The second book I bought from Amazon, Mazda MX5 1.6 Workshop Manual (aff) by Rod Grainger and Pete Shoemark has a much shorter title than the first book I bought but is chocker block full of information. It’s over 350 pages of concise information and lists every technical specification you could need or want. Literally written by two blokes who just had a passion for writing an easy to use reference manual for taking an MX5 to pieces bit by bit and putting it back together again. Absolutely every part is covered, it’s removal and installation, how to check it and a comprehensive troubleshooting guide for any MX5 that’s not performing as well as it should do.

Good points:

• It has every technical specification you could possibly need.
• The reference system makes information easy to find.
• It covers a full engine strip down and rebuild step by step.
• It covers removal and installation – not just the ever irritating ‘do in reverse’.
• It has a good section on performance tuning and modifications.
• There’s a detailed troubleshooting guide for fault finding.

Bad points:

• There’s limited images in black and white – colour would be more user friendly
• The layout is a bit cramped and the typeset is quite small – so make sure your eyesight is 20/20

You’ll need a basic understanding of the components of the engine as this manual assumes you know which bit is which and what they’re called. It’s most definitely not a first read; its more of a reference guide designed for the owner who doesn’t mind expanding their vocabulary significantly and their understanding of electrical components with a dash of physics thrown in for good measure!

As the title suggests you really do have to be an enthusiast to get to grips with the volume of information that’s crammed into to every page but it’s well worth every penny.

Other stuff you might like.

• Have a free guide to buying a used MX5 on me…
• Do it up! [Miata/Eunos] Mazda MX5