New NA Owner from Manitoba Canada
07-08-2016, 01:30 AM
#1
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New NA Owner from Manitoba Canada
Time to get de-Noob-ified... My name is Mike, and I was given a turbo'd white 1990 Miata with for my birthday a week ago from my wife of 37 years and our two sons. Now before you go all weird all over me, our younger son just started working for Eppic Industries (<a href="http://eppicindustries.wix.com/eppicindustries">eppicindustries</a>
, and the owner Cody Epp is a great young man, who loves his Miata's. My wife was getting Cody to do some repair work on her truck, saw the white Miata, asked about it, and bought it as a surprise for my birthday. Cody and our younger son did some work on it to get it road ready. As a first time Miata owner, and not having done all my usual overly detailed analysis of everything before hand, I find myself at a bit of a technical dis-advantage. Hence, here I am. The VIN number describes the car as a 1990 made in Hiroshima for the US market. Now I know that the turbo was NOT an option in 1990, so I am faced with a question (at least one question; probably LOTS more as I get into this a little further).
If the VIN number says that the chassis was made in 1990, and that the stock engine was a 1.6 L naturally aspirated,
1. How do I tell if it is still a 1.6L engine in there and not the later 1.8?
2. If the engine is the original one, or if it was swapped for a newer 1.6?
3. What turbo I have in there?
If you have any different parts of the forum you can direct me to, please do. I would like to gather some more info on the engine and turbo specs, so I can get the correct parts as I go along. I am not the greatest at wrenching, but I finally have the time and the space to work on this as a project, as well as enjoying some spirited top down Canadian prairie driving, with my awesome wife.
, and the owner Cody Epp is a great young man, who loves his Miata's. My wife was getting Cody to do some repair work on her truck, saw the white Miata, asked about it, and bought it as a surprise for my birthday. Cody and our younger son did some work on it to get it road ready. As a first time Miata owner, and not having done all my usual overly detailed analysis of everything before hand, I find myself at a bit of a technical dis-advantage. Hence, here I am. The VIN number describes the car as a 1990 made in Hiroshima for the US market. Now I know that the turbo was NOT an option in 1990, so I am faced with a question (at least one question; probably LOTS more as I get into this a little further).If the VIN number says that the chassis was made in 1990, and that the stock engine was a 1.6 L naturally aspirated,
1. How do I tell if it is still a 1.6L engine in there and not the later 1.8?
2. If the engine is the original one, or if it was swapped for a newer 1.6?
3. What turbo I have in there?
If you have any different parts of the forum you can direct me to, please do. I would like to gather some more info on the engine and turbo specs, so I can get the correct parts as I go along. I am not the greatest at wrenching, but I finally have the time and the space to work on this as a project, as well as enjoying some spirited top down Canadian prairie driving, with my awesome wife.
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07-08-2016, 01:48 AM
#2
Welcome. Post a pic of the entire engine bay, or at least of the right side. That will help to figure out what else you have in there.
Engine is a 1.6. Quick way to tell is that the lettering on the valve cover is recessed; 1.8L lettering is raised. Early or late: search "miata short nose crank" on the interwebs and you'll find a way to distinguish the two based on the harmonic dampener design.
Turbo may be a GReddy kit. I had one for a while but I don't remember enough about what it looked like to say for sure. Too lazy to find a pic right now. Can you take a couple closer pics of that as well?
Engine is a 1.6. Quick way to tell is that the lettering on the valve cover is recessed; 1.8L lettering is raised. Early or late: search "miata short nose crank" on the interwebs and you'll find a way to distinguish the two based on the harmonic dampener design.
Turbo may be a GReddy kit. I had one for a while but I don't remember enough about what it looked like to say for sure. Too lazy to find a pic right now. Can you take a couple closer pics of that as well?
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07-08-2016, 01:03 PM
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judging from the afm, it might be running stock, can you take a pic of the whole bay? Also on the pass side foot compartment under the glove box can you pull the carpet towards the seat to get a look at the ecu?
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07-08-2016, 09:48 PM
#6
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- Whole engine bay, top view.
- Passenger side
- Driver's side
- Front view
- ECU tag
- What's this extra cable for?
- So what does this extra box do?
- Plug and DIP switches on back side.
I am guessing the extra box is some kind of customization of the ECU, but there are no additional tags on the box to identify it. I have found a couple of times now, when I try to start the car, it is completely dead- no lights, no horn, no click of the starter, nuthin'. I was told to try to re-secure the plug on the back of the extra box, wait a minute or so, and it would restart. Sure enough, it did. I'm thinking loose connection somewhere, but where? Anyways, thanx again guys for the info. I am looking forward to sharing in your wisdom.
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07-09-2016, 10:10 PM
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Welcome to the forum. There's a lot of information on the forum but it is a little bit tough to find it sometimes. Look for a thread called DIY FAQ and check it out. I hope someone else can post a link because I'm on the mobile app right now and can't easily do it.
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07-10-2016, 07:02 AM
#9
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It does look like a Greddy kit with modified intercooler piping. I see a rising rate fuel pressure regulator (RRFPR) next to the intake manifold. I am not sure about the little electronic box.
It will be necessary to put a little heat shield to separate the hotside of the turbo and downpipe from the brake components. The plastic brake master cylinder reservoir will melt if the car is driven in a spirited fashion. It can also cause a boiling of the brake fluid in the metal lines which can cause a surprise failure. Additionally, the rubber heater hose next to the downpipe and the throttle/speedo cables can fail in dramatic fashion. A simple piece of metal between the components works wonders.
It will be necessary to put a little heat shield to separate the hotside of the turbo and downpipe from the brake components. The plastic brake master cylinder reservoir will melt if the car is driven in a spirited fashion. It can also cause a boiling of the brake fluid in the metal lines which can cause a surprise failure. Additionally, the rubber heater hose next to the downpipe and the throttle/speedo cables can fail in dramatic fashion. A simple piece of metal between the components works wonders.
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