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Before I install the Kit (prolonging the life)

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Old 09-26-2007, 03:40 AM
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Unhappy Before I install the Kit (prolonging the life)

The 1.6 greddy turbo kit (retailing at around $1,300) has been sitting in my room, still in the box for a week now. I'm very scared to install it because I'm not sure if I have bought everything and done everything to my stock motor to make sure the the motor will live long after I install the kit.

N/A= not applicable (don't know if previous owner replaced it)

Motor Specs:
miles: 115kmiles
Belts: new
Oil: Motor oil
Oil Filter: New
Vac lines: n/a
Fuel Filter: n/a
Radiator: OEM
Coolant: Prestone 50/50
Exaust piping: OEM
Injectors: n/a
Spark plugs: n/a
Water pump: n/a
Air conditioning: Doesn't work
Powersteering: Yes
ABS: no

you tell me if i'm missing anything. What more things should i buy NEW. I'm very concerned with the longevity of my motor and greddy turbo, after installation of the greddy kit. I know it won't be as long as an NA motor.
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Old 09-26-2007, 05:44 AM
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When you buy the kit new, it should come with Everything you need to run a safe 5-6 psi of boost (as long as your oem fuel pump is still good)
Just make sure you dont have any oil leaks and stuff like that.
it would also be a good idea to compression check your motor, you will never know what you may find out.
But other then that, quit being scared
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Old 09-26-2007, 07:45 AM
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Just to run the "stock" Greddy kit, you should be good to go with what you have, provided your compression test shows good results and your fuel pump isn't about to die. If you want to be certain, get a new fuel pump or upgrade to a Walbro 190.
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Old 09-26-2007, 08:17 AM
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a little bit of boost is nothing.

too little fuel is bad & knock is bad. The kit out of the box will provide plenty of fuel. battling knock is as easy as retarding the base timing a few degrees.
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Old 09-26-2007, 08:59 AM
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run premium for a tank or two before install...
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Old 09-26-2007, 11:24 PM
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i'm feeling more secure now. thanks. would it be a good idea to flare my hood? or cut a whole on my hood and make a wrx scoop like intake that directs air towards the turbo? I don't have an IC, i thought it would be useless at 5psi.
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Old 09-26-2007, 11:38 PM
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Originally Posted by imperial562
would it be a good idea to flare my hood?
Overkill. At most you might consider a Turn Signal Air Intake such as this one: http://www.miatamania.com/Shop/ViewP...eIndexID=36482 Easy to install, and no cutting required. Or possibly a DIY headlight cover duct, such as this: http://www.revlimiter.net/mods/duct.html
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Old 09-27-2007, 01:31 AM
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or just upgrade to an intercooler setup and 1.8 injectors.along with a upgrade fuel pump.
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Old 09-27-2007, 08:21 AM
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Underhood heat can be a concern. You can make a heat shield out of just about anything. A NACA duct on the headlight will bring cool air in towards the air filter. Aiming air at the turbo itself does nothing. Check out this thread and the link I sent in post#7 in this thread: https://www.miataturbo.net/prefabbed-turbo-kits-3/homemade-heatshield-12908/

!!!!!!!!!DON'T DO A HOOD-SCOOP!!!!!!! Miata's are semi-gay as it is... you don't need to be like every ******* w/a Dodge Ram and their Pep-Boys stick-on scoop crap. There are much easier ways to get good airflow through the engine bay and battle temp problems.

IMHO, you have N/A next to a lot of things you want to check. Have you checked the spark plugs to see what they look like. For Oil:Motor Oil is pretty obvious... we wouldn't assume you put muffler oil in there. How about listing what specific weight/brand of oil.

How much mechanical skill do you have? Do you have a place to perform the work required to install the kit? Do you have the tools?

And please provide a little more information about what you have done to make sure the motor is good... COMPRESSION TEST!
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Old 09-27-2007, 10:03 AM
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If you have no idea about the fuel filter, Id say you should replace it. Deffinately check compression and check all gaskets. You should also consider replacing the trans and rear diff fluids. For venting you could consider hood risers. You will find conflicting opinions about hood risers but at idle I can deffinately see heat escaping the engine bay from the back of the hood.
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Old 09-27-2007, 12:31 PM
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+1 on samnavy and levnubhin.

You have a 1.6, and assuming that it's a US-spec car that means that it's at minimum the same age as a high school freshman. Even a completely stock car at that age will benefit from a thorough re-furbishing. Fuel filter, coolant flush, replace all the coolant lines (there are 9 of them), radiator cap and possibly entire radiator, Redline MT-90 in gearbox, Redline 75W90-NS in differential, good synthetic oil in xxW40 range, new PCV valve (I believe the 323GTX valve is a common replacement), replace all rubber fuel lines with new hose (be sure it's rated for fuel injection at minimum 100PSI working pressure and use proper hose-clamps also rated for fuel injection).

Since the history is unknown on some parts, it's probably also a good time to do the timing belt and water pump- you're going to be working in that area anyway.

You live in so-cal, so forget about running a 50/50 coolant mixture. Buy a bottle of undiluted GM DexCool (the orange stuff) and mix it with distilled water in a ratio of 30/70. This will reduce the boilover protection slightly, but increase the rate of heat transfer. Seems counterintuitive, but it works.

Do the compression test. While you've got the plugs and wires out, replace the wires with new NGK blues and replace the plugs with NGK BKR7E or BKR7E-11, gapped to about .35"

If you don't plan on repairing the A/C, remove it. At least the compressor and the condenser. This will free up room to work. When you remove the compressor bracket, you'll notice one bolt that threaded into the front of the block. Replace this bolt with an M8-1.25x45 bolt. See this thread for details.

Hood risers are a mixed issue. In my opinion they look ghetto. From a technical perspective however it has been demonstrated that while they do per mit some air to escape at low speeds, at higher (freeway) speeds a high-pressure zone exists at the transition from hood to windshield, and a hood riser will actually cause air to be forced back down into this gap.
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Old 09-27-2007, 02:09 PM
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You should also check to see if your base timing is set correctly.
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Old 09-27-2007, 02:26 PM
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Get a radiator cap for a 99. The stock cap is a 0.9 bar while the 99 is a 1.1 bar. You may also want to look into the parallel fan mod. It works great.
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Old 09-27-2007, 02:42 PM
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I've never done a compression check on my engine. Don't wanna know Runs good and strong and doesn't burn any oil.
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Old 09-28-2007, 06:52 PM
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Red face

I don't have much hours of hands on experience, all i do is read about what to do to install a part, but not how to. i do have a site where i can work on my car with all the time i need. I do have tools, lots. The biggest work i've done on a car is swaping the open diff with a V-lsd. and helping a friend swap a 4g63t in his talon.

About compression, what is the stock numbers? I asked a locall mechanic about Retarding my timing. I have no idea on how to do that or what it is. he talked about cap n rotor, i told him i have a coilpack. he then said its all computerized, i'll have to get it flashed or hopefully i have a Knock Senosor. Do miatas come stock with a knock sensor? sorry for my paranoia, its probably making u guys go crazy...

Taping the oil pan. just follow the steps in the DIY FAQ. right?
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Old 09-29-2007, 04:52 PM
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You cannot "flash" the stock 1.6 Miata ECU. Period. Also, no 1.6 Miata came with a knock sensor, so you need to find out where that's going.

Although you do not have a distributor per-se, you have a distributor-like object called a CAS (Cam Angle Sensor) plugged into the back of the head on the intake side. To adjust the timing you loosen a bolt and rotate this while observing the crank pulley, just like a distributor. The only extra step is to open the diagnostic box (on the left shock tower) and install a jumper between TEN and GND.

The factory spec for compression is 135-192 PSI in all four, with no more than 28 PSI variance between highest and lowest. In reality, higher is better, and closer is better. When performing the compression test, remove all four plugs and hold the throttle wide open. Also unplug the ignitor and disable the fuel injectors beforehand.
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Old 09-30-2007, 02:40 PM
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I GOT IT INSTALLED! i'm very pleased with the results. i love my new turbo miata! anyways.. i din't know the filter position was intended for JDM miatas. grrrrr, stupid brake booster.
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Old 09-30-2007, 02:45 PM
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Nice.
You will like it even more when your running more boost
But dont get carried away.
i went through one motor already, you dont want to do that.
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Old 09-30-2007, 02:45 PM
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And your timing IS retarded right????
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Old 09-30-2007, 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Slidin'Miata916
And your timing IS retarded right????
yea it's retarted, turns out it was already retarded by 6 degrees. w/e that means. where are the pins in my ecu for the o2 sensor? i dont want to directly tap my o2 wire for my a/f gauge.
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