Head Gasket Blues
 

Got a question for experienced Miata enthusiasts who are mechanically knowledgeable. I have a 2001 Miata which blew a head gasket at 3 years - 20,000 miles. It was repaired on warranty with the dealer telling me he had never seen such a thing. Afterall, the reputation of these great cars was that they were pretty close to "bulletproof." As I continue my story, consider that I live in the desert in Phoenix where temps top out at 117 occasionally. At 5 years - 48,000 miles I started to see signs of oil appearing in the radiator bottle reservoir. I took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't find a head gasket leak visually, flushed the system and said we should keep an eye on it. Well, as you might imagine...the oil has reaapeared and I can't imagine that it could be anything but another head gasket problem. Is this very unusual in what you guys have seen, heard or experienced. I really love the vehicle and other than the head gasket, I haven't done anything to it but regular interval maintenance. Is this thing a lemon? Is the desert heat too much for this kind of small, high performance engine? I welcome your responses, for which I thank you in advance.

RE: Head Gasket Blues
 

It's possible you have a slightly warped head that over time starts to leak (not an optimal seat between the head and the block.)

Changing the head gasket on a 4-cyl isn't all that difficult (can be done with the engine in the car.) I'd suggest you get the head decked (machined to a level surface) prior to reinstalling the new head gasket and head. This will ensure that the sealing surface is straight and true.

That is unusual but not unheard of on any car.

If it was previously repaired by the dealer, and it fails again, you may have a claim for them to fix it again. I'd see if they would do that and the above to solve the problem.