that axle shaft is securely held by
clip. Install NEW locknut and stake it as shown. See Fig. 4
. Tighten all bolts and nuts to specification. See
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
.
CAUTION: Sharp edges of axle shaft snap ring can slice or puncture oil seal. Be
careful when installing axle shaft to differential.

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata
Microsoft
Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:51:37 PMPage 3 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.

Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
Reassembly
1. To reassemble, reverse disassembly procedure. Wrap tape around drive axle shaft ends before sliding CV
joint boots onto drive axle shaft. See Fig. 12
.
2. Align marks on cage and inner ring. Install balls to inner ring. Install cage, inner ring and ball assembly to
axle shaft in direction shown. See Fig. 14
. Larger diameter of cage should be facing snap ring groove.
3. Install a NEW snap ring in axle shaft snap ring groove. Apply specified amount of grease to joints and
boots. See LUBRICATION SPECIFICATION
table. Align marks and install NEW clip.
4. Ensure that boots are not dented or twisted. Set axle shaft to standard length. See AXLE SHAFT
LENGTH table. Release any trapped air from boots by carefully lifting up small end of each boot with a
cloth-wrapped screwdriver. Ensure that axle shaft length is within standard. If drive shaft length is not
within standard, repeat this step.
5. Fold NEW band back by pulling on end with pliers. See Fig. 15
. Band should be folded in direction
opposite forward revolving direction of axle shaft. Lock end of band by bending locking clips.
Fig. 12: Installing CV Joint Boot

Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP. NOTE: Inner and outer CV joint boots differ in design and/or diameter. CV joint boots
are stamped DOJ (wheel side) and BJ (differential side). Ensure correct boot is
installed at proper end when reassembling axle shaft. See REAR AXLE SHAFT
BOOT IDENTIFICATION table. See Fig. 13 .

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata
Microsoft
Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:51:37 PMPage 12 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.

Fig. 15: Installing Boot Band
Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
AXLE SHAFT BOOT IDENTIFICATION
LUBRICATION SPECIFICATION
AXLE SHAFT LENGTH
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
ApplicationWheel Side Diameter - In. (mm)
Differential Side Diameter - In.
(mm)
Miata3.58 (90.8)3.44 (87.4)
ApplicationQuantify
Differential Side CV Joint Boot3-3.71 oz. (85-105 g)
Wheel Side CV Joint Boot1.94-2.65 oz. (55-75 g)
ApplicationIn. (mm)
199730.21-30.60 (767.3-777.3)
1999-200130.42-30.81 (772.6-782.6)

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-2001 DRIVE AXLES Axle Shafts - MX-5 Miata
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Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:51:38 PMPage 15 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.

Fig. 4: Exploded View Of Drive Line (Miata)
Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
2. Remove clutch release cylinder. Remove starter. Disconnect speedometer cable from transmission. Note
locations, and disconnect wiring harness from Power Plant Frame (PPF).
3. Remove PPF bracket from rear transmission extension housing. Remove PPF-to-differential side bolts.
Pry out spacer. Remove PPF/differential mounting spacer. See Fig. 5
.
4. Thread M14 X 1.5 bolt into sleeve. See Fig. 6
. Twist bolt side to side while pulling it downward. Thread
M6 X 1 bolt into hole in housing block to hold sleeve. Remove long bolt. Remove short bolt.
5. Remove PPF side bolts. Remove PPF. Remove transmission-to-engine block bolts. Remove transmission.
Remove clutch cover bolts evenl
y in crisscross pattern. Remove clutch cover and disc. See Fig. 7.
NOTE: Do not remove spacers attached to top of Power Plant Frame (PPF). If they
are removed, replace PPF.

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
CLUTCH 1997-98 CLUTCHES Mazda - RWD
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Installation (Miata)
1. Lightly coat input shaft splines, release bearing, and fork contact areas with molybdenum disulfide
grease. Align clutch cover dowel holes with flywheel dowels. Tighten clutch cover bolts evenly in a
crisscross pattern to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
.
2. Place a wooden block on jack, and position jack under front of oil pan. Raise front of engine to ease
transmission installation. Install transmission. Tighten transmission-to-engine block bolts to specification.
See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
. Place jack (from front of engine) under transmission.
3. Raise transmission until level with engine. Position Power Plant Frame (PPF) in place. Install
PPF/differential mounting spacer, and tighten bolts to 27-38 ft. lbs. (37-51 N.m). Install and tighten PPF
side mounting bolts.
4. Install sleeve into PPF housing block. Install spacer and bolts. Install reamer bolt into front hole, and
tighten bolt. See Fig. 5
.
5. Install transmission-to-PPF bracket. Install remaining PPF bolts, and tighten to specification. See
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
. To complete installation, reverse removal procedure.
RELEASE BEARING & FORK
Removal (B2300, B2500, B3000 & B4000)
With transmission removed, twist release bearing and carrier assembly until preload spring pushes bearing
assembly from slave cylinder. See Fig. 8
.
Installation
Lubricate bearing bore and bearing carrier with NIGI No. 2 (lithium base) grease. Push release bearing
assembl
y onto clutch slave cylinder. NOTE: Front PPF-to-differential side mounting bolt is the reamer bolt, used to
align frame.
NOTE: Use only lithium base grease on release bearing. DO NOT use petroleum base
lubricants.

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
CLUTCH 1997-98 CLUTCHES Mazda - RWD
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Fig. 11: Exploded View Of Clutch Release Cylinder (Miata)
Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS NOTE: Use exploded view of clutch release cylinder for overhaul procedure. See Fig.
11 .
ApplicationFt. Lbs. (N.m)
B2300, B2500, B3000 & B4000
Clutch Cover Bolts (1) 17-24 (23-32)
Crossmember Nuts39-53 (53-72)
Drive Shaft Bolts65-87 (88-119)
Flywheel-To-Crankshaft Nuts54-67 (73-91)
Gearshift Lever Bolt20-30 (27-40)
Starter Mounting Bolts17-20 (23-27)
Transfer Case Bolts (4WD) (2) 35-46 (47-62)
Transmission-To-Engine Block Bolts37-50 (50-68)
Miata
Clutch Cover Bolts (1) 13-19 (18-26)
Drive Shaft Nuts37-43 (50-58)
Flywheel-To-Crankshaft Bolts71-76 (96-103)
PPF-To-Differential Mounting Spacer Bolt (Short)27-38 (37-51)
PPF-To-Differential Side Mounting Bolts (Long)77-91 (104-123)
PPF-To-PPF Bracket Bolt27-40 (37-54)

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
CLUTCH 1997-98 CLUTCHES Mazda - RWD
Microsoft
Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:36:47 PMPage 15 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.

1997-98 DRIVE AXLES
Differentials & Drive Axles - MPV & MX-5 Miata
AXLE RATIO & IDENTIFICATION
See AXLE RATIO SPECIFICATIONS table. To determine axle ratio, divide number of ring gear teeth by
number of pinion teeth.
AXLE RATIO SPECIFICATIONS
DESCRIPTION
A Limited Slip Differential (LSD) is optional on Miata. On MPV, rear axle bearings are held in place by a
pressed-on collar. Front axle on MPV 4WD and rear axle on Miata use CV joints to connect differential to axle
hubs.
LUBRICATION
CAPACITY
DIFFERENTIAL CAPACITY SPECIFICATIONS
FLUID TYPE
Application
Number Of Teeth Pinion/Ring
Gear
Ratio
Miata
A/TN/A4.10:1
M/TN/A4.30:1
MPV
2WD11/433.91:1
4WD (Front & Rear)10/414.10:1
NOTE: For models with independent suspension, see AXLE SHAFTS - REAR or AXLE
SHAFTS - FRONT article for axle shaft overhaul.
Application(1) Qts. (L)
Miata1.06 (1.00)
MPV 2WD1.60 (1.50)
MPV 4WD
Front1.80 (1.70)
Rear1.60 (1.50)
(1)Fill to lower edge of filler plug hole.

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-98 DRIVE AXLES Differentials & Drive Axles - MPV & MX-5 Miata

1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata
1997-98 DRIVE AXLES Differentials & Drive Axles - MPV & MX-5 Miata
Microsoft
Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:52:42 PMPage 1 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.
Microsoft
Sunday, July 05, 2009 1:52:46 PMPage 1 © 2005 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC.