Rear coolant inlet gasket, radiator, and EGR code...

[71dsp]

Well, the car is running, and it seems to run quite well, except for a few nagging issues.

1. The coolant inlet (I assume it's an inlet, maybe it's an outlet?) gasket on the backside of the head is leaking. At least, that's where the coolant appears to be coming from. It's all over the bell housing on the transmission and the "shelf" on the driver's side of the enging compartment. Has anyone changed this with the engine and trans in the car? It appears I could change it easily with the trans out, but I'm not about to go that route... It looks like a very tight fit, so before I start, I thought I better ask to see if anyone else has done it.

2. The radiator appears to be leaking as well, right around the cap. I'm thinking of buying a new cap or just replacing the radiator. I have a Fluidyne in the track car, but I don't think I want to drop that kind of money on a rad for the Miata. Anyone have any suggestions?

3. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the EGR code. I've checked all the vacuum hoses to ensure there is good vacuum, the intake manifold was cleaned when it was off the car, and all new gaskets were used during installation. Do EGR valves generally go bad on the 99s?

[bmcreider]

The coolant hole on the back of the head leaked on me once before when taking apart my mother's car's head...

A new gasket fixed it - but it was a pain in the ass with the small amount of room to fit in tools to scrape off the old gasket. But it's possible.

As far as the rad just get somethin' cheap, IMHO. It's a Miata, not a space shuttle.