Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum but not to Mazdas. I owe two right now (a '96 Miata and a '92 323) and have owned 6 mazdas previously.

The problem I'm having right now is that the shift boot in my '96 Miata gets really warm. Even if it's not hot outside, I notice that there's a good amount of heat coming off from it. You can touch it and it's warm to the touch, even after only driving a short distance. Any ideas why this is?

Denis

 

Are exhaust heat shields all in place. The cat converter is just below that area and they run super hot. Also anykind of miss or overrich condition can cause the converter to get red hot in a very short amount of time. Have even seem some get so hot they glow red or white.

 

Your rubber shift boots are probably torn. The transmission generates heat, and under the plastic console there are 2 rubber boots that get torn with age, which are designed to keep the heat out. They're pretty easy to replace and can be found readily.
http://www.miatamania.com/Shop/ViewP...eIndexID=43228
Those are the two boots, you will probably have to replace both of them. Mine were both torn when I bought my car.