5 Speed MSM Unicorn? Who knew?
#1
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5 Speed MSM Unicorn? Who knew?
So my friend was telling me about picking up a MazdaSpeed Miata and finding out that it had a five speed in it. He was super-confused because the car was a one-owner, so it was highly unlikely that it was swapped. A call to Mazda with the VIN number confirmed--he's got a 5 speed MSM unicorn.
As crazy as that sounds, I pulled the engine and trans today from an MSM I recently bought, and.....same thing!!! What the Hell is a 5 speed doing in an MSM?
Are these truly unicorns? Anyone else out there have a 5 speed MSM?
As crazy as that sounds, I pulled the engine and trans today from an MSM I recently bought, and.....same thing!!! What the Hell is a 5 speed doing in an MSM?
Are these truly unicorns? Anyone else out there have a 5 speed MSM?
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Unless Gabe comes clean, I may need to do some VIN checking Monday.
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Highly likely with this car, although I can't tell the difference between and NA and NB 5 speed. My buddy said he checked his MSM VIN, which confirmed it was 5 speed. When two potentially popped up in two days, I had to post.
#10
While NB transmissions have it more encased;
The NB 5sp boxes have a lockout that prevents going from 5th directly into reverse; apparently on earlier cars drivers were ruining the reverse gear hubs by nicking the synchro teeth on aggressive 5-4 shifts, so they added a lockout on the NBs. That square access panel in front of the shifter on the NB box is to access the lockout mechanism (and contrary to some info out there it is not an optional location for the shifter)
Last edited by themonkeyman; 03-09-2020 at 03:14 PM.
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The largest external difference is the shifter. NA's have a somewhat exposed shift actuator rod;
While NB transmissions have it more encased;
The NB 5sp boxes have a lockout that prevents going from 5th directly into reverse; apparently on earlier cars drivers were ruining the reverse gear hubs by nicking the synchro teeth on aggressive 5-4 shifts, so they added a lockout on the NBs. That square access panel in front of the shifter on the NB box is to access the lockout mechanism (and contrary to some info out there it is not an optional location for the shifter)
56
While NB transmissions have it more encased;
The NB 5sp boxes have a lockout that prevents going from 5th directly into reverse; apparently on earlier cars drivers were ruining the reverse gear hubs by nicking the synchro teeth on aggressive 5-4 shifts, so they added a lockout on the NBs. That square access panel in front of the shifter on the NB box is to access the lockout mechanism (and contrary to some info out there it is not an optional location for the shifter)
56
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Saw Gabe today, and he said (to my face) that he's not BS'ing me. He checked the VIN info with Mazda, so either it's so elaborate now that it's ridiculous (Mazda guy offered him $5k for his unicorn, sight unseen), or it's a damn rare car. It looks like mine is just a swap....
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99% sure my car is not a unicorn. Gabe's is in a secret remote location, so no chance to check the trans tag. However, he said he DID check the VIN with a Mazda MazdaSpeed guy, and it's supposed to be legit. I'll let you know when I get proof...
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