Oscar

iTrader: (2)

Get a mechanical gauge and put it on the pressure sender port on the block. Or take the OPG out of the gauge cluster and check it like shown in the revlimiter link. Or both.

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

I skipped the replies after you posted the video, but considering i have a similar setup and mine did the EXACT same thing on the first start, i think i can tell you how to fix it.

For me it was the idle valve frequency. The NB idle valve operates at a different frequency, mine seemed happiest around ~57 but it can vary so play with it yourself. Also make sure your idle screw is adjusted as well so that you are not fighting that.

Of course before you adjust any of this i'd check for vac leaks after the throttle body, carb cleaner works well for this. Spray around where you suspect the leaks, if the RPM increases obviously, than you have a leak there. Also check all your vac lines, and make sure any unused ones are properly capped off, etc

TheDentist

Not that it helps you but I solved my no oil pressure problem.

My problem was caused by a moment of stupidity. I had unplugged several plugs when removing the A/C boxes behind the glove box and simply forgot to plug one back in. The one I forgot happened to be the gauge cluster harness.



/threadjack

Car is looking fantastic! I've been following it for awhile and check in daily for updates. Keep up the good work and good luck!

Calmdown

You shouldn't have to prime anything. I think you missed a step in putting those gauge faces on.

From Adam's site on his installation service:

"Lastly, I install the speedometer needle. YOU MUST INSTALL THE REST OF THE NEEDLES. The other four gauges need to have their needles calibrated while attached to your running car. I cannot do this without having your car to sit in. The only one that can be installed and calibrated is the speedometer (both on the NA and NB). "

Since you're in a "check all the things!" mode anyway...

Check this first:

Miata Oil Gauge – Real vs Fake — revlimiter.net

Your signal wire is the one you just fixed going to the relay.

That gives your gauge a clean bill of health (or tells you where the problem is).

Next on the line is the relay itself. Since you're a perfectionist, you can run (temporarily) a pressure tester where the oil pressure gauge is at, and check the pressure there. If you get good pressure there, then it's the relay.

(And, you know where your oil pressure is at idle, which helps you set that gauge... which brings us to the final bit)

You changed your gauge faces, and pressed your oil pressure needle back on when you weren't supposed to. (maybe?)

Without an end-stop, that motor will wind back further than the "zero point".

Adam's instructions state to start the motor up and place the needle right about where your oil pressure used to set.

Pull the needle, start the car, set the needle (loosely) where you used to see your oil pressure. Shut the car off, see if the needle drops back to zero.

Jeffbucc

Whoever put the relay on the block did so with the strength of thor. Nothing I do can make it budge on the block...ever get so angry wrenching you almost throw your wrench at the car itself? Yeah.

Calmdown

It's a pipe thread. You can temp pull the filter, and drop the alternator out of the way. Probably needs one good tap with a hammer.

curly

iTrader: (25)

There's wrench flats on the front and back of it, might have to look under the rubber.

Jeffbucc

Yup and the wrench spot on the front is useless. The housing was separated from the inner housing so only the shell turns.

And the real winner winner chicken dinner is corrosion in combination with RED LOCTITE on the threads. seriously, why red? Blue maybe I could understand but red???

I literally can not get at an angle to get a 17 mm wrench on the back on the unit. and when you do, the oil filter housing is in the way so if you try to turn it you risk stripping the threads due to the wrench not being fully seated on the flats.

I need to take a breather. My arm looks like it got caught in the Saw movie trap.

Jeffbucc

That feeling when something hard to remove finally pops loose



God that was gratifying.

I wish I could say I was to blame for how thrashed this thing was but it was only slightly better than this when I started. You can see a little of the red loctite on the threads



Here is where the housing was separated from the inner housing. Not sure how they did that one.

Jeffbucc

Figured I'd add a video as to why the relay didn't work. I was interested in what the internals look like since I hate not knowing how it works, so I bent the housing off the rest of the way and took it apart.

If you can pull the housing off, yours doesn't work. There is a wire connected to the connector on the outside of the unit, which is connected to the relay on the inside. MY wire was not connected, it had broken off at the solder point.

When it detects pressure, it moves the switch, which supplies the signal in pressure change.

BoostedSmurf

iTrader: (1)

I know that feeling all too well. Was pretty much at that point with my car tonight. Just had to walk away for now. It wins this time.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

I wish I had seen this earlier in the weekend as I could have saved you some time. Back when I got a real gauge and sender for my 95 NA back in the day, first sender I pulled in the junkyard had the same failure mode. Not sure why Mazda put those flats on the face, I always thought that was stupid.

Glad you found it AND you had a spare

Jeffbucc

Well then I have someone to blame for not informing me!

No it was good to do everything to eliminate faults in the system.

I refilled the oil and put the filter back on. While I had the car apart I also took the throttle body off and sealed it better with RTV black gasket maker, hopefully that is where the air leak is from.

Tried to pressurize the system a little by blowing some pressurized air into the oil feed line. I heard a lot of gurgles in the system, who knows if they were beneficial gurgles.

Started to crank it a little, but my battery was pretty tired from a full days effort and I had forgotten to put the battery tender on. So after a couple hours of charging to get a better starter crank, we'll try it then.

I'm starting to think that maybe it is an issue with the revlimiter gauges I put on. I can't seem to align the needle so it falls back to the right position when off. When lightly pushed on at 0 psi, it doesn't respond positively to cranking. Need to see how I can get alignment perfect before I try cranking again.

EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Seeing as how you seem to have 2 of everything, do you have an untouched factory gauge to play with?

curly

iTrader: (25)

Oh just plug in the good sender and crank it.

Calmdown

You're supposed to leave the needle off until it's running/warmed up, then place the needle at either the 60 mark (running cold) or just above the 20 mark (running warm). All this is very, very ISH, which is why it's important to know where your oil pressure typically sits at before you mess with the gauges.

You probably want to know exactly where the oil pressure is at so you can set the needle properly.

Setup a pressure tester with the engine cold.

Start engine. Read Pressure.

Immediately shut down engine.

Remove pressure tester, put pressure sender back on, and connect.

Start Engine. Grab Oil pressure gauge needle. Place lightly where you read the pressure at on the sender.

Let engine run until it's warmed up. Pressure should drop accordingly as the oil thins out, and warmup enrichment/idle ends.

If it does that, you're good to go.

If it doesn't do that, you need to pull the cluster, disconnect the wiring, find the pressure sender wire that feeds the gauge, and check it for continuity between there, and the oil pressure sender tab.

If it has continuity, then start worrying about the gauge. You can test it with a 12V power supply, but you need to get it out to do that. I would remove Adam's gauge faces prior to seriously ******* with it.

chriscar

iTrader: (24)

Amazeballs work, and not to be the dick to come in here and **** on any of it, but you keep referring to the oil pressure sensor as a relay. The terms are not interchangeable.

C

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

If it's of concern to you at all, i'd get an actual oil pressure gauge on the thing and start it. Should not cost you must to pick up a cheapo one and plumb it in temporarily.

Jeffbucc

No offense taken, thanks for the clarification Chris. If it isn't obvious by now, I'm making this up & learning from scratch as I go, so there are bound to be errors!

I think that is my next step. Just buy a oil pressure gauge at autozone and hook it up and adjust my real oil gauge based off the accurate information. I'd rather have it sitting in the bag next to the car just in case I don't get any response from the gauge.

I know I'm developing oil pressure. The oil filter was filled with oil, all lines were filled with oil, I just want to know how MUCH or LITTLE I have in the system.

Also I'm having another thought on possible vacuum leaks. The EGR block off plates on the back of the intake manifold, to my memory, no longer have RTV between them and the I.M. after they were sandblasted and powdercoated. They look flush, but I'll have to squirt some more RTV on the block-off plates tonight when I drive back down.

RotorNutFD3S

iTrader: (33)

FWIW, the $20 oil pressure test kit from Harbor Freight works great. Just went through something similar (and a slight panic) when my aftermarket gauge sender took a crap.