I've seen this with a lot of my friends' kids with this current generation. Many of them put off learning how to drive until their 20s because their parents still haul them around or they have one friend that drives. It was the equivalent of freedom when I was 16. I thought the apathy was just limited to customer service job performance but apparently I'm wrong

 

Where is the radiator leaking? Where the side tank meets the metal part up by the top driver mount?

Even though you would not be doing a real and true pressure test, what you are trying to determine is where the coolant is going and how high a pressure the system can hold. Better you can patch the leak even temporarily, the higher system pressure it should be able to hold and if it can hold that pressure long enough with the leak partially fixed you may be able to find where else the coolant is creeping. Or not. If you can cap off the bottom of the reservoir, and the upper and lower radiator hose connections.... Oh I just realized you're going to make a substitute flow loop If you do make sure you do not use adhesive that will be dissolved by ethylene glycol

 

i just used pvc pipe and pipe clamps. it held. to bad the pressure didnt. the highest i could get with constant pumping was 12 psi. it went from 10 to 5 in about 10 to 15 seconds. so next i guess is pulling an engine from the junk yard. ive done this one time in my life. never rebuilt one but ive always wanted to. i know i dont have to but i want to. tomorrow i might have time to check the local yard, their website says the have a few s series . a 96 and a 2000

 

did you ever check compression?
I know it is not looking good but......

 

tomorrow i got to take my old boss man his Miata back. he could loan me one to check. the coolent checker was $268. i know you get it back but i only have so much free cash after buying a another car( 08 ford focus , 5 speed) but really even if its perfect would good is that doing me?

 

Just asking.

Might get you partial closure

 

im ready for junk yard searching. ive read the swap guide but just in case any years i should just avoid? try to use my heads? any issues with electronics? i might be able to pull one next weekend. but if not im busy until after the 4th of july

 

In general, I believe the third gen sohc suffered from intake manifold gasket issues around the number one cylinder. 99 and up I believe I'll all the vertical throttle body and totally different internals. You cannot mix and match 3rd generation bottom ends with earlier generations or third generation heads with earlier generations. Watch the bolt patterns and numbers on your manifolds. You are pretty much limited to 99 to 2002 sohc.

If you're going just for a block, the block itself is identical for any year. The internals are not.

Some of the third generation also had a plastic intake manifold. There is a design flaw such that one of the corners breaks clean off. Not sure what year that started but you certainly don't want that. Someone used to sell a kit online specifically to fix that.

 

so if i have a 99 can i use the 2000 bottom (including its internals) and if my head is still good use it? and if my head is not good what would i have to do to make the new one work? i just tried to go to the junk yard on the way back from dropping off the Miata but i couldnt go in bc i was wearing flip flops. and its about to rain soo... but the have 2 2000s and a 98 . ill bring the coolant pressure tester next time i go.