Did you not just install a clutch happy meal? I think you're vastly under estimating yourself. Dunno I just jumped into it with my first clutch replacement, and with an evening of research I tore into a water pump, timing belt, seal replacement. (i did the research after snapping a cam journal bolt, oops. 
)
Next place to check would be the cas, the formed heater core hoses, and your.coolant level. If its low, back the car out of the garage, fill the radiator and let it idle till warm. Once the thermostat opens from the passenger side put a bright light on the backside of the engine block so you can see that area clearly. Rev it by hand while watching that area, you get fluid back there you prob have a popped head Gasket or it may be time for a coolant reroute. You can remove the two bolts holding the coil in place and move it a bit to help give you some room to look around back there. Those formed hoses could have failed back there as well. Also you can pull a miata hood by yourself, they weigh almost nothing. 4 bolts and everything is wide open.
Keep us informed and good luck!
Haven't gotten to the point of ordering the happy meal, much less installing it.
Was in the process of getting it into the garage to facilitate long(ish) term jacking to facilitate diagnosis when exhaust smoke was discovered.
I've done a clutch before, with 'adult' supervision, just not entirely confident to do another without.
Peter: Smoke from inside the bay seemed to be from the passenger side of the back of the engine, though that was observed after shutting the car down and hopping outside.
Seriously considering the un-GRM solution of taking it to a shop and letting someone competant deal with it.
That being said, the idea of dropping what I'd imagine would be 1000 or more dollars on fixing a car worth not terribly much more than that is less than awesome.
In reply to Wonkothesane:
you know, didn't think.about that.
I'm assuming the worst since it went from 'new noise when clutch is in' to 'noise + screeching + smoke from up to two spots + clutch doesn't operate like it's supposed to' over the course of one corner.
That and I'm a pessimist, another quality not ideal for a DIYer.
On that note, I'd like to thank y'all for your time and input, and apologize for the negativity. Not cool SnowMongoose.
If that smoke is Omg that reaks like rotten eggs its most likely clutch. I drove a diesel 4 speed truck 200 miles home with a busted throw out bearing once, I thought I would he deaf by the time I got home, but other than starting and stopping it was uneventful other than the noise level. The noise and such tells me you were probably close with your first guess, as I've never heard of a head Gasket making any screeching noise.
Quick easy test for you, pull the belts off the car. Everything turn like it should? Reach down and turn the water pump, alt, ps pump ac if it has em by hand. Start the car with belts off. Any noises that shouldn't be there? If the noise and smoke goes away without belts, you know thereto start looking. Seeing as how you said the clutch wasn't working, how much fluid is in there? My throwout bearing was making noises on my miata when the pedal was pushed, no noise when it wasn't pushed. Any differences in noise with pedal position?
Sorry if this comes across as incoherent. My back is killing me, I'm not thinking straight.
Good news mini update, got her up on jacks, fired her up (zero pedal input) and no smoke!
Gives me some confidence that it's not as bad as my worst case scenario had painted.
See. keep plugging away at it. They're really easy to work on once you just dig into it.
The boot or whatever you want to call it (larger, upper rubber piece) that seals up the hole into the transmission was halfway out of said hole when I first examined the car, I'm guessing that that and the poor shape of the accordion boot are... less than optimal signs?
'Ye Olde Chequelist' of things to do while I've got the car up...
Phase one: Fix drive-ability issues (That y'all are helping with)
Phase two: fix secondary drive-ability issues (front is slightly too low on the VMAXXes)
Phase three: Frame rails and butterfly (pass side rail is pretty tore up in the middle)
Phase four:
Phase five: Profit
Any other suggestions for things to do to a 120k miata that is allegedly up to date on service?
Slave and T/O are likely toast.
I'll pretend that this is interesting to anyone and update!
Did the slave last week, predictably with no effect.
(though clean fluid is always nice)
FM Happy Meal came in at the end of last week, suckered an ex-mechanic buddy (and father of my nieces) into helping me out this weekend.
So, plan is....
happy meal (clutch, flywheel, pilot and release bearings)
rear main seal
fresh fluids
heater hoses (thanks wonko!)
anything I'm missing, other than perhaps motor mounts?
(can you tell I don't like this sort of thing?)
Nothing like driving a near-death bone-stock 90's accord to make you appreciate the gokart you barely fit into.
Actually I was wondering what happened with this. Do yourself a favor and start hosing down the collector bolts with penetrating oil now, it makes life much better when it comes down to pulling that transmission.
Take pictures, keep us informed on how it goes.
I'm not familiar with the phrase collector bolts?
I think I follow though, sounds like just the sort of good call I forget on my own, thanks!
/runs off to hose errything down
Usually where the exhaust manifold connects to the mid pipe, or cat. You have to drop it a bit to get access to bellhousing bolts.
Edit #2 a shot of wd-40 will help slip exhaust hangers, it really helps if you can just swing/slide the exhaust system out of the way for both bolt access and ease of transmission removal/installation.
Ah, googling collector bolts didn't help, your explanation, however, does.
Thanks!
Sorry, there is probably a better term but I can't think of it. Glad you got it.
Edit: you must work on your Google fu grasshoppah!
http://www.google.com/search?safe=off&client=ms-android-verizon&hl=en&gl=us&biw=533&bih=320&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=N0l3UbTeGIXa9QS2i4HgCg&q=miata+exhaust+collector&btnG=#p=0
Mechanic friend is going to button her up tomorrow morning, should be done about the time I escape from my early shift.
Finally noticed a slight leak from the back of the valve covers and from the CAS, seems like a safe bet that that's where the small amount of under-hood smoke came from, and yes, the heater hose there is very well oil soaked and bulgey... replacement inbound!
(and, importantly, these are things I feel confident in handling on my own, as I seem to have lost my normal group of automotive helpers to my ex when I broke up with her... yay self sufficiency?)
Just got the call, success!
Probably the last time we'll see the purple hotness
Diagnosis was correct, T/O bearing was in pieces and the pilot wasn't far behind...
now just to act properly and drive nice for 500 miles.
Congrats! On getting her back together. Glad it wasn't as catastrophic as you were thinking. As for your helpers, if they don't come back on their own they were not worth having around. Friends drift apart and back together again with our society being as spread out as we are. I got together with a friend I haven't seen in almost 17 years last year, kicked back off like we hadn't missed a day(high school military brat buddy). Women have weird effects on others...dunno why!
