Obelisk's Garage - Daihatsu Midget II, Mazda MX5 (NC2), racing mower

[Obelisk]

I've managed to send off all of the paperwork as of this morning, so fingers crossed I get my tags quickly.

I've also been hard at work researching the alternator on the Midget II, and I figured it was worth documenting my findings here:

The Daihatsu K100P series Midget (my specific one) has a Daihatsu OEM alternator, part ID 27060-87213. From what I can gather, this is also compatible with part number 27060-87211 (and possibly 87212). The latter part numbers has a ton of new ones available through Amazon that overlap with each other, and the alternators are about $100 a pop.

With the Midget's alternator being ridiculously accessible, I think I should be able to pull the old one out, drop in the new one, and get it all tightened up without any real hiccups. I hope to God I did my research right on this.

 

[Obelisk]

I've managed to send off all of the paperwork as of this morning, so fingers crossed I get my tags quickly.

I've also been hard at work researching the alternator on the Midget II, and I figured it was worth documenting my findings here:

The Daihatsu K100P series Midget (my specific one) has a Daihatsu OEM alternator, part ID 27060-87213. From what I can gather, this is also compatible with part number 27060-87211 (and possibly 87212). The latter part numbers has a ton of new ones available through Amazon that overlap with each other, and the alternators are about $100 a pop.

With the Midget's alternator being ridiculously accessible, I think I should be able to pull the old one out, drop in the new one, and get it all tightened up without any real hiccups. I hope to God I did my research right on this.

View attachment 1388199View attachment 1388200

It was the alternator belt being loose. lol.

Tightened it up and now the belt's squeaking/squealing intermittently. I am assuming this may have been loosened either intentionally or accidentally. Either way, I will have to start up and drive the truck a few times this week to see if the battery holds charge. If it drops charge again, then I can assume the alternator itself needs replacing.

Either way, those belts have got to go ASAP. Since the alternator one is going bad, there's a non-zero chance the other one is as well.

Edit: I have sourced both the A/C belt (993311-60711-000) and the alternator belt (90048-32076) and am currently trying to source a new alternator (27060-07213) in the event that the old belts aren't the source of the issue.

 

[wfooshee]

When I saw that picture, I was going to say, "Look, dude, before you throw that alternator away, ya might try tightening that belt!" Visible slack is definitely too loose!!!

If it squeaks after tightening, it probably needs to still be tighter. People tend to be afraid of getting them too tight, afraid they'll be burning bearings or something, but it's really hard to get it too tight! If you don't have one, get a Krikit tension gauge. I got one for my Miata because I was tightening the belt to what I thought by feel was enough, and it still squeaked. I set it to 50 pounds, and I was amazed how much tighter it had to be to actually reach that spec. No issues since!

 

[Obelisk]

When I saw that picture, I was going to say, "Look, dude, before you throw that alternator away, ya might try tightening that belt!" Visible slack is definitely too loose!!!

If it squeaks after tightening, it probably needs to still be tighter. People tend to be afraid of getting them too tight, afraid they'll be burning bearings or something, but it's really hard to get it too tight! If you don't have one, get a Krikit tension gauge. I got one for my Miata because I was tightening the belt to what I thought by feel was enough, and it still squeaked. I set it to 50 pounds, and I was amazed how much tighter it had to be to actually reach that spec. No issues since!

I would have pulled it tighter if I could. The alternator is adjustable via moving it, but it felt a little stuck on one of the brackets. I will probably be trying to tighten it further today if I can figure out why one side isn't budging.

 

[Obelisk]

I beg forgiveness of the mods with the number of double-posts I've made in this thread as of late.

So turns out I didn't have the alternator at the top of its allowed travel range, as past me will quickly explain in this video:


And a followup to that showing the Midget II idling once again:


I am probably going to have to get that idle checked out, as I'm not sure it's supposed to idle that high.

 

[SVX]

A better way to test the alternator would be to use a multi-meter on the battery with the Midget running and see what voltage it's reading. A couple small drives wouldn't charge the battery too well

 

[Obelisk]

So last night, the battery panel failed. It fell off in the same way it did the first time, with the same exact point of failure. Since the panel isn't holding anymore, what I ended up doing was drilling holes in the left bed panel and the battery cover, sanding the battery cover and painting it (it fell off at 40 kmh), and zip-tying them together. I also epoxied the snapped section again and reinforced it with strong duct tape.

Feels a lot more in place now. I don't like that I had to drill the panels, but replacements just don't exist anymore. Midget IIs are a dying breed, man.

Someone could make a pretty penny making a new licensed + modernized Midget II, or by getting into 3D printed replacement panels. I know I'd throw a lot of money at them.

A better way to test the alternator would be to use a multi-meter on the battery with the Midget running and see what voltage it's reading. A couple small drives wouldn't charge the battery too well

I actually ended up doing that this morning. I had my friend (the gentleman with the black Midget) come back over to check on mine since it's running again.

He told me the only problem he could pick out was that my Midget is idling a little too high. It'll need to be checked out in due time, but everything else is sound.

After he left, I took the panel off and used my trickle charger (which is designed to work as a voltimeter when unplugged) and fired it back up. Got 14.0v while running, so it's safe to assume the alternator's doing its job.

Last update mention for today: I'll hopefully have a concrete date on when my temp tags arrive by end of day. The rest of my papers are arriving as I type this.

Add'l photos.

 

[Chris30]

Great progress on your cars mate, good luck on your journey. I'll keep supporting you every step of the way,

 

[SVX]

I don't like that I had to drill the panels, but replacements just don't exist anymore. Midget IIs are a dying breed, man.

Have you checked the resource I sent or Yahoo Auctions? You can also fill screw holes pretty easily

 

[Obelisk]

Have you checked the resource I sent or Yahoo Auctions? You can also fill screw holes pretty easily

Been digging through yahoo auctions Japan through a proxy service called Buyee.jp. The battery and washer fluid covers just never show up.

As for Partsouq, tried a few times and it doesn't have anything for Daihatsu. Won't accept the VIN, and the manufacturer as a keyword returns nothing.

---

Update as of this morning:

I accidentally flooded the engine last night after stalling the engine during start-up, which led to a couple of discoveries:
1) My Midget's autochoke may be malfunctioning. I thought it was odd that I had to stay on the gas pedal on and off until it warmed up.
2) My carb may be mistuned.

I'm going to be looking at both of these after I pull the spark plugs tonight.


Edit, 12:05 pm: Engine cranked this morning and ended up being just fine. I'm going to leave it be for now, then have a mechanic look it over.

 

[SVX]

Won't accept the VIN

Chassis number, not VIN

 

[Chris30]

Let us know how that lawn mower is doing, (the green truck). It looks like it's in good shape to take a ride in.

 

[Obelisk]

Chassis number, not VIN

The K100P-######?

Let us know how that lawn mower is doing, (the green truck). It looks like it's in good shape to take a ride in.

The lawn mower is actually a lawn mower. It's a Craftsman Die Hard. See here:

View attachment 1269314View attachment 1269315

That racing mower project has been on the back burner due to both an electrical and mechanical issue that are related to each other. when I have the time and money, I'll put it up on the jacks and see what the issue is. Tl;dr i think the brake line and clutch is shot.

The Midget (the truck) is doing fine. I just put steering wheel covers on both it and the Miata, mainly to make the rim thicker. I have big hands, and both cars have very skinny steering wheels...

 

[SVX]

K100P-######

Yeah

 

[Obelisk]

Just want to post in here really quick because I was reminded of this while talking to @XSquareStickIt.

The official documentation I received from the seller/Japanese export office notes that the Midget has a weight distribution of 47:53 (270 kg F / 300 kg R).

So... Gran Turismo has that one very wrong.

(GT6 notes the exact opposite, 54:46)

 

[Obelisk]

Massachusetts has cancelled its kei ban.

I am overnighting my papers back to me and will be running to the RMV as soon as I am able to.

I may finally have this Midget on the road in the next 48 hours.

 

[Darla Starch]

 

[Jordan]

Massachusetts has cancelled its kei ban.

I am overnighting my papers back to me and will be running to the RMV as soon as I am able to.

I may finally have this Midget on the road in the next 48 hours.

Wow, nice timing! That's awesome.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Massachusetts has cancelled its kei ban.

I am overnighting my papers back to me and will be running to the RMV as soon as I am able to.

I may finally have this Midget on the road in the next 48 hours.

Hooray!

 

[Obelisk]

I can now truly say "Welcome home." to my Midget II.

 

[Obelisk]

I think the alternator has gone out today. Unsure, though. I'll check the current and voltage after it's done sitting on the trickle charger.

New belts come in today, and I'm in touch with JDM Imports in CT about a new alternator. I know I'm probably playing it overly cautiously with this particular fault, but it's better to be a little over than a little under.

 

[Obelisk]

Valuable lesson learned yesterday/today: AC belts in Midgets and S110P Hijets are bastards. The AC belts, both old and new, fought me like their lives depended on it...

I was able to replace both belts and the alternator, and the Midget is running much better! Even its idle is sounding better - wonder if the fried belts had something to do with the fast idle noted earlier in this thread.

...Yes, I used a shoelace to help with the AC belt.

 

[Chris30]

The K100P-######?


The lawn mower is actually a lawn mower. It's a Craftsman Die Hard. See here:

That racing mower project has been on the back burner due to both an electrical and mechanical issue that are related to each other. when I have the time and money, I'll put it up on the jacks and see what the issue is. Tl;dr i think the brake line and clutch is shot.

The Midget (the truck) is doing fine. I just put steering wheel covers on both it and the Miata, mainly to make the rim thicker. I have big hands, and both cars have very skinny steering wheels...

Oh, ok. Well hope it lasts a long time. Do you clean/wash it often? I'm considering saving up for a Mazda car in the future when we are on a better budget.

 

[Obelisk]

Oh, ok. Well hope it lasts a long time. Do you clean/wash it often? I'm considering saving up for a Mazda car in the future when we are on a better budget.

I try to. I don't drive very frequently, so I don't often get a chance to just run my cars through the wash.

 

[Obelisk]

So I got myself a cheeky sticker and realized the censorship (or lack of) on it wasn't AUP friendly, so I made do with a spare sticker I had sitting around.

Tomorrow morning, the Pioneer head unit goes in. Tomorrow afternoon will be an oil change, alignment, brake check and a new wiper (current one is streaking).

Big day for a small truck, don'tcha think?

 

[Obelisk]

So I was able to get the truck over to a radio shop to install the Pioneer head unit, though I went with the cheaper generic bracket. A little cheap looking, but to be fair this Midget is a bit of a cheap beater. It fits for now...

The other dealership I went to for the brake issue was unable to service the Midget (yup - too narrow for their lifts and other tools) and ended up referring me to an import car specialist right around the corner. I'll probably have it in next week or the week after to get the outstanding issues addressed.

Regarding the speaker, it's actually surprisingly good sound quality for a tiny, 28 year old unit. It's like 2.5 to 3 inches across at best. Sure made my drive home interesting when "Panama" started blaring through it. 👀

 

[wfooshee]

So, on dates, where does the girlfriend ride?

 

[Obelisk]

So, on dates, where does the girlfriend ride?

In the passenger seat of the Miata.

 

[Chris30]

So I got myself a cheeky sticker and realized the censorship (or lack of) on it wasn't AUP friendly, so I made do with a spare sticker I had sitting around.

View attachment 1391877

Tomorrow morning, the Pioneer head unit goes in. Tomorrow afternoon will be an oil change, alignment, brake check and a new wiper (current one is streaking).

Big day for a small truck, don'tcha think?

Nice man!! Keep up the great work on that,

I'll keep supporting you along the way.

 

[Obelisk]

Finally worked up the nerve to get under one of the cars today - specifically, I needed to do an oil change on the Midget.

After seeing the condition of the oil, and struggling with what may have been the original factory filter for a solid hour, I have to say:

When was this poor thing last serviced in Japan?

(the filter is beat up because I jammed a screwdriver in it and tapped the filter quite a few times with a soft hammer to try and break the seal. It was in there almost as tight as the drain plug screw)

[[EDIT: I talked with some more knowledgeable folks. The likely situation is that the last oil change on this vehicle was longer than it probably should've been. Think 6000 km on a 3500 km interval]

I put in a KN High Performance 1003 filter and three quarts of STP 10w30, and after some idling to circulate the oil, it sounded much healthier.

And with the now much healthier Midget warmed up, I took it out to a car show where its sibling (and a mutual friend with a Sambar) also showed up. 👀

I'll also be taking it to a nearby Cars and Coffee tomorrow!