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Check your Miata Power Plant Frame

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By: MazdaMotorsports.com | July 15, 2019 6:30 AM


Miata racers should check the alignment of this critical component to aid drivetrain longevity

Miata owners and racers know their cars are special, and one of the items that makes Miatas of all generations unique is the Power Plant Frame – that ladder tying the drivetrain together, minimizing component movement relative to each other. Outside of the Power Plant Frame, the only places the drivetrain is mounted to the car are the engine mounts and the differential mounts, which means the alignment of the Power Plant Frame, or PPF, is absolutely critical.

“The Power Plant Frame ties the drivetrain together,” explains Brian Falcon, a racing and shop mechanic for Winding Road Racing, which means he has worked on a variety of Miata race cars, especially the ND Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car and the NC-based Spec MX-5 Challenge cars. “There’s not a hard mount for the transmission, so the angle of the Power Plant Frame is critical for the function and longevity of drivetrain components. If you don’t set the angle properly when you install it, it can lead to premature gearbox failure, diff failure … just a snowball effect of parts failures throughout your entire drivetrain.”